If you have used Android for a while, there is a good chance one of your phones ran the operating system Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Released in 2015, Marshmallow was not the flashiest Android update ever made. It looked a lot like its predecessor, Lollipop, and Google openly described it as a release focused on polish. Yet under the surface, Marshmallow quietly introduced ideas that still shape every Android phone sold today, from per-app permissions to smarter battery saving.
This guide looks back at what Android 6.0 Marshmallow actually was, which features it introduced, the phones that ran it, and why this modest-looking update turned out to be one of the most important in Android history.
What Is the Operating System Android 6.0 Marshmallow?
Android 6.0 Marshmallow was the sixth major version of Google’s mobile operating system. During development it was known simply as “Android M.” Google first previewed it at the Google I/O conference in May 2015, then confirmed the Marshmallow name and released the finished software in the fall of that year. It carried API level 23, the version number developers use to target its features.
Marshmallow followed Android Jelly Bean and Lollipop in Google’s old dessert naming tradition, where each major release took the next letter of the alphabet and the name of a sweet treat. Unlike some updates that redesigned the whole interface, Marshmallow kept Lollipop’s Material Design look and concentrated on behavior: how apps ask for access to your data, how the battery lasts when the phone sits idle, and how the system helps you without making you leave the app you are in. For a fuller technical rundown, the Android Marshmallow page on Wikipedia is a solid reference.
Release Timeline and the First Marshmallow Phones
Google began rolling Marshmallow out on October 5, 2015. As usual for the time, Google’s own Nexus devices were first in line: the Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 7 (2013), Nexus 9 tablet, and the Nexus Player streaming box. The software also launched preinstalled on two brand-new phones unveiled the same week, the Nexus 5X built by LG and the Nexus 6P built by Huawei.
Other manufacturers followed over the following months, at their own pace. Samsung, LG, HTC, Sony, and Motorola each updated their flagships through late 2015 and into 2016, which was normal for an era when updates moved far more slowly than they do now. Marshmallow eventually ran on a wide range of hardware, and because it was stable and relatively light, it remained common on budget phones for years afterward. Many of its ideas were then refined further in Android Oreo and later releases.
Now on Tap: Answers Without Leaving Your App
The headline feature of Marshmallow was Google Now on Tap. Before Marshmallow, Google Now lived mostly on its own screen. Now on Tap brought that intelligence into every app. You simply pressed and held the Home button, and Google analyzed whatever was on your screen — a text conversation, an email, a web page — and offered helpful cards in response.
For example, if a friend texted you about a restaurant, Now on Tap could surface the restaurant’s reviews, opening hours, and a shortcut to directions, all without you copying the name into a search box. If an email mentioned a movie, you could get showtimes and cast details in one long-press. It felt like magic in 2015, and it was the direct ancestor of later features like Google Assistant’s screen search and Circle to Search. Now on Tap itself was retired after a couple of years, but its core idea — context-aware help based on what is on screen — is now a standard expectation on smartphones.
Runtime Permissions Put You in Control
Ask any long-time Android user what Marshmallow changed most, and permissions are the likely answer. Before Android 6.0, installing an app meant accepting its entire list of requested permissions up front, before you had used it even once. A flashlight app could demand access to your contacts at install time, and your only real choices were to accept everything or skip the app.
Marshmallow replaced that all-or-nothing model with runtime permissions. Apps now ask for access at the moment they actually need it: a camera app requests the camera when you first take a photo, a messaging app asks for your contacts when you first share something. You can say no to any single permission and keep using the rest of the app, and you can revisit every app’s permissions at any time in Settings and switch them on or off individually.
This was a genuine turning point for privacy on Android. It forced developers to justify each request in context, and it gave users ongoing control instead of a one-time decision. Every modern version of Android — and, in fairness, iOS as well — still builds on the foundation Marshmallow laid here.
Doze and App Standby: A Battery That Works Smarter
Battery life was the other big theme of the release. Marshmallow introduced two complementary features:
- Doze detects when your phone is sitting still and unused — on a table or nightstand, for example — and gradually pushes it into a deep-sleep state. Apps defer background work, syncs, and network activity to brief maintenance windows, so the phone sips power instead of draining steadily overnight. Google reported that in its testing, Doze delivered roughly 30 percent longer screen-off time on Nexus devices compared with Lollipop.
- App Standby targets apps you rarely open. If you have not used an app in a while, Android limits its access to the network and background jobs, saving power for the apps you actually use every day.
Importantly, Doze never blocks the things that matter most: alarms still ring, and high-priority notifications such as incoming calls and messages still come through. Together, Doze and App Standby set the template for the adaptive battery systems that Android still uses, now enhanced with machine learning.
Fingerprint Support, USB-C, and Android Pay
Marshmallow also standardized several hardware features at the operating-system level:
- Native fingerprint support. Fingerprint scanners existed on Android phones before 2015, but each manufacturer built its own system. Marshmallow added an official fingerprint API, so the same sensor could unlock the phone, sign in to apps, and authorize purchases consistently.
- USB Type-C support. The OS added proper support for the reversible USB-C connector, including faster charging — Google’s launch devices, the Nexus 5X and 6P, were among the first phones to adopt it.
- Android Pay. Marshmallow backed Google’s then-new mobile payment platform, letting users tap to pay in stores with fingerprint confirmation.
Other refinements rounded out the release: Chrome Custom Tabs for faster in-app web pages, app links that open content directly in the right app, Direct Share for sending content to frequent contacts, a built-in file explorer, support for adoptable storage that lets a microSD card act like internal storage, and an Easter egg game hidden in the settings (more on that below).
The Marshmallow Easter Egg
Google has hidden a playful Easter egg in Android for years, and Marshmallow’s is a fan favorite. Tapping the Android version number in Settings a few times reveals a stylized “M,” which changes into a marshmallow. Long-pressing it launches a fiendishly difficult Flappy Bird-style game in which you steer a tiny Android robot between marshmallows on sticks. Marshmallow even added a multiplayer twist: a “+” button lets up to six players tap to control their own robots at once. The game was a follow-up to the similar hidden game in Lollipop, and it remains a fondly remembered part of this release.
Tips for Anyone Still Using a Marshmallow Device
Millions of Marshmallow phones are long retired, but the version still pops up on older tablets, spare phones, and budget devices. If you have one:
- Check for updates first. Run through the steps in our guide on how to check for software updates — your device may have a newer version waiting, and even a final security patch helps.
- Review permissions. Go to Settings > Apps, pick an app, and trim anything it does not need. This is Marshmallow’s best feature; use it.
- Respect the security limits. Android 6.0 no longer receives security updates, so avoid banking or sensitive accounts on it, and install apps only from the Play Store.
- Give Doze a hand. Keep the phone still and unplugged overnight rather than leaving it in a pocket — Doze works best when the device is genuinely at rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Android 6.0 Marshmallow released?
Google announced it at I/O in May 2015 under the codename Android M, and the finished version began rolling out to Nexus devices on October 5, 2015, launching alongside the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P.
What was the biggest feature of Android Marshmallow?
Most people point to runtime permissions, which let users grant or deny each permission when an app needs it instead of all at install time. Now on Tap and the Doze battery-saving mode were the other headline additions.
Which phones ran Android 6.0 Marshmallow?
The Nexus 5, 6, 7 (2013), 9, and Nexus Player received it first, and it shipped on the Nexus 5X and 6P. Most major 2014–2015 flagships from Samsung, LG, HTC, Sony, and Motorola were updated to it over the following months.
Is Android 6.0 Marshmallow still safe to use?
It no longer receives security updates, so it is fine for light tasks like media playback or a spare device, but it is not recommended for banking, email, or anything sensitive. A newer phone or a custom-supported device is the safer choice.
What came after Marshmallow?
Android 7.0 Nougat arrived in 2016 with split-screen multitasking and a cat-collecting Easter egg, followed by Android 8.0 Oreo in 2017.
Conclusion
The operating system Android 6.0 Marshmallow proves that an update does not need a dramatic redesign to matter. By fixing permissions, taming idle battery drain, standardizing fingerprint support, and experimenting with contextual assistance, Marshmallow laid groundwork that Android still stands on today. It may be a decade old, but if you learned to manage app permissions or woke up to a phone that barely lost charge overnight, you have Marshmallow to thank.
