Nexus 6 owners are facing a spate of problems with Google's official Nougat firmware as numerous bugs were unearthed in the delayed release of Android 7.1.1 update, which was recently patched in the March security update. Later on, it was evident that the security patch had indeed broken the functionality of Apple Pay, and now several Nexus 6 users are complaining about Android 7.0 over-the-air (OTA) downgrade being pushed atop Android 7.1.1 on their devices.
Several Nexus 6 units are reportedly affected by the downgrade OTA update as it is basically causing every app to crash constantly after the update is done. Numerous reports of this widespread issue have been posted to the Nexus 6 subreddit.
It must be noted that a proper downgrade is simply impossible on the Nexus 6 without completely wiping data and installed software. Consequently, users who are running Android 7.1.1 on their Nexus phone are advised to read the description of the update, before proceeding with the installation.
Alternatively, Nexus 6 users may try upgrading to Android 7.1.1 using the LineageOS custom ROM as it seems more stable than the stock version which is plagued with a series of unflinching bugs.
In related news, a Google community manager has recently responded to the original Reddit thread where this issue was posted by affected users. Here is what the company executive had to say while explaining the cause of this issue:
There was a recent OTA update for Android 7.0 that is causing confusion for some Nexus 6 users. For those of you that want to guarantee future OTA updates, you will need to get back on the 7.0 supported track. If you are experiencing issues after accepting the 7.0 update, please factory reset your device to help resolve any problems.
For any Nexus 6 users that want to continue flashing/sideloading future builds, you can stay on 7.1.1 and continue to do so.
So, the Nexus 6 users are in a catch 22 situation as they would require a factory reset in order to resolve the app crashing issue on their handset, following the OTA downgrade from Android 7.1.1. Besides, a factory reset will wipe out all user data on the phone, which cannot be restored unless they have the data backup.
Furthermore, Google has cautioned users to stick to Android 7.0 if they would like to get future OTA updates. However, if they did downgrade, there is no guarantee that they will be able to install Android 7.1.1 upgrade via future OTA updates.
On the contrary, those who chose to remain on Android 7.1.1 will face the risk of using third-party sideloading method to install any future builds of latest Nougat update as it will be unavailable through OTA process.
