ROG Phone 7 Android 14 is an Utter Mess but Asus doesn’t Care!

When it comes to the gaming smartphone domain, then there are quite a few noteworthy players in this domain. However, it goes without saying that the offering from Asus is undoubtedly the best in this segment. But all that might soon change if the OEM doesn’t start respecting its consumer’s opinions and feedback. A few months back, the OEM rolled out the fourteenth iteration of the OS and there were high hopes that the update will enhance the overall stability, improve the performance, and bring in a few noteworthy goodies.

While the changelog did mention all this stuff, in reality, things are a stark contrast from this. As soon as users installed the Android 14 update on their ROG Phone 7, their device got plagued with tons of bugs, with Asus not giving a damn! Let me first shed some light on the issues that the users have been facing after installing the said update after which we will be discussing the remedial measures and also the company’s take on this matter. Follow along.

ROG Phone 7 Android 14 Update is a Complete Chaos!

There have been a slew of issues across numerous domains that are affecting the ROG Phone 7 users after installing the Android 14 update. In this regard, problems related to battery drainage, device overheating, issues with gaming and FPS, and processor lock are just some of the noteworthy ones that are worthy of your attention. So let’s dive deep into these bugs and try and understand them in depth.

Overheating

When issues with gaming, FPS, and Battery drain were being talked about, how could overheating be left far behind? As you might have guessed, the latest Android 14 update for the Asus ROG Phone 7 has also resulted in the device getting overheated even on carrying non-intensive or non-resource-heavy tasks. For some users, the temperature of their device rose to a surprising 47 degrees [Celcius], which is definitely quite concerning to say the least.

Back when I was on Android 13, I played Mobile Legends, and the highest temperature reached around 45 degrees. Now, after the update, the temperature has increased to 47 degrees, and the battery consumption has also increased. As a result, when it reaches 47 degrees, the FPS drops, and the phone becomes very hot, even though I’m only playing three matches of Mobile Legends. Source

Here’s what another user had to say on my YouTube channel Droidwin [NOTE: Check out the User Shared Logs section at the end of this post as well]:

Recently, all users sent their logs to moderators regarding high overheating issue. Funny thing is they just said they never found anything unusual on our logs that can show high temperature more than 31 C , which is a lie because users took a picture of their temps and posted on the forum that is 49 C.

Gaming Issues

• Gaming performance has severely deteriorated. It’s not just the frame drops, but more of a stop-motion video.
• Pubg mobile (Smooth-90 fps setting) only gets around 80 – 57 in TDM mode, and 90 -60 in battle royale (Erangel map)
• Mobile legends (Ultra – ultra setting) in this game supports 120 fps, but the system locks to 60 fps only  
• Modern warship (ultra – 144 fps setting) the fps drop is like crazy 130 – 31 fps in battle and Explorer the map
• Genshin impact (Highest 60 fps setting) the fps still drops like 60 – 40 while Explore, and 30 – 20 while Battle this is very Disappointed, the Snapdragon 8 gen 2 can run at 60 – 57 fps.
• The Air Triggers are malfunctioning. They fail to recognize a press-and-hold action, releasing after a second even when the finger is still on the trigger.
• Screen Touch Sensitivity feels a bit off too. I play with fingers and sleeves, and sometimes contact on the screen is unresponsive.
• The Capture Card input has been restricted to 60Hz, preventing it from reaching 120Hz, which I always use with my capture card for live streaming.
• Attempting to record the screen while gaming is futile.

In their defense, Asus might say that these games haven’t been developed by them so the users should instead contact the game developers and get these issues rectified. However, the thing is all the games listed above are working well and good on other devices running Android 14, the issue is only with ROG Phone 7- a gaming smartphone [the irony!]. Moreover, these games were running without any hiccups till Android 13, so the issue has been introduced with the latest OS only.

Battery Issues

While the device beholds a massive 6000mAh battery, but as of now, even a 4000mAh would perform better! Let alone playing highly intensive games, some users have witnessed an astronomical amount of battery drain even while simply scrolling TikTok and Instagram Reels as well.

Processor Lock

The device beholds the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and used to easily clock the 3000 Mhz mark, but after installing the said update, it could hardly reach the 2000mAh level.

Poor Screen Recording

This device is [or rather was] the go-to choice for the streamers as they could easily stream games with their audiences. However, the update seems to have ruined it as well. The Screen Recorder is exhibiting a decrease in refresh rate, resulting in a jittery display.

UI Issues

As if the aforementioned major issues weren’t enough, it has incorporated some silly UI mistakes as well, the most noticeable among which is the fact that they have tagged the ROG Phone 7 as ROG Phone 6! Like seriously, how could someone end up committing such an issue is beyond our understanding!

Refusal to Provide Downgrade Package

While not exactly a bug, this is one of the most infuriating behavioral aspects of this OEM- its blatant refusal to provide an Android 13 downgrade package for the ROG Phone 7. The reasoning behind the same is anyone’s guess but it has been four months and we users are literally begging the OEM to provide us with the rollback firmware, but all these requests have fallen on deaf years.

Guess this is what happens whenever an entity tends to gain a monopolistic dominance in a domain. Well, let’s not forget that the users were, are, and will always be the main key to this door of dominance. So if their requests aren’t respected, then it wouldn’t take long for any company to sink deep into oblivion, no matter how powerful they currently are.

Can You Downgrade Asus ROG Phone 7 from Android 14 to Android 13

While some users have shared the downgrade package on XDA, however, the success rate isn’t that high. If it works, you will be back to Android 13, or else, it will straightaway lead to a bricked device. Therefore, we wouldn’t personally recommend you try out these builds until we receive more feedback on the same, but if you have the EDL Tools up and running and know a thing or two about unbricking devices, then here’s what you need to do.

Droidwin and its members wouldn’t be held responsible in case of a thermonuclear war, your alarm doesn’t wake you up, or if anything happens to your device and data by performing the below steps.

1. To begin with, download the Android 13 firmware for Asus ROG Phone 7 from below [Credits: XDA Member Popst3]:

   WW-AI2205-33.0820.0810.175-REL-2304-M2.6.16.15-ASUS_1.1.107

2. Then remove all the accounts from your device from the Settings > Passwords & Accounts section.
3. Now enable Developer Mode via System > About Phone > Software Information > Tap on Build Number 7 times.
4. Then go to Developer Options and enable the toggle next to USB Debugging.
5. Now download and extract Android SDK Platform Tools on your PC.
6. hen type in CMD In the folder’s address bar and hit Enter. This will launch the Command Prompt.
7. Now type in the below command in the CMD window to boot your device to the Fastboot Mode:

   adb reboot bootloader

   

8. Then type in the below command and make sure that you’re getting a serial ID. If you aren’t then install Fastboot Drivers.

   fastboot devices

9. Now run the flash_all.bat file. The flashing will now start and once done, your device should boot to the OS.
10. So set it up, go to Settings, and enable Developer Options. Then disable the toggle next to  “Automatic system updates”.
11. Then go to System Update and tap on the settings icon at the top right.
12. Now go to “Automatically download and install” and select “Do not allow”.

That’s it. These were the steps to downgrade your Asus ROG Phone 7 from Android 14 to Android 13. If you were among the few lucky souls who did manage to achieve success via this tweak, do let us know in the comments section below!

Droidwin’s Take on This Fiasco

Things going haywire with a major OS upgrade is nothing new. We have seen the same happening with numerous other OEMs as well. However, in those cases, the OEM tends to accept that they messed up and ends up rolling out a subsequent update that irons out the underlying bug. However, this is far from the case this time around.

For some reason though, Asus seems to be quite hesitant in accepting that they have failed miserably with this update. Not only that, their refusal to give the users a downgrade package, which is a must, is proving to be the most concerning aspect of this entire fiasco. Every OEM, when they release a major OS upgrade, also tends to roll out the downgrade package because if something goes wrong, users could easily roll back to the older OS build.

But Asus is again hell-bent on not sharing the downgrade package with its users and is literally forcing us all to face the wrath of these bugs as much as possible. There doesn’t seem to be an iota of sense as to why the OEM is behaving in such a weird manner and making such questionable decisions, but whatever plan they have in mind [if there’s any], then it sure is going to backfire sooner rather than later.

Trust me when I say this, I have already come across numerous users who were planning to get their hands on the ROG Phone 8 but have now changed their decision just because of the way the company is treating its consumers. So if the OEM was really to achieve this goal of minimizing its user base, then it seems to surpass it with flying colors!

Lastly, some users are pointing out that the company is walking in the footsteps of iPhones- giving users no choice but to force them to upgrade their devices to the latest release. But with all due respect, Asus, you are not an iPhone! And not to mention the fact that as opposed to the latest ROG devices [which are sailing in the same boat as its predecessor, being bugged with a plentitude of problems], the newest version of the iPhone isn’t bugged with these issues of its earlier iterations.

It’s literally a sad state of affairs to see such a promising set of devices having to meet their demise, all thanks to weird decision-making from the OEM. It seems to have taken a page or two out of Oppo and OnePlus books when the former ended up ruining the latter by incorporating the elements of ColorOS into the beloved OxygenOS.

However, OnePlus is still surviving or rather performing quite great even to this date because it offers some exceptional specs and hardware quality at an impressive price segment. On the other hand, the entire USP of an ROG Phone revolves around how efficiently it manages resource-intensive tasks and games, which as of now, is a complete and utter disaster. So unless the OEM acts quickly, it might not be long before users start jumping ships over to its competitors such as the Nubia series!

Issues with User Shared Logs

UPDATE: See the new section at the end of this guide wherein the logs have been uploaded while the device is discharging. The original writing is preserved below.

Some users have shared their logs clearly showing the battery temperature going all the way up to 45 degrees Celsius and 42 in some cases, however, this is still a point of dispute. This is because the Asus developers have said that most of the logs being shared were at the point in time when the device was being charged. And during the charging phase, such temperatures are usually attained.

The developer further went on to state that the temperature was around 31-32 degrees Celcius while the device wasn’t being charged, which is again along the expected lines. While we do agree with the developer on this, however, this isn’t just a one-off instance. Near about every other ROG Phone 7 user is facing this overheating issue and why would any user lie on this topic, after all, they are the ultimate suffers in all this.

Granted the logs could have been shared in a slightly better environment, but still, that doesn’t give the OEM the liberty to skip the plethora of other complaints regarding the overheating of this device. With that said, it is a humble request to our readers to please send your logs in the correct manner when your device isn’t being charged so that Asus can get the complete and correct picture of this issue.

ROG Phone 7 Users: Make your Voices Heard!

On that note, let’s take a breather for now from this ROG Phone 7 Android 14 mess up, but trust us, this is not the end, infact far from it. We just need your support so make sure to drop in your valuable opinions, frustrations, and concerns as much as possible in the comments section below. The more the number of user reports, the faster will be the chances of the issue getting in the eyes of Asus, and the quicker it might get addressed or at least we might get the downgrade package from them.

I will post this article in the Asus Community and will advise you to do so as well [UPDATE: It has already been posted by one of our readers, so thanks for that!]. Likewise, I’ll get in touch with the Asus software development team and your feedback is the only source through which I could cement these claims, so make sure to drop them in the comments with as much detail as possible. Moreover, we will keep you posted regarding the latest developments via this article. So make sure to keep a tab on this post at regular intervals.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

UPDATE: Uploaded More Logs

If there was still any iota of doubt that it was just a one-off incident, then we could now quash all those suspicions to rest as we are now receiving a plethora of logs from various affected users. As is evident from those logs, the temperature easily reaches 47 degrees Celsius even when the device is discharging.

This could prove to be quite a scary situation if it isn’t addressed at the earliest. In the meantime, we advise the users not to use their device for a prolonged time period as things might take a turn for the worse, so a cooldown period for your device is a must, at least for the next few weeks until [or rather if] the issue is addressed. [LOG 1 to 4 Credits: Sam1991].

LOG 1

FIRMWARE: ASUS_AI2205_C-34.1010.0820.71-WW-357795480581812-240418230554-10

LOG 2

FIRMWARE: ASUS_AI2205_D-34.1010.0820.71-WW-351020140254858-240424123102-10

LOG 3

FIRMWARE: ASUS_AI2205_D-34.1010.0820.71-WW-351020145293992-240417114459-10

LOG 4

FIRMWARE: ASUS_AI2205_D-34.1010.0820.71-WW-351020145293992-240417114459-10