Like most software updates, Google’s recently released Android 6.0 Marshmallow is not without its fair share of bugs and performance issues. Users can look forward to Google issuing Marshmallow updates to resolve the various issues identified by users and developers alike.

Until then, we have you covered with a few fixes you can try for some of the more common Android Marshmallow issues.

Android Marshmallow Wi-Fi battery drain

Shortly after updating to Android Marshmallow, several users noticed excessive battery drain attributed to Wi-Fi usage on their device’s battery usage page (see here, here, and here for examples).

Some sources claim that Wi-Fi usage is not impacting battery life as per the battery usage reports, but that it is rather a reporting issue attributed to an algorithmic error on Android Marshmallow.

To resolve both the reporting error and Wi-Fi actually draining your Android Marshmallow device’s battery you can try resetting your device’s network settings. Here’s how:

1. Go to Settings > Location > open Menu (three dots, top-right corner) > select Scanning > Turn Off Wi-Fi scanning.
2. Go back to Settings > Backup and reset > Network settings reset > tap Reset settings.
3. Reboot your device.

Alternatively, disable Wi-Fi scanning as it can run in the background and drain your battery even when Wi-Fi is turned off on your device. Go to Settings > Location > Scanning and toggle off Wi-Fi scanning.

Outdated apps causing battery drain on Android Marshmallow

If you notice excessive battery drain (not related to the Wi-Fi issue) following your Android Marshmallow update, the culprits may be out-of-date apps. You’ll need to update all you apps to the latest Android Marshmallow compatible versions and then wipe the app and system cache to get rid of outdated data.

To clear an app’s cache go to Settings > Apps > select an app > Storage > Clear cache. Or, to clear the app cache for all apps in one go, go to Settings > Storage and USB > Cached data > tap OK.

Clearing the system cache is a little more complicated. Turn your device off and then press and hold down the Power and Volume buttons simultaneously until the Fastboot menu appears on the screen.

Highlight Recovery using the Volume buttons and press the Power button to select it. When you see the robot on its back, hold down the Power button and press Volume Up once to launch the recovery menu. Now use the Volume buttons to select Wipe cache partition and press the Power button to confirm your selection. When the system cache is done, reboot your device to complete the fix.

If this does not resolve your battery drain issue, a factory reset may be needed. This will wipe your entire device, so make sure you create a backup first. With a backup in place, go to Settings > Backup and reset > Factory data reset > Reset phone > Erase everything.

Wi-Fi connectivity issues on Android Marshmallow

If you are struggling to connect to Wi-Fi or experiencing inconsistent connections after updating to Android Marshmallow, try these four fixes one after the other:

1. Toggle Airplane Mode on and off.
2. Turn off Wi-Fi, reboot your device, and turn Wi-Fi back on.
3. Forget the Wi-Fi connections and reconnect to it.
4. Go to Settings > Backup and reset > Network settings reset.

Stability and performance issues on Android Marshmallow

Newly released software, despite undergoing beta testing, is often plagued by bugs and performance issues. If your Android Marshmallow device freezes up, randomly reboots itself, or your apps keep crashing, try these fixes one after the other:

1. Turn off your device, wait a few minutes and then turn it back on.
2. Next, you need to establish if the issues are caused by an app or if there is a problem with Android Marshmallow itself. To do this, boot your device into Safe Mode: hold down the Power button and long-press Power off. In Safe Mode, all your installed apps are disabled. If none of the stability or performance issues occur in Safe Mode, then an app you have installed is causing the issues. Uninstall one app at a time until the issues disappear and you have found the responsible app.
3. If the issues persist in Safe Mode, then there is an issue with Android Marshmallow itself. Clear the system cache as per the steps above.
4. If by this stage the issues are still not resolved, you will have to perform a factory reset (see steps above).

Mobile data issues on Android Marshmallow

If you experience erratic mobile data connections after updating to Android Marshmallow, try one (or all) of these simple fixes:

• Go to Quick Settings and toggle Airplane mode and Mobile data on and off.
• Turn your device off, wait a few minutes and turn it back on. Re-enter your SIM pin code.
• Turn your device off, remove the SIM, reinsert the SIM and turn the device back on. Re-enter your SIM pin code.

Image credit: elizaIO via Flickr