Some Google apps no longer compatible with the Nexus 7 (2012)?

[Graham Thomas]

I was updating apps on my Nexus and my phone (Moto-G, 2013, 1st gen) today and noticed that Google Slides was updated on my phone but not on the Nexus. I then saw that Slides had disappeared from my collection of app icons and my list of installed apps on the Nexus. I went to the Play Store to check on this and saw an alert that "Your device isn't compatible with this version."

Could this be because, with the latest update, Slides now asks for access to the (presumably rear-facing) camera on devices, and as the 2012 Nexus 7 doesn't have such a camera it's now not allowed to run Slides? If so, that would be stupid, as the camera function isn't central to the app.

Docs and Sheets are still OK, and I never really used Slides so I can live with this. But it's not good.

Also, the new Street View v2 hasn't been installed on my Nexus, and again it's beein installed on my phone. My Nexus version is 1.8.1.2. It doesn't appear in my collection of app icons, though it is in the list of all apps (I think this version might have been integrated with Earth or Maps, rather than being the standalone app that v2 is). Is this a general feature of the N7 or is it just something wrong with my device?

Finally, while I'm feeling grumpy (and I realise this is a different topic), it's about time the 2012 N7s got the LMY48.. build of Android 5.1.1 - or has Google decided it's not worth updating the 2012 version to this build?

 

[B. Diddy]

It is a >3 year old device, so Google is putting it out to pasture. It's not getting any more OS updates, and security updates will stop after this summer, according to this article: Android M details the end of Nexus device support - SlashGear

 

[Graham Thomas]

I realise the N7 won't get Marshmallow, but I was talking about the minor update to 5.1.1, which the N7 already has - just not the latest build. I think the current build was updated after the Slashgear article, though I don't remember the exact date.

 

[B. Diddy]

Right, but it's around the time where Google is probably dropping support for the device anyway.

 

[Graham Thomas]

It still seems strange that Google isn't finishing off the 5.1.1. update round by giving the N7 (2012) the LMY48.. build. However, I guess there's not much we can do about it, and I don't know how much difference it would make anyway.

Some good news, though. After the latest update Slides once again is compatible with the 2012 N7. If you were, Google - thanks for listening.

 

[Graham Thomas]

I was hoping the latest update of Street View might mean the standalone app would now work on my Nexus 7. No such luck. It's fine on my phone, but on the Nexus the version is still 1.8.1.2 in 'My Apps' on the Play Store, though it claims to have been updated on October 7. (It lies.) It's still not visible as a separate app in my App Drawer.

I'm not sure if this is a general problem or if it's something to do with my particular device. Elsewhere I've seen people having the same problem with other (non-Nexus) devices. Can anyone confirm that they can see Street View as a standalone app on their Nexus 7 (2012)?