A new operating system update generally receives a lot of hype, but in no instance is it all unicorns and rainbows. It is obvious that Google put a lot of thought and effort behind Nougat 7.0, and it is guaranteed to bring you new features. Unfortunately, it’s also practically a guarantee that there will be problems, at least on some phones. In fact, this is already happening. Primarily, problems are occurring with Nexus devices, but that’s probably just because Nexus was the first to receive the rollout. However, some of the problems can’t solely be a Nexus issue because other devices with a custom 7.0 ROM have also had issues. And to be fair, even with tons of testing, there is no way to reasonably anticipate every problem and come up with the solution before the OS rolls out. But that’s what we’re here for—to get you that help right now.
Problem 1: Baffling Battery
Many a user has complained of reduced standby battery life on Nexus 6P. Ideally, this new update should have brought an improvement. We should be going forwards, not backwards…
Solutions:
Check Apps
Try looking for misbehaving apps that are hogging your battery. Go to Settings > Battery. Consider closing, disabling, or uninstalling any apps that are consuming a high percentage of resources. Ironically, it might list the operating system itself as using a lot of battery. There’s not a lot you can do about that, as some of these apps are really necessary. Google needs to fix this, and they are working on it.
Adjust Brightness
Reducing screen brightness can help you save on battery. Most phones will have an option under Settings > Display to adjust the brightness level.
Optimize Battery
Use an app to reduce battery energy drain. One such app that will assist you is called Greenify. The download is below. You will have to accept the Terms and Conditions, but then you can determine which apps you want to hibernate. Simply press the + Long-press an app until it turns green, and then select all of the other apps you wish to put to sleep. Click on the check mark icon located in the upper-right hand corner. If your device is not rooted, you will want to read the popup window. Press Force Stop on the App Info Tap OK to finally hibernate the app(s).
Download: Greenify
Use Power Saving Mode
Yes, it involves a sacrifice, but sometimes it’s that or nothing at all. By sacrifice, I mean that it can limit CPU speed, turn down or turn off lights, shorten the display timeout, turn off vibration, and more. It can also go by the name Battery Saving Mode as well as other variations. Choose Settings –> Battery or tap the battery icon in your Quick Settings. Some Androids will allow setup to turn on the mode automatically if the phone reaches a certain battery percentage level you define.
Problem 2: Weak or Worthless Wi-Fi
There seems to be an issue with Nexus 5X and 6P disconnecting from Wi-Fi for no reason. An upcoming update should soon fix that. Others have complained that the connection is slow.
Solutions:
Soft Reset
Power your Android off, then on again. Do the same thing with your router. Leave it off for about 10 seconds.
Reset Network Settings
Go to Settings > Backup & reset. Select Network settings reset, then Reset settings. You will have to start fresh and set up Wi-Fi, cellular data, and Bluetooth again.
Come Closer
If the signal seems weak, it could be due to other objects blocking it or distance. Move your Android closer to the router. It’s possible for other devices can also create interference. Move home appliances away.
No Sleeping on the Job
Power on Wi-Fi during sleep. Just in case your Wi-Fi is too busy dreaming to stay connected, visit Settings>Wi-Fi>More, and select Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep. Choose Always.
Reinstall Nougat
It’s not the most convenient thing—you will most likely have to first downgrade to Marshmallow. Then use the Nougat OTA upgrade. But this will help your plight.
Problem 3: Sound Issues
Problems with speakers, sound, and volume abound and there have even been some users that say their sound stopped working altogether.
Solutions:
Unofficial Patch
An official update/fix is pending, but in the meantime, developer Francisco Franco has provided his own fix below. It isn’t official, so proceed with caution. Download: Soundwire Server
Contact Seller
Try reaching out to the seller to inquire about repair or warranty options.
Reboot
Hold the Power button until the phone reboots.
Uninstall Apps
Try removing any app you downloaded recently that you suspect may be causing the problem. If you are uncertain of which app it could be, try entering Safe Mode. If sound works well in Safe Mode, use the process of elimination to see which app is causing the issue.
Master Reset
Go to Backup and reset from Settings and tap on Factory data reset. Instruct Android to Reset the Device. This wipes data so you might want to backup what you wish to save!
Problem 4: Lag
Usually, a lack of memory is suspect, but users having reported this performance problem despite having adequate amounts of memory.
Solutions:
Reboot
Hold the Power button until the phone shuts off. Turn the phone back on.
Disable or Uninstall Problematic Apps
If you have used an app recently that was acting a little funny or you really don’t need anymore, you can go into the list of recently used applications and remove it by dragging it right or left or long-pressing until you see an option to uninstall. Depending on the type of Android you are using, you may also just be able to transfer some apps to the SD card.
Wipe Cache
Power down your Android. Try holding the Power, Home, and Volume Up buttons together, or use the key combination to access Recovery Mode that is appropriate for your phone. When you see the Android logo, release the Power button. Use the volume buttons to highlight the Wipe Cache Partition and Power to select it. Now highlight Reboot System Now and press Power.
Master Reset
Go to Backup and reset from Settings and tap on Factory data reset. Instruct your Android to Reset the Device. This wipes data so you might want to backup what you wish to save!
Problem 5: Choppy Animations & Animation Choice
In researching the most common issues with this operating system, there were definitely instances of animation problems. Although it might be along the same lines as lag, it has been specifically reported that animations are less than smooth. And even though it doesn’t really affect functionality, many users were disappointed that the boot animation isn’t the one they like.
Solutions:
Change Animation Scale
From Settings > Developer Options > Transition Animation Scale, try adjusting this setting to .05x or you could opt to turn it off altogether.
Use the Upgrade or ADB Animation at Startup
It’s not as though Nougat doesn’t have a different animation; it just uses it only at certain times. And startup isn’t one of them. But you can change that with a zip file sourced by XDA’s mattwheat. You must have root and a file browser. Download the boot animation (.zip). Use the file explorer to go to system/media. Rename the old bootanimation.zip.bak. For example, you could name it oldanimation.zip.bak. It really isn’t advisable to get rid of this file until you know the other zip will work on your device. Peruse the Download folder on your internal storage or SD card for the new zip you downloaded. Copy the file to /system/media. Select the zip file and go to Properties. Select Change in the general Permissions For Owner, check Read and Write. For all other categories, tick just the Read Reboot your Android and you will now see Nougat’s sleek new animation— a lot like the Olympic rings superimposed on one another.
Download: Boot Animation Zip
Problem 6: Crashing Apps
It is actually somewhat understandable that certain apps will have a hard time adjusting to their new operating system environment. Not likeable, but understandable. But at some point, the apps and the operating system have to start playing nice.
Solutions:
Update Apps
Ensure that you are using the most recent version of the app in question. It could be that the app developer already created a solution for your problem, and it’s just waiting for you to use it.
Restart Your Android
Hold down the Power button for about 30 seconds.
Re-Install the App
Uninstall the dysfunctional app and reinstall a clean slate.
Clear App Cache
From Settings, go to Device. Tap on Applications, then find App Manager. Swipe to find ALL, then select the app. Tap Force Close, then Storage. Tap Clear Cache and Clear Data.
Problem 7: Lack of App Support for Split Screen Mode
Apps like Pokémon GO do not support launching into Nougat’s new multi-window. Actually, any app developer can decide not to take part in this feature. But to compensate, Google has still made it possible to enable any app to run in split-screen mode regardless. And it won’t be necessary to root your device.
Solutions:
Enable Developer Settings First
From Developer Options, toggle on the USB Debugging If you don’t see Developer Options in Settings, enable Developer Mode by going to About Device. Tap Build Number 7 times. Go back to Settings and select Developer Options. Toggle the Developer Options switch to an ON
Enforce Multi-Window Mode
Open Developer Options and scroll to the bottom of the menu. Select Force activities to be resizable. Reboot.
Problem 8: Bootlooping
It can feel like something is terribly wrong when your phone is suddenly rebooting and crashing unexpectedly. A lot of devices do this on occasion, but not constantly.
Solutions:
Eliminate Bad Apps Go to Settings > Power > Usage or just Settings > Apps > Running and investigate which apps are using resources disproportionately. Get rid of them.
Factory Reset
Go to Backup and reset from Settings and tap on Factory data reset. Instruct your Android to Reset Phone. This wipes data so you might want to backup what you wish to save!
Problem 9: Burdensome Bluetooth
Like Wi-Fi, devices have been plagued with Bluetooth connectivity issues since the release of Nougat. The problem was identified and supposedly fixed after it first appeared in Developer Previews, but there still are a lot of complaints.
Solutions:
Restart
Restart the app. If necessary, restart your phone.
Start Again
If your Bluetooth is acting out, remove the paired devices and start over.
Clear Cache Partition
The exact manner in which this is done really depends on the device, but here is one way. Turn your Android completely off. Now long press the Volume Down Press and release the Power Release the Volume Down key only when you see red hand blue lines of text. You will want to reboot to the bootloader. Use the Volume Down key to select Recovery and the Power button to confirm. Press the Volume Down key to highlight Wipe Cache Partition. Press the Power button to confirm, and wait until the phone tells you it’s finished.
Roll Back to Marshmallow & Reinstall (If you still want to)
Since the factory image for Nougat has been reported to be problematic (at least as of this writing), you will first need to roll back to Marshmallow and then receive Nougat again OTA. Or you could just use Marshmallow until this issue gets totally ironed out on Nougat.
Factory Reset
The short way is Settings > Backup & Reset > Reset Phone.
Conclusion
Did you know that March 26 is National Nougat Day? So that might have really been intended for the candy nougat, but surely by March the operating system will have enough updates and many users, giving us reason to celebrate. Have you encountered any other problems with this operating system? If so, leave a comment and we will try not to leave you hanging until March. Featured Image Credit
