Android 15 Beta 1 breaks NFC for several; more bugs reported

Google released Android 15 Beta 1 yesterday, and users who tested it are reporting that the NFC functionality is broken after installing it. There are also other problems related to the stability of the system.

Bugs in early betas are common or expected, so it is not the best idea to install them on your main device. However, there are people who take the risk. So, it is useful to know the main problems that you could face after installing the software. To begin with, the most important functional issue seems to be the NFC being broken or not working, but there is more.

NFC is broken on Android 15 Beta 1, but there is an explanation

Many people use the NFC on their smartphones every day for payments or quick pairing of compatible accessories. Therefore, being unable to access NFC can be a big annoyance that you should be aware of. Interestingly, one of the new features that Android 15 may bring is the updateable NFC stack through Google Play System updates. And, it seems that the bug is related to the work that Google is doing on the operation of this component.

According to Mishaal Rahman, the NFC bug is due to a coding error. More specifically, there was a route change in the NFC system app from “/system” to “/apex”. Currently, the OS is looking for the NFC system app in the old path. So, this bug should be easily fixed in a future update.

By the way, if you’re wondering why NFC is broken in Android 15 Beta 1, Google made a mistake in the migration process. The OS is still looking for the NFC system app under /system when it should be looking for it under /apex.

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) April 12, 2024

More bugs reported

Android 15 Beta 1 also brought other bugs that can be annoying. For example, there are multiple reports of Play Store downloads being slow or getting stuck. Even the Play Store can get stuck while searching for available app updates. The fingerprint reader is affected too for some, since it is not working from the lockscreen or AOD.

Likewise, there are some problems regarding the stability of the system. There are reports of people getting a “com.qorvo.uwb.vendorservice.android.UwbApp has stopped” prompt constantly, which can be quite annoying. Even the keyboard’s haptic feedback is abnormally strong for some after installing Android 15 Beta 1.

For now, these are the main bugs reported by users of devices running Android 15 Beta 1. Lastly, there are some mentioning that the update is not installing for them. In this case, sideloading the ROM seems to be the fix.