Nexus 7 Software Issues Reported: Here's What Google Is Working On
While the 2013 reboot of the Google Nexus 7 has received its fair share of positive reviews in its first weeks on the market, a set of consumer complains have been called to attention. The first of these lives in the GPS realm, users hoping to play with Google's several Google Maps-related apps or – bafflingly – to use the tablet as a GPS navigation device for their vehicle – have found location services to be on the fritz. Also summoned this week is a complaint on the 2013 Nexus 7's touchscreen.
The Nexus 7 (2013) touchscreen issue is suggested to be taking place both in the Nexus 7's keyboard (the stock Android keyboard, that is), as well as across the device both inside and out of apps and games. There, users will experience "double taps" and "ghost taps".
At the moment, users can rest assured that they are not alone: more than one Nexus 7 (2013) owner has complained about each of the issues mentioned in this article and Google has – in each case – replied and suggested that they are hard at work investigating the causes and solutions to each problem in kind.
For the "erratic touchscreen & keyboard" issue you'll be able to tap in to Jason L's string on Google Mobile Help, part of Google's own Product Forums website. There's a second issue listed by XDA developer members as New Nexus 7 Multi-Touch, erratic and jumpy.
"Chrome, Dolphin, web-view, maps (especially maps) will often jump all over the place during pinch-to-zoom. Sometimes it works fine, but too often, it jumps zoom levels erratically. Edit: This also manifests as double taps and/or "ghost taps" when using the keyboard." – JayBomb999
You'll see a video from JayBomb999 below showing "erratic pinch-to-zoom" as mentioned above. This user has experienced similar problems on three separate Nexus 7 units.
Another user by the name of John Conrad shows the issue with a touchscreen testing app. Conrad suggests luck in returning his first 16GB and purchasing a second, which he says works "flawlessly."
Another user by the name of Frank Jordan also shows touchscreen issues as well as a positive experience with an exchange for a new unit. It would appear that the touchscreen issue is only affecting users with the 16GB edition of the device at the moment, though due to the relatively small amount of 32GB Nexus 7 (2013) owners out in the wild, it's could just be that the 16GB majority is speaking up alone.
Finally there's a "random freeze and restart" issue appearing this week that Google is requesting assistance with tracking down and pinpointing. According to Paul from Google's Product Forums, there's an important process which must be followed to capture said problem in its tracks.
"Note that it's very important to generate a bug report immediately after experiencing a reboot (as in, within seconds) otherwise the report won't capture the data about what caused the restart. For this reason I strongly recommend doing steps 2-7 listed at the above link so you're ready to quickly capture a bug report if your tablet reboots itself. We appreciate this information as we look into your reports." – Paul for Google Product Forums
Paul suggests that users head to Google's Nexus Bug Report Instructions to run down the numbers and rack up a report so that all can be relieved in due time.
Meanwhile you'll want to have a peek at SlashGear's full Nexus 7 2013 Review so you don't just think this device is full of bugs – just the opposite. While some users have reported issues, it would appear that the vast majority of Nexus 7 (2013) owners have seen nothing of the sort. And if you do see something, say something – you can always bring it in for a replacement.