Big Android operating system updates bring exciting new features, fresh looks, and security patches, making even the best Android phones more useful and fun. However, a new software version can be complex. Even after undergoing rigorous quality assurance processes, a new OS update may still ship with bugs. Some cause minor inconveniences. Others break apps or cause battery drain problems.
I’m not saying we should stop installing updates. Their goal is to improve and secure our daily drivers. Still, it’s sad when an update causes more problems than it solves. It’s not the norm, but it happens. Here are the unwanted and unexpected ways an update can cause headaches for Android phone users.
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5 Old apps may be incompatible with a new Android version
A reason why old apps and games disappear
Have you tried downloading the original Angry Birds game from the Play Store? Spoiler: you can’t. It has been gone for several years despite being one of the most popular games in mobile history. While you’ll find the newer releases like Angry Birds 2, the first few games in the franchise have been offline since 2019. Here’s what Rovio said when commenting on the matter:
Many of these games were built using an older technology, which didn’t allow us to keep them up to our standards.
This is not an isolated case. I got my first Android phone in 2011, and I’ve bought many games and apps since then. It’s frustrating that several don’t work on my Galaxy S23. The Play Store won’t let me download them. Even if I have the APK file, I get an error message when installing an old game on my relatively new phone.
Developers need to update their apps to make them work on newer Android versions and hardware. It’s not uncommon for developers to stop supporting their software when it no longer makes economic sense. As a result, the apps become incompatible with newer phones and may be removed from the Play Store. Gun Bros, N.O.V.A. 3, and Random Heroes are among the games I loved to play a decade ago, but they’re gone now.
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And you may not realize it
When my Samsung phone got the long-anticipated OneUI 7.0 update, it made several things worse, including the Digital Wellbeing widget. It doesn’t update anymore. It updates if I press the microscopic refresh button, but that defeats the purpose of having the widget. I haven’t found a way to fix this.
Another thing that’s downgraded is the lock screen Spotify controls. In OneUI 7, they’re in a tiny bubble at the bottom of the screen instead of in their spacious spot in the middle, with large, easy-to-reach controls. Sadly, that’s a feature, not a bug.
What I didn’t notice as quickly was that another app, AccuBattery, had stopped working. Its job is to track battery usage details and charging times. Only after opening it to check my stats did I realize it needed to go through a setup process again after an OS update. If you have apps that must run in the background, check on them after an Android update arrives to be sure they’re still active.
If Android apps freeze or crash after an update, restart your phone or clear the app’s cache. If all fails, reinstall the app.
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3 An Android update may cause battery drain
But it may go away on its own
Many Galaxy phone owners have reported battery life issues with OneUI 7. You can find these on Reddit and the Samsung support website, with one thread spanning over 50 pages. However, the issue may be temporary. After an update, the Android OS may need to track your usage patterns for a few days to optimize each app’s battery consumption. If the high battery drain persists for more than a couple of weeks, this could be a sign of a serious problem.
Reports of battery drain among Google Pixel owners surfaced after the May 2025 update. Google later confirmed to 9to5Google that the Instagram app was to blame for the battery issue. The May update did not cause the abnormal power consumption, while an update to the Instagram app fixed the battery drain, Google confirmed.
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11 Android settings I always review after a major update
It takes a few minutes to ensure your phone still works as you like it
2 App screens may not display correctly after an update
Text and buttons of the wrong sizes
When I install an older Android app on my phone, I sometimes run into user interface issues. These could be anything from the text being too large or too small to buttons appearing where they shouldn’t be.
It’s frustrating, but making a future-proof Android app isn’t easy. An Android developer must account for hundreds of different devices and their peculiarities if they want their app to function flawlessly. They must consider curved screens, notches, front camera cutouts, and the unorthodox aspect ratios of foldable phones. Today’s developer tools may be smart enough to consider such variables, but perhaps they weren’t as advanced a decade ago.
Visual glitches are not limited to older apps. The OneUI 7 update came with several always-on display bugs. For instance, one makes the clock and widgets appear misaligned, and another places the Now Bar behind the fingerprint reader button.
It would be interesting to see how existing apps handle the Android 16 update with Material 3 Expressive. The new software will introduce major visual changes later in 2025, and apps may need to adapt to the new look.
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1 Apps may reset settings or request new permissions
You may have to log in again after an update
I haven’t seen this one in a while, but apps can log you out after a major update. Whether that’s a glitch or due to security measures, logging back in should be a nuisance at worst.
It’s annoying if an app reverts some or all of its settings to their defaults. When a new Android version is installed on your phone, check your important apps to ensure they function properly.
While you’re at it, you may need to accept certain permissions if they were reset during the update process. A missing permission could be why an app stops showing notifications after a big software update.
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Why do Android updates treat us like this?
Android updates aren’t a bad thing. However, bad Android updates are a frustration we’ve been dealing with for too long. Bugs, incompatibilities, and features nobody asked for are annoying and give Google’s operating system a bad name.
It’s great that companies are striving to provide longer software support for their products. The best phones now promise seven years of updates, with eight years technically achievable thanks to Qualcomm. Still, that shouldn’t be at the expense of quality software updates that are thoroughly tested before release.
