AT&T customers who are planning to buy the new Nexus 6 smartphone by Google and Motorola will have to wait a little longer.
Motorola has just asked AT&T to ship back its first batch of Nexus 6 units after discovering a software bug that prevents the smartphone from working properly or at all. The news, which was first reported by Droid Life, was confirmed by Motorola. The Lenovo-owned smartphone maker has sent a statement to Re/code that it has shipped a batch of Nexus 6 smartphones installed with glitchy software to AT&T.
"We delivered a small number of Nexus 6 smartphones with incorrect software to AT&T customers who pre-ordered," a Motorola spokesperson says. "The incorrect software [prevents the phone] from starting up properly. We will provide replacements for consumers whose phones are affected. The problem has been corrected and the phones currently shipping are fine."
Droid Life says the problem causes the phone to render a black screen and prevents it from connecting to AT&T's network, making the phone, by all accounts and purposes, completely useless. Both Motorola and AT&T say no users have yet been known to be affected by the issue.
It should be noted that only the first batch of Nexus 6 smartphones shipped to AT&T stores is affected by the problematic software, and all other wireless carriers and retailers are selling Nexus 6 phones with no problems reported.
AT&T is also said to be the only mobile carrier that tampered with Android Lollipop, the mobile platform that comes pre-installed on the Nexus 6, by initiating the download of AT&T apps once the user goes to Play Store. AT&T also locks the SIM card on the Nexus 6 to its network and requires users to sign up for a separate plan if they want to tether.
AT&T's website says it is currently out of stock of Nexus 6 phones as it awaits shipment from Motorola.
The mobile carrier started accepting pre-orders for the Nexus 6 Midnight Blue model last week. It is selling Google's latest handset at $249.99 with a two-year contract and $682.99 off contract. Customers can also get a Nexus 6 through AT&T's early upgrade Next plan and receive a $50 discount on the Moto 360 smart watch at Best Buy, Moto Hint earbud or Moto Silver II Bluetooth headset.
Customers can also get their Nexus 6 at Sprint and T-Mobile, which began offering the smartphone on Nov. 14 and Nov. 17 respectively. Verizon, which is currently offering Motorola's Droid Turbo, has yet to announce when it plans to sell the Nexus 6.
