Nexus 7 Owners Thread - apps, tips & tricks!

The_B_Man

Lads, the mammy got a N7 2013 for christmas. Can anyone recommend a suitable case for it? Preferably one with a stand so she can watch RTE player on it in the kitchen. I'd be looking to buy her a decent one so I'm willing to spend a few quid. Cheers.

droidman123

The_B_Man wrote: »

Lads, the mammy got a N7 2013 for christmas. Can anyone recommend a suitable case for it? Preferably one with a stand so she can watch RTE player on it in the kitchen. I'd be looking to buy her a decent one so I'm willing to spend a few quid. Cheers.

theres a great choice on amazon,just make sure its the nexus 2013 you get the case for. I use this one and find it great,its slim but strong and protects well, and it has the sleep magnet.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/MoKo-Google-New-Nexus-Case/dp/B00CKA1IYU/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420758933&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=nexus+7+mokocase

The_B_Man

droidman123 wrote: »

theres a great choice on amazon,just make sure its the nexus 2013 you get the case for. I use this one and find it great,its slim but strong and protects well, and it has the sleep magnet.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/MoKo-Google-New-Nexus-Case/dp/B00CKA1IYU/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420758933&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=nexus+7+mokocase

Cheers, will take a look.

RE: the sleep magnet. Does the magnet interfere with Google Sky Map? Because she'd be using that a good bit, and if it messes with the compass then its a non-runner.

Thanks.

droidman123

The_B_Man wrote: »

Cheers, will take a look.

RE: the sleep magnet. Does the magnet interfere with Google Sky Map? Because she'd be using that a good bit, and if it messes with the compass then its a non-runner.

Thanks.

I don't think it would,it just puts the tablet to sleep when you close the cover.tbh I have never heard of anyone having this problem

bert911

Got lollipop update on my N7 2nd gen this morning 😀

Mc Love

Same here, I like it!

ferrigan101

I got the latest lollipop update on Thursday and woke up yesterday to find the tablet stuck in a bootloop (just the Google logo on the screen).

Managed to power it down and get into recovery and it's telling me that it can't mount the cache. I've attempted a factory wipe but it fails because of the cache error.

Ive looked at trying to reflash a factory image but am just none too sure how to go about it and all the toolkits I looked at seem to need the tablet fully turned on with an unlocked bootloader.

If anyone could nudge me in the right direction or has had something similar happen let me know!

It's a 2013 version, never been rooted and I've never unlocked the bootloader.

Any help appreciated!

corkie

ferrigan101 wrote: »

If anyone could nudge me in the right direction or has had something similar happen let me know!

It's a 2013 version, never been rooted and I've never unlocked the bootloader.

Any help appreciated!

If you can get the device into fastboot mode (Vol Down + Power from off)?

It maybe possible to manually flash the factory image, get the latest factory image for your device here. (5.0.2 (LRX22G) for wifi 2013.)

If that works, you could then use the NRT to root and flash a custom recovery.

Saipanne

I'm really put off updating the firmware, based on this thread...

ferrigan101

corkie wrote: »

If you can get the device into fastboot mode (Vol Down + Power from off)?

It maybe possible to manually flash the factory image, get the latest factory image for your device here. (5.0.2 (LRX22G) for wifi 2013.)

If that works, you could then use the NRT to root and flash a custom recovery.

Thanks, will attempt this when I get a moment!

ferrigan101

corkie wrote: »

If you can get the device into fastboot mode (Vol Down + Power from off)?

It maybe possible to manually flash the factory image, get the latest factory image for your device here. (5.0.2 (LRX22G) for wifi 2013.)

If that works, you could then use the NRT to root and flash a custom recovery.

So I can't seem to get the bootloader unlocked. It just keeps hanging at

(bootloader) Unlocking bootloader...
(bootloader) erasing userdata...

I'm assuming this is because of the seemingly corrupt cache. Not sure what to do next. Has anyone any experience dealing with Google or Asus customer care?

corkie

ferrigan101 wrote: »

So I can't seem to get the bootloader unlocked. It just keeps hanging at

(bootloader) Unlocking bootloader...
(bootloader) erasing userdata...

I'm assuming this is because of the seemingly corrupt cache. Not sure what to do next. Has anyone any experience dealing with Google or Asus customer care?

That process takes a while, how long did you leave it at that process?

If you left it for a while, you may have a corrupted bootloader!
Fixing that is beyond my knowledge.

ferrigan101

corkie wrote: »

That process takes a while, how long did you leave it at that process?

If you left it for a while, you may have a corrupted bootloader!
Fixing that is beyond my knowledge.

Hmmm about 10 minutes. I'll try again and leave it longer so!

eoinf

Stood on my nexus 7 2012 this morning, pissed off as the new update had just made it useable again. Anyway, anyone any experience of swapping out the screen. Is it something you reckon could be done at home?

ferrigan101

ferrigan101 wrote: »

Hmmm about 10 minutes. I'll try again and leave it longer so!

Well, it didn't work. Eventually it just failed.

When I get home later I'm going to attempt to format the cache, but I'm not sure that will work with the bootloader locked.

It's looking more likely that I'll be getting on to Asus customer support.

Adamcp898

Anyone got any recommendations on keyboard cases for the 2013 model?

neacy69

Is it still worth getting a nexus 7 2013? I'm looking for a new tablet and considering this (or maybe the hudl 2)...Whats the best price for the 2013 device?

I like the nexus 9 but i think its just too expensive

murphaph

If you ever want to play around with custom ROMs (for example when the manufacturer no longer supports them or provides updates) then go for the Nexus over the Hudl. The Hudl (at least the first generation which my mother has) cannot be flashed with a custom recovery so cannot be flashed with custom ROMs AFAIK, so you're stuck with the ROM as provided by the manufacturer, forever.

Just something to think about. There are obviously other tablets that can be flashed with alternative ROMs, but you did specifically mention Nexus & Hudl.

neacy69

murphaph wrote: »

If you ever want to play around with custom ROMs (for example when the manufacturer no longer supports them or provides updates) then go for the Nexus over the Hudl. The Hudl (at least the first generation which my mother has) cannot be flashed with a custom recovery so cannot be flashed with custom ROMs AFAIK, so you're stuck with the ROM as provided by the manufacturer, forever.

Just something to think about. There are obviously other tablets that can be flashed with alternative ROMs, but you did specifically mention Nexus & Hudl.

Thanks for your reply
I have a HP touchpad at the minute so I have flashed custom roms in the past so its not something i'm adverse to...

Probably because the N7 is from 2013 so almost 2 years old now (in july) is the only reason im reluctant to buy iy

Gran Hermano

I'd avoid the 2012 model as even with lollipop there are reports of it struggling. The hardware is dated at this stage. I'm still using my 2013 N7 without any problems. I use it daily and would have no problem recommending it.
(I use it as much as my N9).

Keep an eye on Bargain Alerts forum and search recent threads there as they often pop up on special offers.

I'd also take a look at the newer tablets from China. Onda, Teclast and Xiaomi all have powerful tablets for around 150 euro.

jonski

Gran Hermano wrote: »

I'd avoid the 2012 model as even with lollipop there are reports of it struggling.

I've one of the first 2012 models and struggling is being polite , it'll go out the window one of these nights . It does all the things , browsing , youtube , news apps , boards app , it's just that sometimes it just stalls .

ThisRegard

I know exactly what you're saying. At this stage I use my phone before the 2012 7 on lollipop, it's just a frustrating pain in the ass to use. I just haven't had the time to go flash it yet, or throw it at the wall.

If you have one, and haven't upgraded the OS yet from KitKat, don't. Despite its age it ran well on KitKat.

My daughters first gen Hudl is a much more pleasant experience.

t0mm13b

jonski wrote: »

I've one of the first 2012 models and struggling is being polite , it'll go out the window one of these nights . It does all the things , browsing , youtube , news apps , boards app , it's just that sometimes it just stalls .

The reason for that, is the filesystem is flaky on the nand chip. There was reported success in using a alternative kernel that has f2fs support, the only catch was, that the entire filesystem be reformatted to f2fs instead of ext4fs. Once that gets formatted and a kernel that understands f2fs, it actually brought the Nexus 2012 first gen, back to life.

(Yes, you will lose data, but if you're rooted, back up the apps etc beforehand )

I have Nexus 7 2013 Wifi second generation, which was to remedy numerous issues in 2012 edition, so steer clear of 2012 Nexus 7.

To be honest, I use Nexus 7 daily with custom recovery and rooted KitKat, I am deliberately avoiding Lollipop for now, until Lollipop 5.1 comes out. And furthermore, Nexus 7 is by far, the best tablet hands down.

robinph

Just went and "upgraded" mine back down to 4.4.4 and things are better already. It was just way too painful using Lollipop and the number of times it crashed or ground to a halt on me was not fun anymore.

Fresh Pots

robinph wrote: »

Just went and "upgraded" mine back down to 4.4.4 and things are better already. It was just way too painful using Lollipop and the number of times it crashed or ground to a halt on me was not fun anymore.

Did you use the stock kernel and filing system or the one mentioned above?

robinph

Fresh Pots wrote: »

Did you use the stock kernel and filing system or the one mentioned above?

Erm, not sure.

I used the WUG Toolkit app and just selected the older version. Have been using that to force any firmware changes for a while now as the most reliable way of doing it.

Fresh Pots

robinph wrote: »

Erm, not sure.

I used the WUG Toolkit app and just selected the older version. Have been using that to force any firmware changes for a while now as the most reliable way of doing it.

That would be the stock way so, the method above using the f2fs looks tempting but I wouldn't mind hearing from someone who has already switched. Few mixed reports online.

ThisRegard

robinph wrote: »

Erm, not sure.

I used the WUG Toolkit app and just selected the older version. Have been using that to force any firmware changes for a while now as the most reliable way of doing it.

Where did you get it from?

Last time I did any this stuff was when I used to put Cyanogen on my Galaxy S.

ttenneb

robinph wrote: »

Just went and "upgraded" mine back down to 4.4.4 and things are better already. It was just way too painful using Lollipop and the number of times it crashed or ground to a halt on me was not fun anymore.

I need to do similar. I turned off LOCATION as recommended elsewhere, only slight improvement. Is reverting to 4.4.4 manageable by ham fisted people?

robinph

ThisRegard wrote: »

Where did you get it from?

Last time I did any this stuff was when I used to put Cyanogen on my Galaxy S.

Should have the latest version here:

http://www.wugfresh.com

murphaph

My 2012 3G model (totally stock, unrooted) just got the OTA upgrade to 5.0.2. I said "what the hell" and let it upgrade, expecting that I'd be factory resetting it within the hour and then probably rooting it and flashing it with a clean install using the factory image (having read lots of reports of near unusable tablets after upgrading). It's fine though, more responsive than it was on 4.4.4 for sure.

I have a recent Cyanogenmod12 nightly build (5.0.2 based) on my N4 and Lollipop has grown on me since I flashed it a week ago, so want it on my N7 as well. If it starts slowing down I'll probably just wait now for the first CM12 nightly and flash it with that (clean install), but so far so good.

ThisRegard

Mine initially seemed more responsive, I posted here that it was when I got it. But it has been ****e from there on in.

murphaph

ThisRegard wrote: »

Mine initially seemed more responsive, I posted here that it was when I got it. But it has been ****e from there on in.

Are you planning to do a clean install of stock or CM or something else to get it back toa usable state? No need to live with it the way it is. It's still perfectly capable of being a very usable tablet.

ThisRegard

I agree, it was perfect before lollipop, well perfect apart from me breaking the wireless antenna when changing the USB port.

I just haven't had the time to fool around and see if I'll revert back to a previous stock version, or go the way of CM.

corkie

Nexus 7 (2012) Factory images for Nakasi and Nakasig updated with the correct bootloader files!

People might be aware of the issue with bootloaders from this XDA thread!

Note: Factory image 4.4.2 KOT49H still has the incorrect bootloader!

corkie

Custom Rom Recommendations????


What custom roms are people running and what would people recommend?


I tried Dirty Unicorns but problems with Gapps package prevent me from running it. Found out on XDA it's a problem with must roms unless you use a certain gapps package.


Before wiping I backup my data etc with TWRP. When I re flashed stock, I had reduced storage, so changed the data partition to fat and back to ext4 to fix it.

When I restored the data, I found I had about 2gb extra free storage.

Redundo

Only just finished today a downgrade on my Nexus 7 (2012).went from android 5.0 to 4.4.4. The online instructions weren't the best, but i got there despite some ham-fisted-ness!

It takes a lot to describe how much it has improved. It's gone from an unusable, unmanageable mess to something like new. Responsiveness and stability are back to what they should be.

MonkstownHoop

I see lidl are selling a Silvercrest Bluetooth Keyboard for €19.99 on Thursday, would this be grand for the nexus 7?

ttenneb

I imagine it should work. I bought a chinese copy of a Samsung and it works fine. The only problem was an absence of a user guide for periferal keys.

neacy69

any decent links for cases? I like the slim smart covers...any good&cheap ones?

eoinf

have one of these with a cracked/broken tochscreen (glass only LED is still working) along with the docking station if anyone is interested.

Gathering dust at home otherwise.

Fluffy88

What's the docking station?
Sounds cool

eoinf

Fluffy88 wrote: »

What's the docking station?
Sounds cool

http://www.amazon.com/Nexus-7-2012-Docking-Station/dp/B009UQZPA0

ferrigan101

eoinf wrote: »

have one of these with a cracked/broken tochscreen (glass only LED is still working) along with the docking station if anyone is interested.

Gathering dust at home otherwise.

How difficult would it be to swap the glass and led from another unit?

mightybashful

eoinf wrote: »

have one of these with a cracked/broken tochscreen (glass only LED is still working) along with the docking station if anyone is interested.

Gathering dust at home otherwise.

I'll take the dock if you still have it. The charger port on my daughters hasn't worked for a long time.

Sneachta

I'm interested too please.

neacy69

I'll take the dock also if the lads above don't....

Any recommendations on a cover?

NegativeOne

neacy69 wrote: »

I'll take the dick also if the lads above don't....

Any recommendations on a cover?

You'll do what now?!

neacy69

NegativeOne wrote: »

You'll do what now?!

Yikes....ninja edit quick!

jonski

There are 3 of these in my house .

2012 16GB wifi
2013 16GB wifi
2013 32Gb wifi

All 3 are updated to the latest version 5.1.1
All 3 have had their cache wiped
All 3 have had Factory Resets
The 2012 one has been wiped and the latest clean image flashed onto it .

All 3 are barely working , it's like they are running through treacle .

Anyone have any suggestions other than going back to KitKat .