Android 4.3 Issues Continue Plaguing Nexus Users

Android 4.3 bugs continue to plague Nexus owners with the latest reported issue being a problem with automatically reconnecting to Wi-Fi on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus 4.

Since the debut of Android 4.3 Jelly Bean in July, Nexus owners have been voicing concern over a growing number of bugs discovered within Google’s new software. The issues have ranged from poor battery life across Nexus devices to Nexus 4′s locking up at the boot screen to compatibility issues with Bluetooth keyboards.

Android 4.3 bugs continue to plague Nexus owners.

Google already helped tackle one major Android 4.3 bug, an issue with Netflix, but there are still several lingering issues that continue to frustrate owners of Google’s Nexus smartphones and tablets. And it appears that the list keeps growing as another fairly major issues being reported by Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4 owners have sprouted to the surface on Google’s website and XDA-Developers.

The issue, first spotted by Android Police, pertains to issues that Galaxy Nexus and some Nexus 4 owners are having when it comes to automatically reconnecting to a home or foreign Wi-Fi network. It appears that Wi-Fi connections that drop when out of range are not picked up again, automatically, when reentering Wi-Fi range.

It appears that the issue has a quick fix as users can simply toggle the Wi-Fi on or off to get it working again. Users can also enter the list of Wi-Fi networks to reconnect manually it seems. This is a big problem for a number of reasons.

Galaxy Nexus owners are complaining about Wi-Fi issues after Android 4.3.

One, Wi-Fi is a crucial element of any mobile device. And with it not functioning as normal, plenty of people are going to be experiencing headaches until Google patches this up. Second, and more importantly, unaware users might be utilizing cellular data instead of Wi-Fi which not only eats at data plans but can hurt battery life.

So until Google rolls out a fix for this, if it even does at all, users will need to rely on manual fixes for the issue. With Android 4.3 bugs mounting, it should be only a matter of time before Google issues Android 4.3.1 to Nexus owners, an update that could potentially relive some of the problems that Android 4.3 brought with it.

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How to Recycle Your Old Android Phone, Tablet and Turn It Into a Chromecast Device

Google’s Chromecast dongle for HDTVs was a surprising hit. Priced at just $35, the device quickly sold out and is now out of stock at many retail locations with delays in shipping time up to a month long. So, if you have a new Android phone, how do you ‘stream’ the content from your phone to your HDTV? One such solution involves using an older Android smartphone or tablet that’s laying around and collecting dust, and plugging that device into your HDTV. Thanks to a new app, currently in beta, called Cheapcast, which is available for free through Google’s Play Store, users can stream content from their new Android smartphone to the older phone or tablet that’s plugged into their HDTV via an HDMI connection.

Google Chromecast dongle streams what’s on your phone to your HDTV

While much of the functionality of Chromecast has been replicated thanks to the Cheapcast software that’s running, you will miss out on some of the simplicity and elegance of Chromecast. For one, Chromecast is a smaller dongle that hides away on the back of your HDTV. If you use Cheapcast, you’ll have to find a way to hide your older mobile device while it’s plugged into your TV, or you’ll simply have to deal with the device being in sight next to your TV.

Also, while many of the functionality is replicated, there are still some bugs as this is beta software. The developer notes that Chrome Tabs is still not working properly.

Another use, primarily for people traveling, is that even if you don’t connect your older tablet to your HDTV, you can still stream the content on your newer, smaller-screened smartphone onto the larger display of your tablet to view and share content that way. This may be a good solution for student projects in smaller group settings or even business travelers. The developer showed the content on his smartphone being casted onto a Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 tablet.

The ability to cast what’s on your phone to your tablet (without viewing onto an HDTV) is something that the $35 Chromecast dongle isn’t able to do that Cheapcast can. It might be a good way simply for geeks to get new life out of their old tablets.

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