When troubleshooting random issues with Android, it’s best to eliminate 3rd party applications first. So here are the step by step instructions on how to boot up into the Nexus 6 Safe Mode.
3rd party applications can cause all sorts of issues with your Nexus 6. It could be the reason why your battery life isn’t what it used to be. It could be the reason why the performance of the Nexus 6 is slowing down to a crawl. It could even be the reason why your Nexus 6 is overheating while doing very simple tasks.
So today we’re going to look at the very first troubleshooting step that I recommend when trying to figure out what is going on with the Nexus 6(and any Android device, really).
Booting the Nexus 6 into Safe Mode is going to disable any and all 3rd party applications that you have downloaded from the Google Play Store(and any other application store/website). What you’re going to want to do is to boot up into safe mode and then use the device for a few hours/few days just like you would normally do. If the issues you were experiencing before isn’t present in Safe Mode when you aren’t using 3rd party applications, then one of those 3rd party apps(or multiple ones) just might be the culprit.
Nexus 6 Safe Mode
- Press and Hold the Power Button
- Tap and Hold the ‘Power Off’ Option
- Tap on the ‘OK’ Option When Prompted About Rebooting into Safe Mode
- Wait Until the Nexus 6 Reboots
Explanation
In previous versions of Android, we were forced to power down the device and then hold certain buttons down while booting up to get into the Android Safe Mode. In Android 5.0 Lollipop(and some versions of KitKat), this has changed and Google is making things much easier to do. To start off, you’ll need to have your Nexus 6 powered on and the display active. Then press and hold the power button to bring up the Power Menu. From here, you’ll want to tap and hold your finger down on the ‘Power Off’ option.
After you tap and hold for a few seconds, you should be greeted with a dialog box that talks about Android’s Safe Mode. Pressing on the ‘OK’ option here will confirm the process and instantly reboot your Nexus 6. Simply wait for your Nexus 6 to boot back up and you will be booted directly into the Nexus 6 Safe Mode. Most of the operating system should look normal but you’ll notice there is a watermark image at the very bottom left of your screen. This watermark says ‘Safe Mode’ and it will be shown there the whole time you are in Safe Mode on the Nexus 6.
You’ll also notice that 3rd party application icons are grayed out. This is the indicate those applications have been disabled and this is the whole point of booting up into Safe Mode on Android. If you try to tap on an application you will be told that the application is disabled in Safe Mode. Again, if performance, battery life, heat generation or whatever issue you were experiencing seems to be resolved in Safe Mode, then there is a 3rd party application that is causing the issue.
You’ll either need to delete all of them and install apps one at a time to find out which one it is, or uninstall them one at a time until you find out which one it is. This can be a painful and boring process but it’s something that needs to be done. Android applications have a lot of power over your Nexus 6(and any Android application) so you’ll need to be careful about which ones you let run free on your device.
If you have any questions about this process, or questions about troubleshooting the Nexus 6, feel free to leave a comment below. I can’t answer everything but I’m always willing to help out if I can.
