Google has announced that the first batch of  Android 6.0 Marshmallow factory images are now available for the Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 7 (2013), Nexus 9 and Nexus Player.
While the over-the-air updates will begin rolling out in the coming days and weeks, factory images for the new version are now available to download and sideload onto existing devices for those who don’t want to wait.
Marshmallow offers a number of new features and improvements to performance for existing Nexus devices, the most notable being Now on Tap, a context-based extension of Google Now that scans the content on one’s screen to provide additional flavour.
Along with deep linking, which allows developers to deploy “hooks†deep within their apps, Now on Tap lets you go from texting about ordering a pizza to actually doing so in one or tap clicks.
Android 6.0 Marshmallow also adds a number of important privacy features, allowing users to manually set app permissions, limiting the types of system-level content developers have access to.
With Doze, Android recognizes when your device is idle and automatically goes into a deep sleep state to conserve power.  The other new battery-conserving feature is called App Standby. This puts your seldom used apps into a reduced activity state to conserve battery for the apps you use more frequently.
For fingerprint sensor enabled devices, Android Marshmallow gives you a new way to protect your device. On Marshmallow, your fingerprint is the gatekeeper to unlocking your device, authorizing transactions in the Google Play Store, signing into 3rd party apps, and zipping through checkout with Android Pay.
The first release is available for a variety of smartphones, tablets and Android TV devices. Links have been posted for the following:
- Nexus 6
- Nexus Player
- Nexus 9 (Wi-Fi)
- Nexus 5
- Nexus 7 (2013)
The images are available to download now.
