Hello!
I just wanted to know if this phones' software have ads anywhere in the UI? If yes, is there an option to opt-out?
Secondly, I've heard Xiaomi phones are notorious for having stock apps that ask for unwanted permission to function (eg: calculator wanting to access contacts etc.), is this one a victim of that?
Also does the stock os has an option to disable gesture based navigation and use on-screen navigation bar instead?
Finally, does it come with 3rd party keyboard(like swiftkey etc.) out of the box, or how is the built-in one in terms of privacy? Was it known for data gathering in the past?
If you have the device in hand, please do check these things and let me know. Are there anything else that I should be aware of, like known issues? I am not planning to flash custom roms or modify deeply.
Thanks in advance.
@n1troV I have been using my M3 for more than one month, I hope that I have answered all your questions.
1. ads anywhere in the UI?
Yes, in all Xiaomi system apps, you have to go through the settings in each of them and choose to trun off "Recommendations", to disable ads for each app.
2. unwanted permission
The calculator in MIUI does not require any permissions, in the settings, the Storage permission is listed, but denied, the calculator can still be used without the permission. There are a lot of pre-installed Google apps. The dialer, messages, and contacts apps are also from Google.
(Edit: The Taiwanese version uses the original MIUI dialer app and messages app)
3. option to disable gesture based navigation
Yes, it can be changed in the settings, please see the screenshot below.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
4. 3rd party keyboard
Yes, it came with Gboard pre-installed, you can install a different keyboard, if you do not want to use it. By default, Gboard sends analytics data back to Google, but that can be disabled in the settings.
I am using the stock MIUI ROM, and the fingerprint unlocking was very slow when I got the phone, but after getting two system updates, now the unlocking speed is faster.
If possible, I suggest that you can use Szaki/XiaomiADBFastbootTools (can be downloaded from GItHub) to debloat the phone with adb, to remove some unwanted system apps like MSA , WMService, Analytics, Chrome and other Google apps.
I used the phone for navigation several times, and the GNSS accuracy is about 4m, it is usually enough, but sometimes if another road is too close, the maps app thinks I am on the other road.
By default, VoWiFi is not enabled on this phone, but it can be enabled by disabling carrier check, using the code *#*#869434#*#* in the dialer.
If privacy is important to you, you can use a private DNS service like AdGuard DNS or NextDNS to block unwanted connections.
The phone is not perfect, but it is still a good phone for its price. If you want to have more RAM and an ultra-wide-angle camera, you can take a look at Redmi 9T, it has almost the same hardware, but it's better, and its price is the same as or similiar to M3's price, depending on which country you are in.
You can ask me if you have any other questions about the phone.
Thank you very much! You've answered pretty much all of questions I had and then some. I was unaware of the sluggish fingerprint sensor and inaccurate GPS, neither of which are dealbreakers to me, personally.
I've considered 9T too, I actually dig the design language of that one abit more than M3 and there's a slight bump in performance too. It's significantly more expensive compared to the m3 where I live though.
By the way, have you tested read/write performance of the ufs storage on the m3? If you have some free time, please do run passmarks' disk benchmark utility and share some screenshots along with the storage capacity.
Moreover, are there any noticeable lags/frame drops in the UI, delays in app opening? I am not expecting ~$150 phone to perform like ~$1000 flagships but I'd like to know what the general user experience is like.
And thanks for the tips on secure DNS. I was thinking of implementing pihole for network-wide ad-blocking, will look into private DNS services too.
Thanks again for taking your time to write a well-detailed reply, cheers!
@n1troV It takes about 2 seconds for the phone to open an app, I have tested with different apps. I think it's acceptable for the price.
My previous phone had SD625 chip, and M3 has SD662 chip, after changing to M3, I feel that M3 is a lot faster.
There is one thing I forgot to mention, this phone has dual speakers, but when I tried it the bottom speaker is a lilltle louder than the top speaker, I think when I watched review videos of M3, someone also mentioned this problem.
I will test the storage speed tomorrow when I have time.
n1troV said:
If you have some free time, please do run passmarks' disk benchmark utility and share some screenshots along with the storage capacity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Below is a screenshot of passmark.
(Edit: The phone has 4GB of RAM, but passmark only shows 3GB)
I have the 128GB version, so the storage is UFS 2.2, the SD card I use is Kingston Canvas Select Plus 32GB.
I also have another screenshot of the CIT mode, it shows the hardware information of the phone.
To show you what it feels like to open apps and to scroll through Google Play on the phone, I have recorded a video using the built-in screen recorder, it is in the attached zip file.
Thank you! The ufs storage performance was abit underwhelming though. Have you had an emmc 5.1 based phones in the past? I suppose those chips perform about the same in benchmarks. In fact, having ufs based storage is one of the main reasons I've considered m3 hoping it would help sustain good overall ui performance/snappiness although that does not seem to be the case here.
As for the muffled earpiece speaker; I guess i can pass on that since even higher end phones suffer from the same issue likely due to the fact that there isn't much space in phones with edge-to edge displays and camera hardware to fit a better speaker.
Does this phone support streaming off of popular platforms? There used to be a requirement of some codecs or something along those lines to support drm enabled streaming out of the box iirc, can this one do?
Lastly; if you're in the market for sub $200 phone and m3 and 9t are not your options, what would be your next best pick? Just curious.
@n1troV Previously, I had used two different Redmi phones, both with emmc storage, and they have Snapdragon 435 and Snapdragon 625 chips.
After start using my M3, when I transfered files from my laptop to the M3 using a USB cable, it still took a long time, the speed of transfering files from PC does not feel any faster than my previous phones that have emmc storage. I think this is because the phone only has a USB 2.0 port.
The phone supports Widevine L1 DRM certification, so it can play DRM content at the maximum quality.
I have not played any DRM content on it, but the "DRM Info" app shows that the security level is L1.
I already got used to XIaomi's MIUI, since I used two Redmi phones previously, I would only choose a phone that is made by Xiaomi, this is why I bought the M3.
Before I bought the M3, I had thought about buying other phones that are made by Xiaomi, including Redmi Note 8T (It is not sold in where I live), Redmi Note 9 Pro (It supports NFC, but it is too expensive), and Redmi 9.
When I decided to buy a new phone, because the Redmi phone I was using (Redmi 6 Pro) had GPS issues, last year, I went to XIaomi's website again, and saw that there was a new phone called POCO M3, and I compared its specs with Redmi 9.The specs of M3 are a better than Redmi 9's, except that the CPU of Redmi 9 has better performance, and Redmi 9 has a wide-angle camera. So I decided to buy the M3, since I don't take photos often, and I don't play mobile games.
After using the M3, I feel that the side-mounted fingerprint sensor is a lot more convenient than the rear-mounted fingerprint sensors that my previous phones have, with the side-mounted fingerprint sensor, it's easy to unlock the phone even when it is on the table.
Excellent! I'm relatively new to the world of android phones and almost everybody here is pushing big-name-brand phones despite them having worse specs purely for the brand recognition (I suppose?) I've come to conclusion that M3 offers good value/performance for the price you're paying, not without its fair share of shortcomings though. That's to be expected, I guess.
Thanks for saving me lot of time not having to search answers for each questions I had. It certainly helped getting answers directly from an owner of the mighty M3.
That usb 2.0 bottleneck situation is understandable though. There are $1k devices on the other side of the pond still utilizing usb2 protocol, so yeah.
I mostly agree with your argument on fingerprint sensor placement except I personally prefer rear-mounted sensors mostly due to the fact that those got large surface area to work with and tends to be more accurate and quick. Usually your index finger sits there so its only natural to unlock the device as you pick it. Only downside is not able to unlock when device is on table.
Side mounted sensors on the other hand solve that issue but depending on the placement, it might be hard to reach specially on big phones. Having a hole cut on the side of the frame shouldn't help in terms of structural rigidity either. Eitherway I'd pick any capasitive implementation over gimmicky in-display sensor in a heartbeat.
@n1troV I just remembered that I could also do a read/write speed test on my old phone (Redmi 4X), it has LPDDR3 RAM and emmc 5.1 storage, the screenshot below shows the test results of Redmi 4X.
(POCO M3 has LPDDR4X RAM)
Since you have not used Xiaomi phones before, I think you need to know that Mi and Redmi phones have the original MIUI launcher, and the MIUI launcher does not have an app drawer, but POCO phones only have the POCO launcher, it has an app drawer, and cannot be disabled.
I have tried to install the MIUI launcher on my M3, but it could not be installed, so the only ways to install MIUI launcher on POCO phones are installing a custom ROM, or root/installing a magisk module.
Hmm it turns out ufs based storage is still significantly faster, at least on the reads.
You brought up an interesting point on the launcher, does M3 use swipe up gesture to launch app drawer or it has an option to have that dedicated grid style icon?
I don't dig the stock icons/ui elements on the above mentioned phones though. As long as a 3rd party launcher can be installed with unread counts reliably shown without random crashes, it should be fine.
I've had friends who used Mi phones in the past that I got to have some hands on time with (can't recall the exact model names), most of them were either android go/one devices though. Miui based phones were from 2016-17 so I'm sure alot has changed since then.
EDIT:
I might consider flashing custom rom as my last resort option, specially if I found stock apps constantly phoning home. Preferably a privacy focused rom (graphene/lineage?) with bare essential apps and 3rd party store (aurora?) minus the google stuff. That is only if services like realtime notifications are unaffected. Also there's a steep learning curve as I've not done any of this before
@n1troV The POCO launcher uses the swipe up gesture to open the app drawer, if you do not want to have an app drawer, there is a 3rd party launcher called Lawndesk, it can be installed and used on M3, and it can show unread counts after giving it the notification access permission.
Other 3rd party launchers can also be installed on the phone, but almost all of them have app drawers.
I had unlocked the bootloader of the phone and installed Magisk on it before, but it was difficult to update the phone with Magisk installed, so I reinstalled stock MIUI ROM and relocked the bootloader with Mi flash tool.
I am currently using NextDNS on the phone, because it is customizable, below is a screenshot showing blocked connections to Xiaomi. I have disabled all analytics options in the M3's system settings, I have also removed (debloated) all system apps that are related to analytics or system ads, but the phone still 'phones home'.
I still prefer using the stock ROM and POCO launcher, at least I have blocked those connections with NextDNS.
cbw said:
if you do not want to have an app drawer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey that's not what I mean. Remember before the swipe up gesture was a thing, there used to be an icon on the bottom row of the home screen that opened app drawer on tap? I was wondering if such option is present on M3 to use drawer icon instead of swipe up.
cbw said:
I have disabled all analytics options in the M3's system settings, I have also removed (debloated) all system apps that are related to analytics or system ads, but the phone still 'phones home'.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See, this is the kind of stuff that bothers me. You went through all the trouble navigating deep in system settings and opting out, yet it does sh!t like this in the background. In the screenshot you've attached, you seem to have narrowed down results to the requests made to domains that contain "mi" in it. Who knows what else its pinging
It's impractical for average user to go through each and every request phone is making as there is probably hundreds if not thousands of them. I really do believe that if you opted out of something it should not be pinging servers over the web period. Privacy is becoming a bigger and bigger problem every day yet most people ignore it entirely. I doubt average user would know or care about such sketchy behaviors of their "personal" devices.
tl:dr Probably not the best for privacy, at least not out of the box.
n1troV said:
there used to be an icon on the bottom row of the home screen that opened app drawer on tap?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
POCO launcher does not have that option, but there is a small arrow that can be clicked to open the app drawer.
I have found a 3rd party launcher called Apex Launcher, it still has the old Android icon for opening the app drawer, but I think the old version (3.3.3) of it is better than the current version.
n1troV said:
you seem to have narrowed down results to the requests made to domains that contain "mi" in it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had to do it, because I also use other apps, and browse websites, so if I didn't do it, it would show a lot of domains, including the ones used by other apps and websites.
For browsing websites on the phone, I suggest that you can install an extension called ublock origin, but most mobile browsers don't support extensions. Kiwi Browser and Firefox Android (There is also a fork called Iceraven, it supports more extensions compared to Firefox) support extensions, so you can install extensions on them for privacy.
n1troV said:
Who knows what else its pinging
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have just restarted the phone, cleared the log in NextDNS, and stopped using the phone for 25 minutes, I have only opened NextDNS's website with Kiwi Browser, below is a screenshot of NextDNS's log.
Thanks for the update on stock launcher and possible third party options.
cbw said:
I also use other apps, and browse websites, so if I didn't do it, it would show a lot of domains, including the ones used by other apps and websites.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand that. Embedded trackers within apps is whole another story. I was more concerned about OS telemetry that cannot be disabled. There is no guarantee that the phone is pinging domains only have "mi" in it.
cbw said:
I suggest that you can install an extension called ublock origin, but most mobile browsers don't support extensions. Kiwi Browser and Firefox Android (There is also a fork called Iceraven, it supports more extensions compared to Firefox) support extensions, so you can install extensions on them for privacy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am also aware that the mobile firefox has somewhat limited extension support. However adding more and more extensions doesn't exactly help with browser fingerprinting. In fact it makes matters worse as you stand out more compared to the "default" ff installations. uBo is my go to addon for adblocking on computers, will definitely have that on phone as well.
cbw said:
I have just restarted the phone, cleared the log in NextDNS, and stopped using the phone for 25 minutes, I have only opened NextDNS's website with Kiwi Browser
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suppose you're logged into google account and has sync enabled? I mean still its imperfect way to track ALL the requests phone is making specially when its on standby, and for such small period of time. Unless its connected to pi-hole or some sort of firewall/nw analyzer all the time, there's no way you can tell whats going on
n1troV said:
I suppose you're logged into google account and has sync enabled?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I have enabled sync for my Google account. With DNS, I could not find a better way to track the requests, because DNS cannot tell which requests are coming from a specific app.
I have installed AdGuard to filter requests on my phone (with local VPN method), and I will post screenshots of blocked requests later.
These are the blocked requests.
Xiaomi Cloud (and Cloud Backup), Xiaomi Service Framework, and System Apps Updater can be uninstalled using Szaki/XiaomiADBFastbootTools.
It is possible to use Android Debug Bridge (adb) to uninstall Google Play Services, but I do not know if it is safe to do it.
After searching online about uninstalling the Mi Account app, I found this.
https://gist.github.com/Biswa96/81fe477079fa5279f7cfd7b98d5519c7
Do not uninstall com.xiaomi.account if you've already logged in MI account.
You will get "This device is locked" message and won't be able to unlock it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, thanks for saving the day, again! I'm so glad the first person to reply to my thread happens to be somewhat privacy conscious.
cbw said:
I could not find a better way to track the requests, because DNS cannot tell which requests are coming from a specific app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly! Unfortunately same thing applies for network activity monitors. Pi-hole seem to have a decent dashboard, probably 3rd party hardware firewalls too.
cbw said:
uninstalling the Mi Account app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not planning to log into any third party services. Probably not even google on setup wizard.
I was wondering, is there a way to sandbox apps in android? As in you could isolate app data from one another and have full control over each app as to whether it's getting access to internet/gps and whatnot. I heard Shelter does this, not sure how that works exactly.
Unrelated to privacy: does the stock launcher has option to "lock homescreen grid"?
n1troV said:
Shelter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will cause bootloop in MIUI.
I also saw this in Shelter's description.
Some vendor / custom ROMs may have a broken implementation that may cause crashes and even bricking of your device. One such example is MIUI from Xiaomi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I want to test apps without installing them on my phone, I use a virtual machine app called "VMOS Pro", it works well on my M3, but it sends analytics data to several servers, and there is no option to disable that.
By the way, POCO launcher also sends data to two different severs, "api.accelerator.intl.miui.com" and "api.ad.intl.xiaomi.com", so you might want to avoid using it, POCO launcher can be uninstalled using adb or XiaomiADBFastbootTools.
n1troV said:
does the stock launcher has option to "lock homescreen grid"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
Related
Please be concise! Only bug reports of the pre-"official" Samsung XXLSA ROM Leak, or Samsung issued updates!.
I will add up (e.g. bug x #4 ) and list all bugs reported here. No one did so far, despite probably a disproportionate number of people using this ROM as opposed to non-Samsung baked ROMs.
High Mem Usage #5 (several reports on xda)
Camera Click is delayed ( very noticable when making shots with flash enabled)
Slow. AnTuTu reports a score of ca 8000 vs. 10.000 typical for Gingerbread
Disabling Energy Saving Mode, drops the AnTuTu score to ca 7000
When restarting movil during the activated (in the task bar) “Multi Window” option, the first time this option is not functional. Inactivate and Active! #1 (andres.gomez.pena)
normal Kies Air is not working (connecting) using XXLSA #3
Usb connection via MTP is buggy #1 (couldn't confirm Win7100)
homescreen speaks to you (TTS) sporadically #1 (the opening of voice commands may also be intentionally enabled through a tapping motion!)
Kernel is Speedlocked at 1000Mhz #1 (bloodyduke)
Cchoice for apps not always remembered. E.g. for launchers. #3
(1) Update:
The Kernel is configured as SMP Preempt. Priorization may differ in this build from previous Samsung ROMs.
It appears the slow down isn't due to rampant services at all, but the CPU mode being set to "on demand" by default and Speedlocked.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
I apologize if my phrasing is a bit off - I am still in my early learning stages.
Battery life is great, as reported by many others!
(2) Update:
The Speedlock is due to the Battery Savings option, and actually not a bug, but working as it should.
It thus cannot explain why Antutu is even significantly slower when Battery Savings options are turned off.
(3) Update:
The OS occasionally closes or restarts applications in the background, which may entail additional CPU loads.
Be advised to turn off Multi-view from the notification bar, if not needed. Antutu went up 800 points from ~7200 to again 8000. Closing background, and halting monitoring apps - yielded me 8500 points in Antutu.
When I want to edit the preferences of the instant load in the Google+ app, it crashes.
After reset, picture frame widget is blank and you need to select the picture again.
After reset default programs ( for images, web links and whatever ) are forgotten and you need to select them again when you first open them.
Usb connection via MTP is buggy and does not show all the files in some directories.
Kies recognizes device but says firmware cannot be updated ( probably normal though because this is not official firmware )
Charging while using the phone is very slow
Confirming Google plus bug... I just uninstall that anyway...
Enabling an application in accessibility settings (e.g. NoLed or Llama) makes the homescreen speak to you (TTS) and the phone becomes incredibly laggy. Longer explanation here and another claim here.
Smart stay option in display does not work in lsa leaked . Problem is fixed in lsc leaked .
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda app-developers app
S Pen hovering effect doesn't work,I mean it doesn't open any thumbnails
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
XXLSD is out. So maybe a buglist for this is more interesting - assuming that from LSA over B to C to now already D some of the A-Bugs are solved.
ThaiDai said:
XXLSD is out. So maybe a buglist for this is more interesting - assuming that from LSA over B to C to now already D some of the A-Bugs are solved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True. But I figured that the majority will toy with the leaked "official" ROM and either didn't or opted out of any OTA updates. The majority aren't testers but only install the official versions and might land here via google search. Yet as you said, it is a good idea to pool the more recent builds here as well to see if a potential bug is no longer reported.
To all: Please report XXLSB - XXLS? bugs here as well, along with the version you are using.
For instance this Rocketrom JB bake ( http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1953847 ) is reported with the bug: "Zooming issue with VideoCam on 1080p-mode".
I checked this in XXLSA, and got an error message "Zooming is not supported while Recording FULL HD video". Seems OK and logical. I figure a lot has been fixed or improved in the leaked JB.
I ponder if the sluggishness and high Mem consumption is due to most applications being baked as debug versions? Can anyone confirm this theory? Much can also be explained via ( https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&q=SMP+PREEMPT ) - the KERNEL configuration of the leaked bake.
For me XLSA worked pretty good until it stopped. When I was listening to music on Poweramp using BT headphones phone freezed. After reboot it stuck on black splash screen GT-N7000. Nothing was working - nor nandroid backup helped nor wiping or even flashing XLSC. Had to do wipes using Abyss Kernel 4.2 Red Pill. After that I could flash or recover system from backup. All was back to normal.
Bluetooth Headset doesn't beep after call ends
Here is another bug that I discovered.
When I am using my bluetooth headset, when the call ends I don't hear the BEEP in the headset that indicates that the call has ended.
In 4.04 when the call ended I would here a BEEP in my headset.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=34980130&posted=1#post34980130
ThaiDai said:
XXLSD is out. So maybe a buglist for this is more interesting - assuming that from LSA over B to C to now already D some of the A-Bugs are solved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know how can I get the official XXLSB, XXLSC or XXLSD upgrade?
Diegocsn said:
Do you know how can I get the official XXLSB, XXLSC or XXLSD upgrade?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Someone wrote an app for that MyUpdate or UpdateMe, it was called. (If I would have the post, I would link it).
Others have gotten updates through the official channel - (Phone Status -> Update) e.g. in Singapore. You could try and VPN connect your phone to an Asian server/ISP.
bloodyduke said:
Someone wrote an app for that MyUpdate or UpdateMe, it was called. (If I would have the post, I would link it).
Others have gotten updates through the official channel - (Phone Status -> Update) e.g. in Singapore. You could try and VPN connect your phone to an Asian server/ISP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please teach on the vpn connection to asian server.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda app-developers app
Gallery toolbar sometime misaligned/moving down after viewing photo/full image.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2
1. Lags: Even with ultra clean instal. Removing some apps makes it better. But not that much.
2. Butter is more like lumpy grease. Same experience as compared to gb on gs2, now jb on note compared to nexus. Experience not on same smoothness level.
3. More black clipping then ever
4. Unstable, can sod permenantly.
5. Next to black clipping strange artifacts in screen. Rare issue
6. Regionalisation is more linked to simcard/network rather then csc or chosen countries. This makes it difficult to read disclaimers for the travelers amongst us. This for os, for samsung apps and for google play. Pretty silly move.
7. Apps dont remember their states ( e.g. browsers) This is inhibiting multitask experience. Apple can do this why not Android. Focus was on multitasking with release wasnt it?
8. Not all aps are aproachable through the multitasking bar
9. Ota changes check on root now
10. Messages in multitask mode from one app can block all others untill message is away
11. Spen becomes uncalibrated over time. Unforgivable for a spen phone
12. Nice toggles, brightness missing in stock version (60% sure of this)
13. Not as robust. A battery pull can make phone unbootable. Not foolproof.
14. Default choice for apps not always remembered. E.g. for launchers.
Rant rant, so on and so forth
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2
baz77 said:
1. Lags: Even with ultra clean instal. Removing some apps makes it better. But not that much.
2. Butter is more like lumpy grease. Same experience as compared to gb on gs2, now jb on note compared to nexus. Experience not on same smoothness level.
3. More black clipping then ever
4. Unstable, can sod permenantly.
5. Next to black clipping strange artifacts in screen. Rare issue
6. Regionalisation is more linked to simcard/network rather then csc or chosen countries. This makes it difficult to read disclaimers for the travelers amongst us. This for os, for samsung apps and for google play. Pretty silly move.
7. Apps dont remember their states ( e.g. browsers) This is inhibiting multitask experience. Apple can do this why not Android. Focus was on multitasking with release wasnt it?
8. Not all aps are aproachable through the multitasking bar
9. Ota changes check on root now
10. Messages in multitask mode from one app can block all others untill message is away
11. Spen becomes uncalibrated over time. Unforgivable for a spen phone
12. Nice toggles, brightness missing in stock version (60% sure of this)
13. Not as robust. A battery pull can make phone unbootable. Not foolproof.
14. Default choice for apps not always remembered. E.g. for launchers.
Rant rant, so on and so forth
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I cannot confirm most of these. Performance issues, true. As for multitasking: The high memory consumption leads to forceful closure of apps. Apps must implement restoring routines. Never had any system crashes or artifacts ever - with pretty heavy testing.
If you have rooted the phone your bug reports aren't what others experience.
8. It was delivered and promoted as such. Probably for stability reasons. XDA users have broken that limitation (rooting required).
10- I checked this. Not the case. E.g. video player and gallery zooming. Depends on the application's routine to being put in the background.
11. Didn't experience that. The lack of calibration options bugs the hell out of me. Primitive y-offseting is provided through left /right handed settings. I found an app that allows Wacom digitizer calib. $$+ root. No way!
My mind was blown when I downloaded the Wacom Sketching app and experienced unparalleled Spen sensitivity.
13. Definitely not the case. I am usually too lazy to shut down.
14. Ack.
bloodyduke said:
I cannot confirm most of these. Performance issues, true. As for multitasking: The high memory consumption leads to forceful closure of apps. Apps must implement restoring routines. Never had any system crashes or artifacts ever - with pretty heavy testing.
If you have rooted the phone your bug reports aren't what others experience.
8. It was delivered and promoted as such. Probably for stability reasons. XDA users have broken that limitation (rooting required).
10- I checked this. Not the case. E.g. video player and gallery zooming. Depends on the application's routine to being put in the background.
11. Didn't experience that. The lack of calibration options bugs the hell out of me. Primitive y-offseting is provided through left /right handed settings. I found an app that allows Wacom digitizer calib. $$+ root. No way!
My mind was blown when I downloaded the Wacom Sketching app and experienced unparalleled Spen sensitivity.
13. Definitely not the case. I am usually too lazy to shut down.
14. Ack.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
8 Would be nice if they showed an option to view all aps with a disclaimer, stability issues can arize. At own risk. If it cant harm the phone, why not .
10 we are using different apps. Probably different way of showing these prompts/status messages. So its not generically captured, my guess.
11 good tip on the app. Youre gonna love this one if it works.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2027680
13 has been reported at least once, apart from my own experience
Other issues, some difficult to reproduce. That doesnt make them untrue.
I concurr, my setup in regards to stock is not 100% representative. But root cannot effect black clipping or strange artifacts. I think.
However this thread title is on rom dump, not the sammobile leaked rom(referred to as stock, which to my knowledge is not based on dump).
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2
Not very accurate list.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda app-developers app
thanks for pointing this out. As I said, I did indeed not have any troubles with the pre-official XXLSA. Not even application crashes that I can remember, let alone system crashes - with heavy testing. Many initial bugs which turned out to be misinformation on my part.
My biggest gripes are high memory consumption, sluggishness - but I have no idea if this is normal. But there is certainly a strong argument why current phones have more RAM and more CPUs, GPUs.
This thread is designed to organize ZGPAX Discussion.
I will begin by posting what i have learned and if others have mods or useful information, OP will be updated.
Please feel free to PM me, and drop a line. ADD ME ON FACEBOOK - all that is in my xda profile to the left
Also, if you are interested you can mail me your ZGPAX via USPS and i will root/ install the modification listed. For more Information PM me with your inquiry!
Also We can Skype/Video Call / Hangouts Video Call for the watches that i mod
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"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
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Using Next Launcher 3D
[VIDEOS]
Running NEXT LAUNCHER 3D -
Tablet Talk Notification TEst / Misc Testing
Awesome ON / OFF Application
Stock Test Run
.
.
OTHER VIDEOS
Courtesy of
Shaolin95
ZGPAX Running Dreamcast Emulator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZmdEl9yAvI
ZGPAX Running Playstation - Tekken 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzPNHKuWfbo
ZGPAX Playing Shinobi via M.A.M.E w/PS3 Controller https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNFyWJXZcLQ
ZGPAX Quadrant Standard Benchmark https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUGlLVXJ77U
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SOFT BRICK OR STUCK in a BOOTLOOP? REVERT TO STOCK
TWRP is required to use the following backup. Please make sure you still have it installed and are able to access it.
Download the stock OS backup Here http://www.4shared.com/zip/dxnYQfmpba/stock_zgpax.html
You need to be able to access your SD Card, if not you may need to use an external SD. Navigate to /SD Card/TWRP/Backup (or create the folder if it doesn't exist). Next you need to make a folder called Stock ZGPAX. Then your are going to place the files you downloaded here from the link above.
IF you cannot access your SD Card, try using an external MicroSD card. You will have to make the /TWRP/Backup Directory and Folder yourself... and then place the files in there manually.
Finally, you will REBOOT into TWRP and Navigate to the restore option. Look for your folder there and restore this backup.
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.
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ROOT
Just install "framaroot.apk or sideload to the watch's internal storage and install - Do not ask for links, just google it
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RECOVERY
To install TWRP, you can download and install RECOVERY TOOLS for Free. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.mkrtchyan.recoverytools
Next download to Internal SD This TWRP image https://www.dropbox.com/s/05818ubth99f2x9/twrprecovery.img and UI.Zip https://www.dropbox.com/s/f59htzer97tvliz/ui.zip
--Open Recovery Tools - Select FLASH OTHER RECOVERY - Locate and Select the twrp.IMG file you downloaded and hit YES. Continue to flash...
--Download UI.zip Here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=52782588&postcount=892 Make sure you place it in --> Internal Storage/TWRP/theme - (you are actually going to make this folder yourself)
--Reboot into recovery (Hold down back+power) and you should see twrp.
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STOCK ANALOG CLOCK LOCKSCREEN / SCREENSAVER BYPASS
This will prevent the stock lockscreen analog clock and launcher from showing up when you press the power button to turn the screen off
Requirements: ADW or other 3rd party launcher/Root Access/RomToolbox/"NO LOCK" Free application on google play
Be sure you have root, and you have already installed ADW or a 3rd party launcher and ROM TOOLBOX or equivalent.
Step 1: Download "NO LOCK" from play store... Yellow iPhone looking app icon. Or Bluetooth transfer / side-load application to internal storage and INSTALL
Step 2: Go into SETTINGS >> APPS >>> ALL TAB >> Navigate to COM.SZKCT.ACTIVITY and click on it >>> Force STOP & DISABLE if possible
OPTIONAL: If you would like this to stick after reboot: GO TO ROM TOOLBOX >> APP MANAGER >> ALL >>> Locate COM.SZKCT.ACTIVITY and FREEZE the package.
INVERTED GOOGLE PLAY STORE
View attachment 2488657
This application just looks a whole lot better on our device. https://www.dropbox.com/s/ka1zpew0r2rqpsp/Inverted_Google_Play_Store_4.5.10.zip?m=
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SMS & INCOMING CALL NOTIFICATIONS
Thus far, the only app i have verified to work RELIABLY is TABLET TALK, which is currently $2.99 in the PLAY Store.
You may need to install PIE CONTROLS to have the MENU BUTTON functionality first. PIE is free in play store - Afterwards:
Install on Both, android phone and the smart watch.
On the android phone you are using, setup the device in settings >> at the bottom >> The phone should be selected as PHONE
On the smart watch, go into the same settings menu at the bottom >> The device should be selected as tablet
On both devices, you should press the bluetooth icon.... Both will turn yellow, and then GREEN, when they paid. DONE!
PERFORMANCE
Using a TOOLBOX / RooT app (such as Rom TOOLBOX or Trickstermod) recommendations below to help performance and battery.
Scheduler --> Change I/O to DEADLINE - This will increase SD Card read Speeds --> The stock is CFG, Deadline is usually faster!
Governor ---> Try ON DEMAND Governor. Can help eliminate over-heating without sacrificing performance. Stock is Hybrid
XPOSED FRAMEWORK
.A number of apps will not fit within the visible area of the device without changing the DPI. Confirmed that Xposed and App settings works with the ZGPAX and can be found here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2072081. For example, in the ADW popup dialog you cannot change screen borders or change wallpaper until you change the DPI to 100.
.
.
.
USEFULE APPS
Some useful good apps that install and work for this device. Will update frequently with your help:
Battery Monitor Widget - This widget may help updating the battery percent and reflect more accurately at all times.
Awesome ON OFF - Similar to galaxy gear, turning the watch activates screen on, with vibrate
Shake Screen ON OFF by Freebooks - Simple shake to turn the screen on or off - no need to use home button
CPU SPY is good for monitoring deep sleep... in case you install an app that keeps the device awake.
ADW EX Launcher - 4x4 grid is perfect, runs smoothly, can stretch clock widgets and such
Active Apps - Good for clearing apps and Ram in one convenient location
DigiClock - Large 4x4 clock with built in themes
Frama Root - For quick rooting
Google Maps - Be sure to actually download and install from the playstore or it may not work
NO Lock - Removes lockscreen and you can sleep / wake watch from whichever home screen you left off at
PIE controls - So you don't have to always be hitting the hardware POWER and Back buttons... also allows many toggles
ROM TOOLBOX - All root tools, file explorer, boot animation etc etc
thanks for your works
i wainting arrive my device :laugh:
Volume Change
Since mine isn't here yet, I guess someone else can test this. It's from the Joe's Tech Review website and it's for a different model, but it might work.
Z1 smart watch phone Engineering code. (Bas Advalvas)
INCREASE CALL VOLUME: found it!
Finally found it. And it's easy! Call sound value is too low on the Z1, 1 of it's main drawbacks.
■Start the phone dialer and dial: *#*#8787#*#* This will start Engineer Mode on de the Z1.
■Select Audio, then Normal Mode. Choose the 'type' Speech, change the value 6 into 0 (that's the loudest) and press Set.
■Press the Back button once. Now select LoudSpeaker Mode. Choose the 'type' Speech, change the value 24 (?) into 10 (on my Z1, the value 0 made the sound very soft, probably because of the system that prevents feedbacklooping from speaker to microphone (how you call this?)) and press Set. Press the Back Button a few times to leave Engineer Mode.
That's all! The standard call volume increases a bit (40%?), but the handsfree volume (which is otherwise about the same as the standard) inceases a lot (150%?) AND the annoying interference sound is now gone!!!
Drayke5 said:
Since mine isn't here yet, I guess someone else can test this. It's from the Joe's Tech Review website and it's for a different model, but it might work.
Z1 smart watch phone Engineering code. (Bas Advalvas)
INCREASE CALL VOLUME: found it!
Finally found it. And it's easy! Call sound value is too low on the Z1, 1 of it's main drawbacks.
■Start the phone dialer and dial: *#*#8787#*#* This will start Engineer Mode on de the Z1.
■Select Audio, then Normal Mode. Choose the 'type' Speech, change the value 6 into 0 (that's the loudest) and press Set.
■Press the Back button once. Now select LoudSpeaker Mode. Choose the 'type' Speech, change the value 24 (?) into 10 (on my Z1, the value 0 made the sound very soft, probably because of the system that prevents feedbacklooping from speaker to microphone (how you call this?)) and press Set. Press the Back Button a few times to leave Engineer Mode.
That's all! The standard call volume increases a bit (40%?), but the handsfree volume (which is otherwise about the same as the standard) inceases a lot (150%?) AND the annoying interference sound is now gone!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The speaker is incredibly loud... and being that you haven't actually received your zgpax, i don't think you will need any volume increase.
Would you describe some of the customization you've performed with ADW-EX in order to get such a great look? I haven't used the pay version before, so perhaps it is a silly question, but how did you get such large icons on the main page?
I'm considering buying this watch. Two questions:
1. How does it handle notifications from my phone?
2. Can I use Bluetooth to connect my phone to it since I don't want to put my SIM card in there?
zNiiC,
Check out this other thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2507033&page=8
To answer your questions directly, not yet. It is designed to be a stand-alone device (that being said it may happen eventually).
zNiiC said:
I'm considering buying this watch. Two questions:
1. How does it handle notifications from my phone?
2. Can I use Bluetooth to connect my phone to it since I don't want to put my SIM card in there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I've seen that thread. Could you possibly tie your smartphone to this watch with some sort of app to recieve notifications on it?
ItzSnitz said:
zNiiC,
Check out this other thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2507033&page=8
To answer your questions directly, not yet. It is designed to be a stand-alone device (that being said it may happen eventually).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apparently the manufacturer is still working on making this possible..... I've tried a lot of apps so far with no luck
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app
Humm. Bummer. I think I read somewhere that someone used mysms. Not sure if it was in the other thread or for a different watch.
If you really want to make it happen, you can use Tasker, Zapier and Pushover to do the job. Here's a useful explanation intended for a different application. Bottom line: if you expect to transmit more than 100 notifications per month, you'll have to shell out some ridiculous money.
ItzSnitz said:
If you really want to make it happen, you can use Tasker, Zapier and Pushover to do the job. Here's a useful explanation intended for a different application. Bottom line: if you expect to transmit more than 100 notifications per month, you'll have to shell out some ridiculous money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To BigBison420 and ItzSnitz,
Couldn't you use tasker along with either open watch or notify my android since you can install apps on this watch? (Not quite sure how these apps work). Might be worth a shot to see if it is able to send notifications.
OpenWatch: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=554551
Notify my Android: http://www.notifymyandroid.com/
BigBison420 said:
Apparently the manufacturer is still working on making this possible..... I've tried a lot of apps so far with no luck
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is that the watch is a phone. It is recognized by other devices also as a phone.... And try googling how to pair an android phone to an android phone to use for notifications and call handling Lol.... Not happenin
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app
zNiiC said:
To BigBison420 and ItzSnitz,
Couldn't you use tasker along with either open watch or notify my android since you can install apps on this watch? (Not quite sure how these apps work). Might be worth a shot to see if it is able to send notifications.
OpenWatch: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=554551
Notify my Android: http://www.notifymyandroid.com/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried to get open watch to work but no go.... I spent a lot of time trying app store apps. Lots of hidden ones too but I'll def post when something works
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app
ItzSnitz said:
Would you describe some of the customization you've performed with ADW-EX in order to get such a great look? I haven't used the pay version before, so perhaps it is a silly question, but how did you get such large icons on the main page?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im using 1.3.3.8 which is an over hauled update of the app... All prior versions are clearly not as good.
I downloaded digi clock widget, which has tons of built in theme and stretches out nicely (4X4 widget).
Also disabled action bar in adw, disable dock, and grid set to 4x4 for the homescreens. That's really the foundation of my cosmetic tweaks. Also i completely disabled lockscreen as described in OP so immediately the watch awakens to the clock on the homescreen
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app
Hi guys,
Newbie here. I too bought the ZGPAX smart watch about 3 weeks ago, OEM version. I also purchased another model EC-309 from HOPU watches, which is based on similar hardware MTK6577, Android 4.0 and with the extra that it has 3G network, different hardware layout (camera on the side not front).
Purchased the ZGPAX for around 140$ odd plus shipping, EC-309 on the other hand was priced above $230. Full disclosure, I own a retail store selling OEM Android tablets in Indochina and would like to add smart watches into my product portfolio.
I would like to get some tips on how to extend the battery life seeing as some users managed to be able to get 1 to 1 1/2 days use on a single charge . Rooted the devices, lowered the CPU range. Tried basic user stuff like, screen timeout, brightness. Switched from 3G to GSM. Still cant get more than 6-8hr battery life. Have tried DX battery Saver Pro, this really extend the batt life but at the at the expense of shutting off wifi and 3G (not acceptable solution). Any other ideas?
For those who might be interested, here's a comparison of the two devices
1) ZGPAX touchscreen runs much hotter than the EC-309
2) ZGPAX has superior speakers, music sounds clearer and louder, no distortion at higher levels
3) ZGPAX has SD card slot, EC-309 only has internal 4GB
4) EC-309 slightly better finish, aluminium bezel, ZGPAX feels a little plasticky
5) Similar firmware for both models. Same issues, Google voice, Skype, Facebook crashes or does not work.
6) Similar battery life - 6 to 8 hr max
7) Similar battery monitoring issues - battery indicator not accurate
8) Both models have good wifi and 3G reception
9) EC-309 comes with Launcher 8 as a default..Win 8 style launcher, no custom launcher like ZGPAX.
10) EC-309 uses micro SIM , ZGPAX regular SIM size
Will share more on apps that work for me soon.
kindredd said:
Hi guys,
Newbie here. I too bought the ZGPAX smart watch about 3 weeks ago, OEM version. I also purchased another model EC-309 from HOPU watches, which is based on similar hardware MTK6577, Android 4.0 and with the extra that it has 3G network, different hardware layout (camera on the side not front).
Purchased the ZGPAX for around 140$ odd plus shipping, EC-309 on the other hand was priced above $230. Full disclosure, I own a retail store selling OEM Android tablets in Indochina and would like to add smart watches into my product portfolio.
I would like to get some tips on how to extend the battery life seeing as some users managed to be able to get 1 to 1 1/2 days use on a single charge . Rooted the devices, lowered the CPU range. Tried basic user stuff like, screen timeout, brightness. Switched from 3G to GSM. Still cant get more than 6-8hr battery life. Have tried DX battery Saver Pro, this really extend the batt life but at the at the expense of shutting off wifi and 3G (not acceptable solution). Any other ideas?
For those who might be interested, here's a comparison of the two devices
1) ZGPAX touchscreen runs much hotter than the EC-309
2) ZGPAX has superior speakers, music sounds clearer and louder, no distortion at higher levels
3) ZGPAX has SD card slot, EC-309 only has internal 4GB
4) EC-309 slightly better finish, aluminium bezel, ZGPAX feels a little plasticky
5) Similar firmware for both models. Same issues, Google voice, Skype, Facebook crashes or does not work.
6) Similar battery life - 6 to 8 hr max
7) Similar battery monitoring issues - battery indicator not accurate
8) Both models have good wifi and 3G reception
9) EC-309 comes with Launcher 8 as a default..Win 8 style launcher, no custom launcher like ZGPAX.
10) EC-309 uses micro SIM , ZGPAX regular SIM size
Will share more on apps that work for me soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really depends on how you use the device.... i could get 3 / 4 days out of it, simply using it as a watch to check the time. Streaming wi-fi and videos and downloading stuff is a whole different story. Have you tried changing the CPU Governor? I have not lowered the stock cpu settings... mine sits at 1001mhz max and 250 min. Deep sleeps about 90% of the time
BigBison420 said:
Really depends on how you use the device.... i could get 3 / 4 days out of it, simply using it as a watch to check the time. Streaming wi-fi and videos and downloading stuff is a whole different story. Have you tried changing the CPU Governor? I have not lowered the stock cpu settings... mine sits at 1001mhz max and 250 min. Deep sleeps about 90% of the time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Much thanks for the quick feedback BigBison! Frankly the watch gets fully used most days, I am actively chatting on WeChat, checking time, playing around with some basic voice recognition apps (utter, voice reading). Am trying to squeeze as much as possible out of the device. Will try to lower the CPU settings to half 667mhz and see if that helps. IO on deadline and Govenor OnDemand.
BTW, Any devs out there want to help with Custom ROMS? Am happy to donate towards the purchase of a smartwatch for the dev if it can help resolve the battery, Skype, Facebook and Voice search issues.
Also heard from my OEM supplier in China that a new version with Android 4.3 will be coming out early 1st Quarter 14. Will keep you guys informed.
kindredd said:
Much thanks for the quick feedback BigBison! Frankly the watch gets fully used most days, I am actively chatting on WeChat, checking time, playing around with some basic voice recognition apps (utter, voice reading). Am trying to squeeze as much as possible out of the device. Will try to lower the CPU settings to half 667mhz and see if that helps. IO on deadline and Govenor OnDemand.
BTW, Any devs out there want to help with Custom ROMS? Am happy to donate towards the purchase of a smartwatch for the dev if it can help resolve the battery, Skype, Facebook and Voice search issues.
Also heard from my OEM supplier in China that a new version with Android 4.3 will be coming out early 1st Quarter 14. Will keep you guys informed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow that is very cool! keep us posted, we love updates! haha
Also if you find useful information or good apps for the watch let me know so i can update the OP in the meantime for other peeps.
Cheers!
There's also Augmented Smart Watch Pro (Play Store), however I suspect it's still the same issue that ZGPAX is a phone, not a watch. Might be worthwhile to reach out to those developers to check their pulse on this application.
BigBison420 said:
Tried to get open watch to work but no go.... I spent a lot of time trying app store apps. Lots of hidden ones too but I'll def post when something works
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guys i have being playing around with the phone for 3 or 4 days. My first impression as every one was WTF 4562398562389476 Bloatware apps installed. And i did remove all of them or disabled them. (im using original rom). I have also removed all the GAAPS, cleaner and all that stuff from the phone.
But it crossed from my mind why not to check ASSUS apps.
Splendid: This aps gives you full control of the display. You can enable blue light filter, vivid color mod, you can control hue and saturation, the temperature of the image also. its a very complete app and its not bad at all.
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"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
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"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
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SystemUpdate: There is not much to say there but with one click you can receive the OTA updates. Quick and easy (and works lol).
Themes: it does what it is. you can apply in a easy way new themes. it gives you the option too, you can share your creation with ASUS and they may include yours into this.
Weather: As it says the name this is an app that shows the weather from were you are its very complete and its stylish. also has a good looking widget.
MiniMovie This app is for making videos "presentations" from photos that you have on your phone. you can add text music. is easy its not bad at all. i do not use this kind of apps but i may stat using it . also when you finish editing you can share to whats up, or upload into youtube, etc.
Music: This app is the music players it has nothing special it does what is expected not bad at all. also has an option that you can connect to cloud storages to listen your music.
MyAsus Its an app that let you connect to asus and open tickets to them ask questions etc. also you can access zen forum. there is not much interesting here more than you can open support tickets to them. i did open asking for update 5.1.1 and it took like 2 days to reply but they did. Also they send you news like the IFA event form today.
Pc link: This application lets you mirror the screen from the phone into your windows desktop. its not bad at all. there you can controll all your phone, also take snapshot, make videos , etc. its not bad at all.
Photo Collage: This apps let you make Collage with taken photos, or downloaded ones. its easy and quick not bad at all. lots of options. you can modify the colage how is made. add text effects colors etc. when you save you can share through watsapp or any app.
Power Saver: This app lets you configure may aspects of battery consumptions. also let syou set battery modes .
FlashLight: This app turns on your led to use it as a flashlight also you can turn on the display for more light. SOS message and some other thinks . this app is not very good it does drains your battery if you turn off the LED and you left the app opened. so close the app when you stop using it. There is not need all this options we only want turn on the led to use the celphone as a flashlight.
FM RADIO: I have not tested due i did not connected a head phone yet. but it should be good.
Kids Mode: I have not used it but its good one. you can configure the phone to have only some apps that kids can use.
Asus Mobile Manager: I have mixed feelins with this app. it does make some short cuts to the ui or other apps. but what can you do there is. you can configure not to start apps when the celphone boots. also you can make applications not to send notifications. You can clean the memory from apps loaded. And go to the Battery saver app.
Audio Wizard Basically you can select music modes presets
Auto Start Manager: This app is shown inside Asus Mobile Manager. it lets you block apps to start when the celphone boots.
Camera: This is the camera app there are lots of review. it has tons of options its very good.
Asus Cover: This app lets you configure the Flip cover when its installed on the phone. i dont have one so there its not much to do here.
Email: Im very happy with this app i have connected to Outlook server and it works grate it has tons of options very complete. Probably it is not the best but its ok for most users.
Calendar: tis a calendar its very good also. i have synchronized to outlook sever works perfect tons of options to configure.
Regarding the ASUS IU. its great its fluid and you can tweak all aspects from the interface. you can modify fonts, effects, colors etc. it may be not as complet as nova or similar launchers. but for most of us the job is well done.
There are some others apps that i still have disabled. like:
Mirror:(its enable the front camera (selfie))
Remote link: allows you control your pc from the cellphone. (this is not bad at all if you need it)
Party link: i think it was like an app to share contact in a party but the other person should have the app installed also. The idea is not bad but too complicated to send a contact.
ShareLink: Dont remeber waht was this.
SuperNote: An app to do notes. im using other so i don´t have any opinion on this. But should not be bad at all.
WhatsNext: its like shows you what you have to do next in your calendar. its like a shot cut to your schedule.
ZenCircle and ZenTalk don´know like something "SOCIAL"
Giving a thought what i can say of ASUS apps. they are not bad at all i was expecting very bad apps. and they are being updated so it may be good to give them a try. they are balanced for productivity and leasure. they are quick and elegant. what i can say thumbs up for almost all of them
i cant deny they are A LOT.
Most of the bloatware can be disabled now. On previous versions of the firmware, this could not be achieved without rooting. That being said, its hard to deny that a select few of the Asus apps are actually quite useful and designed well for use.
---------- Post added at 03:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:06 PM ----------
Also I included this thread in the device index as a guide for the stock apps function: http://forum.xda-developers.com/zenfone2/general/index-asus-zenfone-2-wip-t3149748
cmendonc2 said:
Most of the bloatware can be disabled now. On previous versions of the firmware, this could not be achieved without rooting. That being said, its hard to deny that a select few of the Asus apps are actually quite useful and designed well for use.
---------- Post added at 03:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:06 PM ----------
Also I included this thread in the device index as a guide for the stock apps function: http://forum.xda-developers.com/zenfone2/general/index-asus-zenfone-2-wip-t3149748
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i was not aware. good to know they are making things better. we need to wait 5.1.1 update to have better battery performance.
There is not even an iota of doubt that they are making things better but they should have released 5.1 now. its getting late every single day
PhotoCollage and Minimovie and flashlight are excellent aps. The others i don't use.
Let 5.1 come first and then you'll get real performance cause 5.0 supports only 32 bit unlike 5.1, it supports 64 bit too and memory bug leak is mind **** on 5.0
I actually like Splendid. Wish I could download it for my other devices such as my shield tablet.
Sent from my SHIELD Tablet using XDA Free mobile app
I did disable 23 apps. Wish I could disable asus web storage
Yeah, PC Link is pretty cool. Love the mirroring. Thanks for your post!
wifestealer said:
I did disable 23 apps. Wish I could disable asus web storage
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The version that I have it is not installed. I have installed my self to get free 5th of.storage.
Probably can be uninstall our disable
tatubias said:
The version that I have it is not installed. I have installed my self to get free 5th of.storage.
Probably can be uninstall our disable
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, I dont want that storage but It can't be disabled or uninstalled I guess
wifestealer said:
LOL, I dont want that storage but It can't be disabled or uninstalled I guess
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's odd I can uninstall the app. Do you have the latest firmware instaled? I have ww version
tatubias said:
That's odd I can uninstall the app. Do you have the latest firmware instaled? I have ww version
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes I've latest firmware with WW version, I'm having one problem more. Does 2g work on second sim?
Well, agree that some of them are good - I like Splendid and Picture Collage, the camera app is good, and the PC Link suite are good. But the calendar is basically the same as Google one but much uglier. Mail app I prefered the ASUS one to Gmail, but why both preinstalled? Waste of space - shouldn't bother with Gmail one, those who want it can get from playstore. The Supernote app is awful - the finger writing function is just plain useless. Party Link is pointless. The torch app is OTT - a simple quick settings toggle would suffice. Live water - waste of space. Browser - why? It has Chrome, surely most people use that? I suppose some of the apps that duplicate Google app functions are needed for the CN sku, but we don't need them on WW models. I could go on, but I won't. Basically, I just wish they had put in only the core apps and then an ASUS Apps Hub app that introduces extra apps you could choose to get from the playstore according to your need.
I've been running OldDroid's OpenKirin for Honor 8 on my US (C567) Mate 9 for a few days and I'm very happy with it. It fixed the main bugs I've experienced with EMUI 8 since the Oreo upgrade. Those bugs include widgets not updating after a half hour even when exempted from battery optimization, some apps not working (e.g. US Topo, a GPS hiking app, that was battery-optimized to stop even when exempted from battery optimization), and EMUI's favoring its own launcher over third party launchers like Nova, sometimes to the point of crashing. Then there were irritants like apps that I don't use that couldn't be removed, EMUI lockscreen wallpaper whose magazine no longer updates. If I wanted to be tightly controlled, I'd buy an iphone.
So with Wirmpolter's patient help, I took the plunge and installed AOSP, specifically OldDroid's OpenKirin for the Honor 8. This is a treble-based OS, with some specialization for the Kirin processor. I've written an installation guide aimed at a relatively inexperienced installer:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76231795&postcount=23
All of my major and minor frustrations with EMUI have been resolved. All my apps work. All the hardware works (although I have to turn off the equalizer to get music to play through the headphones). The camera and video work great. Battery life is good. You can install without replacing the stock recovery, which is good because if you don't touch the stock recovery, it is pretty much always possible to unbrick your phone.
If you are eyeing a new phone or thinking about rolling back to Nougat because of your dissatisfaction with Oreo/EMUI 8 on the Mate 9, then I'd suggest trying OpenKirin. It worked for me.
Hi! Does the headphone jack work with 3rd party music players and video players like say VLC? I have a lot of music on my SD so will the app be able to read it? Also, compared to stock EMUI how would you rate battery life?
Thanks, looking forward to this.
Although, not willing to be a guinea pig at the moment. Hoping some others will try this out and give some feedback. Definitely, need a fully functioning camera, including video.
Works with VLC
Vankata1 said:
Hi! Does the headphone jack work with 3rd party music players and video players like say VLC? I have a lot of music on my SD so will the app be able to read it? Also, compared to stock EMUI how would you rate battery life?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
VLC works with headphones -- I use VLC, though my main music player is Music Folder Player Full, which also works with headphones. (If you carry a lot of music organized into folders, check it out.) Neither app can see the SD card, so you would have to move music to the main storage with the Files program in order to access it with VLC. I carry about 10GB of music, so I copy all of it onto main storage. Again, to make the headphones work, I use Simple Tiny Equalizer to turn off the equalizer. You can do this in app, too.
I'm finding battery life about the same, possibly a bit worse. I used to end a day with about 30% remaining, and now I end it with 20%. Small sample. I might be using it more intensely, though, or EMUI's aggressive battery management that disables widgets and apps may have saved some battery.
As an aside, VLC can see my local network, like a Windows PC. I can play music and videos at home from my NAS. I didn't know Android could do this.
Guinea pig
vijer said:
Thanks, looking forward to this.
Although, not willing to be a guinea pig at the moment. Hoping some others will try this out and give some feedback. Definitely, need a fully functioning camera, including video.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My willingness to be a guinea pig was very much influenced by (1) having a pretty great backup phone (ZTE Axon), which I set up first and used during the process and (2) the time I was spending looking at new phone announcements and reviews, gearing up to ditch my phone. But I like the Mate 9 -- fast, big battery, big screen, fantastic camera, headphone jack -- and I don't really want to start carrying a USB-C to 3.5mm dongle around. There was nothing wrong with the phone except EMUI 8.
prestonmcafee said:
My willingness to be a guinea pig was very much influenced by (1) having a pretty great backup phone (ZTE Axon), which I set up first and used during the process and (2) the time I was spending looking at new phone announcements and reviews, gearing up to ditch my phone. But I like the Mate 9 -- fast, big battery, big screen, fantastic camera, headphone jack -- and I don't really want to start carrying a USB-C to 3.5mm dongle around. There was nothing wrong with the phone except EMUI 8.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Mate 9 is the best phone I have owned so far and I am considering the Mate 10. I hate the pro version, don't like those long skinny screens.
EMUI 8 is okay (I don't access settings often and I don't have any issues using Nova Launcher), but I would like to get rid of some of the locked in software (Duo, Facebook App Manager, Email, Gboard, Google, Google Play Movies/Music, Hi Care, HiSuite, Huawei Home, Huawei Mobile, Music, Notepad - a lot can be disabled but why not just allow deletion?) and I would really like to use OpenGapps Pico. But I really need to access my ExtSd from PowerAmp and Moon+Reader, so that is the real deal breaker.
Are you able to use OpenGapps? Does the vanilla Oreo come with Google's bloatware too?
OpenGapps
vijer said:
The Mate 9 is the best phone I have owned so far and I am considering the Mate 10. I hate the pro version, don't like those long skinny screens.
EMUI 8 is okay (I don't access settings often and I don't have any issues using Nova Launcher), but I would like to get rid of some of the locked in software (Duo, Facebook App Manager, Email, Gboard, Google, Google Play Movies/Music, Hi Care, HiSuite, Huawei Home, Huawei Mobile, Music, Notepad - a lot can be disabled but why not just allow deletion?) and I would really like to use OpenGapps Pico. But I really need to access my ExtSd from PowerAmp and Moon+Reader, so that is the real deal breaker.
Are you able to use OpenGapps? Does the vanilla Oreo come with Googles bloatware too?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm with you on the long, skinny screens. I carry my phone in my shirt pocket most of the time, and it just barely has its center of gravity below the top edge of my pocket. Any taller and it will fall out even more frequently.
EMUI occasionally asked to replace Nova, and would crash if I added a EMUI widget to the homescreen. I hadn't realized how many apps couldn't be removed. For me, Facebook App manager is especially awful as I'm not on FB and FB track non-users, e.g. through the Like button on third party websites.
Not all the Gapps were embedded but some were. I think I had to add Gmail but Play, Google (search app), Chrome etc were present. It appears I can't uninstall the Google search app. (Of course, with the phone rooted, I can.) OpenKirin is not a vanilla AOSP in that way.
Did you try/can you try viper4android? ive been trying to get it working on emui8 and have had no luck.
really wanting to switch to aosp
viper4android
KitsuneUK said:
Did you try/can you try viper4android? ive been trying to get it working on emui8 and have had no luck.
really wanting to switch to aosp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The reviews are too negative, especially claiming popups, for me to try this. I'm not saying that the reviews are accurate as they often are not. But I've had to hard reset sometimes to remove a pernicious app, and this one isn't worth the risk. Sorry.
A cleaner version of android is more likely to run any app that didn't come from the phone manufacturer.
prestonmcafee said:
I'm with you on the long, skinny screens. I carry my phone in my shirt pocket most of the time, and it just barely has its center of gravity below the top edge of my pocket. Any taller and it will fall out even more frequently.
EMUI occasionally asked to replace Nova, and would crash if I added a EMUI widget to the homescreen. I hadn't realized how many apps couldn't be removed. For me, Facebook App manager is especially awful as I'm not on FB and FB track non-users, e.g. through the Like button on third party websites.
Not all the Gapps were embedded but some were. I think I had to add Gmail but Play, Google (search app), Chrome etc were present. It appears I can't uninstall the Google search app. (Of course, with the phone rooted, I can.) OpenKirin is not a vanilla AOSP in that way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya, I remember having an issues with one or two widgets, but then I decided I didn't want all that stuff and just made three widgets using KWGT widget maker and I haven't had any issues since, except occasionally the music pause/start doesn't respond.
I was able to remove many apps, but those I listed, and most of those can be disabled. Still, would rather have a clean ROM.
Some of these app issues are Google changes. I used to use ROM Toolbox Pro to remove apps but Google made them remove the feature. I think Google is trying to force more apps like Chrome and Search on us. I don't use the Gmail app, instead I use AquaMail which is a superior interface and I have 7 email accounts that it manages.
Did you try installing OpenGapps? I did on the Huawei Oreo and it installs but then the phone boot loops. I used the pico version which has the bare minimum Gapps. Don't know if the issue is the way Huawei made the ROM or if this is a Google change.
Anyway, the biggest issue is the limited support for the external SD card. Maybe a future update will resolve that issue.
I'll definitely update when OldDroid does, at least fairly quickly, and report if the next version improves the SD card. I'm doing all right with it just as a source of backup files.
I found another advantage of OpenKirin. I didn't get google maps directions over bluetooth in car (an Audi) since updating to Oreo/EMUI 8. I'm not sure why. I tried deleting and re-adding the connection, which didn't fix it, and music and telephone calls played fine over bluetooth, so it wasn't the bluetooth connection. Now bluetooth directions work perfectly, as well as music and calls (which did before).
I took the plunge and flashed OpenKirin - it's decent, limited bloat, but I just can't live with the external SD card access problem. Hopefully, OpenKirin developers will work on it.
vijer said:
I took the plunge and flashed OpenKirin - it's decent, limited bloat, but I just can't live with the external SD card access problem. Hopefully, OpenKirin developers will work on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How's the performance? I tried Phh-Treble, RROS and Lineage OS, this last two are for the Honor View 10, all of them work, can read external SDCard but all of them have performance issues, when you are heavy using the phone, switching from app to app, copypasting things, taking photos, etc., the phones lost all kinds of smoothness that seems to have when you just flash it.
IOmega666 said:
How's the performance? I tried Phh-Treble, RROS and Lineage OS, this last two are for the Honor View 10, all of them work, can read external SDCard but all of them have performance issues, when you are heavy using the phone, switching from app to app, copypasting things, taking photos, etc., the phones lost all kinds of smoothness that seems to have when you just flash it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I can't answer your question. I have too much on my external SD to live without it. 300 ebooks 2000 mp3s 400 videos several hundred images
Camera app can't see the storage
Root explorer can't see the storage
PowerAmp can
QuickPik can't
Moon+Reader cant
VLC can't
So after fiddling with it for a while I went back to MHA-L29 8.0.0.368
I haven't noticed any performance issues after about a week of uptime. I don't game, though, so may not stress the system like some do.
vijer said:
Sorry, I can't answer your question. I have too much on my external SD to live without it. 300 ebooks 2000 mp3s 400 videos several hundred images
Camera app can't see the storage
Root explorer can't see the storage
PowerAmp can
QuickPik can't
Moon+Reader cant
VLC can't
So after fiddling with it for a while I went back to MHA-L29 8.0.0.368
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I know that bug, experienced it in Phh-Treble, hopefully is easy to fix and it was fixed on Phh-Treble, so it'll be soo fixed on this OpenKirik AOSP, what matters most to me is performance
prestonmcafee said:
I haven't noticed any performance issues after about a week of uptime. I don't game, though, so may not stress the system like some do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess it deservers a try-
I finally took the dive and installed this on my primary device last night.
Ran into one issue: apparently, Huawei pulled the unlock request page offline. All of the available links to it that I could find went to a 404 page. (DC Unlocker to the rescue, I guess.)
In any case:
No issues with headphones. A few minor graphical glitches with the volume control panel and similar things but that's about it.
Magisk gets Google Pay and other SafetyNet demanding apps working, AdGuard doesn't mysteriously stop running because of overly aggressive memory management, dual SIM functionality seems fine.
45 minutes SOT, 92% remaining. No performance issues of note, aside from the minor graphical glitches feels smoother than EMUI did.
Update: I found something that gets rid of the graphical glitches, which (so far) seems to have a negligible effect on performance. Turn on GPU rendering profiling to be output to adb, all of the weird scrolling and clipping glitches go away...
GPU Rendering
irony_delerium said:
I finally took the dive and installed this on my primary device last night.
Ran into one issue: apparently, Huawei pulled the unlock request page offline. All of the available links to it that I could find went to a 404 page. (DC Unlocker to the rescue, I guess.)
In any case:
No issues with headphones. A few minor graphical glitches with the volume control panel and similar things but that's about it.
Magisk gets Google Pay and other SafetyNet demanding apps working, AdGuard doesn't mysteriously stop running because of overly aggressive memory management, dual SIM functionality seems fine.
45 minutes SOT, 92% remaining. No performance issues of note, aside from the minor graphical glitches feels smoother than EMUI did.
Update: I found something that gets rid of the graphical glitches, which (so far) seems to have a negligible effect on performance. Turn on GPU rendering profiling to be output to adb, all of the weird scrolling and clipping glitches go away...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a "Profile GPU rendering" under developer options, defaulted to Off, with two other options: On screen as bars, and "In adb shell dumpsys gfxinfo". Is the latter what you mean by output to adb, or am I missing something? I hadn't noticed glitches, other than occasionally missing half of the first line of text in some reading apps. With the in adb setting, I was unable to replicate that glitch, but it doesn't happen often, so could be unrelated.
When I choose "In adb shell dumpsys gfxinfo" and then restart, it returns to off.
prestonmcafee said:
I have a "Profile GPU rendering" under developer options, defaulted to Off, with two other options: On screen as bars, and "In adb shell dumpsys gfxinfo". Is the latter what you mean by output to adb, or am I missing something? I hadn't noticed glitches, other than occasionally missing half of the first line of text in some reading apps. With the in adb setting, I was unable to replicate that glitch, but it doesn't happen often, so could be unrelated.
When I choose "In adb shell dumpsys gfxinfo" and then restart, it returns to off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The latter is what I meant. The glitches I keep seeing are:
1) The volume panel, when it's opening and closing, seems to lose it's edges. As soon as the animation is complete, of course, it returns to normal.
2) In Chrome, at least, when scrolling through a select box, the edges of it seem to stick (top and sides).
I've seen a few others, mostly in the same vein. It usually looks to be as though a scrollable view isn't clipped correctly by the underlying driver, and turning on profiling causes it to render strictly.
I'm not surprised that it turns itself off at reboot, I haven't rebooted this since I got everything installed on it.
irony_delerium said:
The latter is what I meant. The glitches I keep seeing are:
1) The volume panel, when it's opening and closing, seems to lose it's edges. As soon as the animation is complete, of course, it returns to normal.
2) In Chrome, at least, when scrolling through a select box, the edges of it seem to stick (top and sides). .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I replicated 1) and that your fix works. I had noticed some scrolling artifacts in Firefox, but don't seem to be able to replicate them at the moment. But then, I notice scrolling artifacts on laptops, too. I'll leave it set to adb.
Are you comfortable in your own skin? Is your phone comfortable in its skin? Rate this thread to express how you deem the skin on the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3. A higher rating indicates that you love it: it adds just the right amount of features, it's visually pleasing, and overall it's additive to the experience. If this is a Nexus phone (you didn't think we hand-wrote all of these prompts, did you?) then use this rating to indicate how the latest version of Android looks to you.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
10.0.11.0 - Global
I can't believe how bad the MIUI 10 global firmware is...
I had heard the MIUI might not be to everyone's tastes, so I was prepared for a little bit of disruption...
However it's much worse I expected.
Firstly, a few positive points:
The hardware is top notch. It's a bit heavy and thick, but it's a very comfortable device to hold. I LOVE the hardware.
Visually it's actually quite appealing. The settings screen has a nice "slinky" effect when scrolling hits the top and bottom. There's also some nice animated when apps open and close from the launcher.
That's about all the good things I can say about it.
The worst things:
Notifications are just plain broken. By default, all installed apps only show notification badges. They don't show icons in the status bar and they don't show on the lock screen.
I can't imagine what MIUI designer thought this was a good design choice. Notifications is the one thing that Android does WAY better than iOS, so why MI would nerf notifications to be almost useless is unfathomable.
So after figuring out why notifications weren't working, I went through every app and for every category of each app enabled notifications in the status bar AND lock screen.
Really annoying, but I thought "hey, you only have to do this once, right? Stop complaining..."
But even then the notifications on the don't work right. They show once... when you unlock the phone they all disappear off the lockscreen forever. Consider this example, I set a reminder to for 12pm. It shows on the lockscreen at 12:01, but I'm not ready to deal with it yet. At 12:02 I unlock the phone to make a phone call. Boom notification disappears. Next time I look at my lockscreen, nothing to do. Complete and utter bollocks!
There's lots of bloat apps on the device. Why would I want to use the MI Messenger when I can use the awesome Google Messages?
So I install Google Messages... and guess what... notifications don't work. I changed all the stupid defaults to enable everything, still no notifications.
That's probably due to the very aggressive power management on the phone. Obviously MI disable this for their own apps (so they run correctly), but for every other app the defaults are set very aggressively. Why MI felt they had to rewrite the, already very competent, power management built into Android 9 I don't know... but they did and it' bad. Great you made my battery last a few hours longer, but you also made my phone completely useless...
Back to the bloat, you can't remove OR hide any of the built in schlock, also very annoying.
The iOS like launcher with no app drawer and ALL icons on the home screen, also very annoying.
I could go on and on... The Mi Mix 3 is a beautiful piece of hardware that it completely and utterly let down by abysmal software.
I'm going to try putting the "Unofficial Pixel Experience" ROM on it. If that doesn't perform well I will be selling this baby at a loss, because MIUI 10 is completely unusable.
pm-2019 said:
10.0.11.0 - Global
I can't believe how bad the MIUI 10 global firmware is...
I had heard the MIUI might not be to everyone's tastes, so I was prepared for a little bit of disruption...
However it's much worse I expected.
Firstly, a few positive points:
The hardware is top notch. It's a bit heavy and thick, but it's a very comfortable device to hold. I LOVE the hardware.
Visually it's actually quite appealing. The settings screen has a nice "slinky" effect when scrolling hits the top and bottom. There's also some nice animated when apps open and close from the launcher.
That's about all the good things I can say about it.
The worst things:
Notifications are just plain broken. By default, all installed apps only show notification badges. They don't show icons in the status bar and they don't show on the lock screen.
I can't imagine what MIUI designer thought this was a good design choice. Notifications is the one thing that Android does WAY better than iOS, so why MI would nerf notifications to be almost useless is unfathomable.
So after figuring out why notifications weren't working, I went through every app and for every category of each app enabled notifications in the status bar AND lock screen.
Really annoying, but I thought "hey, you only have to do this once, right? Stop complaining..."
But even then the notifications on the don't work right. They show once... when you unlock the phone they all disappear off the lockscreen forever. Consider this example, I set a reminder to for 12pm. It shows on the lockscreen at 12:01, but I'm not ready to deal with it yet. At 12:02 I unlock the phone to make a phone call. Boom notification disappears. Next time I look at my lockscreen, nothing to do. Complete and utter bollocks!
There's lots of bloat apps on the device. Why would I want to use the MI Messenger when I can use the awesome Google Messages?
So I install Google Messages... and guess what... notifications don't work. I changed all the stupid defaults to enable everything, still no notifications.
That's probably due to the very aggressive power management on the phone. Obviously MI disable this for their own apps (so they run correctly), but for every other app the defaults are set very aggressively. Why MI felt they had to rewrite the, already very competent, power management built into Android 9 I don't know... but they did and it' bad. Great you made my battery last a few hours longer, but you also made my phone completely useless...
Back to the bloat, you can't remove OR hide any of the built in schlock, also very annoying.
The iOS like launcher with no app drawer and ALL icons on the home screen, also very annoying.
I could go on and on... The Mi Mix 3 is a beautiful piece of hardware that it completely and utterly let down by abysmal software.
I'm going to try putting the "Unofficial Pixel Experience" ROM on it. If that doesn't perform well I will be selling this baby at a loss, because MIUI 10 is completely unusable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Xiaomi phone has Xiaomi apps, you sound surprised.... Should of just got a pixel phone
I don't recognize any of these criticisms of MIUI 10. This is my first MIUI phone, I've previously run mostly ROMs based on Lineage, which is pretty close to stock Android. Notifications work fine for me, with the exception of Google Messages which is borked, Textra is a perfectly good substitute and works. The native messaging app does have problems, but with group texts not notifications. I've had no difficulties because of apps being killed in the background, quite the contrary compared to my previous phone with its pitiful RAM, multitasking on the Mix3 is, as I expected, significantly improved, and returning to apps much later almost always results in state preservation rather than a restart. Stock launcher?? Who the hell ever runs a stock launcher anyway? There are a million-and-one alternatives, including the Pixel launcher if you prefer, this being one of the biggest (and multitudinous) advantages of Android over crApple.
I love the phone but can agree that MIUI10 notifications are ****. Totally broken. Over aggressive battery management. I heard they are working on that.
I also think MIUI is... err... not my favourite flavour of Android (to be polite).
Thank goodness for Pixel Experience.
To be fair, I think their ROM is highly geared towards China. That's why they need all the custom non-Google apps.
However that's no excuse for the notifications issue. That's just bad. However I don't think this is a Mi Mix 3 issue... Its a MIUI issue and if you Google "MIUI notifications" you will see people complaining about it in MIUI 8.
Here's Android Police (a really reputable site in my opinion) complaining about it for the POCO F1
https://www.androidpolice.com/2018/...g-miui-poco-f1/#The_notification_icon_tragedy
Basically notifications are bad on MIUI and they have been for a while. And Xiaomi don't seem able or willing to fix it...
mmm_ok said:
I also think MIUI is... err... not my favourite flavour of Android (to be polite).
Thank goodness for Pixel Experience.
To be fair, I think their ROM is highly geared towards China. That's why they need all the custom non-Google apps.
However that's no excuse for the notifications issue. That's just bad. However I don't think this is a Mi Mix 3 issue... Its a MIUI issue and if you Google "MIUI notifications" you will see people complaining about it in MIUI 8.
Here's Android Police (a really reputable site in my opinion) complaining about it for the POCO F1
https://www.androidpolice.com/2018/...g-miui-poco-f1/#The_notification_icon_tragedy
Basically notifications are bad on MIUI and they have been for a while. And Xiaomi don't seem able or willing to fix it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course it's highly geared towards China, it's a Chinese manufacturer who's main customer base is China lol
Only bad in Chinese ROM but that's for the Chinese market.
in Developer Settings, scroll to bottom and disable "MIUI Optimization" and it will work
i killed tupac said:
in Developer Settings, scroll to bottom and disable "MIUI Optimization" and it will work
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mmm have you a proofs? I mean, i already did it and no positive results.
So just some perspective here, I have a Pixel XL of all 3 generations, and multiple other devices that run stock or close to stock Android. I bought this device BECAUSE I wanted to check out MIUI in more detail. I invested several hundred hours trying to get MIUI to boot on my Pixel XL. I was never able to get it to boot all the way into setup. There are a lot of cool things MIUI does, and there are some annoyances. However, I think we can both agree that the build quality and price of the Xiaomi devices are second to none at the moment. I haven't seen build quality like this since my Droid X and Droid Rzr.
The nice thing is that we should get full TWRP support and once we have a working device tree (I won't lie, I've been working on that and a TWRP build) we can get some open source goodness with a full ROM. If you hate MIUI that much why would you purchase the device? Also as far as manufacturers go, Xiaomi is far from worst about updates and ongoing device support from what I'm seeing. Especially with these "halo" devices.
PWn3R said:
If you hate MIUI that much why would you purchase the device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There seems to be an undercurrent of "Why did you buy it if you hate it so much?" and "If you don't want MIUI apps, you should have just bought a Pixel", so let's just clear a few things up...
This is NOT me:
I really hate MIUI... but I'm going to buy a Xiaomi phone anyway and complain about it.
This is me:
Huh, that Mi Mix 3 looks really cool... Never owned a Xiaomi phone before... I wonder if I should take a chance...
Oh crap I'm not getting ANY notifications. Wow, this MIUI is really broken.
As I said in my first post, I love the hardware. Unfortunately, in my opinion, MIUI, on the global version of this device at least, is busted. I just can't believe that they would have released something so half baked.
Fortunately, I've installed a custom ROM and waved goodbye to that MIUI nightmare.
pm-2019 said:
There seems to be an undercurrent of "Why did you buy it if you hate it so much?" and "If you don't want MIUI apps, you should have just bought a Pixel", so let's just clear a few things up...
This is NOT me:
I really hate MIUI... but I'm going to buy a Xiaomi phone anyway and complain about it.
This is me:
Huh, that Mi Mix 3 looks really cool... Never owned a Xiaomi phone before... I wonder if I should take a chance...
Oh crap I'm not getting ANY notifications. Wow, this MIUI is really broken.
As I said in my first post, I love the hardware. Unfortunately, in my opinion, MIUI, on the global version of this device at least, is busted. I just can't believe that they would have released something so half baked.
Fortunately, I've installed a custom ROM and waved goodbye to that MIUI nightmare.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, that makes more sense. I haven't had notification problems on the global room, but it's flashed on the Chinese device in my case and it was dirty flashed over the EU rom without wiping data. I'm sure given what I saw with the Mix 2s there I had very briefly that they will sort out the issues on the global rom.
Sent from my Mi MIX 3 using Tapatalk
Almost all of the issues I've had with notifications were down to the combination of Pie/MIUI, and the multitude of confusing notification settings. Once I'd got all the permissions sorted out, notifications worked perfectly with the exception of Google Messages, and the solution to that was to switch to another message provider then switch back again, I don't know why that works but it does (I have to do it each time I update, apparently). The developer option thing doesn't work, all that does is reset all the notification permissions, leading to the tedious task of setting them back again. MIUI does have a learning curve, but it's certainly not a nightmare.
invisiblewave said:
Almost all of the issues I've had with notifications were down to the combination of Pie/MIUI, and the multitude of confusing notification settings. Once I'd got all the permissions sorted out, notifications worked perfectly with the exception of Google Messages, and the solution to that was to switch to another message provider then switch back again, I don't know why that works but it does (I have to do it each time I update, apparently). The developer option thing doesn't work, all that does is reset all the notification permissions, leading to the tedious task of setting them back again. MIUI does have a learning curve, but it's certainly not a nightmare.
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I can't use Google Messages because I'm on Verizon and they limit mms to 30kb unless you are using an "approved" device or using their Messages+ app. I gave up and just went to that instead. Getting notifications working on that just required setting allow change system settings for the app, enabling notifications in the app permissions thing from MIUI.
gonna echo everything said so far about miui notification settings. every other phone manufacturer i've ever used has ALL notifications enabled by default. it's a much faster task of just disabling any apps you don't want to see notifications from as they pop up. why in the hell would they do the reverse?
other than that, everything about it is top notch. but the notification system. that is my ONE and only complaint about the entire experience. so far. i've only had the phone for three days. let's see what else pops up (or doesn't, in this case)
ps. the only app i have any issue with notification wise after the tedious setup is hangouts, but from what i understand that's been a google issue for a long long time, and not an android issue.
How is always on display working for you guys? In my case, it just shows the clock and date, and incoming notifications are not highlighted or anything
Nooblit said:
gonna echo everything said so far about miui notification settings. every other phone manufacturer i've ever used has ALL notifications enabled by default. it's a much faster task of just disabling any apps you don't want to see notifications from as they pop up. why in the hell would they do the reverse?
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Because everyone wants notifications right. Other than for calls and texts, having to manually disable notifications for all my apps is annoying and a waste of time.
urtv said:
Because everyone wants notifications right. Other than for calls and texts, having to manually disable notifications for all my apps is annoying and a waste of time.
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i find it a waste of time to have to do the reverse. OH and not to mention that if you go into an apps notification settings to adjust something small and unrelated like the sound the app makes or something like that, all of the system notifications get erased, causing you to have to go into the system notification settings fort hat specific app and have to re-enable everything over and over again. this happens with textra, hangouts, pretty much any sms or messaging app. it's literally backwards, the way they do it, and makes less sense than how literally every other manufacturer does it. i don't appreciate difference for the sake of it. there should be some logic behind it, and quite frankly that logic is broken.
with all due respect, of course.
I think that MIUI's idea regarding notification default settings is related with improving battery duration. I agree that notifications is the weak point here. But the fact that the notificacion settings go back to default when running the security application, or sometimes you don't know why, is worst and annoying, because you won't know it untill you miss an important notification because of it.
I came from a Mi Mix 1, and it was all the same...
bursuk2007 said:
How is always on display working for you guys? In my case, it just shows the clock and date, and incoming notifications are not highlighted or anything
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Same problem here! I have my phone since yesterday and comes from a Galaxy S7 edge where i got all notifications on my AOD. But on the MIx 3 i just can see the time and the date and no notifications at all. Is this normal, or do i have to set something in the settings. (MIUI 10.0.11.0 Stabel)
Thanks for any hints!
Philipp