[Nexus 7 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] JimTDI:
Welcome to JimTDI's Guide - Tuning the Nexus 7 with Android 5 Lollipop for Maximum Performance!

What's Up

The goal of this guide is to provide you with a well performing base for your Nexus 7 on which you can then build upon, enabling all the features of Lollipop that you want and need, and leaving the ones that affect performance and are unnecessary or unneeded by you, off or disabled.

Don't worry... we're not going to harm or do anything to your Nexus 7 that can't be easily undone. None of my tuning tips "alter" or "root" your Nexus 7, or do anything that would void your warranty - but let's face it, if you have a Nexus 7, it's probably old enough that it doesn't have a warranty anyway. :) That being said, use common sense, and make your own choices - I am not responsible for any damage to your Nexus 7 because of my recommendations and tuning tips. Rest assured though, I have tested my recommended settings extensively on both the Nexus 7 2012 and Nexus 7 2013 Wi-Fi models. I'll be as gentle, and as non-technical as possible as we tune your Nexus 7. So, let's begin...

This guide has been recently updated to cover tuning the latest released versions of Android 5 Lollipop on both the Nexus 7 2012 and Nexus 7 2013 Wi-Fi and Mobile models. I'll refer to them as the Nexus 7(12) or Nexus 7(13) hereafter when we need specifics.

The Nexus 7(12) was available in 3 models, with either 8, 16 or 32GB of storage memory - and with 1 GB of memory to run applications. The Nexus 7(13) was available with either 16 or 32GB of storage, and 2GBs of memory to run applications. There were Wi-Fi and mobile editions available. It's always prudent for a Nexus 7 owner to know the specifics of the tablet they own, especially when asking for help or seeking out support, repair, software patches or looking for accessories like a case, or parts.

If you're not sure which model you have here's a tip, if there's a camera on the back side (facing away from you) it's a 2013 model, if it has just a front-facing camera only (no camera on the backside), then it's a 2012.

As you can see from the above specs, the Nexus 7(12) has very limited application memory with just 1GB on board, just one half of what the Nexus 7(13) has. It also has a bit slower processor than the Nexus 7(13) does (you can look those specs up later). Therefore the goal of this guide is to reduce anything that uses excessive memory, battery, and processing power while still providing a buttery smooth, fully functional user interface. After all, that's what the Lollipop & the Material Design experience is all about :)

What's New

As of this writing (I update this guide regularly!) these are the current Android 5 Lollipop versions for the various Nexus 7 models. For the best performance, -MAKE SURE- you have the latest Android 5 Lollipop version for your particular Nexus 7 device.

Nexus 7(12) Wi-Fi	5.0.2 (prior release 5.0, no 5.0.1 version for the Nexus 7(12) was ever released).

Nexus 7(12) Mobile	5.0.2

Nexus 7(13) Wi-Fi	5.0.2 (prior releases 5.0, and 5.0.1)

Nexus 7(13) Mobile	5.0.2

Some users have received updates from Android 4.x to Android 5 Lollipop "over-the-air" (known as OTA), and some users have either side-loaded or flashed factory images of Android 5 Lollipop. This guide is written assuming you already have Android 5 Lollipop installed on your Nexus 7 tablet. Many users of the Nexus 7 (particularly the 2012 model) have reported major performance issues since the Android 5 Lollipop "update". The majority of users reporting performance issues are those who received their update "over the air" (OTA) while keeping all of their old Apps and settings.

Because of this, if you are experiencing slowness and lag AFTER applying these tuning tips, I then recommend that you do a "Factory Reset" (see the Factory Reset section at the bottom of this guide). Just so you know, "Factory Reset" is a bit of misleading term, as your Nexus 7 probably did not come with Lollipop on it from the factory, and a "Factory Reset" will take you back to a clean base Android 5 Lollipop installation without any of your applications or settings retained. Try my recommended settings below first - many of these settings may make a difference in the performance you see on your Nexus 7 without doing the Factory Reset. If you flashed a factory image to get Lollipop on your Nexus 7, you got a clean base install, and probably don't need to worry about a Factory Reset.

Do you have enough cash? (if you have extra, you can send me some!)

Android Lollipop (and prior versions of Android) use a portion of your Nexus 7's storage space to hold temporary data about the programs you have run, or are running. This area of storage is called the "Recovery Cache" (pronounced "cash"). Over time this area of your storage can hold old outdated or not used information about your system and programs. It is highly recommended to wipe Recovery Cache on your Nexus 7. You do NOT need to do a "Factory Reset" (see above) to wipe Recovery Cache, and you will not lose any of your settings or Apps wiping your Recovery Cache. Wiping the cache at this point will help assure you have a trouble-free and well performing system. Please see the section "Wipe Recovery Cache" directly below on how to perform this important step.

Wipe Recovery Cache

Turn off your Nexus 7

When the device turns off, press & hold the Volume Down button, and then press & hold the Power button simultaneously until the device turns on, then release both buttons.

You'll see the word "Start" with an arrow drawn around it.

Press the Volume Down button twice to highlight Recovery mode.

Press the Power button to start Recovery mode, and release it. You'll see the Google logo, and after a moment you'll see an image of an Android robot laying on it's back with a red exclamation mark.

While holding down the Power button, press and hold the Volume Up button for a second, then release both buttons.

Use the volume buttons to scroll to "wipe cache partition" then briefly press the Power button to select it.

When the cache is cleared (may take a few seconds to a few minutes), press the Power button on the option "reboot system now."

OK, First Things First

When you first run Android Lollipop, it has some housekeeping chores it needs to perform. You want to help these processes as much as possible to improve the performance on your Nexus 7 both the first time you run Lollipop and as time continues.

Lollipop uses a new Android Run Time "engine" (ART) to run programs. ART needs to pre-compile all of the Apps that you install before Android can run them for the first time. This pre-compile is very resource intensive, the more Apps you install, the more compiling will take place. But it doesn't all take place at once! This compilation takes place in the background, usually in idle-time so if you install a bunch of Apps - be patient as Lollipop needs time to compile them. Lollipop assumes you want to run some Apps too, not just wait for your Apps to compile, so it balances time for you to run Apps while it waits to pre-compile others as idle system time allows. Give Lollipop a day or two (or even a week) to settle-in on your Nexus 7, then just remember Lollipop and ART will work in the background after you install new Apps before you actually have the App available to run. ART likes battery too, so be sure to keep your Nexus 7 charged as much as possible until things settle in.

Now that you know a little about ART, Launch the Google Play Store. Tap the 3 stacked bars in the upper left corner and then select "Settings". Select "Auto-update apps" and set the radio button to "Do not auto-update apps". This will prevent Google Play from auto-updating user applications and more importantly compiling them in the background while you are trying to tune/run your Nexus 7. The Google core applications (Maps, GMail, Chrome, etc.) will all still update with "Auto-Update" set to "Do not auto-update apps". You will still receive all notifications about updates from Google Play for Apps you have installed, if you turn on "Notifications" in the same Google Play settings screen where you disable auto-updates. It is recommended that you wait until all Google core Apps have updated, before you begin to install your own Apps, but I understand, easier said than done... Turning off auto-updates of your applications puts you in control of when and which App updates are applied, and the amount of work ART needs to do, and do it in a more controlled manner.

What? - There's More??

Yes! - as if there's not enough going on already in the background, Android Lollipop's Media Scanner also likes to run, reading through the entire storage space on your Nexus 7 looking for various media files to index so that your Apps later can read the index and find your songs, photos, and movie files. Be aware that Media Scanner runs each and every time you reboot your Nexus 7 too, and that uses a lot of battery and affects performance while it runs. I recommend not rebooting or powering off your Nexus 7 unless you need to, unless you want to rescan your media files often (totally un-necessary!). Let your Nexus 7 sleep while you're not using it, and if necessary, plug it in to charge. It's better anyway to leave it on so it can perform maintenance on itself during idle time, while it, and you, sleep.

What do you mean don't swipe, I'm not a thief!

Android Lollipop has an "Overview" button (the big square icon at the bottom right side of the main screen). It stores a graphical card list (Rolodex or Carousel style) of recently used and running Apps allowing you to easily switch between them. Quite a useful feature, quite nice to pick up where you left off! One change in Lollipop is that this list remains, even after a reboot. Speaking of unnecessary things, I recommend -not- removing Apps from the Overview List, and allowing Lollipop to manage them. I know... it feels like something you should do, but just ignore your urge to clear them, the Apps shown there are using limited or no resources and virtually not affecting your performance. Additionally, you'll be swiping them away all the time since there is no "Clear All" feature (by design!). Closing Apps from the Overview Rolodex menu panel takes time, system resources, and uses battery.

Now the fun stuff!

OK, now that we've got a few things out of the way, and you've met ART, wiped your Recovery Cache (you did, right??, if not go back and do it!), and possibly performed a Factory Reset, it's time to change some settings to help your Nexus 7 run smoother and be buttery smooth and snappy. While my settings are not for everyone, you can use them as a base for yours and then enable what you might need, like Bluetooth if you use a Bluetooth device, or enable NFC if you make payments with your Nexus 7 at point-of-sale terminals, etc. Let's go!

Settings --> Wi-Fi --> tap 3 dots upper right --> Advanced --> Scanning Always Available --> OFF

Settings --> Wi-Fi --> tap 3 dots upper right --> Advanced --> Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep --> Always

Settings --> Wi-Fi --> tap 3 dots upper right --> Advanced --> Wi-Fi frequency band --> Automatic (Nexus 7(13) model setting only!)

Settings --> Bluetooth --> OFF (unless you use it)

Settings --> More --> NFC --> OFF

Settings --> Display --> Adaptive Brightness - OFF

Settings --> Display --> Sleep --> 2 minutes

Settings --> Display --> Daydream - OFF

Settings --> Display --> When Device Is Rotated --> set to: "Stay in current orientation" (will save you about 3-5% constant CPU usage). This turns Auto-Rotate off. You can later toggle this on/off as one of the items in the Quick Settings panel with a two finger swipe down from the top on your main Launcher screen so switching it on/off later for NetFlix, etc. is easy.

Settings --> Sound & Notification --> Set all Volumes to lowest level you still can hear comfortably.

Settings --> Sound & Notification --> Events and Reminders --> ON

Settings --> Sound & Notification --> Messages --> OFF

Settings --> Sound & Notification --> Other Sounds --> Screen Locking Sounds --> OFF

Settings --> Sound & Notification --> Other Sounds --> Touch Sounds --> OFF

Settings --> Sound & Notification --> Pulse Notification light --> OFF (Nexus 7(13) only!)

Settings --> Sound & Notification --> When Device is locked --> Don't show notifications at all

Settings --> Sound & Notification --> App notifications --> be aware there are settings for notifications from each App you have. If you don't want Pandora for example notifying you when new music is added to a channel you are subscribed to, or song notifications, you can either set Pandora to Block --> ON, and/or set the Pandora Notifications to --> Priority

Settings --> Sound & Notification --> Notification access --> Uncheck All Boxes (don't allow any, also helps with data privacy!)

Settings --> Storage --> Tap the 3 dots in the upper right, USB computer connection --> set to MTP. This will allow your Nexus 7 to connect to your PC as a Media device. If you want to connect it as a camera to transfer photos, select PTP instead.

Settings --> Battery --> Tap the 3 dots in the upper right, Battery Saver --> OFF, and Turn on Automatically --> Never

Settings --> Location --> ON, set Mode also to Device Only for now. This activates the GPS chip/hardware location of your Nexus 7, but not software location services.

Settings --> Security --> Power button instantly locks --> OFF (this option will only show if you have a lock method specified in Settings --> Security - Screen Lock (I use a PIN).

Settings --> Security --> Owner Info (enter your name and phone number, "Reward if Found..., etc." here, this displays on the lock screen or if your Nexus 7 is rebooted.

Settings --> Security --> Trust Agents --> Deactivate All (turning off Smart Lock (Google) here, removes the display and configuration items in Settings --> Security --> Smart Lock, so if you want to use Smart Lock, (Face Unlock, etc.) leave this set ON. You can toggle it easily, so don't worry if you decide not to use Smart Lock initially, and later decide to use it).

Settings --> Security --> Screen Pinning --> OFF

Settings --> Accounts, select your Google account --> Privacy --> Search --> Google Now --> OFF

Settings --> Accounts, select your Google account --> Privacy --> Search --> Tablet Search --> Uncheck all boxes

Settings --> Accounts, select your Google account --> Privacy --> Search --> Voice --> "OK Google" detection --> all sliders set to OFF

Settings --> Accounts, select your Google account --> Privacy --> Search --> Voice --> Audio History --> OFF

Settings --> Accounts, select your Google account --> Privacy --> Search --> Voice --> Block offensive words --> OFF (damnit!) :)

Settings --> Accounts, select your Google account --> Ads --> Opt out of interest-based ads - slider set to ON

Settings --> Language & Input --> Voice Input --> Turn OFF "Enhanced Google services", turn ON "Basic Google recognition"

Settings --> Printing --> Cloud Print - OFF (this one really seems to help performance!!)

Developers Options

The following settings are in the 'Developer Options' section of your Settings. If you don't have a 'Developer Options' listed in your Settings, go to Settings --> About Tablet and tap "Build Number" 7 times to enable Developer Settings.

Settings --> Developer Options --> USB debugging --> ON (checked) (can be used later if necessary to recover your Nexus 7 or use advanced ADB commands). Just turn it on and leave it alone for now, no harm!

Settings --> Developer Options --> Use NuPlayer (experimental) --> OFF (unchecked)

Settings --> Developer Options --> Window animation scale --> Animation OFF

Settings --> Developer Options --> Transition animation scale --> Animation OFF

Settings --> Developer Options --> Animator duration scale --> Animation Off

To turn Developer Settings back off: Settings --> Developer Options --> slider switch at top right, OFF (more than OK to leave Developer Settings enabled however!)

More Google Settings

Now let's make some more changes to how your Google Account is associated with your Nexus 7. We covered some of these settings above, but lets go through them again anyway. Go to your App List (where you select icons from to drag to your desktop), and run the already installed App called "Google Settings" (you may be really surprised at some of the default settings!)

Tap the 3 dots upper right - Usage & Diagnostics - set Slider to OFF

Play Games - (you may receive a notice about a Google Account problem, just ignore it) "Level Up Notifications" - uncheck the box, make sure all boxes are unchecked. Also make sure to set "Game Profile" to "Hidden" in the Play Games settings.

Location - set slider to On, and Mode to "Device Only"

Disable 'Google Now' Search & Now --> Google Now, slide to OFF

Turn Tablet Search off - Search & Now --> Tablet Search, uncheck all the boxes.

Accounts & Privacy - all sliders set to OFF, especially "Personal Results", also, "Manage App History", uncheck App History

Voice - all sliders set to OFF

Security - set all sliders to OFF

Some other useful tips for great performance

Some users report intermittent or non-existent Wi-Fi connections after installing or updating to Lollipop. Make sure your wireless router is operating on Channel 11 or under. Lollipop seems to have problems with routers running Channels above 11. If you're not sure what channel your router is on, you can download the excellent free app called "Wifi Analyzer" by author "farproc" from Google Play to easily see these details. You can also make sure your router is not on the same channel as one of your neighbors with this must-have utility.

Check Google Play for updates to your applications regularly, especially for Google's core Apps (Google Maps, Google Play Music, Chrome Browser, etc.) themselves, which have recently updated. Many users are saying the newly updated Google Apps are boosting performance on the Nexus 7 as well. Remember you now have auto-update turned OFF for your Apps, so be sure to check Google Play often for updates and watch your notifications since we set notifications for App updates ON (above).

Use a 3rd Party Launcher! - What is a Launcher? The Launcher is the program that fires when you press the <Home> button (the circle) at the middle bottom of the main screen in Android. It is the program that you drop your icons and widgets onto to later "launch" them by tapping on them. Google provides a "stock" launcher with Lollipop - but you can easily replace it. Simply go to Google Play and select/install the Launcher you want to use, just like any other Android Application. In fact you can have several Launchers installed and switch between them easily. You don't delete the stock launcher, just add others, and select the new one to use, just as you can have two or three browsers installed on your system. Next Launcher 3D (my favorite!), Nova Launcher, Apex Launcher and Go Launcher are all good launcher choices. You can install one or all of them, and choose which one you want to use as you experiment more. To roll back to the original "stock" launcher after you have installed a (better!) Launcher, go into Settings --> (Device Section) --> Home, and select the radio button for the Launcher you would like to use. Using a different Launcher is easy, and does not require you to alter or "root" your Nexus 7, and switching back to the Google Launcher is even easier!

Note: If you choose Nova Launcher (an excellent choice for a first-timer changing Launchers!!), make this change in Nova: Nova Settings --> Desktop --> Wallpaper Scrolling --> Force.

Do not use a Live Wallpaper! Live Wallpapers eat CPU and battery. Later, once you achieve your performance nirvana on your Nexus 7 - you can then try a Live Wallpaper if you so desire.

Nexus 7(12) users - Don't forget you have a camera - Go to Google Play and install "Camera Nexus 7 (official)", Nexus 7(13) users should have Google Camera installed in Lollipop by default.

You may want to strongly consider replacing the stock Lollipop keyboard with a third party (better!) keyboard such as SwiftKey (free). This also seems to help boost performance some as well. You can always add a keyboard, change to it, try it, and change back to the stock quite easily in Settings --> Language & input. If you decide to keep the Lollipop (white) keyboard, be aware you can make it dark again and appear with separate keys by going to Settings --> Language & input, Google Keyboard --> Appearance & layouts --> Theme, and select Material Dark, or if you prefer the KitKat look, Holo Blue or Holo White.

Consider using a 3rd Party Browser to surf the web from your Nexus 7. Boat Browser, Ghostery Privacy Browser, Opera Mobile or Firefox are all good browser choices! If you choose to use Chrome, make sure to check for updates regularly! Many users report better luck using the latest beta version(s) of Chrome.

Too many Nexus 7 users having problems with performance are using the Facebook App. This can not be a coincidence. It is recommended that you uninstall the Facebook App, and use Facebook with a browser such as Firefox or Ghostery until you stabilize your Nexus 7, and/or until Facebook updates their application. Some users have reported great success using the App "Tinfoil for Facebook", available on Google Play, to access Facebook.

Factory Reset

To perform a Factory Reset (as referenced above in this guide): Settings --> Backup and Reset --> Factory Data Reset. Note: you will lose -ALL- of your personal data, music, pictures, etc., so back those items up if you wish to keep them.

Remember - Android 5 Lollipop is a major new release of Android, and is now just a few months old. I will continue to update this guide as I discover more in the settings, other new Android 5 versions for the Nexus 7 are released, or other tips & tricks are discovered to maximize performance of the Nexus 7. Please post any tips you find. All models of the Nexus 7 can run Lollipop outstandingly well, just not the way it is set to run out of the box. Best of luck achieving maximum performance, and have fun with your Nexus 7!!

Updated: 01/31/2015