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Android 4.4.2 KitKat Problems Plague Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7 Users

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Earlier this week, Google started rolling out a brand new Android 4.4 KitKat update in the form of Android 4.4.2 KitKat, an update that followed the company’s Android 4.4.1 KitKat update. And while the new version of KitKat continues to roll out to Nexus owners, we are starting to see complaints from Nexus 5, Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 owners about Android 4.4.2 KitKat problems.

In late November, after a bit of a wait, Google rolled out the first version of Android 4.4 KitKat, delivering a number of enhancements and features to Nexus 4, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10 users. Google’s Nexus 5, the latest Nexus smartphone in its arsenal, launched with Android 4.4 KitKat on board. Almost immediately after the update rolled out, we started hearing about issues residing within Google’s latest update.

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Those issues included a problem with the Nexus 4 dialer, a nasty Exchange bug that caused massive battery drain for many Nexus users, problems with the Nexus 5’s speaker, and a signal issue on the Nexus 5 wherein sending an SMS would cause a drop in connectivity.

Google acknowledged several of these issues on its product forums, promising a fix for at least some of these issues in the near future. That fix rolled out last week in the form of Android 4.4.1, a roll out that occurred after Google detailed the major camera fixes that would be on board for Nexus 5 users. The company made no mention of fixes for the Nexus 5, Nexus 7 or Nexus 4 though, as we discovered, there were supposedly a bunch of fixes on board the new software.

On Monday, we heard rumors of an impending Android 4.2.2 KitKat update and sure enough, Android 4.4.2 KitKat started rolling out, catching many Nexus users by surprise. The update is still rolling out, replacing Android 4.4.1 KitKat as the company’s latest and greatest software. And while the update was supposed to fix a bunch of the problems that Android 4.4 brought with it, it appears that some bugs are still plaguing Nexus users.

Nexus-4-575x465

One of the first Android 4.4 KitKat issues that we brought up was the Nexus 4 dialer crashing issue. It’s an issue that Google promised would get worked out in the latest updates but it’s an issue that is apparently still plaguing users. For its part, Google has acknowledged that this is still a problem for some users and it will be investigating:

Thanks again for taking your time to come to the forum and report these issues. The 4.4.1 and 4.4.2 updates included fixes for some situations that are causing your crash problems, but we know there are still users experiencing this symptom and we’re still working on it. i’ll post when I have the next update.

Nexus users of all shapes and sizes are also still frustrated about issues with Exchange accounts. Nexus 5 users are also complaining about issues with the stock email app. Nexus 4 owners are reportedly still having issues with volume when using headsets. A Nexus 7 user has also complained about media storage crashing, leaving him unable to move files between his computer and phone. We’re also seeing reports about faulty Bluetooth connectivity. We’re also seeing complaints about broken NFC tags on Nexus devices, broken Wi-Fi, and there are also a bunch of people frustrated by the installation process itself.

While there are reportedly still issues buried inside Android 4.4.2 KitKat, most of them seem to be leftovers from the previous updates. We’re also seeing quite a few Nexus users report that their bugs have been alleviated by Android 4.4.2. However, with Android 4.4.2 KitKat roll out set to take place over the next week or so, we should get a better idea about the software’s overall stability once the dust settles.

Right now though, while there are certainly still some problems, Android 4.4.2 KitKat does seem to have tackled at least some of the problems that Google set out to fix with its latest update.

64 Comments

64 Comments

  1. ashish

    12/11/2013 at 10:12 am

    M a nexus 4 user. Daily reports of ppl gettin 4.4.2. I hvn t recieved ny update aftr 4.4.

    By whn shud i b expecting 4.4.2 to arrive on my phone. (India)

    • grumpyoldman

      12/11/2013 at 12:37 pm

      has it eaten you vowels?

      • James

        12/11/2013 at 2:26 pm

        Has it eaten your R’s?

    • Lui

      12/11/2013 at 8:16 pm

      My neighbor’s mom makes $65/hr on the internet. She has been fired from work for 7 months but last month her income was $12507 just working on the internet for a few hours. Visit this web-site…. Јоbs95.Соm

    • jaro

      12/11/2013 at 11:44 pm

      Reset to factory save your data first then restart and update to 4.4.2 go now.

    • magnus (@magnusUSMD)

      12/12/2013 at 8:28 am

      Imbecile! Didn’t they teach you English in school?

  2. Johnny D

    12/11/2013 at 10:54 am

    i sideload the 4.4.2 on my nexus 4 and to be frankly i haven’t seen any difference in my os, still have some bugs which cause my dialer not to function properly. when i made calls i get no dial tone but it shows that the call went through but no voice or anything. also my data would connect and still cant check the web…..least not last, don’t get my text on time and battery usage is not correct…..oh and Email Exchange still crap out…………what the hell is going with google? dont push shit out if its not ready cause it freaking sucks.

  3. Anuj Thapar

    12/11/2013 at 11:05 am

    I am also from india and running 4.4.2 on my nexus 4. I get updates on my mob on 1st shot. Regarding problems i faced is battery problem and camera quality problem which is continuously improving with updates from 4.3 To 4.4.2 till now.
    Any Person needing help regarding updation can call me on +919996522446

    • Hari

      12/11/2013 at 5:56 pm

      I also faced major issues of ultra fast battery drain in half day itself after upgrade to 4.4.2 in this month on nexus 4.
      Pls suggest solution or report to Google forum Hari

      • Kev

        12/12/2013 at 10:06 am

        I suffered the same with my Nexus 7 after downloading system updates. If it helps, I went into Settings/Battery and noticed that Google Play Movies & TV was responsible for 59% battery drain. As I’ve never even used my Nexus for movies or TV, I have disabled it and seen a dramatic improvement in battery life. Hope this helps.

  4. Ed T.

    12/11/2013 at 11:42 am

    No real problems with 4.4 or 4.4.1 on a nexus 7 2013. On 4.4.2 I have problems opening folders. Occasionally they seem to open behind the launcher and appear extremely faded. Taping outside the folder area and then reopening it usually works…

    • Charles

      12/14/2013 at 5:34 am

      I have had the same problem and use a similar fix. Do you see any major improvemens for your Nexus 7 with the Kit Kat Updates?

  5. rik b

    12/11/2013 at 1:01 pm

    nexus 7 2012 wifi
    can’t change location settings, can’t change display sleep settings, can’t set
    touchsounds to off.
    with 4.4 and 4.4.2

  6. Lito Glenn Hermoso

    12/11/2013 at 1:17 pm

    Just received update 4.4.2 yesterday…
    Today, BACK, and HOME keys of my Necus 4 are not functioning…
    Pls help me report to Google..
    .

    • floopy

      12/12/2013 at 10:23 am

      The BACK button on my Nexus 7 does not work after booting, not sure what made it work the last time I shut down my device, guess I’ll have to fiddle with random things until it starts responding again. :(

  7. Daniel Samson

    12/11/2013 at 1:57 pm

    updated tu 4.4.2 just now but it shows 4.4 at android version. is it normal?

    • Alex D

      12/11/2013 at 8:24 pm

      I’m getting the same thing

  8. Zontar the Munificent

    12/11/2013 at 1:59 pm

    What an absurd and irresponsible article. The author provides links which supposedly confirm stability issues with 4.4.2 but which are instead links to undemonstrated, anecdotal reports of particular individuals having isolated problems with their devices.

    In an ecosystem of millions of devices with a near-infinite number of configurations, the only way to assert that a problem even exists is (1) to identify a statistically relevant number of users with the problem or (2) to locate bad code. That’s it.

    In related news, “Fires Continue to Plague Tesla Owners.”

    https://jalopnik.com/your-guide-to-the-tesla-model-s-fire-and-why-its-not-1440653929

    Nevermind the fact that Tesla remains the safest car ever evaluated by IIHS. I provided you with one link of one person who had a fire in their Tesla, so let’s lead with that headline.

    • James Miller

      12/11/2013 at 4:04 pm

      ^This

      • Jim

        12/11/2013 at 4:26 pm

        This? This what?

    • Christian Lee

      12/11/2013 at 8:16 pm

      After the latest update, my wife and I both experienced bluetooth drop-outs on every call. Never happened before. These are real issues. Nexus 4 users.

    • Robert

      12/11/2013 at 9:35 pm

      IIHS never tested Tesla. And won’t any time soon.

    • hear hear

      12/11/2013 at 10:10 pm

      That’s a correct viewpoint. I’m using nexus 5 with android 4.4.2 and I don’t seem to be having any of these issues. Throughout the article I kept thinking to myself, ‘wow, I must be really lucky!

    • kunalpuree

      12/12/2013 at 12:29 am

      Totally agree. Running 4.4.2 on my Nexus 5 and 7 (2013) and I’ve got no problems to report. This article is self-evidently sensationalist and irresponsible but I’m sure the writer is chuckling away at the hits he’s getting for unethical journalism. The only plague I can see here is the disease that’s eating away at decent reportage.

  9. Jim

    12/11/2013 at 2:14 pm

    4.4.2 running on my Nexus 5. Everything is great.

    • tom-e

      12/11/2013 at 6:43 pm

      Yeah, the same that I thought… When I saw the headline I thought this was some massive shi!tstorm bug that would eat my pen!s if I used it. Seems to be relatively isolated incidents that weren’t even introduced by 4.2.2. Instead the article headline should have read: “4.2.2 still not fixing all the issues for all the users. The writer and the editor should be ashamed.

      • Robin Majumdar

        12/11/2013 at 6:47 pm

        That 4.2.2 typo error is really adding to the confusion. We are indeed talking about 4.4.2 and I agree that the title is misleading (IMHO) and almost linkbait material. Having done the rounds of Android sites discussing 4.4.2 updates (at least for the Nexus 7) I haven’t seen much problems (far less a ‘plague’) reported by owners.

    • Rick Keith

      12/12/2013 at 1:46 pm

      I also have a Nexus 5 with 4.2.2 and so far I’ve been very impressed. No issues to report. I hope those that are having issues have a fix very soon.

    • eric

      12/13/2013 at 6:32 am

      Nexus 5 4.4.2 and my exchange account randomly stops syncing. Unfortunately it is what I mostly use my phone for. This issue has been here since 4.4 and hasn’t been fixed.

      • Jim

        12/13/2013 at 3:50 pm

        I only use Exchange for my work email which I don’t really want to see on my phone unless I choose to open the app. 95% of the time I don’t want to be bothered with work email when I’m not working so I have sync turned off and check it when I need to by opening the email app and pulling down to update. That might explain why I’m not seeing a problem. I’ll have to turn on sync and test if I have the problem.

  10. MyWebs Anton by Goodley

    12/11/2013 at 2:37 pm

    On my Nexus 7 2013 I have received the 4.4.2 OTA update. I now have a pretty bad Bluetooth bug that didn’t exist on my device prior to this latest update. My Nexus will turn off the Bluetooth on its own. The only way to turn it back on is to reboot. At tech supports suggestion I powered my device off long enough to clear the RAM. This seems to have fixed it but it’s too soon to say for sure

  11. Bigs

    12/11/2013 at 3:08 pm

    Nexus 5 for me and it’s all good! No complaints so far since I sideloaded 4.4.2

    Only small annoyance, when recording video when no noise in background you hear a slight hissing… But I don’t record much so not a big deal for me…

  12. Narlon Oliveira

    12/11/2013 at 3:18 pm

    My Nexus 5 official 4.4.2 update is running perfectly. I’ve only noticed improvements as of now. No minor and major complaints. But I’m sure the future up updates will just be fine tuning everything.

  13. Natasha

    12/11/2013 at 4:51 pm

    Finally got an update notification to 4.4.2 for my Nexus 4. When I clicked to install it started then all of a sudden there’s a little dead android guy on my screen saying error. Phone froze up for a few minutes, restarted and now there is no update and I’m still stuck with 4.4 and all its bugs… Mainly the email exchange issue. Sigh.

  14. Isaac Rabinovitch (@isaac32767)

    12/11/2013 at 5:42 pm

    I just got the 442 update on my Nexus 4. haven’t seen any problems, but I noticed that the notification bar is now transparent. it’s a very small thing, but a feature change in what supposed to be a bug fix release indicates a certain lack of focus.

  15. @Rohwit

    12/11/2013 at 5:48 pm

    Nexus 4 user here from india. Got the 4.4.2 update but the battery drain remains and that too A major one. Maps, swiftkey pro and everything else crashing in regular intervals.. Google u listening?

  16. Robert

    12/11/2013 at 6:00 pm

    On my N4, am I right to stay on 4.3, honestly?

  17. vic@

    12/11/2013 at 6:11 pm

    Hey I’m 60 and got my first smartphone. Both updates were sideloaded and phone is working without any problems. if I can do it everyone else out there certainly can!!

  18. Robin Majumdar

    12/11/2013 at 6:11 pm

    Got my 4.4.2 update (was on 4.4 previously) for my Nexus 7 2013 today and installed it earlier this evening – went smoothly.

    Details & screenshots: https://robinmajumdar.com/2013/12/11/got-my-android-4-4-2-update-ota-for-the-nexus-7-fhd-2013/

  19. Gerard

    12/11/2013 at 8:12 pm

    For anyone having troubles downloading the update and also struggling with exchange server issues, try downloading Mailwise. This fixed the problem of the Google email app continuously and unsuccesfully trying to sync thus killing the battery. The recent update that downoaded OK for me fixed the exchange bug and I am now back to using the default email app. Nexus 4 BTW.

    • Eric

      01/06/2014 at 8:43 pm

      Thanks for the tip on Mailwise. I could not sync my exchange account with the default mail app on Android 4.4.2 on the Nexus 5. Mailwise fixed this issue and synced both the mail and the calendar immediately!! I have been battling with the default mail app for a month.

  20. Amrender

    12/11/2013 at 8:43 pm

    Now download paid android apps for free on
    https://android2cloud.in/

  21. Manish

    12/11/2013 at 9:20 pm

    I got my 4.4.2 updates today…and i have not seen any issues so dar on nexus 4.

  22. Punit Rohilla

    12/11/2013 at 11:34 pm

    4.4.2 doesn’t supports MX player…..

    • Robert

      12/12/2013 at 7:16 am

      Try BSPlayer.

    • Dave

      12/12/2013 at 11:41 pm

      I think you mean MX player doesn’t support 4.4.2.

  23. krist0ph3r

    12/12/2013 at 4:59 am

    i have the mass storage crashing issue. finally gave up and transfered files OTA.

    nexus 7 (2012), 4.4.2

  24. Scott Albright

    12/12/2013 at 5:41 am

    The update bricked my nexus 7 (multicolored X of death). Forced me to do a manual unlock and upgrade which was a complete pain. All good after that. Maybe how i got it refurbed for $150 in the 1st place. All hail woot!

  25. Connie McElfresh

    12/12/2013 at 10:09 am

    I recieved my update 4.4.2 I am now asking myself why I updated it, when I am reading a book it will just turn pages and turn pages and I get out of the app and it will just go to any random app and open it up, I play heck trying to power it off when I finely get it powered off and wait about 3 minutes and power it up it seems okay, this is a nightly thing. Last night after I powered it up it went to a safe mode I did it again and it was fine after that this has been a nightly thing for the past 3 nights a gicantic pain. I hope this fix fixed soon.

  26. Westly Arnett

    12/12/2013 at 1:25 pm

    Counting myself lucky no issues with 4.4.2. Nothing special done, just updated over ota & went on with my life.

  27. Wilco Wings

    12/12/2013 at 2:10 pm

    An issue that’s not addressed: Google Now not working on kitkat for a bunch of users. https://productforums.google.com/forum/m/#!msg/nexus/PUNmDxzZulc/L8dzj3aW_54J

  28. Sandeep Koka

    12/12/2013 at 7:39 pm

    Hi,
    I updated 4.4.2 for my nexus 4. Now i am not able to connect media device for file transfer from phone to pc or viceversa and no connectivity thru USB tethering too. It is showing connect USB device. What to do now??

    Sandeep K

  29. Dinesh Bramhapurkar

    12/13/2013 at 2:14 pm

    I am facing now problem of MX player…..not working any more…its saying ‘Unsupported Abdroid version

  30. Morris

    12/13/2013 at 3:43 pm

    Dialer crashing, this would never happen with an apple product. Good job on this one google.

  31. Jeremy

    12/13/2013 at 4:18 pm

    Guys, make sure to be mindful of this vital privacy feature that was removed in the 4.4.2 update as mentioned by the Electronic Frontier Foundation: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/12/google-removes-vital-privacy-features-android-shortly-after-adding-them

    • Jim

      12/13/2013 at 5:20 pm

      I have never seen this App Ops option at all. When was it ever available at all? Was it device specific?

      I have a Nexus 10 that I bought within a week of launch day. It has had 4.2 – 4.4.2 and it never had this feature. Was this feature not enabled in the Nexus 10 for some reason?

  32. shezak

    12/14/2013 at 7:48 pm

    I got the update of 4.4.2 on my nexus 4 but the problem is that that the update is not downloading does anyone knows the solution of this problem?

  33. DG

    12/15/2013 at 8:17 am

    I hate 4.4.2 update.. First i couldnt the download the update via WIFI. i waited few days and downloaded it by phone data.. Now puch notifications doesnt work.. only when i open my whatsapp. msgs are receiving.. same with
    FB. and few apps doesnt work on screen off. and signal reception is weak. I was happy with 4.4.

  34. Ravi Hemnani

    12/16/2013 at 12:07 am

    Cant connect to camera- Did anyone get any such camera error after upgrade to 4.4.2?

    • Jim

      12/16/2013 at 12:53 am

      What device are you having trouble with? Nexus 4? Nexus 5? Nexus 7? (2013 or 2012?).

      I have a Nexus 5 and Nexus 10 both on 4.4.2. I have no camera issues

      • Ravi Hemnani

        12/16/2013 at 1:50 am

        Nexus 4 it is

  35. ajit

    12/17/2013 at 3:12 am

    Go to settings – app-all-then find download manager clear data.then find Google framework servicees -clear data.reboot.you might get update.good luck.

  36. Alan

    04/09/2014 at 7:45 pm

    My 1st gen Nexus 7 has been launching app randomly and restarting randomly.

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