Check out main thread here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1803902
# What it does #
Basically what it does is it makes it possible to launch androids taskswitcher (recent apps) or call another action such as home, back, menu or turn screen off by waving your finger past the proximity sensor. You can also set an action to run when your proximity sensor is covered. With a little practice this really makes multitasking much faster. There is now also actions for media like volume, play pause and such, aswell as a flashlight (only tested on galaxy note, probably wont work on all devices) The media-actions are not properly implemented yet, so all actions may not work on all devices. If media controls is what you really want, I think wave control is your app. They have media controls implemented properly.
There is now some other features aswell.
Smart keep screen on will keep your screen on as long as you hold the phone in your hand. When you put it down, it will let the screen go off. I have only tested it on a galaxy note. Feedback on this would be welcomed.
You can now also run an action to keep the screen on permanently, or atleast until you run the action again.
Feel free to try it out.
# Instructions #
Configure actions for each number of waves up to six. The action you choose will then be executed when you wave.
You can also configure an action to launch when you cover your proximity sensor and for when the device is shaken.
If you have trouble with the gestures and smartswitcher recognizes the wrong gesture, you can adjust the gesture sensitivity. If you put this on low, the response and gesture recognition will be fast, but you will have to wave fast also. On high, the opposite is true. If you are not Lucky Luke like me, medium or high should work.
# Planned features #
Suggestions, anyone?
# Known issues #
FIXED?
Sometimes Smartswitcher does not get superuser permissions at first try, if you are rooted and you are sure it should work on your device, this may be the problem. I am not sure why this is as it has never happened to me, but a few users have reported that installing it again or using supersu fixes the problem. Will try to get this fixed.
# Other #
The powerconsumption of the proximity sensor is extremely low so the impact on your battery should be fairly low. Did anyone using this notice a reduction of battery life, and I mean that in a more scientific way than just checking under battery in your system settings? Was it 5 minutes or 1 hour?
If you dont have root or smartswitcher wont work, please buy the excellent app wave control. (Or if you simply like it better)
Zenblom made a video of smartswitcher:
He also compiled a list on working devices:
# Confirmed working devices #
- Samsung Galaxy Note GT-N7000
- Samsung galaxy s3 i9300 international version
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 P6800
- Sony Ericsson xperia neo v
Thanks Zenblom!
# Changelog #
Version 1.1.3
- Added action keep device alive. If you run this, your device will not sleep until next time you run it, period. It wont activate if the device is already being kept awake by the smart keep screen on function, have not tested this very carefully. If you feel a burst of short vibrations, the device is being kept awake. If you use this, dont forget to turn it off, or it will drain your battery.
- Adjusted the shakedetection. It should now work much better and should notmake doubleactions. Try it and tell me if it is better or worse.
- Adjusted the smart keep screen on function to a little less sensitive. Sometimes it did not turn the screen of because i set the sensitivity too high so it detected movement event when it was fairly still. Try it and tell me if I made it better or worse.
- Added support for up to six waves by request. Tested it some, it seemed to work fine.
Version 1.1.2
- Added action flashlight. Will probably not work on all devices, but it works on my note atleast. Will add more variants for other devices.
- Added EXPERIMENTAL Smart keep screen on function. There is no adjustable settings yet, just on and off. You can try it by setting your screen timeout at a low value like 15 seconds. As long as you hold your phone in your hand, the screen should keep on. If you put it down the screen should go off in 30 seconds or so. I adjusted it to work on my device, but that does not mean it will work good on yours. There is no settings for it yet. Try it, if you dont like it, disable it. Will also spend some time on next version with the shake detection, Its really not what I wanted it to be. It works, but barely.
Version 1.1.1
- Added shakedetection. You can now set an action for shake. Note: Will cause the ui to crash, press backbutton to close smartswitcher settings before using it and it should work fine.
Version 1.1.0
- No visible changes, but lots of changes in the code. I hate spagetticode, so I spent some time removing and rewriting things. Sensorcovered will now really have zero delay if you set that.
- Made the number of proactions allowed to 20, as I said I had done. It seems it was only 10
Version 1.0.9
- Fixed sensor covered, now it wont trigger any action if you remove your finger within the delay time.
- Added a BUNCH of actions. Some will work on your device, some will not. (Depending on rom, installed apps etc) The new features are for the pro version (Yes I will make a pro version.) I am a nice guy so everything you had before still works, plus you can use the profeatures for a total of 20 times, after that they will reset to no action. You are free to select pro features again for another 20 times. Sorry about this, but I have spent quite a few hours on this app now, and I would not mind getting a few bucks for my work. Please tell me what price you find fair for this app, if any price at all
- Made it so that gestures will work on active phonecall. This means actions like for instance hangup will actually hangup the call. Sensor covered should not interfere with anything now.
Version 1.0.8
Note: Remaining bug, sensor covered works but the delaysetting does not do what it is supposed to do. That is, even if you remove your finger from the sensor within the delay time, the action will still trigger. Sorry about that, will fix. Too tired now
- Fixed the bug that caused settings to not save after a while. Should work fine now.
- Added configurable settings for sensor covered so you can now set any action for that event. If you have a device with slow sensor you should now be able to launch recent apps by setting sensor covered delay to 0 and action to recent apps. You can now also set screen off as action on any wave.
- Fixed vibration feedback for sensor covered event.
- Removed Screen off setting as it is no longer needed.
- fixed some other bits and pieces and cleaned up the code.
Version 1.0.7
- Completely rewrote all of the code for taking care of actions. If I am lucky this will take care of the strange superuser permissions error. Unfortunately this way will mean an ever so slightly slower response, but if it turns out this way works better, I will see if I can speed it up some.
- Lots of bugfixes. Wavesettings and gestures off in landscape SHOULD work properly now. So SHOULD the screen off feature.
- Added button to stop Smartswitcher from doing anything at all. Now, please tell me what I have broken this time
Version 1.0.6
- Added settings for all gestures. You can now disable/enable/configure individual gestures. I did test this, but not very carefully. I should stop doing this so late at night. Please tell me if you find problems.
Version 1.0.5
- Added option to disable gestures when phone is in landscapemode. Now you dont have to kill smartswitcher if you find it unusable in landscape and then start it again when back in portrait. Let me know if it does not work as intended.
- Changed the vibrationfeedback on recognized gesture to a more gentle level.
- Find my sensor-mode is gone. Kind of useless feature anyway, good riddance to bad feature.
Version 1.0.4
- Wave once for recent apps, twice for menu, three times for back, four for home. No customizable settings for this yet, I need to sleep now Oh, I broke find my sensor-mode.
Version 1.0.2
- Configurable delay for the screenoff when sensor covered-feature added
Version 1.0.1:
- Disableoption for screenoff "bug"
- Changed Get the feel-mode to Find my sensor-mode, hopefully this is not as confusing
More coming. If you have any ideas or suggestions, let me know.
Nice idea...but on my HOX screen goes off waving past proximity sensor...BUT really nice idea!!
Work with me fine , but I must wave to lunch it
Thank you
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
HISOON said:
Work with me fine , but I must wave to lunch it
Thank you
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool, what phone do you use?
Samsung galaxy s 3 international version
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
didn't work for me
the phone vibrate and all but no recent apps !!
i use a galaxy note
oaz63 said:
didn't work for me
the phone vibrate and all but no recent apps !!
i use a galaxy note
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it is rooted, it really should work. There is a bit of a trick to it, you have to wave your finger past the sensor and back within a fairly short amount of time. I did this because if I launched recent apps when you just come close to the sensor once, it launched when I did not want it to and was more of a pain than it was useful. Try setting the sensitivity to high and try a few more times. If it does not work then, we will have to figure out why. Plenty of people has tested it successfully on the note, thats why I am fairly sure that it should work but I could be wrong.
ssspeq said:
If it is rooted, it really should work. There is a bit of a trick to it, you have to wave your finger past the sensor and back within a fairly short amount of time. I did this because if I launched recent apps when you just come close to the sensor once, it launched when I did not want it to and was more of a pain than it was useful. Try setting the sensitivity to high and try a few more times. If it does not work then, we will have to figure out why. Plenty of people has tested it successfully on the note, thats why I am fairly sure that it should work but I could be wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stock NEE 4.0.4 on galaxy note,
Doesn't work :/ (rooted)
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2
Racle90 said:
Stock NEE 4.0.4 on galaxy note,
Doesn't work :/ (rooted)
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would you mind doing a logcat for me while you try to wave at the sensor? It has worked for the majority of testers, I need to figure out why it does not for a few. No hurry, I wont have the time to look at this for a few days anyway. Thanks for testing!
ssspeq said:
Would you mind doing a logcat for me while you try to wave at the sensor? It has worked for the majority of testers, I need to figure out why it does not for a few. No hurry, I wont have the time to look at this for a few days anyway. Thanks for testing!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's your logcat, (looks like spamming the same message, probably triggers the event (?) but doesn't execute that)
Tried on xperia ray. Doesn't work. Just vibrate that's all. Will attach logcat if possible.
Edit : not sure if I'm doing it right, but this is all I get.
l/Smartswitcherservice(27913): Räknare:1
I/Smartswitcherservice(27913): Räknare:2
I/Smartswitcherservice(27913): Timer done
Absolutely amazing idea. Sometimes it does shut the screen off, though. Other than that, it works perfectly on the S3.
Thanks for this.
Nice idea
But On HTC desire and Sony Live with Walkman
It just vibrates and turns the screen off
frenzyboi said:
Tried on xperia ray. Doesn't work. Just vibrate that's all. Will attach logcat if possible.
Edit : not sure if I'm doing it right, but this is all I get.
l/Smartswitcherservice(27913): Räknare:1
I/Smartswitcherservice(27913): Räknare:2
I/Smartswitcherservice(27913): Timer done
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are probably doing it right, its not that hard, most likely the sensor on your xperia ray is not updating its values fast enough. Räknare is swedish for counter You will need to get it up to 4 counts to trigger recent apps.If there are enough people with slow sensors Ill see if I can fix some other way of triggering it, maybe just covering the sensor but I am not sure if thats going to be useful. I dont have access to my computer right now.
fire_kid2003 said:
Nice idea
But On HTC desire and Sony Live with Walkman
It just vibrates and turns the screen off
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The screen off thing is something that should not be there. I forgot to remove it after a failed experiment with a screen off feature, will be removing that. If you could check logcat while you try waving I would be happy. If you see something like the poster with a xperia ray, its probably the same problem.
This is working nicely for me. Sgs3 internationsl i 9300. Wanamlite rom.
I switched sensitivity to low and i think is better.
What i want ask. How is this for the battery and the sensor itself?
I think that this will fry it after some time.
Anyhow great thinking.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
oaz63 said:
didn't work for me
the phone vibrate and all but no recent apps !!
i use a galaxy note
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same here but with Motorola Defy
mariosraptor said:
This is working nicely for me. Sgs3 internationsl i 9300. Wanamlite rom.
I switched sensitivity to low and i think is better.
What i want ask. How is this for the battery and the sensor itself?
I think that this will fry it after some time.
Anyhow great thinking.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not noticed any negative impact on battery life, maybe someone else has, nobody has had any complaints about it so far. As for burning out the sensor, I dont think thats much to worry about. I used the sensor on my n900 for this for a very long time and its still working, although other parts of my beloved n900 has broken but not the sensor. If it makes you worried it might be best to not use this.
Downloaded the apk from galaxy note forum and it's working
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2
Racle90 said:
Downloaded the apk from galaxy note forum and it's working
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool! Its the same apk, but whatever makes it work is good
Related
I Think I May have found the cause of the otherwise apparently 'random' freezes/hangs and total lack of touch sensitivity.
Basically, In my case at least, It Is the G-sensor/accelerometer.
I have been noticing increasing numbers of these freezes on Mattc 1.5 Froyo, Mainly in Landscape, Mainly in games.
TEST:
I installed 'Iron Sight' Game. (If theory is right then you should be able to use any landscape game, but please try Iron sight if possible.)
I Ran the game and it switched to landscape,
SO I PHYSICALLY TURNED MY HD2 TO LANDSCAPE.
THIS IS WHERE THE FREEZING AND LAGGING BEGAN!
On the Main menu found it difficult to press any options.
When I did manage to start a Game The control buttons were hard to press and the game was unplayable because screen sensitivity was just not there most of the game.
I Then Physically turned the HD2 around and Back to Portrait orientation, AND ALTHOUGH THE SCREEN ORIENTATION STAYED IN LANDSCAPE I DID NOT EXPERIENCE ONE SINGLE LAG OR FREEZE.
BUTTON PRESSES WERE RESPONSIVE TO TOUCH AT ALL TIMES FOR AT LEAST 15 MINUTES!
HERES WHERE IT GETS MORE INTERESTING....
I Then Turned the HD2 back around to landscape again and the Problems IMMEDIATELY RETURNED.
I THEN HELD THE PHONE VERY STILL IN LANDSCAPE AND AFTER A FEW SECONDS THE PROBLEMS/LAG/FREEZES DISSAPEARED AGAIN!!!
TESTED REPEATEDLY!
IN LANDSCAPE AS SOON AS THERE IS ANY PHYSICAL MOVEMENT, THE GAME FREEZES, BUT IF I KEEP IT STILL THE GAME RESPONDS PERFECTLY WITHOUT HESITATION.
Can some of you please test this theory?
A cradle/Dock would be handy for testing but it is possible to keep the phone still enough in-hand in my tests.
Use the game "Iron Sight" where possible, but use other games/apps too if you have time or inclination
Post the results below ( with logs where possible ?) Please.
Note:
After discovering the above, I did a search on XDA and found that a member called 'Hinky' and touched on this but I think I have narrowed it down.... I think
Please test and confirm (or debunk lol).
Thanks.
thesweeney said:
I Think I May have found the cause of the otherwise apparently 'random' freezes/hangs and total lack of touch sensitivity.
Basically, In my case at least, It Is the G-sensor/accelerometer.
I have been noticing increasing numbers of these freezes on Mattc 1.5 Froyo, Mainly in Landscape, Mainly in games.
TEST:
I installed 'Iron Sight' Game. (If theory is right then you should be able to use any landscape game, but please try Iron sight if possible.)
I Ran the game and it switched to landscape, SO I PHYSICALLY TURNED MY HD2 TO LANDSCAPE.
THIS IS WHERE THE FREEZES BEGAN!
On the Main menu found it difficult to press any options.
When I did manage to start a Game The control buttons were hard to press and the game was unplayable because screen sensitivity was just not there most of the game.
I Then turned the HD2 Back to Portrait mode AND ALTHOUGH THE SCREEN ORIENTATION STAYED IN LANDSCAPE I DID NOT EXPERIENCE ONE SINGLE LAG.
BUTTON PRESSES WERE RESPONSIVE TO TOUCH AT ALL TIMES FOR AT LEAST 15 MINUTES!
HERES WHERE IT GETS MORE INTERESTING....
I Then Turned the HD2 around to landscape again and the Problems IMMEDIATELY RETURNED.
I THEN HELD THE PHONE VERY STILL IN LANDSCAPE AND AFTER A FEW SECONDS THE PROBLEMS/LAG/FREEZES DISSAPEARED AGAIN!!!
TESTED REPEATEDLY!
IN LANDSCAPE AS SOON AS THERE IS ANY PHYSICAL MOVEMENT, THE GAME FREEZES, BUT IF I KEEP IT STILL THE GAME RESPONDS PERFECTLY WITHOUT HESITATION.
Can some of you please test this theory?
A cradle/Dock would be handy for testing but it is possible to keep the phone still enough in-hand in my tests.
Use the game "Iron Sight" where possible, but use other games/apps too if you have time or inclination
Post the results below ( with logs where possible ?) Please.
Note:
After discovering the above, I did a search on XDA and found that a member called 'Hinky' and touched on this but I think I have narrowed it down.... I think
Please test and confirm (or debunk lol).
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes this is something that the devs have been discussing. It does seem that the freeze issue is in fact related to the g sensor. I don't know if anyone is working on it at this time but I believe Cotulla will try to sort it out for his September release
ala380 said:
Yes this is something that the devs have been discussing. It does seem that the freeze issue is in fact related to the g sensor. I don't know if anyone is working on it at this time but I believe Cotulla will try to sort it out for his September release
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DOH! Didnt know it was already a known issue LMAO
I'll get my coat....
thesweeney said:
DOH! Didnt know it was already a known issue LMAO
I'll get my coat....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol keep with the testing though I didn't figure that much out
Hmmm this is def the prob for my touch screen issues. I tested a bit using the latest mattc Leo + Froyo w/Sense 1.5 version, with latest FULLRAM. I found that while on the sense home screen if I hold the phone out in front of me either landscape and portrait it's ok, and I can do whatever I want at full speed no lag at all. THEN if I lay the phone flat, It freezes. I did this like 20+ times and every time It would freeze whether I was playing a game or reading an email.
This also happen to me. Using Mattc 1.5 Froyo, it happens when using internet browser. The screen will freeze or not response right after i turn from Portrait to Landscape or sometimes have to wait for few seconds. I have to turn my device from Landscape to Portrait, and back to Landscape again, then the screen responses back to normal. This also happens in Copilot app when using in Landscape mode.
I turned off the screen rotation
What I did since i installed my ROM with 380mb ram is to turn off all screen rotation settings, so far so good, I haven't notice any freeze or lag so far in any application or while waking the device up, I used to have it and I hate it, I almost went back to Winmo!!.
robrob777 said:
What I did since i installed my ROM with 380mb ram is to turn off all screen rotation settings, so far so good, I haven't notice any freeze or lag so far in any application or while waking the device up, I used to have it and I hate it, I almost went back to Winmo!!.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was the first thing i tried but strangely it made no difference.
anyone know how to totally disable the g-sensor?
doesnt have any of the mentioned problems...
iron sight lite runs the same for me when i hold the phone portrait or LS...
have no bad screen sens while holding LS...
running mattc 1.5 with the default zimage...
thesweeney said:
This was the first thing i tried but strangely it made no difference.
anyone know how to totally disable the g-sensor?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want to know too! disabling auto rotation doesnt mean completely stop the g-sensor running.
Bimme said:
doesnt have any of the mentioned problems...
iron sight lite runs the same for me when i hold the phone portrait or LS...
have no bad screen sens while holding LS...
running mattc 1.5 with the default zimage...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please tell me....
Did you fresh install 1.5 or upgrade 1.4>1.5?
I had quite a few freezes on 1.4.
Then I upgraded to 1.5 and kept my apps etc from 1.4.
I HARDLY HAD ANY FREEZES AT ALL
Then I did a fresh install of 1.5 and started getting LOTS of freezes.
i did a fresh install.
i deleted all android files on my sd card and extracted the new build to a new made "Android" folder...
i use xanny roms, and i still have the robovoice problem, so i can´t use android daily...
i noticed on all android builds ive tried sofar, that the polling interval of the gsensor is very bad/small. U can see it when u go to calibrate the gsensor, the bubbles move very slowly...
this is not a big thing when u only use the gsenor to turn screen to LS, but it is essential to play games using the sensor...
thesweeney said:
DOH! Didnt know it was already a known issue LMAO
I'll get my coat....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, no worries I'm glad that you pointed it out. This was actually one of those really useful threads and the kind of thing that the developers are looking for. I am not a dev but I speak with them pretty regularly when the same issue are pointed out time and time again by those who do not read the threads. This was something that has not been talk about here so I appreciate your well thought post and the information that you provided
I was just a step before creating a new thread about it when I saw this one.
This is definitely one of the things that are really pissing me off using Android.
Furthermore, I did tests on this issue for quite long to doubt that it's an autorotation related issue. Maybe it has something to do with the g-sensor, but it still would happen randomly even trying not to move the phone at all. I noticed that the problem wouldnt appear that often when decreasing the polling interval of set cpu and same time increasing the min. freq. to 380, but still, it DOES happen.
I'd really appreciate any statement on this, developer side of course.
I have the occasional screen freeze on landscape, but not very often using froyostone.
Bimme said:
i did a fresh install.
i deleted all android files on my sd card and extracted the new build to a new made "Android" folder...
i use xanny roms, and i still have the robovoice problem, so i can´t use android daily...
i noticed on all android builds ive tried sofar, that the polling interval of the gsensor is very bad/small. U can see it when u go to calibrate the gsensor, the bubbles move very slowly...
this is not a big thing when u only use the gsenor to turn screen to LS, but it is essential to play games using the sensor...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheers for that ^
+1 for the Gsensor polling intervals seeming very slow.
THIS CAN BE SEEN VERY CLEARLY USING THE 'VR TUNNEL' LIVE WALLPAPER.
Here the cubes move smoothly at a good fps while the tunnel moves around at what appears to be 4/5 fps.
ala380 said:
Lol, no worries I'm glad that you pointed it out. This was actually one of those really useful threads and the kind of thing that the developers are looking for. I am not a dev but I speak with them pretty regularly when the same issue are pointed out time and time again by those who do not read the threads. This was something that has not been talk about here so I appreciate your well thought post and the information that you provided
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hehe, Thanks for that ^.
I dont feel quite so stupid now
For a moment there, before I found out it was a known issue... I thought I had discovered the Androids very own penicilin or something equally as important... but as usual I was behind the times lol.
Jealousy said:
I was just a step before creating a new thread about it when I saw this one.
This is definitely one of the things that are really pissing me off using Android.
Furthermore, I did tests on this issue for quite long to doubt that it's an autorotation related issue. Maybe it has something to do with the g-sensor, but it still would happen randomly even trying not to move the phone at all. I noticed that the problem wouldnt appear that often when decreasing the polling interval of set cpu and same time increasing the min. freq. to 380, but still, it DOES happen.
I'd really appreciate any statement on this, developer side of course.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Possibly not related to autorotation per-se, but...
With Autorotation disabled... If I turn my phone on its side (with volume buttons pointing towards floor) I still experience freezes on my home screen or anywhere else for that matter.
Plus I have found that holding the phone VERY still in any position seems to eliminate 'ALL' freezing and lagging problems.
Do the G-sensor and the Dgital compass 'interlink' or communicate in any way? Is it possible that the screwed up compass output is screwing with the g-sensor output?
I ask this because the game 'hungry shark' thought that my phone was flat whent the usb port was pointed down towards the floor.
Dont know if that makes sense but for me it seems like the g-sensor is fubar as well as the digital compass.
trilbyfish said:
I then used even bigger and bolder letters to emphasize my points!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[SARCASM]Very helpful buddy[/SARCASM]
I did the font size thing for people who just wanted to skim through the long post.
thesweeney said:
Possibly not related to autorotation per-se, but...
With Autorotation disabled... If I turn my phone on its side (with volume buttons pointing towards floor) I still experience freezes on my home screen or anywhere else for that matter.
Plus I have found that holding the phone VERY still in any position seems to eliminate 'ALL' freezing and lagging problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well ofc, it wouldn't freeze when it's COMPLETELY hold still, but I guess that shouldn't be the point of daily usage.
Now when it comes to spontaneous outside actions, you are trying to pick up a call using touchscreen cuz ur used to it or trying to shoot out a text in hurry, and your device will just go sleep for some time. I mean, how'd you hold still if you're moving (fast)?
If you ask me thats pretty much a major bug, not to forget the 3g data thing. I'm not moaning around, just want to attain more focus on this. I notice people losing themselves in some benchmark trolling - just time waste.
There is already a thread for that (walking dead)
Just found a possible solution, please repport if it is better for you too :
- boot windows mobile, calibrate the g-sensor in settings (i did it 2 or 3 times, but i don't think its important)
- do a proper shutdown of wm
- restart wm + android
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App
After disabling "Auto-rotate screen" I haven't had a freeze yet, so good so far.
A lot of us have had the device for at least week now so it would be a good time to post impressions after a bit more hands on time. I’ll start...
10 days in I’m still glad I got it but there are plenty of things that could be improved. I’ve been on HTC phones (Desire, Desire Z) before this running at different times standard HTC Sense ROMs as well as various versions of Cyanogen Mod and AOSP based ROMs. My views after 2 weeks of use:
* Loving the fact that Samsung appears to be treating this almost like a developer phone (ala Nexus) in terms of open bootloader, availability of source code etc. I’ve said my goodbyes to HTC precisely because of this.
* Based on the frequency of updates Samsung also appears to be focused on addressing issues. They are one if the first out of the gates for Gingerbread updates to their existing devices so I’m hoping they continue to focus on delivering on the latest versions of Android.
* Touchwiz is not as invasive as HTC’s Sense. It improves on stock android in many ways. My first Samsung phone so I can’t really speak of improvements over previous versions of Samsung ROMs but so far I don’t hate TouchWiz but I do find that they seem to take a lot of inspiration from Apple even when the standard Android implementation is better in some cases (I didn’t hate HTC Sense either but I did find it too far from stock for my liking). Having said that there are some totally brain dead decisions that Samsung appear to have taken which I just don’t get:
1) Default home screen on the left instead of the middle. Why copy Apple on this one when Android’s default makes so much more sense. I love having frequently used apps with a swipe to the right and an agenda widget on the left so I can get to both with a single swipe. Now I have to pick one.
2) Fixed icons at the bottom. I understand Phone and Apps being fixed but not messaging and contacts. I’d like to change those - hell, even Apple lets you change those. *** NEVERMIND *** See posts below. It CAN be edited.
3) Lock screen - talk about making something worse - this one takes the cake. Thank god for widget locker.
4) Dialer logs - I don’t want my SMS messages to show up on my phone dialer logs. There is no option to just view all calls without the rest of the stuff cluttering it up. (Yes I know I can switch to Dialer One but apart from this one major issue I actually like the default Samsung dialer).
* Wireless - Everything wireless about this phone has issues. May be a function of how thin it is but my experience so far:
1) Phone - Much improved after the latest firmware updates but data connection can take a while to latch on when moving out of WiFi coverage and sometimes just drops out for 5-10 minutes at a time for no apparent reason (even when the phone shows five bars in a strong signal area).
2) Bluetooth - The headset I have is not working well at all. Quality seems fine but every few seconds drops out or gets noisy for a second or so. The same headset works perfectly well with the HTC devices as well as with an iPhone.
3) GPS - Sometimes flawless but lock time is definitely a lot slower than the HTC devices. It also has a tendancy to lose lock a lot easier than the HTC devices. Other times it jumps around all over the place before getting a lock. Lots of weird behaviour here.
4) WiFi - Where other phones get weak coverage this one gets none. If you have strong WiFi signals everywhere you use the device this is not an issue. 5 Ghz also performs significantly worse than 2 Ghz.
* Battery life - It appears this phone has only 2 gears. A low gear for phone / SMS / push mail / browsing where battery life is excellent but then kicks into hyper-turbo mode if you use Flash video, games or anything taxing where it burns through battery life in no time. You can easily get through a whole day with power to spare if you stick to only the basic activities but best to use everything else while plugged in.
The reality is even with all these issues, I couldn’t give this device up. The power and speed coupled with the slim form factor and gorgeous screen are just too damn impressive and all the problems pale in significance. I might have had buyers remorse if the HTC Sensation was coming with an open bootloader and a slimmer profile but at the moment I don’t see anything that compares. I’m just hoping Samsung can fix some of the problems I’ve listed in software.
Regarding fixed items at the bottom: you can edit them from within the applications screen.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
2) Fixed icons at the bottom. I understand Phone and Apps being fixed but not messaging and contacts. I’d like to change those - hell, even Apple lets you change those.
You can change those - Go to app drawer-> menu -> edit -> and drop the app you wants.
EleCtrOx666 said:
You can change those - Go to app drawer-> menu -> edit -> and drop the app you wants.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Works! Thanks
Interesting thoughts indeed.... I hope there is some help out there ^^
Here's a solution for 1
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=13825680#post13825680
Nice honest and informative post. Most of the issues will hopefully be fixable once we start getting some custom ROMs I'm hoping. Or hopefully fixes direct from Samsung in regards to GPS, WiFi, and 3G. I guess time will tell.
gstar_raw said:
Nice honest and informative post. Most of the issues will hopefully be fixable once we start getting some custom ROMs I'm hoping. Or hopefully fixes direct from Samsung in regards to GPS, WiFi, and 3G. I guess time will tell.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very puzzling that Sammy would have issues in key connectivity areas on such a high profile phone. Wonder if they''re all antenna related? As you say, hopefully not, and it's all solvable with SW.
Homescreen order
C'mon guys - it's not that hard to reorder your homescreens...
Just pinch zoom (helicopter mode) longpress & drag.....
Hope this helps you...
---
Regards,
Ian.
EleCtrOx666 said:
Here's a solution for 1
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=13825680#post13825680
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Will try it.
BatterBits said:
C'mon guys - it's not that hard to reorder your homescreens...
Just pinch zoom (helicopter mode) click & drag.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The issue isn't re-ordering. It's changing the default home screen from the left (on TouchWiz) to the middle (As on stock Android / Sense etc)
Abra_Cadabra said:
Thanks! Will try it.
The issue isn't re-ordering. It's changing the default home screen from the left (on TouchWiz) to the middle (As on stock Android / Sense etc)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
in the old TW, it allowed users to change the default home screen. I have no idea what happened to the new TW
Abra_Cadabra said:
Thanks! Will try it.
The issue isn't re-ordering. It's changing the default home screen from the left (on TouchWiz) to the middle (As on stock Android / Sense etc)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doh!
Sorry, Didn't quite catch that - I understand now where you're coming from.
<note to self - dont respond to posts you haven't read properly>
---
Regards,
Ian
After my first day with this phone I switched to the the ADW Launcher, Samsung really didn't think the TouchWiz launcher through - not only the default homescreen being on the left, but also the fact that Apps in the drawer aren't sorted alphabetically.
I used to own the Samsung Galaxy Vibrant. It's disturbing that Samsung is still not getting the GPS working right!
briansj said:
I used to own the Samsung Galaxy Vibrant. It's disturbing that Samsung is still not getting the GPS working right!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My gps works like a charm
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
I'm on the latest firmware but it's still pretty buggy...
I've tried switching to launcher pro but I still get crash reboots and loss of sound.
Last night I entered the pin and the phone just reboots.
I also loose the clicks on the pin screen. When this happens you have to reboot go get audio back...I tried playing an mp4 video with no sound when it was in this state and it just said unable to play. Of course it worked fine after a reboot...
So pretty buggy at the moment
mine has no bugs or what so ever, after 2 weeks of used i can never compare it to other phones performance either android or iOS,i used both before but this one is simply way above them..
no built in stock music widget was a dissapointment for me as well as the horrible lock screen style and the lag during wakeup..apart from that this phone is really amazing..but touchwiz needs some serious thought...
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
Agreed that this phone is as speedy and steady as the HTC Desire and iPhone 4 that I have owned. The trick to all these phones is that if you play around too much with settings,tweaks,launchers you are likely to get problems.
My apologies if this is a repeat post.
It has been mentioned before that the double-tap-to-wake does not working with anything but the stock launcher. Actually technically the *wake* should work with any launcher. I just installed Apex (my regular launcher), and it is still working just fine. What does not work is the *lock*. Apex has its own double-tap gesture definition, and lock isn't one of the options. So to get around that, you can go to the Play Store and download, install and activate "Screen Off and Lock" . One option on the Apex double-tap setting is to launch any other app. You can now configure it to launch this app. Once you do that, when you double tap while in Apex, it will lock the screen. When you double tap again, it will unlock ( I do not think that has anything to do with Apex anyway ) .
Apex is my favorite launcher and I have been looking for a way to get back to it without losing the double tap. Now I can change themes, make my drawer look better and set up many other gestures. Hopefully this trick can work in any other launcher you want to use. And at the minimum , the double tap to wake should work regardless.
Double tap to wake works for me with Google Now launcher and Nova (free version). Double tap to sleep (lock) doesn't work with either. Works fine both ways with the stock Idol launcher. Looks like you may have discovered a work around.
stl1859 said:
My apologies if this is a repeat post.
It has been mentioned before that the double-tap-to-wake does not working with anything but the stock launcher. Actually technically the *wake* should work with any launcher. I just installed Apex (my regular launcher), and it is still working just fine. What does not work is the *lock*. Apex has its own double-tap gesture definition, and lock isn't one of the options. So to get around that, you can go to the Play Store and download, install and activate "Screen Off and Lock" . One option on the Apex double-tap setting is to launch any other app. You can now configure it to launch this app. Once you do that, when you double tap while in Apex, it will lock the screen. When you double tap again, it will unlock ( I do not think that has anything to do with Apex anyway ) .
Apex is my favorite launcher and I have been looking for a way to get back to it without losing the double tap. Now I can change themes, make my drawer look better and set up many other gestures. Hopefully this trick can work in any other launcher you want to use. And at the minimum , the double tap to wake should work regardless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nova Launcher has an identical gesture/setup. [ which I'm using in same way with the "Screen Off" app since the phone auto locks when the screen goes blank. ]
I have experienced the inconsistency with dt2w. I kept deactivating/activating it and it's been working adequately (~60% of the time, still sucky but much better than before). Like others have said, it works much better if the phone is sitting on a desk as opposed to attempting it while in your hand. I really hope the reliability of dt2w gets improved in the next OTA update.
Using Nova and a double tap gesture that activates a screen lock app works perfectly for me.
JJ2525 said:
I have experienced the inconsistency with dt2w. I kept deactivating/activating it and it's been working adequately (~60% of the time, still sucky but much better than before). Like others have said, it works much better if the phone is sitting on a desk as opposed to attempting it while in your hand. I really hope the reliability of dt2w gets improved in the next OTA update.
Using Nova and a double tap gesture that activates a screen lock app works perfectly for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here, NOVA launcher premium
My dt2w works flawlessly to turn screen off. It only works 50% of the time to get it on.
maddog497 said:
My dt2w works flawlessly to turn screen off. It only works 50% of the time to get it on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly the same situation here.
Borghi said:
Exactly the same situation here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm spoiled with the G3 and the Zenfone 2. They both work flawlessly.
Hopefully this gets fixed in an update.
Sent from my LG-D852 using Tapatalk
Thank you very much dude, I'm hoping to root ASAP still haven't found a reliable way to. I wish this device had a bit more ram but pretty good so far. I hate not being rooted just because I can erase anything on the external SD and hopefully with a custom Tom the screen Issues with the phone not waking gets fixed
You don't have to be rooted to delete files on the external drive. There's a thread here that covers that. I'll post the link when I'm on the PC.
Sent from my Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 using Tapatalk
Shodan5150 said:
You don't have to be rooted to delete files on the external drive. There's a thread here that covers that. I'll post the link when I'm on the PC.
Sent from my Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry it took so long fopr me to get back here to post the link. I had PC issues and had to install Windows and then the hardware drivers for the AMD card gave me a fight. But you prolly already found the thread but the thread is below.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/idol-3/help/install-to-sd-card-root-access-t3119374
New discovery
Some of you may have already discovered this - but this is certainly new for me. What I am noticing about the double-tap-to-wake - is that it always works - BUT - what is happening is that often it is slow - and I mean really really slow sometimes. Most of us would perceive that as not working - and try it again. And double-tap, on top of double-tap just makes matters worse. What I did was - tried double-tapping once - and when the screen did not come back on, just let it be for about 10+ ( probably more than that at times ) seconds - and it eventually came back on. Even under normal circumstances, the screen wakeup is slow . It looks like sometimes it just takes forever, creating the impression that it is not working. I am not trying to suggest that we can say that this behavior qualifies as 'working' - but at least we know what exactly the problem is.
I hope Alcatel pushes a fix for this. Till that time - I will have to continue to rely on single-tap to wake ( aka the power button ) if double tap to wake does not work.
stl1859 said:
Some of you may have already discovered this - but this is certainly new for me. What I am noticing about the double-tap-to-wake - is that it always works - BUT - what is happening is that often it is slow - and I mean really really slow sometimes. Most of us would perceive that as not working - and try it again. And double-tap, on top of double-tap just makes matters worse. What I did was - tried double-tapping once - and when the screen did not come back on, just let it be for about 10+ ( probably more than that at times ) seconds - and it eventually came back on. Even under normal circumstances, the screen wakeup is slow . It looks like sometimes it just takes forever, creating the impression that it is not working. I am not trying to suggest that we can say that this behavior qualifies as 'working' - but at least we know what exactly the problem is.
I hope Alcatel pushes a fix for this. Till that time - I will have to continue to rely on single-tap to wake ( aka the power button ) if double tap to wake does not work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tried waiting for the screen without it coming on. Putting it on the desk and trying it and leaving it there, with no response. After a reset or disabling then enabling the function would work for a brief while. After that nothing seemed to help. If I used the power button to activate the screen and then try the DTTW, it would work but as soon as the phone went idol, so did the DTTW. As much as I liked the phone for the most part, I was not prepared to go past my return date without even one update coming from Alcatel.
maddog497 said:
I have tried waiting for the screen without it coming on. Putting it on the desk and trying it and leaving it there, with no response. After a reset or disabling then enabling the function would work for a brief while. After that nothing seemed to help. If I used the power button to activate the screen and then try the DTTW, it would work but as soon as the phone went idol, so did the DTTW. As much as I liked the phone for the most part, I was not prepared to go past my return date without even one update coming from Alcatel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since the time I arrived at this theory, I have tested it again and again - and I can confirm that it is always doing it. You just have to be really really patient to see this in action. Forget what I said about 10 seconds ; sometimes you have to wait for more than a minute. It is weird - you double tap - then just stare at the phone for ages and suddenly out of nowhere the screen lights up.
If D2W is important for you , then my discovery does nothing for you - It is still broken. So you did the right thing in returning it. As far as updates go, again if that is important for you, then you did the right thing. Honestly I do not expect many ( if at all ) updates from TCL. From what I understand, they do not have the kind of software development infrastructure that Asus does . And that is evident from the extent of skinning that Asus did on top of Lollipop whereas the Idol3 was mostly a stock experience. IMHO - right now - more than updates from TCL, we need root , so that developers can do their own thing with the phone.
I have since installed a proximity sensor based wave-to-unlock app. Not only does it work very well, it also allows me to lock the screen back, from the lock-screen itself, something that is missing in the default D2W setup. The only downside is the additional power consumption by the proximity sensor. Since it is supposed to use only 3 mA , I am hoping it is not going to be too bad, but I will watch out for it. If the battery performance does not degrade too much, then I think I can kiss D2W goodbye.
I sent an email to Altatel Tech Support about a week ago and asked them if they are aware of the DTTW issues and working on a fix. I received a reply stating that they are aware and are working on an update. My guess is that they will try to combine multiple fixes into a single update. It may take a little longer and it is too bad that Alcatel is not better at communicating with its customers. It would make no sense for Alcatel to ignore all of the customer complaints here, on Amazon, and in various reviews and do nothing. They are spending cash marketing this phone and they must be smart enough to know that their sales will tank if they ignore the issues.
Hey guys, just thought I'd let you know of a solution that appears to fix the double tap to wake issue everyone is having. Like most of you, I've been annoyed that this only works like 50% of the time. I've noticed in the G4 forums of people having issues with their double tap to wake not working as well also (only 80% of the time, still much better than idol 3). One of their fixes is to download SGS Screen Booster from the Play Store. Using the Super Optimized preset, I can say that double tap to wake works 10 out of 10 times in my testing.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=br.shop4apps.touchscreenbooster.com&hl=en
japhule said:
Hey guys, just thought I'd let you know of a solution that appears to fix the double tap to wake issue everyone is having. Like most of you, I've been annoyed that this only works like 50% of the time. I've noticed in the G4 forums of people having issues with their double tap to wake not working as well also (only 80% of the time, still much better than idol 3). One of their fixes is to download SGS Screen Booster from the Play Store. Using the Super Optimized preset, I can say that double tap to wake works 10 out of 10 times in my testing.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=br.shop4apps.touchscreenbooster.com&hl=en
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried this app and it seems to improve lag time when you open an app too! Great find!
OTA
An official OTA update has just been announced to fix the DTTW
Borghi said:
I tried this app and it seems to improve lag time when you open an app too! Great find!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To turn the screen on my Galaxy Note 4 sm-N910G on & off, i press the power button each 24 hour day............... 0 times.
I never touch the darn thing. The phone turns on when i pick it up off the table. It turns on automatically when i take it out of my pocket. It turns on by itself when i flip the wallet case open. It also turns the screen off when i put it in my pocket or flip the case closed or i put it on the table. How?
Get the app "Gravity Screen". BEST APP EVER. It uses the proximity sensor and gyroscopes to sense when the phone's out of the pocket to wake it from sleep. Do u guys use something similar? What cool things do u got going with ur smartphone?
LightspeeDLee said:
Get the app "Gravity Screen". BEST APP EVER. It uses the proximity sensor and gyroscopes to sense when the phone's out of the pocket to wake it from sleep
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mostly use the Home button to switch on. Been meaning to try this app out - must give it a go. Are you on Lollipop? Have you found this app has much impact on battery life?
Kinsman-UK said:
I mostly use the Home button to switch on. Been meaning to try this app out - must give it a go. Are you on Lollipop? Have you found this app has much impact on battery life?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...or use the spen!
Almost every time also to end a call : )
rarely when i use my wallet/flip case.
the official Samsung one makes use of a sensor to detect if it's open or not.
if it's closed the phone goes into standby and can't wake at all, and if it's flipped open it will automatically wake up.
Tried the app, couldn't get it to work consistently. Either the screen would come on when I didn't want it on, wasting battery, or it wouldn't go off when it was supposed to go off, wasting more battery. Tried all the different settings I could think of. Also the app seemed incredibly laggy at times, at one point becoming totally unresponsive - actually the only app I've ever experienced that with on my Note 4, oddly enough. Uninstalled.
Kinsman-UK said:
I mostly use the Home button to switch on. Been meaning to try this app out - must give it a go. Are you on Lollipop? Have you found this app has much impact on battery life?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It worked beautifully on my rooted stock kitkat ROM. I flashed 5.0.1 lollipop last month and decided not to root as i would lose OTA & thought Gravity Screen wont work good without root, but its working for me. No lags or unwanted on/off screen's. Tho if i were to choose, i think it woked better on kitkat.
It hardly has an impact on battery life for me. I get a full days battery everyday, & im a pretty heavy user. Leave the settings on default.
Samsung's got the inbuilt air wake gesture in settings, but i noticed it doesnt wake the phone often enough when u wave in front of the proximity sensor, it's a hit n miss thing. To me, this app works 100% of the time on kitkat rooted. Now on lollipop, about 95%. I love it.
If Gravity Screen isn't working right for anyone, there is another great App that's free & very similar. called: "Wake On Gesture" (playstore). Try that one. I got the paid one of Gravity Screen tho i think it doesn't matter the free version or full version. Wake On Gesture is all free. Plenty other similar apps out there, & i tried many of them. Most are ur basic ones, turn off when proximity is covered, turn on when it's not. These 2 apps have got the most settings that we can configure to our liking, i think the Dev's put in alot of work to their apps. Goodluck
As you will notice from my signature, I had tried a move to a LG V20, but I came back to the Note 4. So, I'm tracking my attempt to have a happiness with the Mate 9. Putting my notes and info here.
I'm in U.S., and so have North America version. Received it this afternoon, and have had a SIM card set up in it.
I'll document as I go for my results on setup. Not starting off great:
Restoring Data
Phone Clone
Tried this first. On the Mate 9, all I could get was the spinning hour glass (or whatever it's called). Would never come up with the QR code that is needed to mate to the old phone.
So I moved to...
Hisuite
So, I installed Hisuite on my laptop. Below are instructions followed with results:
Instlal Hisuite on Laptop - Success
Plug Huawei device to the computer, and touch restore data in Hisuite. ... Well, first thing I was wondering was how was the laptop to be able to ge the data from teh old phone? So, I proceeded
So my device is found, as the PC came up with a box to select how to use the device. But I see no option to restore data. I noticed a note at the bottom that it will not connect if charging only for usb is selected. So the instructions say...
Touch Settings - success
Then touch Security and Privacy ... There is no Security and Privacy specifically to touch, but there is a category called Security and Privacy, and a Security option to touch. But, I did find the Security option, and clicked it and found the option to allow Hisuite.
So, now, having done all that, I see the phone connected. But I see absolutely no way to get my data: messages, phone log, etc from my oldphone to the new one.
Pretty unimpressed at this point.
Tried Phone Clone again. Nothing.
If anyone has any suggestions...it's appreciated.
I managed to get my SMS and call logs by using SMS Backup and Restore. Had to move files around via dropbox.
Observations
I'm finding that as I run apps, the common pop-up about needing rights often freezes and I need to go into Settings/Apps and assign priviledges. Not sure if this is a common issue for others or not.
Phone, of course, is performing well.
Screen resolution is fine for me
Fingerprint reader is very fast. I had come to really like the finger print reader on the back while using the V20. I'm having to get used to it not also being the power button.
I am finding that various things that fill the page and are white hides the on-screen buttons. I don't recall that as an issue when I was trying out the V20.
The email app is going to take some getting used to. I am very used to the Samsung email app, which I liked better than Gmail.
Stick with it. This phones menus and ways of doing certain actions is different than Sammy or LG. But I really like that. Once u use it for a bit. You'll love it!!!
G
Sent from my MHA-L29 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
def-g said:
Stick with it. This phones menus and ways of doing certain actions is different than Sammy or LG. But I really like that. Once u use it for a bit. You'll love it!!!
G
Sent from my MHA-L29 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I plan to. Liking it so far...but...
The GPS is getting zero satellites. Not working. I do have high accuracy turned on (Use GPS and Wifi). Loaded GPS Test, and no sats visible.
Another issue with first drive...when the screen goes off, intermittently it shuts down Pandora. I checked the Battery Optimizations to make sure Pandora is NOT set to close when screen is off, and it is not.
I'm on hold now with B&H Photo. I'm guessing I'll be exchanging it. PITA...but I'll l give one more a try.
Obesrvations (other than above issues)
Battery is looking like it will be great
I like that the icon in the noti bar shows what AP I'm hooked to
Volume is very good. Sound is OK (better for sure than Note 4)
I'd like to have dark notifications. Haven't checked to see if ther is a way to do that yet.
[EDIT]
I just checked. I was on FW 138. There is an update to 183. I'm downloading it now. If GPS still doesn't work, my next task is to call Huawei support...then if no good, exchange.
ewingr said:
I plan to. Liking it so far...but...
The GPS is getting zero satellites. Not working. I do have high accuracy turned on (Use GPS and Wifi). Loaded GPS Test, and no sats visible.
Download GPS Status from play store, set it up, reboot, and see if that helps
Another issue with first drive...when the screen goes off, intermittently it shuts down Pandora. I checked the Battery Optimizations to make sure Pandora is NOT set to close when screen is off, and it is not.
I'd uninstall, and re install Pandora; doesnt happen for me
I'm on hold now with B&H Photo. I'm guessing I'll be exchanging it. PITA...but I'll l give one more a try.
Obesrvations (other than above issues)
Battery is looking like it will be great
I like that the icon in the noti bar shows what AP I'm hooked to
Volume is very good. Sound is OK (better for sure than Note 4)
I'd like to have dark notifications. Haven't checked to see if ther is a way to do that yet.
[EDIT]
I just checked. I was on FW 138. There is an update to 183. I'm downloading it now. If GPS still doesn't work, my next task is to call Huawei support...then if no good, exchange.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery is awesome on my mate 9 pro; your should be too
There are lots of themes you can install to get your notifications dark; check the apps/themes thread
wase4711 said:
Battery is awesome on my mate 9 pro; your should be too
There are lots of themes you can install to get your notifications dark; check the apps/themes thread
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery right now:
30%
9 hr 33 min
4 hr 22 min
Definitely better than my Note 4. Not sure it's up to what some claim. But I think I'm going to be happy with it.
Good news on GPS: the 183 update got the GPS to functioning. Haven't done much other than be sure it is working. Out of interest, soon I plan to do a walk and see how it goes. That type of GPS tracking is what most folks complain about re: the GPS.
Observations
Lightflow does not work with the LEDs on Huawai phones
I installed Light Manager, which works when I test LEDs from teh app,.I had quite a bit of trouble getting it to work, but it appears that just now I did. NOTE: it appears that if you do NOT have PULSE LED on, that the LED does not work at all.
Interesting: If Hold to Ear to Answer is on, and phone is face down on a table, and a call comes in...it does not ring. It answers. Not exactly what should be expected.
I tried Lightflow again, and it IS working now. I uninstalled and reinstalled.
Observation
I wish I had purchased a dark phone which would come with a dark bezel. The LED is very small and not very bright. Makes it almost impossible to see if anywhere near sunlight.
The Note 4 definitely outshines the Mate 9 with regard to three LED.
Well, my Lightflow is giving me problems. It's intermittent. I think the problem may be related to my having restored the configuration from my install on the Samsung. Intent was to get all the LED settings for the various apps. But I think some specific Samsung related settings came in.
The interesting thing is that I can uninstall, and delete anything in the SD card that has Lightflow in the name, but then the next install, the previously restored settings are there. So I need to find out how to get that out.
All that being said, the Light Manager app is working pretty good. Just not as many options.
Today's Observations
GPS is working well for driving. Still need to test it for a walk
For anyone on a Note 4: be aware that the Mate 9 has proprietary charging. That was something that contributed to keeping me away from the Oneplus 3t. But I overlooked it for the other pluses of this phone. I have read that Power Delivery chargers work better than QC, but not as good as the stock Huawei one. I have a PD on order for my car. We'll see
The issue where a pop up comes up for rights needed is a PITA. It often locks up the app, and I have to go into Apps/Permissions and grant them there.
So far each BT device I have added is working well. (Problems with BT was the straw that made me pull the plug on the V20)
Had screen on for quite a while with GPS app. Phone did run just a bit warm. In fact, it seemed to be warm for quite a while after turning off the GPS software and browsing through a store
Current feeling about the move to the Mate 9 from the Note 4
I'm feeling very positive. I think the 4K battery will be a real plus. If I can just get a full day out of it I'll be happy. I think it is hopeful for that.
Performance is very good.
Size is perfect. Almost identical to my Note 4, 1/4" taller. I am able to use the Spigen holster from the Note 4. However I need to get a case that has at least hard edges so it will slide through the clip w/o pushing the case back.
Loving the fingerprint scanner on the back.
I hope this thread is helpful for someone.
ewingr said:
Well, my Lightflow is giving me problems. It's intermittent. I think the problem may be related to my having restored the configuration from my install on the Samsung. Intent was to get all the LED settings for the various apps. But I think some specific Samsung related settings came in.
The interesting thing is that I can uninstall, and delete anything in the SD card that has Lightflow in the name, but then the next install, the previously restored settings are there. So I need to find out how to get that out.
All that being said, the Light Manager app is working pretty good. Just not as many options.
Today's Observations
GPS is working well for driving. Still need to test it for a walk
For anyone on a Note 4: be aware that the Mate 9 has proprietary charging. That was something that contributed to keeping me away from the Oneplus 3t. But I overlooked it for the other pluses of this phone. I have read that Power Delivery chargers work better than QC, but not as good as the stock Huawei one. I have a PD on order for my car. We'll see
The issue where a pop up comes up for rights needed is a PITA. It often locks up the app, and I have to go into Apps/Permissions and grant them there.
So far each BT device I have added is working well. (Problems with BT was the straw that made me pull the plug on the V20)
Had screen on for quite a while with GPS app. Phone did run just a bit warm. In fact, it seemed to be warm for quite a while after turning off the GPS software and browsing through a store
Current feeling about the move to the Mate 9 from the Note 4
I'm feeling very positive. I think the 4K battery will be a real plus. If I can just get a full day out of it I'll be happy. I think it is hopeful for that.
Performance is very good.
Size is perfect. Almost identical to my Note 4, 1/4" taller. I am able to use the Spigen holster from the Note 4. However I need to get a case that has at least hard edges so it will slide through the clip w/o pushing the case back.
Loving the fingerprint scanner on the back.
I hope this thread is helpful for someone.
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Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. I'm taking the trip from Note 4 myself. I would love to see how quickly the Power Delivery charges your phone vs QC 3, seems like an interesting new charging technology.
Swan Princess said:
Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. I'm taking the trip from Note 4 myself. I would love to see how quickly the Power Delivery charges your phone vs QC 3, seems like an interesting new charging technology.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll be sure to post results.
I did the same change, Note4 > Mate 9.
I did however managed to get my phone cloned via the tap & send thing, I got it all on my new phone.
It's been a couple interesting days.
I got the 2 Led apps working: Lightflow, and Light Manager. A fresh install of Lightflow, with NOT restoring my previous configuration worked for it, so I stayed with it.
But the next day neither would work. WTF! I messed with it for a while, and could not get it working. I found another app, LED Pro, and it is on it's second day of working.
Then this morning my daughter called my wife and told her she had called me twice, and the phone answered but I wasn'on theh line...she could here the TV. Here's my thread about figuring out that problem.
Ready to declare success...keeping the phone
I am really enjoying the phone. albeit with expected new phone type learning curve to go through.
PROS
Very fast
Screen size very close to same as Note 4...1/4" taller
While I would liked to have 6GB of memory, the 4GB seems to be fine. Every time I've checked, I've had over 1GB free. Right now, I have 1.86GB free.
Some really nice features: Loving the instantlly responsive finger print reader on the back...fits just. right for my hand
Slide finger down the FP reader to bring down the notifications. Slide up on it to close.
Camera features are nice
Sound with stereo speakers better (but of course not like using headphones)
Charging is fast, but so is Note 4
Larger battery, at 4000, is lasting me well
Con
Proprietary charger
Small Led. I would recommend getting a phone that has a black bezel rather than white so that there will be more contrast between the light and bezel. I have a white bezel, and it makes that small, dim, LED hard to see
Some apps may not be compatible. Specifically LED related apps
There may be more pros and cons, but that's the list i can think of now. Others may chime in if they think of more.
So, maybe some day I will root, and I will add to this post of how rooting goes compared to Samsung. For now, I'm holding of of rooting.
Yep !!
ewingr said:
I hope this thread is helpful for someone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I'm just here in the reading of your journey.
Made the same choice, I was waiting for Note 7 ...
No problem for me for backing up my old files, I made the back up on my PC.
I wanted to discover, and still discovering EMUI 5 et Nougat.
Having my Mate for 3 days !
I will tell you my journey too, pros and cons ...
kctus777 said:
Hi,
I'm just here in the reading of your journey.
Made the same choice, I was waiting for Note 7 ...
No problem for me for backing up my old files, I made the back up on my PC.
I wanted to discover, and still discovering EMUI 5 et Nougat.
Having my Mate for 3 days !
I will tell you my journey too, pros and cons ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds good. I have found more interesting things, likely can'at think of them all.
But one neat feature is this: When phone screen is off. there is a setting in the camera where you can double click the down volume and it will open and take a picture. Pretty cool.
Battery is lasting all day with no need to top off, and providing 5 hours SOT.
BT has been working good on everything I hook it to.
GPS is working good for driving and walking tracking.
check for firmware updat b190.... ( usa )
i also came from the note 4. leds drove me nuts. i now use an app called led blinker pro which puts a led(dot) right on the screen. it works great and is set in different colors for different apps.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ledblinker.pro
Thanks for pointing out the update.
I am using LEDBlinker Pro. Only led so I could get to work consistently on this phone.
So far I haven't the screen fur the notification yet.
Anther great feature...
This past week I found something happening in this phone that I had wished would happen on my Note 4: the WiFi will connect automatically to the stronger point. For example, when in the rear area of my house it will hook to the access point in my wife's scrapbooking room. If I get up and go to the office in the front of the house, it will disconnect from the one in the back and connect to the one in the office. Really nice. This is known in the settings as WiFi+.
Another Note 4 devotee who's moved to the Mate 9 - I'm in Australia and I've had the phone for 3 days.
Keep us posted on how it goes. Particularly the things that stand out.
I'm on the mate 9, had it four months, Chinese version, 6gb, 128gb, ufs 2.1 (fast ram, not the slower stuff that some have) running international ROM C636. Battery life is absolutely stellar however the camera IS a let down. Low light mode is better than the note 4 hands down but the Note does hold its own for video and day mode shots (superior fur video no question, especially 4K). Panoramic mode is mediocre. The camera for me is hit and miss, the one thing I dislike about the phone and the poor video stability.
I've been back to my note 4 a few times and will likely get the 7 when it's re-released next month but know the battery life will be an issue.
Mate 9 is a great phone that's let down by a camera that promises so much but fails to match the likes of the S7. If that's not important to you then you will love the mate.