Nexus 6 Android 5.0.1 Lollipop Update Review

Back in December, Google started pushing out a new Nexus Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update, a small release aimed at fixing some of the Android 5.0 Lollipop problems. It started with the Google Nexus 5 and 7, and eventually arrived for the flagship Nexus 6. Today, we take a look at how its performing. Below are a few thoughts and our Nexus 6 Android 5.0.1 Lollipop review.

During the summer months Google revealed the next version of Android would be the Android L release, which eventually arrived back in November as Android 5.0 Lollipop, after being announced in October. Along with it was a new Nexus 6, Nexus 9 tablet, and even a Nexus player. The release had some issues, and they quickly pushed Android 5.0.1 out to fix a slew of them.

Read: Nexus 6 Review

In our review above we went over the brand new Nexus 6 in detail. From hardware to software, but didn’t mention too many of the initial bugs with Android 5.0 Lollipop. However, there was freezing, app crashes, and some instability, among other things, and Google’s curbed many of those problems with the latest update. Read on for more details and our thoughts.

After spending a around a week with the Nexus 6 Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update, which I had to manually flash as I never received the over the air update, I want to offer some feedback on the new update. Below should share some details for those with the update that may be experiencing similar results or problems, or help those wondering if they should update if it’s worth it or not.

Finally, is the Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update worth installing? I’ll explain my experience and how everything is running after the update, what issues I’m still having if any, and would love to hear others feedback as well.

Nexus 6 Android 5.0.1 Lollipop Review

For a about a week now, I’ve spent plenty of time with the official Nexus 6 Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update, which is the factory imag directly from Google. And while everyone’s experience will be different, this is how it has been for me thus far. Not everyone will have the same apps, problems, usage scenarios and more, so take this all as you’d like.

Software

The software is exactly the same as the stock Android 5.0 Lollipop update that shipped with the Nexus 6 back in November when it started arriving to eager buyers. There’s nothing visually different, as everything was done behind the scenes and under the hood. This means that you won’t have to learn anything new, and will still be enjoying the same software you’ve been using since you bought the phone.

Apps

Here’s where the problem with Android 5.0 comes in, apps. With the Nexus 6 and many other Nexus devices users have been reporting poor battery life (like the Nexus 5) and even app crashes on the Nexus 7. The Nexus 7 was so unstable that many couldn’t even use it, sadly, but it’s all fine now that Android 5.0.2 has arrived.

The Nexus 6 though, seemed to run fine most of the time. I had quite a few apps incompatible with Android 5.0 Lollipop, and the ones that worked occasionally had crashes or freezes. This wasn’t often, mind you, but enough to be bothersome. Apps wouldn’t go fullscreen, the on-screen keys were getting stuck, and I had device reboots about once a week.

Since updating to Android 5.0.1 Lollipop on my Nexus 6 I haven’t had a single device reboot in a week, and only one app misbehaved for a moment, and that was Textra SMS after I restored about 1,500 text messages. Which means the update, so far, has been extremely stable.

The weird freezing or glitches haven’t occurred, and stability on the OS itself and while using apps is much improved. Oddly enough though, Google Chrome does seem to have an issue here and there, and some of the tabs (which are separated in the recent apps menu) will crash when I try to reopen them. This may not be widespread, but worth mentioning.

Some apps still don’t work with Android 5.0 Lollipop, like CreditKarma and some other popular apps, but hopefully updates arrive soon with official support. At the end of the day I have nearly all the apps I want, performance is smooth, and the app freezing from Android 5.0 are mostly gone. There are reports of a memory leak problem that was fixed by Google, and should be here with an Android 5.0.2 update, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Android 5.0.1 Lollipop Battery Life

I said it in my review, and I’ll say it again: The Nexus 6 has the best battery life of any Nexus smartphone I’ve owned, and I’ve had them all. With a large 5.96-inch display I was worried about battery life, but the 3,220 mAh battery and Turbo Charger keep it powered on all day. The Nexus 5 barely lasted 6-8 hours no matter what I did, but that isn’t the case with the Nexus 6.

I do quick top-offs while driving, sitting at my desk, or while eating a meal so I’ve always got enough juice to last all day. I didn’t do any extreme battery tests from 5.0 to 5.0.1 Lollipop, but I’ve noticed no battery problems, and if anything it’s been slightly improved. With less app crashes or freezing, Android can work the way it is intended and keep apps running in a low-power state in the background. No reboots means less power being used, and better battery life.

We’ve heard a lot of reports with bad battery life on Android 5.0 and Android 5.0.1 Lollipop, but that is with the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, or Nexus 6. We’d love to hear your thoughts on the Nexus 6 in the comment section below.

Android 5.0.1 Lollipop Bugs

Often times updates cause more harm than good. We saw that with the LG G2 Android 4.4 update, and with the Nexus 7 (2012) and Android 5.0 Lollipop. Updates fixed those problems, but it makes sense to wait and see if any major problems are on board before you update. Android 5.0.1 was aimed at Android 5.0 problems but for some Nexus users the problems could still be here. I did a complete factory data reset and installed the stock image. A clean slate, and have experienced no problems.

Most of the complaints or bugs mentioned in forums or Google product groups are isolated to specific devices or specific users and that could explain why my Android 5.0.1 Lollipop experience over the last week has been bug free. Aside from that one weird freeze with a 3rd party text message client. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t Android 5.0.1 bugs, it just means that I haven’t run into them yet. Again, there has been a lot of talk about a memory leak issue that can be fixed with daily reboots, but who wants to do that? I don’t, and haven’t found the need to either.

If you’re at all concerned about Android 5.0.1 issues, or if you’re already on Android 5.0.1 Lollipop dealing with issues, have a look at our list of potential fixes for Android 5.0.1 Lollipop problems. These are a great starting point but we encourage you to shop around and see what other fixes you can find. There’s no guarantee that these fixes will help you.

Multi-tasking

The multi-tasking or recent apps menu on Android 5.0 Lollipop wasn’t always smooth for me before, but whatever changes to Android 5.0.1 were made fixed them. It would be laggy and stutter with too many apps in the rolodex style UI, and it wasn’t smooth. Now though, it is very speedy, buttery smooth, and lag free. Opening apps back and forth appears a bit better too, for what it’s worth.

The Nexus 6 never ran Android 4.4 KitKat so there’s nothing to compare it to, but the latest Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update is extremely smooth and fast. Performance is excellent, and we have no complaints thus far. Most problems or lag is likely associated with the app you’re using, and not Android 5.0.1 Lollipop itself.

Is the Nexus 6 Android 5.0.1 Update Worth Installing?

Chances are you’ve already accepted the Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update on the Nexus 6, as the OTA started rolling out back in December. However, like many users, I never got it, and ended up giving in and installing the factory image right from Google. If you’re still on Android 5.0 Lollipop with the Nexus 6, we’d advise you to update to the latest release. It improved many of the small problems, improved performance, and squashed some of those bugs.

Read: How to Install Android 5.0 Lollipop Right Now

And while we’re still hearing a few complaints here and there, not to mention have heard talk of a Nexus 6 Android 5.0.2 update coming soon, this is worth installing while you wait. Whether that be by backing up files and flashing the stock image, or accepting the over the air update notification right on your device.

Above is a quick guide for manually flashing the update. It is for the initial release, but get the latest Android 5.0.1 factory image and follow the rest of the steps.

In the end the Nexus 6 Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update is running extremely smooth. We have no major complaints, but if a memory bug is still present that will be addressed we’re all for accepting an Android 5.0.2 update once it arrives.

Google pushed Android 5.0.2 to the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 yesterday, and smartphones like the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, and our Nexus 6 could be up next. We’ll keep an eye out for more details and update once we have more information.