Android 5.0 Lollipop is practically upon us; you can get it right now if you buy a Nexus 9 tablet or Nexus 6 smartphone, Google is on the verge of rolling out the latest update to its mobile OS to all Nexus devices, and third party manufacturers are gearing up to push OTA updates to their phones too. However, like all new software releases, Lollipop isn't without its issues.
We've listed some of the biggest problems here, to help you device whether or not you should hit the update button as soon as you get the option on your phone, or whether to download that factory image and update your Nexus device ahead of schedule.
HARDWARE BUGS
We're still waiting for it to roll out as an Over-the-Air update, but Lollipop is available for enterprising users to install on their Nexus device, using factory images supplied by Google. That doesn't mean it's completely free from bugs, however. Here are a few of the problems we've run into so far:
Nexus 5 Wi-Fi connection problems
According to reports from users that have updated their Nexus 5 using Google's official factory images, the phone struggles to get online once upgraded to Lollipop. It will save your WI-Fi passwords, but then often fails to connect to the networks themselves.
Similar complaints have arisen regarding battery life; apparently the battery drains excessively whenever the device is connected to Wi-Fi, partly because it gets near constant screen wakeup calls - where software running on the phone automatically switches on the screen even if you've locked the handset.
Nexus 7 video playback problems
It's not just phones that are affected. 2013 Nexus 7 tablets are also having problems once updated using the official Google factory images. The tablets often refuse to play video, struggling with YouTube clips, locally saved video files and even recording clips using the rear camera. A message simply stating "There was a problem while playing. Touch to retry" appears, and there's currently no permanent solution. For anyone affected by the bug, it has been reported that restarting your device can help in some cases, although the bug will eventually reappear.
THIRD PARTY PROBLEMS
Although the following gripes aren't Google's fault, as it will eventually fall down to third party developers to implement fixes, they are still worth keeping in mind when deciding whether or not to upgrade to Lollipop.
BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer is a fantastic app when it works, but for early Lollipop upgraders certain features are currently off limits. That means no high quality streaming, even when you're connected to a Wi-Fi network rather than 3G or 4G mobile internet, and no option to download content for offline playback.
Amazon
Amazon only added support for Prime Instant Video playback on Android devices other than its own Kindle Fire range, but it has yet to add support for Lollipop - meaning the Amazon app won't recognise it as a supported operating system, so it refuses to let you access Prime Instant Video.
GRIPES AND REGRESSION
The following issues aren't bugs, and are actually working as Google intended, but they are undoubtedly backwards steps for Android. Whether the design decisions will be reversed in the future remains to be seen, but right now they will stick out to anyone used to how Android 4.4 Kitkat handles notifications, shortcuts and settings.
No silent mode for phones
Bizzarely, there's no way to switch your phone to silent mode in Lollipop. You can switch between audible ringtones and vibration only, but there's no way to disable vibration completely from the quick settings pull-down menu. This is particularly irritating if you want your phone in view, say on a desk in a meeting, but don't want the internal motor to hammer the table every time you get a notification.
No ticker in notification bar
On previous versions of Android, detailed notification text would appear in the notification bar, one line at a time, so you didn't need to open the specific app to read a text message or get the gist of an email. In Lollipop, Google has added heads-up notifications on the lock screen or on top of the currently open app, so the company has decided to disable the ticker text altogether.
This would be fine for the most part, except certain heads-up notifications don't display any information beyond the fact you've received a text, email or social networking IM. That means you're now forced to open the app to get more information, where previously you could have just read the notification ticker.
We'll be updating this article with more issues as they appear, and of course will let you know if Google or third party developers fix the ones we've listed to date. Got one we haven't covered? Let us know in the comments below.
