USB connectivity after Lollipop Update

[Guest ljbdv8r]

I have just got off the phone to the Help desk. Apparently, they are aware of an issue with some Hudl 2 devices not connecting to USB after the update.

It would still be great to hear from some other owners to understand if this is linked to older hardware, or is there something else at play here.

Also, I would recommend that everyone with the same issue gets in contact with the help desk and log there problem. 

Number 0800 323 40 60

 

Edited October 6, 2015 by ljbdv8r

[Guest ljbdv8r]

I have just head back from Tesco again about my 'fault'.

They have now changed their position and stated that Lollipop does not support USB OTG and that anyone with a Hudl 2 that is connecting via USB has a device that is not operating as intended.

It sounds like those of us unlucky enough to be experiencing the issue are not going to be seeing any kind of fix.

What options are available to me now?

[Guest mindmagic]

Thank goodness I haven't "upgraded".

[Guest CPN200]

I have just head back from Tesco again about my 'fault'.

They have now changed their position and stated that Lollipop does not support USB OTG and that anyone with a Hudl 2 that is connecting via USB has a device that is not operating as intended.

It sounds like those of us unlucky enough to be experiencing the issue are not going to be seeing any kind of fix.

What options are available to me now?

I've half a mind to ring Tesco up and ask them "why are you telling lies to some of your users?!" This sounds just like the usual stance from Tesco on the subject of tech support for their Hudls! "if there's a question over some hardware differences, let's just say that we don't support that function" and "what are you complaining about? It's a cheap tablet!" etc etc...

[Guest Jabbitt]

I've just checked mine and it read an 8gb stick (which it wanted to format first, maybe to fat32. I haven't checked.) and a cheap wired mouse with no problems.

[Guest mdsh]

I have the same problem. USB OTG is not working. my serial number starts with 181014 - the Hudl2 was bought at Christmas 2014.

I have paid-for software which has been rendered useless - which is very frustrating.

[Guest ljbdv8r]

I think the only way forward for those, like me, who are impacted is to roll back to Kitkat, assuming that is possible using the guides on this site. 

 

Otherwise, wait for a fix from Tesco or a Lollipop root and potential mod to fix. 

This certainly seems to be an issue with older devices. Testing another Hudl 2 today built in May 2015, OTG works a treat on lollipop. 

[Guest CPN200]

That seems to confirm our suspicions then... there must have been some hardware revisions along the way under the skin...

[Guest samac]

I have a Kingston 64GB USB OTG Flash Drive, that works perfectly, and my serial number starts 230814.

[Guest David441]

Serial Number beginning 290814PEXXXXXXX

OTG no longer working here either.  Was perfect under KitKat.

Normal USB connectivity to a PC is OK but anything connected via the OTG adaptor is not seen.

A call to Tesco support produced the same response as others have received, "no longer supported".

[Guest Rocket]

My hardware serial number is 090914PE5060858 I bought mine on release day.

USB flash drives and USB hard drives working OK for me.

[Guest decpvr]

Could the OTG issues be related to any 'fix' for USB charging issues that were reported previously?

[Guest ChrisKt]

Same problem here, OTG has disappeared after otherwise uneventful 5.1 update (stock, unrooted).  The settings App still has entries for USB storage but they are greyed out.  Neither USB flash drives or mouse are recognised.

A little more digging into the kernel log stored in /cache/recovery/last_kmsg seems to suggest that the USB host drivers are loaded (see attached fragment) - though I don't claim any expertise in interpreting this stuff.   Anyone else help?

HUDL bought Jan this year and has otherwise been trouble free.

CK

[Guest speakeasy]

FWIW mine is from Jan 2015 with a SN of 5054268xxxxxx and it mounts a 64Gb Grixx just fine using ES File Explorer.

Running Lollipop (obviously unrooted Grrr)

 

[Guest aerostar]

If the update makes the tablet unfit for purpose, is that against the sale of goods act ? and you can return for refund.

[Guest mdsh]

I sent this message to Tesco support:

Dear Tesco Tech-support

After the upgrade from Kitkat to Lollipop the USB OTG functionality has stopped on my Hudl2.

I have several paid-for application which are now rendered worthless. I cannot use a mouse, or keyboard. I cannot connect to a USB flash drive. All these worked flawlessly before the upgrade to Lollipop.

I am not alone - see, for example, the following thread:

http://www.modaco.com/forums/topic/375974-usb-connectivity-after-lollipop-update/

Please let me know what your plans are to rectify this issue?

Thank you.

And received this response:

Dear Mark

Thank you for your e-mail regarding your hudl.

It is possible to attach external USB devices to the hudl using an OTG cable. This cable would allow you to connect any USB device to the micro-USB port.

However this is a work around as these devices are designed to work with Windows and not Android.

OTG connections are not officially supported by Google and while some devices may work others may not.

If there is anything else I can help you with, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind Regards

Tim
Technical Advisor
Tesco Tech Support

What I am very pleased with is the line:

It is possible to attach external USB devices to the hudl using an OTG cable. This cable would allow you to connect any USB device to the micro-USB port.

I have quoted it back to Tesco support highlighting that they have not responsed to my specific issue that after the update from Kitkat to Lollipop my Hudl2 no-longer works with external USB devices attached using an using an OTG cable.

[Guest David441]

Your reply from Tesco is identical, word for word, to the response I received yesterday and posted in my OTG thread.  I too have replied in similar vein pointing out the inaccuracies of their reply and that prior to the update - which was pushed to users without choice or warning - my unit's OTG support was perfect.

My unit is just under a year old therefore the issue has been reported to them whilst within the warranty period.  I have asked them to escalate the issue.

[Guest ljbdv8r]

The discussion here is fantastic and Tesco's response is pretty woeful.

Not being an expert of any sort, it seems that the USB drivers are part of kernel build and that in some instances OTG is working and in others it is not.

The only conclusion that I can arrive at is that there are different hardware configurations for Hudl 2 and the drivers in the kernel do not cover all of them.

Functionality, supported or not, should not be removed without notice.

Maybe a fair comprimise would be for Tesco to provide an easier process to root under Lollipop and let the community fix their mistakes.

[Guest paulie74]

I think the only way forward for those, like me, who are impacted is to roll back to Kitkat, assuming that is possible using the guides on this site. 

 

Otherwise, wait for a fix from Tesco or a Lollipop root and potential mod to fix. 

This certainly seems to be an issue with older devices. Testing another Hudl 2 today built in May 2015, OTG works a treat on lollipop. 

how do you roll back to KitKat

[Guest ChrisL1986]

Received this response from tesco this morning after having the same issue with lollipop and otg:

This is an issue likely caused by the recent update which has removed functionality of communication of some devices and also USB OTG cables which function in a similar way, we are currently investigating with the development team a fix for this and hope to release a fix to restore functionality in the next few weeks.

This update will be pushed to your device automatically when available.

Apologies for the inconvenience caused.
 

Bought my hudl 2 may 2015 but have a friend who bought at roughly the same time who is unaffected

[Guest David441]

Great, that sounds positive.

It certainly doesn't explain why a number of us were sent replies (posted here and in the OTG thread) in stark contrast to this.  My reply to Tesco after its initial response has been ignored.

 

[Guest CPN200]

On a slightly off topic note, joy of joys! I have just received the OTA update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow for my Nexus 5 and no such problems with USB OTG now for me! It just works now on the Nexus 5! No additional software required!!! Yeah!!  Got 2Gb of storage space back after the update into the bargain!!! Rock on Google!! 

[Guest mdsh]

For what it's worth, I had this response from Tesco support

 

On 12/10/2015 15:52, [email protected] wrote:

Dear Mark,
 

Thank you for your mail.

We have had a few contacts regarding this issue.

This is being looked into by the development team and we hope to have a resolution shortly.

If there is anything else I can help you with, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards,

Iain Wilson


Tesco Tech Support
Tesco Customer Engagement Centre
[email protected]
 

[Guest IW-Hudl-User]

I also couldn't connect any USB device after the upgrade. I bought the device in August I could use USB keyboard, mouse and memory stick. I upgraded to 5.1 in September and it hasn't worked since. I have done a couple of factory resets and cleared the cache as prompted by the helpline. They now suggest it is a problem with the 5.1 upgrade and they are working on a solution. 

 

[Guest sneeks]

I bought my Hudl 2 this week with a build date of 30/4/15 and I cannot access any devices via OTG.