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Android 4.4 KitKat Problems Plague Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Nexus 5 Users

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While much of the Android 4.4 KitKat update focus has been on roll outs and release dates, there hasn’t been much focus on the bugs that are appear to be plaguing Nexus 5, Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 users. Users are hoping for an Android 4.4.1 KitKat update to cure the bugs but thus far, Google remains silent on the subject leaving Nexus owners scrambling for temporary bug fixes.

Last month, after months and months of rumor and speculation, Google rolled out Android 4.4 KitKat, its latest Android update that replaces Android 4.3 Jelly Bean as its most current piece of mobile software. After some initial frustration, Google finally deployed updates for the Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 in the latter half of November. And while we have heard good things about the updates, now that the smoke has cleared, it looks like there are some serious issues that Nexus users are dealing with.

Nexus 5 side

Typically, Android updates see smooth sailing during the installation process. Google does a great job of rolling its updates slowly and steadily to all of its owners, ensuring a smooth delivery. And while the installation process is typically smooth, the experience in the aftermath is usually not. Nexus users have long been considered guinea pigs for Google, thanks to the amount of issues that typically accompany Nexus Android updates.

Right off the bat, we heard about some issues with the Nexus 4 but historically, it has taken a few days or more, for things to settle and for the bugs to show themselves. Over the past few days, we’ve seen and heard a number of complaints about Android 4.4 KitKat. And it appears that the update is causing a number of issues for Nexus 5, Nexus 7, and Nexus 4 owners, some of them pretty major.

We’ve heard about the same Nexus 7 playback issues that TechCrunch reported on a few days ago, playback issues that seem to be hurting video performance on Google’s 7-inch slate. That report is backed by evidence that suggests that there was indeed a drop in FPS after the upgrade to Android 4.4 KitKat. Thus far, we haven’t been able to find a temporary fix and users are now starting to put pressure on Google for a fix.

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That’s not the only bug that we’ve heard about either. Over the weekend, we were directed to a massive thread on Google’s Product forums where users of the Nexus 5, Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 are all complaining about a terrible Exchange bug that is not only affecting their email but for some, is draining the battery life on their device.

Users are reporting various bits of information from their IT departments but thus far, there isn’t a fix that works for everyone. One user says that this fix worked on his device but he seems to be alone at this point. Google’s latest response doesn’t confirm a fix or an Android 4.4 KitKat update. Instead, a Google representative simply says:

We’re continuing to pinpoint the issue and we’ve added users from this thread to our Trusted Tester program to reduce errors like this in the future. Thank you so much for your reporting and patience.

So, it’s unclear, at the moment, if Android 4.4 KitKat will fix this major Exchange issue. And Exchange isn’t the only thing that users are complaining about either. We’re seeing Nexus 7 users complain about slow charging and lag, something that affected our Nexus 7 after Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and never got fixed. We’re also seeing Nexus 7 owners continue to complain about issues with touch and auto-rotate. We’re also seeing numerous threads like this one, complaining about battery.

At the moment, Google doesn’t appear to be very helpful and from our search, there don’t seem to be any guaranteed fixes for these major issues that Nexus users have encountered. One possible option is to perform a factory reset, this often works out kinks including lag issues, but again, it’s not guaranteed to work. Other issues likely require Google to change code and that means an Android 4.4 KitKat bug fix update.

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Rumors suggest that the Android 4.4.1 KitKat update could be close for one device as a noted insider claims that the Android 4.4.1 update is near for the HTC One Google Edition. With all of these bugs on other devices, we imagine that the Android 4.4.1 KitKat update for Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Nexus 5 and Nexus 10 could be close as well, though, Google still hasn’t announced anything and likely won’t until the roll outs start.

40 Comments

40 Comments

  1. Download WhatsApp for PC

    12/02/2013 at 11:09 am

    So it means google is likely to release Android 4.4.1 update very soon to fix this bug…

  2. Louise

    12/02/2013 at 3:23 pm

    get a mass list of discount codes from here https://bit.ly/1j9HH55 I got the s4 for 30% off with a code

  3. NickFe

    12/02/2013 at 3:26 pm

    We will definitively see it on nexus devices. Here for example a KOT49 build on a Nexus 5 (showing android 4.4.1) is appearing in logs: https://www.handsetdetection.com/properties/vendormodel/Google/Nexus%205/page:3

  4. Stuart Wurtman

    12/02/2013 at 4:02 pm

    I’m running KitKat on my Moto X and it is freaking awesome! The FPS seems pretty good, although I have no experience with jelly bean (on the Moto X) so I can’t say for sure if it’s better or worse than before. But it’s not glitchy at all. I realize that this article specifically delves into the realm of Nexus devices, but as an owner of one of the only other android devices running KitKat, I thought I’d share.

  5. sd1droid

    12/02/2013 at 4:27 pm

    I’ve had no issues with my nexus 7 – 2013 and I’m running 4.4 right now w/ an exchange account as well. I wonder if people with these issues are using standard dalvik, or running ART like I am.

    • Jheanne Dee

      12/02/2013 at 7:43 pm

      actually mine is nexus 7 too, but since i update it to kitkat, some of my apps stopped running… e.g. autodesk sketchbook and go launcher keyboard. :(… im soo frustrated!.. to the point that i rebooted my tab… but still the same problem persists!.

      • moreshwar

        12/03/2013 at 6:56 am

        He I’m using nexus7 and videos of mp4 avi 3gp do not work even after installing new version of video players,kindly fix the update of android 4.4

  6. David Buchanan

    12/02/2013 at 6:37 pm

    The only thing I noticed was the charging seemed slower…but that was it.

  7. Philip

    12/02/2013 at 9:10 pm

    Weird, I have no issues too and it’s fantastic on my Nexus 4. Can any site reported in specific on the problems?

  8. john

    12/02/2013 at 9:37 pm

    No issue for me on my N4. Works even better now with the Kit Kat update. I need to stop reading articles posted on this site. They’re always just link farming.

  9. D

    12/02/2013 at 10:00 pm

    No worries here, this sounds a lot like a link bait blown out of proportion

  10. Simon

    12/02/2013 at 11:28 pm

    Battery life is wonderful on my n4 now. It’s really given it a new lease of life. Had a small bug with sharing on Chrome but that’s it.

  11. iu (@iueae)

    12/03/2013 at 12:58 am

    i think the writer of the article didn’t point what he says “number of issues”. So I am suspicious about his comments :( I moved from HTC to Nexus 5 …. no major issue until now – works perfectly.

  12. Nope

    12/03/2013 at 3:19 am

    What a poorly written piece. From the very long winded opening, to the repetitious statements, to the unsubstantisted hyperboly… Yep, GottaBe Linkbait.

  13. nate iverson

    12/03/2013 at 6:53 am

    I have the nexus4 and nexus7(2013). The only issue I have seen is the camera app is crashing on the nexus4. I have no playback or battery issues.

  14. William Mitchell (@2barquack)

    12/03/2013 at 11:34 am

    I got the First Google Nexus 10 by Samsung, and i got 4.4 Kit Kat, drains the hell out of my battery now, I don’t have google now, and seems like I’m rebooting it more often cause of virtual memory problems.

  15. Faith

    12/03/2013 at 12:05 pm

    I have the Nexus 7 (2013) and my screen no longer auto rotates. My tablet also takes longer to charge and it doesn’t seem to keep a charge as long as it use to.

  16. sean

    12/03/2013 at 12:28 pm

    Don’t upgrade to 4.4. It completely wrecks email.

    • Stuart Wurtman

      12/03/2013 at 12:39 pm

      When you say it wrecks your email, are you referring to the email app or Gmail app? Or another… Just curious.

      • Andrey

        12/05/2013 at 2:38 pm

        The mail app is buggy. Reply-to mail header is ignored, the app does not since correctly with IMAP, show in wrong read and reply stays… If I knew that I would never install this update.

  17. Greggor

    12/03/2013 at 2:47 pm

    my Exchange is now broke as well….seeing more issues pop up

  18. James Caplan

    12/03/2013 at 3:39 pm

    Add the GS4 GPE to the list. Certainly no noticeable improvement and I’ve lost the IR blaster.

  19. George

    12/03/2013 at 7:48 pm

    Shortly after ugrading my N4 to 4.4 Kitkat via OTA, I noticed a couple of issues I never had before. The phone started running very hot, even at idle or asleep in my pocket. Battery ran down at least 50% faster than previously, and recharge became painfully slow. After reading other comments, I turned off Google Now, location mode off and unticked all autosync options (aside from apps, as I want updates). No more running hot, battery life back to what it was with 4.3 and recharge time normal. It’s not ideal since you often need these services, but these changes worked for me.

  20. Darxide Garrison (@DarxideGarrison)

    12/03/2013 at 10:03 pm

    I have a Nexus 5 and 2013 Nexus 7. The only issue I have is the screen flickering on the 7 when the brightness is set low. On the 5 it would be nice to have a higher volume while using my headphones. Other than that no issues here!

  21. Dan Conklin

    12/04/2013 at 8:03 am

    I’m having trouble with some apos, like Pinger Messenger, which now crashes after opening. Videon fps seems to be OK, but the Nexus 7 (2012) has trouble waking out of standby.

  22. havik

    12/05/2013 at 1:58 am

    After the update KitKat 4.4 my Nexus 7 (2012) has slow auto-rotate and the compas is 90 degrees wrong

    • Dan Conklin

      12/05/2013 at 4:44 am

      You’re right! I didn’t think about that, but I had noticed something wrong with the compass when I was playing with the navigator.

  23. pam

    12/05/2013 at 2:27 pm

    After installing the latest update, my tablet has essentially died. I get a Google word then some colors swirling around. That’s it. Nothing else.

  24. mak

    12/06/2013 at 10:00 am

    Worst android exxperience ever i am using nexus 7 2012 after updating to kitkat showing lots of problems in various apps and functions i.e apps not optimised properly as per kitkat???????? Please fix this issue….i was a grt android fan but…

  25. Chris

    12/10/2013 at 9:11 pm

    Kitkat update has a bug for my Nexus 7 2- Auto-Rotate no longer works. Bummer!!!

  26. anon

    12/12/2013 at 4:10 pm

    4.4 breaks HD video playback on most devices ( can no longer render HD video at 60 FPS). This is possibly related to increased downclocking in order to have a perceived better battery life.

  27. tmu

    12/18/2013 at 11:53 am

    Nice. N7 2012 claims charging all the time. Even when no USB connected. Flat battery warnings do not work, because N7 indicates charging. 4.4.2.

  28. Naveen

    12/21/2013 at 8:37 am

    Updated 4.4.2 on my Nexus 4. Awful experience. It was perfect on 4.3.
    All applications seem to blink atleast 2-3 times after starting and behave abnormal. The touch doesnt seem to work. I cannot accept calls unless I switch off & on.
    Does anyone have a solution, except factory reset ?

    • Janet allen

      12/22/2013 at 2:31 pm

      My nexus 7 2012 is now bricked since the 4.4 update. Charged slowly then wouldn’t charge at all. I need to get a docking station to charge it so I can get the next updates to put it right. Of course the docking stations are out of stock.

  29. Black4sama

    12/28/2013 at 7:53 am

    If It helps:I had problems with nexus 7 2013’s battery life afther the 4.4.2/kitkat update,it lasted like a day on standbay so i read on a form that a factory reset would help,and it realy helped now its the same on standbay 2days+!!!

  30. StevenX

    12/28/2013 at 5:57 pm

    My only problem with the 4.4.2 update is Chrome’s Google search no longer works. You can use the direct Google search but if you’re in Chrome, you can’t go to Google’s site and search. You type in the search terms, hit the search button and nothing happens. Sounds like a pretty basic thing for the tech wizards to miss.

  31. Dennis

    12/31/2013 at 11:00 am

    Does anyone know if 4.4 is available from the factory (on a new tablet). It was…I believe…but now Google says that only the 5″ phone ships with kit kat?

  32. oli

    01/10/2014 at 3:39 am

    My nexus 5 no longer has auto rotate at all! From camera, pictures to web sites and videos. Not good. Let’s down an otherwise awesome piece of kit…

  33. Sam

    02/27/2014 at 4:59 pm

    Yeah I got the update on my Nexus 7… It’s litteraly charging so slow I can’t really even use my tablet AT ALL. Thanks Google. 😕

  34. Peter

    03/11/2014 at 3:44 am

    Like a lot of people I’m having issues.Typing this I’m getting lag.When I listen to music I if I touch any other buttons nasty buzzing noise.I am usingannexsus seven .Which seriously thinking about swooping to an Ipad

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