Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) said Thursday that it has resolved the issue in Android Lollipop that was causing the battery of older Nexus phones to deplete much faster. Android Lollipop is the biggest ever overhaul in Google’s mobile operating system. The Mountain View-based company rolled out its new OS on Monday.
Nexus device users who upgraded to the latest Android Lollipop had complained that the new operating system as dramatically impacting battery life. In a thread on the official Android Developer Forum, hundreds of users reported that their phone’s battery would deplete much faster than usual when WiFi was enabled. An entry named “Miscellaneous” on their phone’s battery stats screen was draining a lot of juice.
Yesterday, Trevor Johns, a senior engineer for Android, confirmed the issue. He said the Android team was aware of the bug affecting the Nexus 5 users running the Android Lollipop. Earlier today, Johns said that the WiFi related glitch had been resolved. The search engine giant has marked the issue as ‘Fixed.’ Johns has also locked the thread to stop any further comments.
Lollipop introduces a new power saving mode
The battery-draining issue in Android Lollipop was ironic, says Lance Whitney of CNet. The OS introduced a new power-saving mode that turns off background data and slows down the CPU when your phone’s battery is running low. The Lollipop rollout coincides with the launch of Nexus 6 and Nexus 9. Smartphones from other vendors are also expected to get Lollipop update soon.
Reports suggest that the Lollipop update will be available for Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy S5 by December. Motorola has said that its Moto G, Moto X, Droid Ultra and Moto E will support Android Lollipop. Sony has said that its Z Ultra Google Play edition will be its first device to get the update, followed by Xperia Z3 and Z2. HTC One M8 and M7 are also expected to receive the update soon.
