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Android 4.2 Issues Frustrating Verizon Galaxy Nexus Users

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Earlier this month, Verizon started pushing out its long awaited Samsung Galaxy Nexus Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update to owners and while we didn’t run into many issues with the new software, it appears that many Verizon Galaxy Nexus owners out there have indeed stumbled upon a myriad of issues with the Android 4.2 update.

Read: Android 4.2 on Samsung Galaxy Nexus Review.

After a fairly lengthy wait, Verizon finally rolled out the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update for its Nexus smartphone, several months after the initial arrival of the update. The Verizon Galaxy Nexus became the last Nexus in the U.S. to receive the upgrade and many hoped that the lengthy wait would result in a well oiled update, free from bugs.

We went hands on with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus Android 4.2 update and did not discover any major issues with the upgrade. However, it seems that plenty of Verizon Galaxy Nexus owners are experiencing a number of different issues that is tarnishing the experience of the new software which also brought, in addition to these issues, a host of new features including a gesture-enhanced keyboard, more Google Now options, Quick Settings, and lock screen widgets.

Over the past week, we’ve heard from a number of Verizon Galaxy Nexus owners who have complained about a host of issues including, but not limited to, battery life issues, problems with Bluetooth, lag and random reboots.

Android 4.2 Battery Life Issues

A number of Verizon Galaxy Nexus owners are complaining about a host of problems with battery life after downloading and installing Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

The biggest issues that we’ve heard about and seen are with the device not being able to hold a good charge. As in, the battery is suffering from an abnormal battery drain. This is not an issue that we ran into after installing the update. In fact, as we’ve mentioned, the Galaxy Nexus is notorious for having terrible battery life.

Android 4.2 seems to have brought battery life issues to Verizon Galaxy Nexus owners.

Android 4.2 seems to have brought battery life issues to Verizon Galaxy Nexus owners.

From the looks of things though, some owners are having even worse battery life than usual. What’s more, it appears that some owners are seeing extremely slow charging times as well.

This was an issue that affected the Nexus 7 when it first got Android 4.2 and it’s an issue that wasn’t corrected with Android 4.2.2, the latest version of Android that is on board the Galaxy Nexus.

Bluetooth Problems

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus has had Bluetooth problems for many months and it appears that the issues, which were thought to be solved in Android 4.2.2 are still prevalent in Android 4.2.2 for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus.

Specifically, we are hearing from owners who are once again complaining about scratchy sound when it comes to Bluetooth streaming, something that many owners rely upon during the day.

Thus far, in our tests, Bluetooth connectivity has been solid with the Verizon Galaxy Nexus though we have in recent days experienced a bit of choppiness when using it with a Bluetooth speaker. This did not occur in the first few days of testing.

Verizon Galaxy Nexus owners are reporting issues with the Android 4.2 update.

Verizon Galaxy Nexus owners are reporting issues with the Android 4.2 update.

Laggy UI

Some Verizon Galaxy Nexus owners are reporting that the smooth and fast user interface that arrived with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Users are complaining about a sluggish UI, something that occurred on other Nexus devices with the arrival of Android 4.2.

One of the culprits was discovered to be Google Currents, Google’s app that delivers the news, and disabling it, at least on the Nexus 7, seemed to shore up the lag issues.

That’s a fix that Samsung Galaxy Nexus owners may want to try, though there is no guarantee that it will work.

Random Reboots

Almost immediately, our inbox was inundated with complaints about random, sporadic reboots of the Galaxy Nexus that saw the device turn off and turn back on without warning.

The Galaxy Nexus owners we’ve spoken to say that they are infrequent but that they are still happening now, more than a week after installing the new software.

Thus far, we have not seen a single reboot on our Verizon Galaxy Nexus.

Camera Bugs

Verizon Galaxy Nexus owners are complaining about a broken camera application after the update though this seems to be an extremely limited issue and not widespread.

What’s Next?

From what we’re hearing, Verizon is recommending that owners who are experiencing issues, factory reset their device. This of course means wiping all of the data from the phone, requiring a backup of all of that information.

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The Galaxy Nexus issues may not get fixed until Android 5.0.

Besides a few of the quick fixes we mention above, this seems to be the only way to truly try and hash out some of these issues. And given how long it takes Verizon to roll out updates for this device, particularly bug fix updates, a factory reset and a little tinkering may be the only way to address these issues for the time to come.

The next update for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus will likely be Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie and that release could be many months out.

24 Comments

24 Comments

  1. jimschoch

    03/28/2013 at 1:57 pm

    Daily random reboot issue on mine.

  2. Leo Daley (@SmarterCafe)

    03/28/2013 at 2:14 pm

    Battery drain and no voice input for me. Factory reset fixed my issues, though it’s still early. Just be careful where you backup! Here’s my story… https://workingsmartercafe.kronos.com/2013/03/28/piecing-together-bits-of-my-broken-life/

  3. Stefan Puryear

    03/28/2013 at 2:26 pm

    Wish I had 4.1.1 instead of this. Battery falls like a rock, takes quadruple the normal time to recharge. Only good thing to come from the update was the new camera system.

  4. Peter

    03/28/2013 at 7:27 pm

    I own a Nexus 1, Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7 and a Nexus 4. The Galaxy Nexus has been the most problematic. Laggy, reboots, display issues…

  5. Sheila

    03/29/2013 at 5:08 am

    My phone was draining every 2 hours and the back of the phone would get will hot. The top app that was using the battery was Exchange Services.

    What I had to do was delete my 2 corporate (exchange) accounts. And to make sure that everything was cleared out, I powered off and powered on my phone. Then I re-added the 2 accounts. That stopped the battery drain and the over heating. Also Exchange Services had dropped completely off the list of top apps using the battery.

    I found this solution on XDA Developer.

  6. Aan Cinqmars

    03/29/2013 at 5:45 am

    This is the first smartphone I have gotten. I must say I am impressed. The only thing I am having a problem with is the fact that I have taken numerous pics and can’t figure out how to upload to my PC. When I use the USB cable all it does is recharge the battery. Any help would be appreciated. In the meantime I will keep looking on the web for some helpful info.

    • jimschoch

      03/29/2013 at 9:09 am

      Email your pics to yourself and open them on your computer.

    • John

      04/06/2013 at 2:57 pm

      Just Google “how to transfer pictures from android phone to PC”.

  7. RootThatNexus

    03/29/2013 at 11:58 am

    Ah that’s cute. People actually run stock on a Galaxy Nexus? WTF did you get a Nexus device for if you wanted stock? Root that beast and throw on a killer ROM (JBSourcery, AOKP, CM… ) and magically all your issues are gone. Plus you will get to experience your Nexus like it read meant. Overclocking makes it never lag, ever.

    • Eye4detail

      03/29/2013 at 12:15 pm

      What other phone would you recommend for those who want to run stock? Oh, that’s right! The Nexus line is the ONLY line that runs stock Android!

    • millenniumccdc

      03/29/2013 at 11:03 pm

      I agree. OTA might as well read take it in the ass. To own a nexus means unlock your boot loader and root. For shits and giggles I ran stock and my experience is utter shit. I use this poor language for my detest to Verizon Bloated bogged down Roms. I was running 4.2.1 Evolution with Franco Kernel imoseyon undercloked at 700 very stable with a slight Overclock in the GPU. Only grip was it broke USB/BT Joy center (USB stack broken). The phone is cagged when stock, unleash this beast. Actually the 700mhz and 386 gpu runs better than stock at 1200mhz. There is so much hidden crapware such as meat hook to see your tethering…..the list is so exhaustive
      I understand now why Verizon was not granted a nexus 4. Its a shame I love 4G and can toss batteries at it for all the data I can eat.

      • Stefan Puryear

        03/30/2013 at 6:09 am

        If you send me detailed instructions on how to root it I will. Thanks.

    • Joe

      05/24/2013 at 3:31 am

      Show me f@ckin’ how!

  8. Steve B

    03/29/2013 at 2:49 pm

    I don’t know how anyone could say that the Verizon Galaxy Nexus is a good device. I am on my 4th one, warranty is now expired, and they all screech loudly on 1 out of every 3 or 4 calls. I have to do a battery pull at least twice a week.

    The 4.2.2 update has made mine worse. I am going to have to carry a spare battery, I have had Bluetooth connectivity issues I didn’t have before, the lock screen widgets make it difficult to use pattern unlock and the screen is now dimmer so I have to keep the screen brightness up. If I turn it to low I cant even see the screen to reset it..

    I cant wait for my contract to be up!

    • Steve McHugh

      04/25/2013 at 5:12 am

      I’m on my 6th one I’ve had sound issues continuously random reboots. Key boardaappears and disappears constantly. I’m using my wife’s upgrade to get a windows phone I’m done with Android

  9. Lauri

    03/29/2013 at 3:59 pm

    Not happy with the change in the camera controls. trying to figure out how to zoom

    • millenniumccdc

      03/29/2013 at 11:05 pm

      2 finger zoom. Pinch and zoom.

  10. Leo Daley (@SmarterCafe)

    03/30/2013 at 8:08 pm

    I don’t like they the camera no longer has a galaxy option after you’ve snapped a shot… Or does it?

  11. Dan

    04/02/2013 at 11:24 am

    Head on over to wugfresh.com He made it virtually fool proof. I never rooted a phone or anything before trying his software but it workd like a charm. Been running 4.2 since it google released it.

  12. James Hurley

    05/21/2013 at 6:03 am

    My Verizon Nexus is a tank. The battery life was never good so I have no complaints there. Bluetooth works perfectly, and I have absolutely no malfunctioning at all with this Samsung device, and I’m sure to buy another one!

    • Steve McHugh

      05/22/2013 at 6:34 am

      You should play the lottery, you’re obviously very lucky!

  13. het

    05/23/2013 at 3:44 am

    my version is galaxy nexus i9250 i had installed the app whatsapp in my phone….i receuved a new link of whatsapp from my friend and it was quite attractive so i installed that version..for it i uninstalled my original whstapp and tried to install the new one from the play store…..but from then on my phone is constantly showing me the message that unfortunately google play store has stopped workingg….and it asks me report or wait..???? but after it my phone gets hanged…pls.help me out

  14. Virtuous

    07/13/2013 at 10:56 am

    With 3 different JB customer ROMs I experienced intermittent touch screen and Play Store issues. Flashing the 4.1.1 stock ROM fixed both issues. Battery life is slightly worse than custom ROMs.

  15. AnnoyedGalaxyNexusUser

    07/17/2013 at 8:11 pm

    They better get on it. I also am experiencing daily reboot, not during voice calls, but definately just even opening up an app. 4.2.2 needs a new update.

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