The claims began when Google released Android 7.0 Nougat to the Nexus 6P. Some owners found their phones stuck in a bootloop, continually restarting with no way to suspend the behaviour. There is no method that readily recovers the phone from the loop, leaving devices unusable.
The second, unrelated issue, sees the battery randomly shutdown during use. The phone’s charger has to be connected before the phone will restart. While operational, the battery reading may change erratically, ranging from between 10 to 60 percent. Huawei has placed responsibility firmly onto Google, insisting it’s an issue with Android 7.0 rather than a hardware defect.
Google is also refusing to do anything about the issues. While it has acknowledged the battery complaints, the company’s issue tracker ranks the issue as “low priority,” signalling there’s no hope of a patch or official solution arriving anytime soon. It hasn’t addressed the more serious bootlooping which renders phones completely unusable.
This leaves owners in an awkward situation. With useless devices and the companies behind the phone blaming each other, the situation isn’t progressing. Making matters worse for Google, the LG-built Nexus 5X is already the subject of a class action lawsuit, again due to bootlooping problems.
A law firm is now planning a similar motion for the Nexus 6P, Android Police reports. With neither Google or Huawei offering any support to their customers, Chimicles & Tikellis LLP is stepping up to the table to force the tech giants into action. The law company is investigating whether it can act on the behalf of Nexus 6P owners to file a suit against Google.
If Google continues to side-step customer complaints, it could end up hindering its larger smartphone ambitions. With the Nexus line now discontinued and the company’s built-in-house Pixel taking centre-stage, the company needs quality customer service if it’s to succeed in the industry. It has also been lacking with this device though, forcing customers through returns processes to sort out issues. It still lacks the inventory to easily replace defective units.
With Pixel billed as a rival to the iPhone, Google wants people to take its smartphones seriously. However, with class action lawsuits piling up and customer service lacking, the company’s inexperience in the industry is painfully evident. Google will need to rethink its strategy before this fall’s Pixel 2 launch if it’s to convince its unsettled customers it’s capable of selling phones at scale.
