Google recently released a new Android Lollipop 5.0.1 update for Nexus devices to address issues with a bug that deletes all the data on the device.

The rare bug comes from Android's configurations where the phone can automatically erase all the data in the phone if a user fails to input the correct lock screen several times. Sometimes a user can accidentally trigger this feature, especially when the screen gets swiped by a hand, items inside the bag or even one's pocket. This results in what is called a stray input.

This is the case in the pattern unlock screen, which is the most susceptible of the various security features available. A single tap registers as a stray input which the phone labels as a failed attempt. The bug ends up banking on these failed attempts and then proceeds to wipe the phone.

However, thanks to the Android 5.0.1 update, the stray input gets regulated, according to Ars Technica. The 5.0.1 fix only registers unlock attempts that takes four dots, the minimum length for the pattern unlock screen. It is less likely for stray inputs to reach up to four dots, which keeps the phone and its data safe.

The update has already been made available on the Android Open Source Project and on the Nexus image page.

The update is being released to Wi-Fi Nexus 7 (2013), Wi-Fi Nexus 9 and Nexus 10, and those who own the devices can already download the flash update. More updates are expected to come for other Nexus devices sometime soon.

Those who have other devices, on the other hand, can download the update as a source code instead, or they could wait until the manufacturers release their own versions of the update themselves.

On a side note, the 5.0.1 update also fixes another bug, which addresses the video playback options on the Nexus devices, according to Ars Technica. It is only available for the Wi-Fi Nexus 7 (2013) though, with updates for other devices still up in the air.