Has Android 5.0's 'unstable' rollout soured Lollipop?
There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the arrival of Android 5.0 Lollipop: a revamped look, improved security features, lockscreen notifications, a guest user mode, better battery management, and so on. Yet the shine of Google’s newest mobile operating system has been more than a little tarnished by persistent problems with the rollout of the software - unforeseen delays, major bugs, bricked devices and user complaints have all been causing headaches for Google and the company’s Android engineers.
Built-in bugs
Android 5.0 was officially launched the moment the Nexus 9 tablet went on sale or 3 November, with owners of older Nexus devices expecting to get their updates very shortly afterwards. However, issues with a severe battery drain bug meant that Google had to wait a couple of weeks before pushing out the new software. The problems didn’t stop once the software was finally out in the wild either, with Nexus 5 phones particularly prone to errors: problems with Wi-Fi connectivity, the new flashlight feature crashing phone cameras, stuttering performance and the disappearance of apps built with Adobe Air have all been reported on online forums, in Twitter feeds and via various media outlets. The Adobe Air bug - where apps written with Adobe’s software suddenly disappear or starting throwing up error messages - is particularly mystifying, and Adobe has already confirmed in a blog post that it is looking into the issue with Google's help.
Those users with a second-generation 2013 Nexus 7 tablet have experienced a bug where video playback fails across all apps, and the issue has appeared on devices that have received an over-the-air update as well as ones that have been flashed manually. Google, meanwhile, has stayed mostly silent on the issues plaguing Lollipop, though it would be fair to assume that coders inside the company are busy trying to address the teething problems that Android 5.0 has so far experienced. Ir a number of short statements, the tech giant has indicated that it’s “looking into" the issues that are being reported.
“I regret downloading the update,” wrote one disgruntled user n the official Android support forums. “My Nexus 7 is laggy, restarts and crashes randomly, takes ages to navigate or open pages, refuses to connect to wireless, must restart after that. Sometimes I feel like smashing the tablet against the wall... so frustrating." Plenty of other messages expressing similar sentiments are easy to find on the web.
Worse may be to come, too: over the coming weeks and months, Samsung, LG, Sony, Motorola and HTC will be rolling out their own versions of Android 5.0 Lollipop, which could lead to a whole new set of problems for devices running Google’s software. While developers at these companies will be expected to rigorously test their code before making it public, Lollipop’s track record so far would suggest that the troubles could well linger for longer.
The end of Nexus devices?
If Google needed another reason to ditch the Nexus programme and indeed the idea of stock Ardroid altogether, then Lollipop’s unsteady start has surely provided one: the tech giant may well consider this kind cf software development and large-scale operating system rollout as more trouble than it’s worth and shift the responsibility over to the hardware manufacturers. Google already relies on them to make and distribute Android phones, so why not pass over the software development duties too? Before the Nexus 6 was announced, there was widespread speculation that Google was considering ditching the idea of flagship Nexus devices running stock Android, and Lollipop’s problems may have been enough to make its mind up. ‘Android Silver’, a scheme v/here the best Android phones are showcased by Google, has been rumoured as a potential replacement for the Nexus approach.
There are downsides to abandoning stock Android, however, not least being the fact that Google would lose more control over the software and how users experience the mobile operating system. At least one market analyst believes that the internet giant will continue to release its own pure version of the operating system for the foreseeable future. “Google has a huge incentive to drive adoption of the full Android version rather than phones using the open source version,” says Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight “Getting users on its services is the lifeblood for Google’s advertising business. It will do everything in its power to make sure the latest version of ‘full Android’ is widely supported.
“Android One is the latest indication of Google’s determination to get full Android supported at lower price points," adds Wood. “It’s interesting to see Indian maker Karbonn bring Android One devices to the UK for Christmas.” Google’s efforts in developing nations are another reason why pulling back on development could end up creating more problems than it solves for the company - the likes of Samsung, HTC and other manufacturers have their own apps and portals to promote, from music services to cloud storage lockers, and Google won’t want to cede too much ground here.
Technology and mobiles expert at uSwitch.com Rob Kerr also thinks that Google’s stock Andro d efforts are about keeping control - and that’s too important to give up. “Whilst Google has delivered a more complete upgrade with Lollipop to Nexus devices, in the long run it still has to work across multiple Android devices and apps,” he says. No two phone setups are identical and the operating system needs to be all things to all men in order to work across a range of Android devices.
“Even Apple, which only has a few devices to get it right for, can get it wrong - just look at the much-criticised rollout of iOS 8, which was followed by four updates in a short space of time," notes Kerr. It’s certainly true that Google isn’t alone when it comes to having trouble with operating system updates, as launch deadlines, intense competition and rapid changes in technology make development cycles tighter than ever. Android and iOS releases are often timed to coincide with hardware launches or press events, and under that kind o' pressure, bugs in the code can slip through.
Unbundling updates
As for Android’s future in the long term, Kerr thinks that Google will continue to develop and release a stock version of the software, primarily because the demand is still there. “Some mobile users do prefer Android in its purest form; with less bloatware slowing down the operating system, it tends to be a faster experience, there are less apps to clog up the memory and most important of all, a pure version of Android means that you will receive quicker updates with the next operating system,” says Kerr. The fact that Nexus devices are guaranteed to get the newest version of Aneroid before handsets from other manufacturers is one of the most appealing aspects for buyers.
Recent versions of Android have gone further in detaching Google’s apps 'rom the OS itself. It means Google can update apps such as Gmail and Google Maps independently from Android itself, in theory making development of the operating system more straightforward. “Its also a smart move for manufacturers,” says Rob Kerr. “It means they can unbundle their own bespoke apps, list them in Google Play and roll out new versions of Android quicker, with the apps being updated separately. Most recently, this has been seen by Motorola and HTC, both [of which] have listed apps in Google Play in order to roll out newer versions of Android at a quicker pace.”
Ultimately the problematic rollout of Lollipop may turn out to be a blip rather than a watershed moment for Android - and a blip that wouldn’t have been entirely unexpected by anyone who’s been keeping tabs on the major mobile operating system launches of the last few years.
LICK YOUR LOLLIPOP PROBLEMS
Is Android 5.0 Lollipop giving your device the blues? Here's how you can try to troubleshoot the issues while you're waiting for Google to roll out a fix...
Wi-Fi issues
Dive into the Settings for your device and choose to forget the Wi-Fi networks you're connected to, then reconnect again from scratch. Uninstall any older apps that haven’t been updated for Lollipop and which might be causing problems. Switching wireless channels or rebooting your router might also help fix the issue.
Battery drain
Head to the Battery page of Settings to identify the apps that are causing the problem and uninstall or disable them if possible. As with Wi-Fi, older apps that haven’t yet had a Lollipop-ready update might be chewing up battery life unnecessarily. A factory reset might help clear up the issie if nothing else does.
Video playback problems
No one has yet found a surefire fix for this, but you can try clearing the cache of the affected apps (through the Apps page in Settings) as well as disabling the NuPlayer option from the Developer Options page (tap the Build Number seven times in About Phone to reveal this option).
Crashing issues
Some detective work may be required in order to identify the root cause of a performance issue or regular device crashes. Is one app or process primarily affected? If that’s the case, uninstall it and check with the developer for any Lollipop-related updates or patches.
Adobe Air apps
One of the more bizarre Lollipop-related bugs has seen some Adobe Air apps throwing up error messages or disappearing altogether. Adobe has responded to acknowledge the problem, but says there’s nothing you can do except sit tight and wait for a Lollipop update.