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Nexus 10’s biggest problems and how to fix them

Simon Hill
By
nexus 10 problems 2012

Google’s best-selling tablet is the Nexus 7, but the Nexus 10 is a worthy competitor in the larger category. It came out well in our 10-inch tablet takedown, which saw the iPad vs Surface RT vs Nexus 10. For all of its brilliance, the thrill of getting your hands on that stunning 10-inch screen can still wear off fast if you run into an issue. We’ve hunted through forums and talking to owners to bring you some of the more common Nexus 10 problems, and the best workarounds or solutions we can find.

Problem: Wi-Fi won’t connect or keeps dropping

This is definitely one of the top complaints we see with new tablets or smartphones. Wi-Fi trouble can be caused by a variety of things, but it is usually the router, the tablet, or the software on the router or tablet. It can be tough to solve individual problems with Wi-Fi because there are so many different ISPs and routers out there, but there are some obvious things to try before you get frustrated. It’s worth checking your signal strength and seeing what else might be interfering using a free app called Wi-fi Analyzer.

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Possible solutions:

  1. Restart the router and the tablet.
  2. Double check that you have entered the right details and password. Delete the connection and enter it fresh.
  3. Ensure that you have the latest firmware. For your Nexus 10 this should come as an OTA update, but for your router you’ll need to check the manufacturer’s website, or check with your ISP.
  4. Try changing the channel on your router and make sure that DHCP is on.
  5. Turn MAC filter off on your router and/or add your tablet’s MAC address.

Problem: Notification LED not working

A lot of people have reported issues with the LED notification light on the Nexus 10. For some people it simply never works, for others it is only working some of the time. It seems to be a software problem rather than a hardware fault, but you can test that by using the free LED Color Tester app.

Workaround:

  • Turn your Nexus 10 off and then plug in the charger and turn it on again while it is plugged in. For a lot of people this was enough to get the notification LED working again, but it may not last.

Potential solution:

  • The Android 4.3 update should solve this issue. You can check if you have it by swiping down from the top right corner and tapping Settings then check the Android version under About tablet. If you don’t have 4.3 yet then tap System updates and if there’s nothing there tap Check now. If you don’t have it yet it should be there soon.

Problem: Random rebooting or freezing

Some people have reported issues with their Nexus 10 tablet randomly shutting down and restarting itself. It’s not unusual for a tablet to occasionally freeze or reboot, if you’re doing something intensive, but it shouldn’t happen often, and it certainly shouldn’t happen when the tablet is idle.

Workaround:

  • Some owners have reported a reduction in reboots by turning off location services. You’ll find them under Personal in Settings, but sadly things like Google Now won’t work when you turn these location settings off.

Potential solutions:

  1. Some people have noted a reduction or complete absence of random reboots and freezes after an Android update. Go to Settings then check the Android version under About tablet and if you don’t have 4.3 yet, then tap System updates and if there’s nothing there tap Check now.
  2. The problem may be caused by an app. You can check if that’s the case by booting into safe mode. Press and hold the power button, then tap and hold Power off in the pop-up box and then tap OK in the next pop-up. If the reboots and freezes are gone then the culprit is probably an app. Try updating everything. You can do it by visiting the Play Store, hit Menu > My apps and then Update all. Otherwise you can try removing apps one by one until you find the culprit, or do a factory reset and reinstall one by one to find the problem.
  3. If none of the above has worked for you then you could go back to the retailer or Google and try to get a replacement tablet on the off-chance it might be a hardware fault.

Problem: Slow charging

A lot of people have complained about the length of time it takes for the Nexus 10 to fully charge. It seems to be fairly common for it to take 6 to 7 hours, but some owners have found it takes 12 hours or more to hit 100 percent.

Potential solutions:

  1. You should use the official charger and cable that shipped with your Nexus 10 and leave the device off while it charges. If you use the USB port of a computer or laptop to charge it, then you can expect it to take a lot longer than the wall charger.
  2. A lot of people recommend the unofficial Pogo charger as a good alternative. It may charge the Nexus 10 slightly faster. It does also free up the Micro USB port. It’s worth noting that Google doesn’t recommend using anything other than the official charger and cable that shipped with your tablet.

Problem: Nexus 10 won’t turn on

If you press the Power button and all you get is a blank screen, then don’t panic, your Nexus 10 is probably not dead, it’s just sleeping. There are a few things you can try to wake it up. The most obvious thing is to make sure it’s not just a dead battery, so charge it for a while before you try anything else. If it doesn’t seem to be charging, you should try using another charger or cable to make sure that the fault doesn’t lie there.

Potential solutions:

  1. Hold down the Power button for 10 seconds. You should feel the device vibrate and it will turn off. Wait a second and then hold down the Power button for 10 more seconds. You should feel the vibration and then it will turn on.
  2. If Step 1 didn’t work, try holding down the Power button for 30 seconds or longer (time yourself because it can feel like forever). Then try holding it down for ten seconds again and you should get the vibration followed by the screen bursting to life.
  3. Still no joy? Try the above with the device plugged in to the charger or your computer.
  4. If it still won’t come to life then hold down the Power button and both volume buttons for a minute or so.
  5. If nothing works you might have to contact your retailer, or Google, and see if you can get a replacement tablet.

Problem: Can’t connect to camera

Some people have encountered a problem where they tap the app icon to use the camera and instead of it loading up, they get an error message stating “Cannot connect to camera.” There have also been a few reports about the camera crashing.

Workaround:

  • Hold down the Power button to reboot the device and it should work again, but the problem may re-occur later.

Potential solutions:

  1. The issue could be caused by one of your apps. Something related to the camera would be the most likely, but it could be something else. You might consider a Factory Reset and see if the camera works. If it does, then one of the apps is your culprit.
  2. If a Factory Reset doesn’t work, it might be a hardware issue and you’ll need to arrange a replacement with your retailer or Google.

That’s all of the Nexus 10 problems and fixes we have for now, but check back as we’ll update this over time. It would be great if you posted any additional fixes or problems you’ve encountered in the comments below.

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