The Android Thread - He;pl - The Something Awful Forums

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GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

For people with a Nexus 6, is the front-facing camera perfectly centered under the cutout in the glass or slightly off? Mine is just a bit off and while it's not causing any problems, it concerns me a little as far as build quality.

# ¿ Dec 20, 2014 22:07

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 21:23

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

I have a Nexus 7 2013 WiFi (probably the Google Play one if it matters, I'm not positive because I won it from a Kit Kat wrapper) and about two weeks ago I got a notification that a system update to 5.0 was available. I put it off because I wanted to double check that I have everything backed up and wipe it when I updated, but now it says it's up to date but I'm still on 4.4.4. Was the update pulled for some reason?

Present posted:

Why is Samsung getting slammed in this thread on the regular? I'm not a cellphone expert by any stretch of imagination and the only Samsung device I've owned is a Galaxy Nexus that I'm writing this very post on.

And this phone is a piece of poo poo that restarts randomly and has insane memory leaks. Is this a regular Samsung phone experience then?

A big gripe is the extensive UI customization of Touchwiz. I like the stock Android UI for the most part and hated it when I tried a Samsung tablet. They also have a long history of abandoning OEM support for devices quickly, I'm not sure if that's still the case.

GWBBQ fucked around with this message at 04:18 on Dec 23, 2014

# ¿ Dec 23, 2014 04:15

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Kytrarewn posted:

2. How the gently caress am I supposed to get rid of "Motorola Demo Mode"? I can force stop it every time I turn the phone on, but it doesn't do anything useful, swallows battery life and seemingly can't be permanently disabled without rooting the phone, which I'm not as yet prepared to do. Anyone have a sugggestion?

Boot into recovery and factory reset, password is "demomodeexit" if it prompts you for it.

# ¿ Dec 27, 2014 00:38

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

baka kaba posted:

The camera API got completely updated, with a much faster processing engine that should make the whole thing much more reactive and capable, as well as allowing for some HDR bracketing magic. But I heard about that a few months ago, as far as I know it's not in any official camera app yet. One of the third-party apps is supposed to have updated to use at least some of the stuff, I don't know if it's faster though

If anyone is interested in playing around with features of the new API, there's a development app you can play with here https://github.com/PkmX/lcamera

# ¿ Dec 30, 2014 16:08

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Thermopyle posted:

Oh. Nice.

Certainly not where I'd think to look for that, but oh well...

This should be the official motto for Google apps.

Turnquiet posted:

Now that Moto is releasing the Moto Pro which is a rebadged Nexus 6 with the Moto customizations I sure do hope we see Moto Display, Moto Assist, and all the other goodies on the app store for devices that can support it... like the Nexus 6. I would much prefer the Moto customizations to the default active display that works ~15% of the time that Google put on the N6.

I really hope someone ports those features to the Nexus 6 individually. The voice control of the Moto X was awful ("say a command" *phone displays '...' civilizations rise and fall, new species evolve and go extinct, continents drift, phone finally responds) but the first thing I did when I got my Nexus was trying a way to make it emulate the Moto X twist gesture.

# ¿ Jan 9, 2015 01:14

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

TollTheHounds posted:

I've probably glanced over this but I have a Google Now question I can't find the answer to on google, or maybe I'm not phrasing it properly.

Is there no way to change your mode of transportation depending on the end location for the Traffic/Navigation cards?

When I'm going to work I ONLY use transit, but when I'm going to the gym I ONLY drive. It seems like right now you only have one choice for ALL locations. I like the feature for Work but it's annoying to always get the pop up for the gym showing me bus info.

I either want to split mode of transportation based on destination, or if I can't then block cards for destinations using alternative methods from the "default", and it seems like neither of those are options right now.

When I used my Moto X, I would get alerts for traffic on I95 (southwest CT) while I was on the train because they run pretty much parallel and are side by side a lot. Moto Assist offered to go into driving mode while I was on the train until I disabled it for that reason. They could probably identify which bus or train you're on with the data they have, but I wouldn't expect it anytime soon because I think people would be creeped out to find that Google can track you that well. I wouldn't be surprised if in the next year and a half to two years they roll it out as a beta feature in Maps and Now, but it will come out as an experimental feature playing dumb about how refined and accurate it can be until they have enough people in beta.

# ¿ Jan 9, 2015 04:03

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

kitten smoothie posted:

What's the 2-month-out opinion on the Nexus 6? Kicking around the idea of getting one.

I have huge hands and I like mostly stock Android (I'm using Nova launcher to remove unneeded home screens) so it's perfect for me.

# ¿ Jan 20, 2015 02:27

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Just had my first crash due to the Lollipop memory leak on the Nexus 6 after about two weeks of uptime. Also, friends are getting 5.0.2 for the 2012 Nexus 7 so I guess it's rolling out now.

# ¿ Jan 21, 2015 15:46

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Skeezy posted:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2875284/cyanogen-ceo-says-he-wants-to-take-android-away-from-google.html

Cyanogen CEO says he wants to �take Android away from Google�. I guess they want to have their own app store and everything? I dunno if it'll work but lol

Considering how many people on XDA and Reddit are obsessive about wanting to decrypt the Nexus 6 for performance benefits that range from unnecessary to imaginary, I would put my full faith in a major ROM developer that has never managed to get a now-standard feature of Android to not brick your phone, nevermind actually work.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2015 02:46

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Does anyone else's Motorola Turbo Charger make a high pitch whistling sound when the phone is plugged in?

# ¿ Jan 27, 2015 20:45

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Lblitzer posted:

Really should just order a tpu case and tempered glass whenever I get a new phone.

Yes, you should.

# ¿ Feb 2, 2015 06:37

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

sd6 posted:

Actually there's some spots showing up under the screen now, so the LCD is hosed. Sweet!

If you bought it from the Google Play Store they might send you a free replacement. Wouldn't hurt to give them a call.

Thermopyle posted:

I've struggled with this whole idea in the past and gave up on it. I do use some USB charger hubs to good effect (I think they're Anker ones with 5 or 6 ports...I don't have it in front of me), but the retractable cables don't do much to clean up the mess because they just kind of dangle there and they only retract reliably for awhile before you've got to start messing with them to get them to retract.

There are different boxes and things you can get that you can store the whole mess in and only stick the end of the cables out. Kind of like this one that I don't really like the looks of but was the first result for a Google of "charging station".

If anyone is looking for one of these they're usually $15-20 at discount stores like Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and Burlington Coat Factory.

pandaK posted:

Are those tempered glass screen protectors worth it? If so, does anyone have any suggestions for the Note 4 and Note Edge?

I'm a huge fan of Mime Ghost Glass, for the Note 4 it's $28 but it's a much higher quality than others I've tried.

# ¿ Feb 7, 2015 16:45

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Dohaeris posted:

Picked up a Nexus 6 after my LG G2 bit the dust. Also ended up with a gift card to Best Buy who of course, carry no kinds of anything for the Nexus 6. Any case/screen protector recommendations? Or other accessories. The wireless charging sounds cool, but for 50 bucks it's a bit steep...

Supcase Unicorn Beetle case and Mime Ghost Glass screen protector.

# ¿ Feb 7, 2015 23:48

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Dohaeris posted:

The Diztronic TPU is looking pretty good to me, but what about a screen protector? Will that fit just fine with the case? The MIME Ghost Glass a generally recognized good one?

Mime makes top of the line glass. Just be aware that with the beveled edge, I don't think anyone makes a tempered glass protector that goes to the edges of the screen yet.

# ¿ Feb 8, 2015 02:45

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

this_is_hard posted:

Ironically this update seems pretty great, anyway. Idle battery drain/lag has been greatly improved post update. My turbo has 14hrs 30 mins on time and I'm sitting at 77% battery. 45 mins SOT

Thank you for confirming my suspicion that people who get all-day battery life barely use their phones.

# ¿ Feb 22, 2015 19:39

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

this_is_hard posted:

I usually use my phone a lot more, tbqh. That was from charging before bed, so a good bit of that was me sleeping.

My point though is this update seems to have improved idle drain. Before I was losing like 3-5% per hour overnight.

Oh, that's definitely an improvement then. I assumed you meant regular use and was comparing it to my average day where between the train ride and playing Ingress on the walk to work I'm typically at an hour screen on time by the time I get to work in the morning.

Eej posted:

My roommate just upgraded to an S5 and wow Touchwiz is hot garbage and why do we have to consider rooting and flashing custom ROMs on day 1 in the year of our lord 2015.

Because people do zero research and don't even hold a demo unit and try using it before buying one?

GWBBQ fucked around with this message at 00:54 on Feb 23, 2015

# ¿ Feb 23, 2015 00:51

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

hooah posted:

For some reason, Google Now thinks my work (really the commuter parking lot at school) is different than what Google Maps (correctly) thinks. I tried to edit the Now version from the commute card, but it couldn't find the intersection I used for Maps. Is this just a case of , or am I doing something wrong?

Open the Google app, go to menu > customize > places

# ¿ Feb 24, 2015 04:53

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

ThermoPhysical posted:

Yeah, I understand that. My Nexus S had burn-in after a few years. However, the problem with these two devices seems to be it's happening with regular usage and very quickly (from a few days to a few weeks of receiving the new device).

I've had my N6 for 3 months. I keep brightness at 1/3 to 1/2 most of the time and on a white screen I can barely see some burn in at the top and moderate burn in from the buttons on the bottom.

SlayVus posted:

Can someone explain what makes you think that setting the display brightness low has to do with screen burn in? Since burn in is caused by leaving an image on a display for long periods of time causing the pixels in the display to get "stuck" in the "position" they were in. The light element and the display element are different elements of the screen in it's entirety. Please, correct me if I am wrong.

OLED is still a relatively new technology and the organic compounds used degrade pretty quickly with use, reducing their ability to emit light. Burn-in is directly proportional to the amount of light emitted.

GWBBQ fucked around with this message at 23:43 on Feb 25, 2015

# ¿ Feb 25, 2015 23:39

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

dissss posted:

Really? While the Note 4 seems a lot better I don't think I've ever seen one of their earlier AMOLED models on display that didn't have absolutely awful screen burn.

Isn't that a demo unit in a store?

# ¿ Feb 26, 2015 06:00

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

DemonMage posted:

Actually do bring it to lollipop since it's random whether you'll get better/worse/same and lollipop is overall better if you're lucky like me and get the same battery experience. Since it's a Nexus device, it's completely trivial to downgrade back to 4.4 if you're unlucky and get poo poo battery life.

5.1 will probably be out in two weeks, I would wait.

Pinball posted:

Can you explain how to downgrade back to 4.4? My 2012 Nexus 7 has become pretty much an expensive paperweight since the upgrade. I'm surprised Google hasn't said anything about how to fix the performance issues.

Instructions and factory images from Google. You'll want to go with 4.4.4 for sure because of the security issues with OpenSSL in prior versions.

# ¿ Feb 28, 2015 21:41

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

ilkhan posted:

It will either not charge at all or charge slower.
Why would you use a smaller ac wart than what it comes with?

The cheap ones come with a USB cable and no charger.

# ¿ Mar 1, 2015 03:59

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

nerve posted:

Did you Nexus 6 owners know you can enable "OK Google" from any screen & screen off? I just saw this in the settings and it's life changing for driving.

I don't think I could deal with having a phone I couldn't operate by yelling at it while driving

# ¿ Mar 7, 2015 02:31

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Turnquiet posted:

Any spergin' trip reports on whether or not 5.1 for the N6 enables hardware encryption that fixes the performance issues of its flash? I never had any complaints about the speediness of mine, but during the initial batch of reviews it kinda psyched me out.

It doesn't enable hardware encryption yet, but performance is significantly better and it fixed a lot of crippling bugs (biggest one for me was not having sound in calls unless I rebooted first.)

# ¿ Mar 15, 2015 15:27

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Mooktastical posted:

That is some Cyanogenmod nightly level bullshit.

No, this persisted through a factory reset.

# ¿ Mar 15, 2015 20:25

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

You get some funny things with it trying to automatically parse highway directions. If a sign says the highway is toward NY City instead of New York City, it will tell you to, for example, "Take I-91 south toward North Y. City"

# ¿ Mar 17, 2015 00:50

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

How hotword detection for Google Now works:

1: Say "OK Google Now"
2: As you phone chimes, three people with iPhones will simultaneously ask "what did you say?"
3: Explain Google Now to iPhone users while typing in your search

# ¿ Mar 17, 2015 12:17

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Require More Fire posted:

My buddy apparently just demolished his Droid Maxx screen. He doesn't have insurance through Verizon or whatever. He's not very technical/handy so I think him replacing the screen on it's own is out of the question. What are his options for getting the screen fixed? I don't think he's had the phone for a year yet, but probably more than 6 months.

A few banks and credit unions offer phone insurance if you pay your phone bill with their credit card. Wells Fargo is the big one, but check and see if it's offered.

# ¿ Apr 6, 2015 22:19

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Necc0 posted:

This is gonna sound weird but whatever: I really want to find one of the default ringtones that came with the original droid but my search online for it has been surprisingly difficult. Does anyone know where I can get them or, even better, still have their original droid and would be willing to pull it off for me?

Do you remember the name? I still have my Droid X and can check for it.

# ¿ Apr 9, 2015 00:30

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

MaxDuo posted:

So it seems the general consensus of the goons at this point is lots of disappointment in all the Android phones. I even saw Zom Aur say Samsung is one disappointment after the other.... in general it seems people have been fairly happy when they talk about the Sony Z3 stuff, and one guy mentioned that they have a good battery life. If you don't want a giant mega screen phone are they basically the best thing to go with now?

This is a thread where phone nerds nitpick minor details that are irrelevant to the vast majority of people with phones. MC Hawking is right, if you don't care about all the poo poo we nitpick about just buy a phone that does what you want it to do and enjoy it.

Tunga posted:

As far as i understand, "Developer edition" just means the bootloader can be (but need not be) unlocked

Verizon won't allow bootloader unlocks on anything but the DE, and on any carrier it means unlocking the bootoader doesn't void Motorola's warranty. At this point it's a pretty meaningless difference for anyone who doesn't plan to unlock because I doubt anyone buying a new 2013 X now is going to be expecting to resell it anytime soon (although if you're looking to buy it's still an excellent phone for the price.)

# ¿ Apr 10, 2015 01:21

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Tatsuta Age posted:

- Nexus 6
Pro: AOSP, will get updates fast (in theory), great screen/sound.
Con: I'm kind of sick of how big my Note 3 is, so a smaller phone would be nice. If the N6 was the same size as the N5, I'd be all over it. Also, I feel like I heard a lot of battery life complaints?

Battery life isn't bad, as always cranking the screen brightness and low signal areas will kill it fast. The biggest problem is that it's still not using hardware encryption (commit logs say something like "hopefully this will be fixed in the future") so you either have to decrypt it or deal with worse read/write performance than previous generation flagships. I don't regret buying it, but I'm really pissed that Google hasn't managed to get a major feature like that working properly on a Nexus device.

# ¿ Jun 29, 2015 17:46

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

CancerStick posted:

Just find the highest reviewed, cheaper tempered glass screen protector you can find on amazon

I've tried a couple including the first one for the N6 that was available, and I would say spending the extra $10-15 to get a Mime one is worth it. The cheaper ones will end up with hairline scratches and have polarization issues, whereas the Mime ones were crystal clear and only scratched when I accidentally set my phone face-down on a boron cube (this is a problem normal people have, ribght?)

JayKay posted:

Crosspost from the VZW thread: Since VZW is now whitelisting unlocked N6's, is there any reason to pay a premium for the VZW edition over an unlocked edition?

Unlocked as in the one you get from Google Play/Motorola?

# ¿ Jul 13, 2015 03:00

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

FordPRefectLL posted:

what's the best droid turbo tempered glass screen protector? i ordered one on amazon before and it didn't fit and i had that verizon flexible glass one for a bit but it got scratched up pretty bad.

I don't have a Turbo, but based on my experience with the Moto X 2013, Mime is the way to go http://mimeusa.com/product/droid-turbo-ghost-glass-screen-protector/

# ¿ Jul 13, 2015 04:14

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

GopherFlats posted:

So I upgraded to 5.1 on my turbo a couple weeks ago and everything was fine up until the last few days. It seems like now I have to restart my phone everyday because by the end of the day it starts lagging so bad its almost impossible to do anything and has started to heat up more than normal.

Are there any know 5.1 bugs on the turbo or hardware issues?

I know a couple of people who have had battery drain issues after the update, even after factory reset.

# ¿ Jul 22, 2015 03:23

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Thermopyle posted:

God drat thats disappointing.

To add on to my list:

Incoming calls are a shitshow. The phone will start ringing, but the phone app won't show up for multiple rings. It'll just have the notification in the notification bar of an incoming call and then after a little bit the phone app will finally appear.

FWIW, this has also been happening on my Nexus 6 since I got it. Lollipop is a clusterfuck and I have no hope that the N6 will ever be what I hoped it would be, which is the 2013 Moto X DE but bigger and more awesome.

# ¿ Aug 2, 2015 05:43

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

r0ck0 posted:

Does anyone know if a verizon LG G3 will work on tmobile?

http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-lg-g3/general/factory-unlocked-lte-t-mobile-t2828543
Looks like you can but you have to enter APN manually to get LTE

# ¿ Aug 10, 2015 18:37

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

I haven't gotten the stagefright update yet, but apparently a friend with an unlocked/rooted Nexus 5 was able to take it OTA instead of flashing it. Maybe there's some hope that in the future we'll see security updates that don't have to go through manufacturers and carriers.

ThermoPhysical posted:

The only problems I've heard on the Nexus 6 are the quick burn-in and the weird camera pulsing.

I know burn-in is covered under warranty, but is there really that much variation between units that a new one won't burn in just as quickly?

# ¿ Aug 11, 2015 19:29

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

SMERSH Mouth posted:

My iPhone 6 committed suicide by jumping off a boat and I needed a fast & cheap replacement but didn't want to shrink my screen too much, so I'm now the proud owner of a 1st generation Moto X. Purchased used, off eBay, from a seller who apparently offloads old stock that was returned to Motorola but not refurbished.

I think I got a dud? Battery was dead on arrival, and while it can function while plugged in, I just let it charge for an hour and the battery is still showing 1%. I can get a replacement (the seller seems to have a decent swap / return policy if there's a problem with the phone they sell you) but its going to take some time. While I sit here wringing my hands over my device, can anyone tell me if phone batteries can behave like this if they're left run down for long amounts of time, but will eventually hold at least some charge if left plugged in ... Overnight? I mean I'm going to find out either way, but if someone here has experience with this issue or some knowledge about it, lay it on me.

Also, what's the newest version of Android that this thing can run, smoothly?

Edit: I also just cut up the SIM that was in my Nokia 635 backup phone so it would fit in the Moto X. This wouldn't have any effect on the battery and I'm retarded if I would even consider such a thing... Right?

SIM card is an all-or-nothing deal. Return/exchange it and run 4.4.4 on the new one.

Pilsner posted:

Phone: Moto G LTE. OS: 4.4.4.

Lately it has become more and more of annoyance how little time it takes until an app I have recently used will have to start from scratch when I switch back to it. Let's take an example:

1) I use Chrome and surf a website
2) I press the home button and then use Facebook Messenger for just 20 seconds
3) I press the tab button (the one that shows the list of running apps) and switch back to Chrome
4) Result: Chrome appears to "restart" and takes its time to render and reload the entire page again

Found your problem.

# ¿ Aug 16, 2015 03:54

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Pilsner posted:

Facebook Messenger just totally kills a phone or something? Now that I think of it, I started using FB Messenger about 2 months ago, and it coincides fairly well with how I feel it has been sluggish lately. :/

Devours RAM, wakelocks the phone, manifests as a physical entity and takes actual, literal bits out of your battery.

ThermoPhysical posted:

Could always just go last-gen and pick up a Nexus 6, Moto X 2014, or...well, just those two, really.

Or the Moto G 2015.

I loved the feel of the Galaxy S 6 and the Nexus S but goddamn the Nexus 6 just takes the whale-sized cake for feeling really nice in the hand. I think the iPhone 6+ and Nexus 6 feel the best in the hand for me.

Hopefully the Diztronic Ultra TPU won't change that. Anyone with that have any input on how it changes the feel? Is it heavier or thicker with those corners or just like a normal Diztronic but with bumps on the corners?

Feels great. Diztronic cases were out of stock when I got mine so I got a Supcase Beetle, but it has hard beveled edges that made it uncomfortable to hold one-handed with the bottom of the phone resting on my pinky. At first I thought it was the injection molding seams so I scraped them off, but I ended up giving up and just getting a Diztronic and it's much better.

boxen posted:

If anyone else is waiting for their 2015 Moto G 2GB to ship, I got the notice mine shipped on 8/16. I ordered it on 8/5, when the phone itself said "delayed" and so did the back cover I picked (navy).

Fedex says it'll be here Wednesday, Motorola says Friday. Looks like it made its way to Tennessee from China in the last half hour, so we'll see who's correct.

After you click the button to place the order, ignore anything Motorola's order status page says about your phone (if it shows anything, all 3 phones I've gotten from them arrived before it showed that they had shipped.)

# ¿ Aug 19, 2015 18:39

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Daily Forecast posted:

I still haven't gotten the "you got it" email from Motorola and I've had my Moto G for like three weeks now.

Is it weird that one of my favorite things about this phone is that it looks like an iPhone without being one

The website still says my Moto X 2013 is being assembled. And no, it's not weird. The iPhone is a great design and Motorola's phones look good in a similar but not ripped off way.

# ¿ Aug 20, 2015 14:28

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 21:23

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Endless Mike posted:

Except now you have to educate users that they CANNOT remove their SD card because things will probably break, and instead of fast, reliable NAND built into the device, they get to pay for the device AND cheap, failure-prone SD cards.

Also reasonably likely to be counterfeit.

# ¿ Aug 28, 2015 17:34

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