Android Marshmallow Update Comes to Samsung Galaxy S6 Phones

— -- Samsung is rolling out an Android Marshmallow update for its Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge smartphones beginning today, according to a blog post from the company.

The update comes one week before Samsung is expected to debut new Galaxy S7 phones at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

The operating system update was first previewed at Google's I/O conference last May.

What makes Android M stand out from its predecessors (also named for desserts, including the most recent KitKat and Lollipop) are performance enhancements, including an easier way to find information in apps and updates to Google Now, the Android virtual personal assistant.

A power saving mode called Doze will help keep the system in a sleep-like state in order to conserve battery life. Another feature is an app's permissions system, allowing users to approve or deny security settings for an app on a case-by-case experience.

Android Pay, Google's newest answer to the mobile wallet, is also being supported in the update. Working with built-in fingerprint support in Android M, users will be able to use Near Field Communication readers in their phones to pay at certain retailers.

For all other upgrade-ready devices, Samsung said it would issue "separate announcements on details of OS updates schedule for each market according to market situation and carriers’ requirements."