Nexus owners are excited to get the latest Android updates for both Nexus 7 and Nexus 8, but the thrill takes the wrong turn as the update "bricked" their devices out. Several users report in Google product forums that their Nexus 7 tablets cease working after the update to the latest Android version. Moreover, a considerable number of Nexus 5 users also report a fairly similar issue right after the update. So far, the tally of bricked devices skips Nexus 6. To make the matters worse, Google remains silent about the issue, until now.

The alarming issues spark several theories as to the bricking of Nexus 7 and Nexus 5. One user reports that after the update, Nexus 7 turns off and once turned on; the device stops at the boot screen where the image of the Google logo appears. One user also mentions that his 2013 Nexus 7 is stuck at the Google logo for 3 weeks!  Others report that their devices hang for hours on the Fastboot "Erase Userdata" screen.

The bricking issue is indeed interesting as there are no plausible reasons for the bricking and why it affects both rooted and non-rooted devices. Hard reset (power + volume down then going to recovery) are already resorted to by some users but after turning on, the device goes back deleting data. Some users opt to have their tablet fixed at a repair shop but are explained to that the issue is at the device's logic board from which the last remaining option is replacement.

One site points out that the problem affects users that skip modifications on their device and jumps directly to the Android Lollipop updates. As a word of caution, if the Nexus 7 has not been updated then it is prudent to wait for Android 5.1. If the Android 5.0.2 updates are already in place, keep the tablet power on until the next updates is released. Moreover, it is recommended to stay away from the adroid 5.0 factory image in case the device has a custom ROM attached to the Nexus 7.