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Nexus 7 2012 Android 5.0.2 Update: Impressions & Performance

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After a lengthy wait we installed the Nexus Android 5.0.2 Lollipop update on the Nexus 7 2012 edition and took Google’s latest software for a spin on an aging tablet to see how the new look and new features hold up. The Nexus 7 Android 5.0.2 update installed quickly, and we set out to test the performance of Android Lollipop on older hardware to see if it handles as well as on the Nexus 7 2013.

The Android 5.0 Lollipop update started rolling out in November, but did not arrive on many Nexus devices until early 2015. After spending a weekend testing the Nexus 7 2012 Android 5.0.2 update we can share more details on how this update performs.

Google delivered an overhaul to Android with a new look that includes Material Design,  a new lock screen and multitasking menu as well as changes to notifications and many bug fixes and improvements. This is a large update and delivers a new experience to users upgrading from Android 4.4 KitKat.

Here is our early Nexus 7 2012 Android 5.0.2 review.

Here is our early Nexus 7 2012 Android 5.0.2 review.

One of the reasons we are looking at the Nexus 7 2012 Android 5.0.2 update instead of just Android 5.0 Lollipop is due to the various bugs that Google identified and rolled out fixes for many common Android Lollipop problems.

After spending time using the Nexus 7 2012 Android 5.0.2 update I can share my early impressions with other Nexus 7 2012 owners to help them decide if it is worth installing Android 5.0.2 Lollipop update on the Nexus 7 from 2012 and saying goodbye to Android 4.4 KitKat.

Nexus 7 2012 Android 5.0.2 Installation

Installing the Nexus 7 2012 Android 5.0.2 update was a simple task that took about 20-30 minutes to complete and to update all the apps. During this process you cannot use the Nexus 7, so plan accordingly.

Installing Android 5.0.2 on the Nexus 7 2012 went smoothly.

Installing Android 5.0.2 on the Nexus 7 2012 went smoothly.

Although updates can cause problems, I did not run into any issues installing Android Lollipop on the Nexus 7 2012. The update installed fairly quickly and all the apps updated before booting to the home screen with the new view. The only real oddity with this update is the need to open Google Play Services multiple times after the update, but this happens anytime I update Android.

This is a stock Nexus 7 2012 model with no custom ROMs, rooting or other customizations that could cause problems with an over-the-air Android 5.0.2 update.

Nexus 7 2012 Android 5.0.2 Review (Early)

I spent a good part of the weekend using the Nexus 7 2012 Android 5.0.2 update to determine the performance of this update on the older Nexus 7 2012. It is worth noting that your mileage may vary with how well the update handles on your machine. It is unlikely that we all use the same apps and perform the same tasks on the Nexus 7, which will change your overall experience.

Hopefully this will help you decide if it is worth installing the free Android 5.0.2 update on the Nexus 7 2012, or if you should wait for other updates to arrive.

Speed

The Nexus 7 2012 Android 5.0.2 update performance is not the best, and in our experience it is a little slower and animations are not as smooth as on KitKat. You can see some of this in the video below.

The Nexus 7 2012 Android Lollipop performance improved dramatically after two days and two restarts, so that is the first thing to do if your Nexus 7 is slower than it was on KitKat. We will continue to monitor the speed and see if there are any ways to speed it up before sharing the final Nexus 7 2012 Android Lollipop review.

Apps

Every app that we installed on the Nexus 7 2012 after the Android 5.0.2 Lollipop update worked well, and the only issue we discovered was a problem with a local municipality website using an old security certificate that Google Chrome did not like. We had to turn on a password for the tablet and then decline to install a security update to access it.

Google Play Movies, Chrome other than that one website and a handful of other apps that we rely on work just fine after the update.

Android 5.0.2 Battery Life

It is still early in our battery life testing, but there is no fast drain that indicates any type of Android 5.0.2 battery problems on our Nexus 7 2012 model. The tablet holds a charge well, even when left alone for half a day. This is an area that we will pay close attention to for the full review, but so far things are good.

What you need to know about Android 5.0.2 on the Nexus 7 2012.

What you need to know about Android 5.0.2 on the Nexus 7 2012.

WiFi & Bluetooth

Connectivity is one of the most frequent areas of complaints after installing updates big and small. The Nexus 7 2012 continues to connect to WiFi without any problems after the Lollipop update including a home network and a personal hotspot. Bluetooth appears to function, but we still need to connect a Bluetooth keyboard to test that functionality.

Bugs & Issues

While there are some Android 5.0.2 bugs and problems, our issues are limited to an issue with a specific website and Chrome, not with the Nexus 7 2012 or Android Lollipop specifically.

We do hope that the speed of Android 5.0.2 on the Nexus 7 2012 improves over time or with a future update, but that is not a bug as much the consequence of using new software on aging hardware.

Problems tend to appear after extended use, so we’ll keep a close eye out for potential Android 5.0.2 bugs as we continue to test the Nexus 7 2012.

Should You Install the Nexus 7 2012 Android 5.0.2 Update?

If you are experiencing problems on KitKat or you really want the new Android 5.0 Lollipop features than you can install without any major issues, but for many users this is an update worth waiting on.

If you have problems, you should try Android 5.0.2 on the Nexus 7 2012,  otherwise you may want to wait.

If you have problems, you should try Android 5.0.2 on the Nexus 7 2012, otherwise you may want to wait.

The Nexus 7 2012 Android Lollipop performance is sporadic with lags between button presses and action on the screen that range from acceptable to annoying. It is not clear what causes the slow down to take place, but it can be quite frustrating.

It is possible to downgrade from Android Lollipop to Android KitKat, but it is not a process that every user wants to go through. Still it is good to know that if things get bad, you can go back to the way it was before the update.

For most users, it is worth waiting a few more days to see if there are any major problems with the Nexus 7 2012 Android Lollipop update.

Android 5.0 vs Android 4.4 Walkthrough: What’s New in Lollipop

Android 5.0 vs Android 4.4 - Lockscreen

Android 5.0 vs Android 4.4 - Lockscreen

 With Android 5.0 Lollipop Google has slightly improved the lockscreen. There's now a shortcut to the dialer by swiping left to right, and notifications are more useful and interactive. Shown right on the lockscreen they can be swiped away, slide down to expand, or double tap to instantly unlock right into that app or notification. Everything is simple and smooth, and we still have full-screen album artwork on the lockscreen while playing music.

The quick shortcuts and improved notifications will come in handy for all users.

22 Comments

22 Comments

  1. Sue Brotherton

    01/20/2015 at 9:51 pm

    ABSOLUTELY SUCKS, Nexus 7 2012.

    Freezes, miserable lag time, unresponsive home/back/menu buttons. Had to go to my JTC phone to leave this comment – couldn’t get a keyboard when I clicked in these boxes. Terrible when you try to install multiple apps; can’t install apps and the go to kindle app to continue reading. I have an extremely well maintained, gently used device. It’s now barely better than a doorstop. So very disappointed and embarrassed for Google. What, epic Google glass fail wasn’t enough failure to plan? Grrr.

  2. Brian

    01/21/2015 at 6:35 am

    Mine was slow like Sue’s then I uninstalled some old unused apps and reboot and it’s working alot better now.

  3. Lance

    01/21/2015 at 6:44 am

    My Nexus 7 is now an awesome doorstop thanks to the lollipop update. Performance is horrible, crashes constantly, I cannot do more than one thing on it and that one thing take 10 times longer to start and run, if it actually runs at all. I have turned off all animations and even limited the amount of background applications running as well as cleared the cache. Nothing it working. It has been this way for weeks and no fix. I will never buy an Android system again, if a tablet. So sick of technology being obsolete and unsupported after 2 years!!!!

  4. מאיר כהן

    01/21/2015 at 10:42 am

    WARNING!!!
    DO NOT UPGRADE YOUR DEVICE !!!
    THANK YOU.

  5. meir cohen

    01/21/2015 at 10:44 am

    Kitkat 4.4.4 is better then the android 5.0 !!!!
    You better listen to me!!!

  6. Patrick J Sandham

    01/21/2015 at 7:37 pm

    Biggest mistake I ever made was to update to Lollypop 5.0. Then I made a bigger one and loaded the 5.02 update! IT SUCKS! No more need be said.

  7. Wendy

    01/21/2015 at 11:02 pm

    Well said everyone and more. I am disgusted with this absolute load of tosh that has been sent as an update. My tablet would have worked better if I had washed it on high heat and then run over it. Which I might add I am considering doing. Before I downloaded this update I had a superfast, fully working tablet. I am now left with nothing more than a totally unusable heap of junk. I WOULD ADVISE DO NOT DOWNLOAD UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTSNCES.

  8. Tom

    01/21/2015 at 11:46 pm

    In googles ultimate quest for world domination, future civilization will mark lollipop as the downfall of what was potentially a vast and mighty empire. After screams of rage over keyboards not appearing, apps crashing, and devices becoming less useful than a HDD player, the users escaped to a place called outside. Hear, without the use of their devices, they cowered as they were forced to communicate in person and verbally, no longer being gladiators of the keyboard.

    Soon, civilization flourished as people remembered how wonderful social interaction can be. The Kardashians ceased to exist, Jiustin Bieber admitted he was actually a genetic mutation of Ellen Degeneres gone horribly wrong and the second enlightenment was born. Childhood obesity disappeared, cures for cancer appeared, and world hunger was solved. Peace was found all around the globe aa the reliance on technology was gone.

    Then google updated lollipop to work and they crushed everyone’s soul. Don’t download this update, it is the beginning of the end of humanity.

  9. Brent Stoltzfus

    01/22/2015 at 8:23 am

    I flashed my 16GB Nexus 7 to Lollipop 5.0.2. It worked great for a week. Then there were hangs and “not responding” messages intermittently, especially with browsers. It was awful . I reflashed KitKat 4.4.4 back onto the device and the performance went back to a very snappy normal. Don’t bother upgrading.

  10. Al perkins

    01/25/2015 at 3:38 am

    How do l go back to kitkat 4.4.4

  11. john levandowski

    01/28/2015 at 1:26 am

    The new update is so terrible, I may have to buy a new tablet. It locks up constantly and is so slow that in many cases I just use my phone, which is what I am doing now. What garbage. Wish I had gone to this website before downgrading!!!!!!!! How can I go back?

  12. Bob Creedon

    01/29/2015 at 7:19 am

    Upgrade has made Nexus 7 unusable constantly freezes system interface failures network problems etc. One of worst upgrades i have ever seen.

  13. Ashley

    02/03/2015 at 12:22 am

    I have a 2013 Nexus 7. The Lollipop update has made my tablet almost unusable with how slow it is. It crashes constantly, especially with Chrome and all the Google Apps. I’ve also been frustrated by wi-fi connectivity issues. I’d like to go back to Kit-Kat, so I’m about to go read up on how to do that.

  14. ian

    02/19/2015 at 5:28 am

  15. Girts

    02/21/2015 at 1:14 am

    Agree with everyone here. This update has ruined what was a great tablet. Now it hangs frequently, often huge lag on buttons working (go back often doesn’t function), wi-fi slow, browsers slow (I use Firefox because when my wife uses chrome it crashes the tablet), changing pages on news apps often gives blank screen which locks out the forward/back etc buttons, keyboard sometimes won’t pop up, sometimes very slow. Have rebooted the device many times – makes no difference. I don’t use games, or watch films (except BBC I-player which was fine), nothing challenging really so there’s no excuse for it not coping. Keyboard delivers phantom characters so much re-typing has happened here. And it randomly deletes app icons.
    Do not use this update – it’s rubbish!

  16. Janardan Barthwal

    03/02/2015 at 12:02 am

    I feel a lot better after reading about the downgrade err upgrade others are suffering just like I am. I agree I am a loner and do not have many friends just like Gooooggle ahem ahem !!

  17. Drax

    03/04/2015 at 8:17 am

    It is true lollipop will kill your device. Upgraded mine and the crashing and freezing and general unresponsive nature of the thing you would not beleive it. I have done all the things they say, cleared the cache partition, even a factory reset so it has nothing on it and it still crashes and freezes. the boot up times are incredibly long now… it is now a nasty device. At lease kit kat used to work. It is no wonder Apple sell so many devices when google do stuff like this.

    If you have not upgraded to lollipop then i would stay well clear. If you have and are thinking 5.02 will solve your problems then think again – it won’t. The only thing to do is revert back to kitkat.

    or buy a new device

  18. Juergen | dare2go.com

    04/29/2015 at 1:08 pm

    I removed the upgrade within a couple of days as it made my Nexus 7 (2012 with 3G, 32GB) virtually unusable. I use mine mostly with navigation apps, and the upgrade reduced running time from around 15 hours (plugged in, screen always on) to under 3 hours under same conditions. Powering up the device took 4-5 times as long, some apps crashed, screen aspect switching failed half the time, and, and… DO NOT UPDATE!

  19. Al Gross

    05/02/2015 at 5:06 pm

    • Al Gross

      05/02/2015 at 6:46 pm

      Well, it works a bit. Very erratic. Some things go right away, others take awhile to load. Still, better than it was, but I’m not holding my breath at this point. Shouldn’t have to go through so much crap to make this work…

  20. Rod

    07/19/2015 at 12:17 pm

    On kit Kat the nexus was fine however lollipop is very frustrating. I would say its Google’s equivalent to windows me. Awful update.

  21. Ropes Pierre

    12/17/2015 at 3:27 pm

    This is real Bull Shit Yo screw up my NEXUS very well it is now a real piece of shit/trash…..

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