It always happens, you need to restart your Nexus phone or tablet and have to turn it off and turn it on again. If there’s one thing that every OEM does right, it’s add a restart option to the power menu, and it looks like Sony is sick of this too – adding in proposed commits and changes to the Android Open Source Project and Android issue tracker.
There’s definitely a need for a reboot option in Android, with many features and updates – including OS updates – requiring a reboot, and even Google’s support docs on a number of features recommend users hit reboot when there’s an issue. Sony doesn’t want to have the reset option installed by default however, with the issue tracker listing the way to implement the feature and reasoning behind the request in their first listing in the issue tracker:
the addition of a reboot/restart option to the Global Actions menu is one of the most requested features we have seen in the Sony Android concept study.
The idea is that for users that are aware of the developer options (developers/advanced users), the feature will give them the option to restart their phones from the UI e.g. during development, or just to ‘refresh’ the device.
The proposed commits and ‘bugs’ in the issue tracker don’t appear to be getting anywhere though with Google merging one ticket with one that was declined in February and marking the other as duplicate; though the proposed AOSP commits don’t look to have been removed as yet. But unfortunately it doesn’t look promising with Google not apparently interested in a ‘busy’ power menu – even if it is just the addition of a much needed reset option.
Of course without traction from Google, this gets nowhere – and it’s very much needed at least in our opinion. Star the issue (never comment) but it seems that even the will of the people may not be enough to sway Google on this issue.
I use restart often, I can’t believe Google would oppose this. It is a no brainer IMO
Adding it means Google is saying that Androids needs to be refreshed periodically because it can’t clean up after itself.
Which is an accurate thing to say in my opinion.
Heck google can add the option and have it disabled by default and to enable it you go into developer options.
This will give the illusion that it is not needed.
Also does google think nexus devices are used by average Joe more than enthusits or developers?
I would expect they are used by the average Joe as much as or more than enthusiasts or developers. Considerably so.
This is so dumb on Google’s behalf. A busy power menu. What a terrible excuse. It’s currently not a menu, there is only one option (Power Off)! Adding restart would confuse the hell out of Nexus users, because they wouldn’t know what restart even means, right? Wow. I just can’t explain how frustrated I feel about this (I own a Nexus 2013). One of the reasons why I use OEM phones, not Nexus. These little, stupid oversimplifications.
I’d love to have this option. It’s very useful and even android wear devices have it! Come on Google, make it happen 🙂
Nothing worse than “rebooting” by shutting down, waiting, waiting, forgetting to power on, F%$# my phone is not on, power on.
I’m with google. Not needed.
I have a few apps that advise me to reboot to ensure updates take effect properly, I’m not sure why Google need to take a reboot option so ‘personally’. Isn’t it more of slap in their face that virtually every OEM feels the need to make up for the absence of what should have been a stock feature?
I always thought that Google’s ‘stock’ restart option was to hold the power button down until it vibrated.. the phone doesn’t go off, and it reboots faster than if you do a shutdown.
Thats reboot and I’ll use reboot loosely for that way is a power off style of reboot. ie like pulling the power cord on a computer. Its not a graceful shutdown then restart.
Yeah, you’re supposed to do that if the device totally locks up. Equivalent to removing the battery for devices where you can remove it. Not the same thing. Even if it were wouldn’t that be a very obscure way to do a restart instead of including it in the Power Menu?
It’s interesting; everyone knows that a Windows machine slows down the longer it is running, because of the processes in the background that will slowly leech more and more resources due to poor implementation and memory leaks – this obviously isn’t nearly as bad as fifteen years ago, but it is still reasonably true and in the public awareness in regards to Windows in particular. Apple and Google are definitely trying to sell the concept that their operating systems are so neat and minimalistic that this issue will never occur; a program will either be terminated completely or saved into… Read more »
Very true though do not forget that Android TV has a Restart option added to it’s menu as it became evident it was needed, in this case they hid it under the Settings Menu. But on a phone where it is very easy to turn it on and off via the power button admission that a restart feature is needed would show fault as you described. Never the less a restart feature is one reason why I’m not running stock on my Nexus 5X so it has merit as a feature in my opinion.
I find that Android doesn’t “just work”, so in that regard they have already been defeated by Apple in my opinion. At least this will help with the buggy experiences that I have to restart to fix on a regular basis. Hell, I can’t even use my device as a phone properly because during calls I can’t wake the phone, and I have to reboot to fix. If Google is so worried about the customer perception of the seemingly incredibly buggy nature of Android, rather than pretend it isn’t a problem they should start focusing on squashing bugs. Android M… Read more »
Hmm, a few facts from earlier in the year:
ios8 crash rate 2.2%
Lollipop crash rate 2.0%
Bit early for data on ios9 vs Marshmallow, but there are reports of many crashes with ios9 on older phones.
Personal experience != data
I am not talking about the app crash rate, which is highly reliant on developers code and exception handling (which seem to me to be the figures you have provided). I am talking about operating system features not working properly, like stock dialer issues, issues with the proximity sensor, Bluetooth crapping out, the whole OS suddenly lagging up at the home screen (Google launcher) and other weird bugs in Google’s own native apps. Not all are slow stoppers but having to factory reset my Android wear because the phone dropped all my Bluetooth pairings is unintuitive and a PITA.
That’s your experience, Marshmallow has been flawless for me.
Sounds like you have something covering the proximity sensor on your phone
And that is why rebooting the phone temporarily fixes the problem? And why there is a massive thread on Google’s forums about this exact issue? No.
Well this certainly explains why you’re too much off a tight-a**e to support the Patreon campaign. Go back to iOS Fanboy.
So I am an iOS fanboy because I am pissed about the bugs that still haven’t been fixed on my Nexus since M came out? Remain a guest “Graham”, you lack a clue. I have never owned an iOS device, so I could never go back to iOS. Who here is the fanboy, fool.
Attacking someone for having a point of view is unacceptable. Leave your hate at the door when you comment please.