While the Nexus 6P is barely a year old, it already feels ancient if only for the fact that Google has doomed the Nexus line with the introduction of the new Google Pixel smartphone range. Its fate is further sealed for some users who upgraded it to the latest Android 7.1.1 Nougat because it caused the device to be stuck in a boot loop.
Nexus 6P Boot Loop Problem
One of the affected owners has posted his dilemma on Reddit.
Android Nougat has been teased and demonstrated left and right so you may be assured that upon discovering that a Nougat update can be installed on his Nexus 6P, this user promptly upgraded his Nexus 6P with alacrity.
His enthusiasm immediately turned to dread when his device can no longer get past the boot screen. What is worse is that the problem persisted even if he tried his older Android version.
He tried several other workarounds such as a reset and the installation of other Android versions. Unfortunately, his device seemed to have been bricked.
If you do some digging, you will be able to find that the same problem has surfaced at least three months ago after other Nexus 6P owners complained the same boot loop problem post Nougat update.
Google's Response
Google has already issued a statement regarding the problem but it did not include any fix.
"We understand that a very small number of users are experiencing a boot loop issue on you device," Google said in a Reddit thread. "We are continuing to investigate the situation, but can confirm that this is strictly a hardware related issue."
The statement has been posted several months back and so far there is no word yet about the result of such investigation. It is also worth noting that Google has already declared that the boot looping is strictly a hardware issue and promptly directed users to contact the place of purchase for repair and warranty concerns.
However, some users argue that if it is indeed a hardware problem, then why other devices such as the Nexus 5X experience the same bootlooping problem after upgrading to Android Nougat.
"How is it that two separate vendors, Huawei and LG, both have the same issue, which became evident following the same common event, which was a software upgrade?" a user called mcirtain commented on the Google statement.
Deliberate Aging
There are observers who believe that the Nexus 6P and all other handsets that came before it is no longer accorded the same interest at Google. What is worse is that many Nexus devices also start encountering problems that they have never faced before.
Tech Times has already reported that many Nexus 6P owners have been complaining that their handsets are shutting themselves down even when their phones are posting 15 to 20 percent battery life.
There is an emerging claim that Google may be deliberately aging its Nexus line, which is also aligned with the concept of tech obsolescence.
To put this in context, one can turn to a strategy adopted by Samsung to facilitate the pullout of the Galaxy Note 7 from the market. To discourage usage, Samsung has been deploying software updates that prevent access to key features such as cellular connectivity and full battery life. The company is even planning to release a patch that will permanently brick the Note 7 so people would start ditching it for safety reasons.
It is not yet clear if Google is following the same approach. However, if this is true, the company could actually get away with it because the Nexus line is already dead anyway. This is unfortunate because the 5X and most especially the 6P sport decent specifications that could still satisfy the demands of the latest Android systems.
