Help Is it a mistake to update to Android 6.0?

[jaypeecee]

I received the OTA update to Android 6.0 approximately 10 days ago on my Nexus 5. But it would appear that some users are experiencing problems as a result of updating to this new version of Android. I am currently running Android 5.1.1, Build number LMY48M. I am therefore reluctant to carry out the update. I have no reason to update as 5.1.1 works just fine. So, why have Google pushed out this latest update?

 

[Hook]

They pushed it out because of new features. The OS gets updated once a year, coming out for the new Nexus devices. Keep in mind that people come to a forum mostly to ask for help with a problem. They don't generally post when everything is great. This will create a bias where how many problems something has is exaggerated.

I'm thrilled with the update, but it's up to you. If you are happy with what you have, stay with it if you like.

 

[funpig]

I received a new (refurbed) Nexus 5 last week as a gift. As I set up the device, it automatically downloaded and updated to Marshmallow. I can only compare it to my Galaxy Tab running 4.1.2 and an old LG running 2.3.

I cannot compare it to any Nexus 5 running an older OS. However, I have to say, it is smooth and the battery life has been excellent. Compared to my old devices, google is now more pervasive. With the new OS, i think i have been averaging about 5 new app updates a day. I guess every app including all the google ones are pushing out bug fixes. I have not noticed any bad glitches.

 

[jaypeecee]

Thanks, guys. This is useful feedback. Whilst I fully appreciate Hook's point that forums can give a distorted picture of reality, it is clear that some users have genuine problems following an OS update. So, if you happen to be one of those users, what help is at hand? Also, why are those users having problems following an OS update? Is it that they have rooted their device? Any thoughts?

 

[Hook]

Well, I am rooted, so it's not that. I don't know the answer to your question, but I suspect it may correlate to what state things were in when the update was made. In general, I always do a factory reset after taking a major OTA update. It's worth the extra time to rebuild things just to make sure you are getting a clean start. People who flash the factory image essentially are doing a factory reset. Things may work fine with a "dirty flash" of the OTA, but it's going to be hard to know what went wrong if problems occur.

 

[mogelijk]

I'll second what Hook said, and add a bit. Often, some type of software issue will develop that won't immediately cause an issue but, when you update the OS, it causes the issue to become a real problem. Also, sometimes the update itself will fail to "clean something up" properly, which is why many experts recommend clearing the cache partition after an install -- it cleans out the temporary files leftover from the old OS and from the update, which can sometimes cause an issue. Or some apps occasionally don't "realize" the OS updated, so it doesn't make the changes needed to work correctly with the new OS -- the programming is there for it to work properly but it isn't recognizing the OS updated correctly (again, clearing the cache often fixes this). This is also why Hook mentioned doing a factory reset. This clears out all the old apps, the old settings, all the things that typically can cause issues with a software upgrade.

From what I've seen (though I could have missed something), the issues people have with Marshmallow are the type of things mentioned above, they are typically fixed by either clearing the cache or doing a factory reset. Marshmallow itself seems to be quite stable and an improvement over previous versions of Lollipop Android.

 

[jaypeecee]

Well, I decided to take the plunge so I am now running Android 6.0. I did not clear the cache partition nor did I do a factory reset. Everything appears to be OK but if that changes, I'll report back. In the meantime, I'm checking out what changes Google have made.