After the rollout of the Android 7.0 Nougat update, it appears that several Nexus 6P handsets started experiencing battery issues. The initially sporadic complaints seemed to have snowballed, and users are raising a ruckus at Google's forum and elsewhere.
All seem to indicate the same problem: early device shutdown.
Android 7.0 Nougat Battery Bug
The bug has already been reported since the Nougat update hit the Nexus 6P in the latter part of October. It completely turns the phone off even when there is still a good amount of power remaining. Owners point out that this usually happens whenever the device hits below 15 percent battery level.
"The phone flashes orange to go into battery saving mode and shuts down concurrently," a user complained. "The phone won't turn back on without charging. When on charge and powered back on the battery will show as being at least 15% full."
Interestingly, the problem is also inconsistent. The device could power off even when the battery still has around 20 percent charge or thereabouts. Sometimes the phone could use up its entire power reserve without turning itself off.
Such inconsistency has aggravated the issue further because it made it even more difficult to zoom in on the root cause of the bug.
Google's Fix
Since the issue emerged, however, Google has not yet issued any update to fix the problem. What is worse is that it has been labeled as low priority at the company's support page. It will not be surprising if some sectors start thinking that it is purposely degrading the Nexus 6P to bolster its latest Pixel handsets.
OEMs can actually tinker with phones to gradually steer it to obsolescence or simply brick it. Samsung has already employed this strategy to facilitate the pullout of the Galaxy Note 7 from circulation.
Without any solution in sight, some consumers have tried some workarounds such as the replacement of the battery itself, but the issue still persisted, bolstering Huawei's position that the problem lies with the Nougat update rather than a hardware problem. The company could only wring its hands and offer to downgrade the OS back to Android 6.0 Marshmallow after Nexus 6P owners start complaining via its hotlines.
While Google may think that a premature device shutdown deserves to be lumped in the low priority category, the same cannot be said for owners who are using the Nexus 6P as their daily driver. That is even worse for the hardcore users.
It is not yet known if the Android 7.1 Nougat update will fix the issue. If you are a Nexus 6P owner, let us know in the comment below if you are also experiencing the same problem.
