topic Re: A few questions for Android lovers! :D in Off-Topic

A few questions for Android lovers! :D

Marjo — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 14:50:38 GMT

Hi guys! How's your day going?

I've got a few questions related to your Android phones that I'd love to hear about!

Here goes:

Which phone(s) do you have?
What's the best thing(s) for you in your Android phone?
What thing(s) are you not so satisfied with, and would like to change?
Customisation. There's a lot of things you can do with Android to make it more your own... How do you customise yours?

Looking forward to your comments!

Re: A few questions for Android lovers! :D

MI5 — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 15:14:17 GMT

Galaxy S3, Sony Z1 and Z5 and Z3 tablet.
Pros are customisation and the ability to load different ROMs to try.
Negs are sometimes things don't go smoothly due to the variability of ROMs so compatibility isn't always guaranteed.
Mods for me these days are mainly limited to different themes although in the past I have ported ROMs onto different phones such as running 7.0 on my S3 that Samsung stopped supporting years ago.

Re: A few questions for Android lovers! :D

Glory1 — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 15:22:57 GMT

Hi @Marjo. I have the Samsung Galaxy S8+.

What is the best things in my phone: my music, my games, the Skype app which keeps me in face-to-face touch with friends around the UK and in the US, the quality of the videos in Amazon Prime Video and in my 'On Demand' apps, the speed of downloads and app updates, that log-ins are remembered so I don't have to type them in again and the beautiful look of my phone.

There is nothing I would change on my phone.

I customise my phone with different home screen pics I have downloaded from the Google Play Store. By removing Samsung apps I won't use and adding apps I do. By using Game Launcher to 'store' all my game apps. By having different ringtones for my friends so I know who is ringing me. By having my apps in alpha order.

I'm having a great day: the sun is shining it's not too hot so all good. Hope the above gives you an idea why I love android and Samsung 😉

Re: A few questions for Android lovers! :D

paddyguy — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 15:58:34 GMT

i would like to know when the samsung A3 get the nougat update and its a sim free phone 😊

Re: A few questions for Android lovers! :D

MI5 — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 16:12:08 GMT

If it's sim free you need to ask Sammy as nothing to do with o2 mate.

Re: A few questions for Android lovers! :D

paddyguy — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 16:20:08 GMT

ok thanks m15 😉 and i have done they cant tell me anything as yet and love the samsung A3 2016

Re: A few questions for Android lovers! :D

Marjo — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 16:23:10 GMT

@paddyguy wrote:
ok thanks m15 😉 and i have done they cant tell me anything as yet and love the samsung A3 2016

What do you like about it the most, @paddyguy?

Re: A few questions for Android lovers! :D

Wa10 — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 16:29:40 GMT

I've recently become the owner of an S8+, after a rather unfortunate incident involving Kate Tempest, a field, a pint of cider and my Huawei P9 plus, haha.

What's not to love about it? Technologically it's the best phone I've ever owned, and so far it does everything I need plus an awful lot more besides. I've not really had a proper chance to finish setting it all up how I like it yet, but I'm getting there.

For me, my Android phone has become a hub for my life - it's my point of contact both personal and business, it organises my life, it manages my money, it takes photos and video, amuses me when I'm bored, takes care of the shopping, keeps me healthy, heck it even sings to me (including Happy Birthday nowadays )

It's a hefty investment, but a very worthwhile one indeed.

Re: A few questions for Android lovers! :D

Anonymous — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 17:11:06 GMT

Which phone: Huawei P9
What's the best thing: The camera
What are you not so satisfied with: Lack of updates.
Customisation: Nova launcher with Google Pixel style app drawer...it transforms the phone!

Re: A few questions for Android lovers! :D

Glory1 — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 17:27:54 GMT

@Wa10 how did you get your S8+ to sing to you? I would love mine to sing to me; perhaps not happy birthday, many of my friends will be singing it to me in just over 4 weeks!

And your so right my phone is at the centre if my life too. I would be lost without it. I pay my rent through my phone, do all my on-line shopping through my phone and get answers to all sorts of questions. It's my point of contact to the outside world without leaving my chair.

Re: A few questions for Android lovers! :D

paddyguy — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 17:34:53 GMT

i like everything about it its just a good phone and my dad as the same phone as me and hes with vodafone top marks 😉

Re: A few questions for Android lovers! :D

Sammy_boy — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 23:01:43 GMT

I'm generally an Apple guy at the mo but also have a OnePlus 3T I got secondhand at Cex. Absolutely brilliant phone, almost stock Android with a few tweaks like drawing a 'v' on the screen even when off activates the flashlight, and has a lightning quick fingerprint sensor. I don't like the size of the thing - don't like the current trend for ever bigger phones and Android ones particularly guilty. There's very few powerful, high end Android handsets out there. Love the dinky iPhone SE, my 6S is useable one handed too.

Re: A few questions for Android lovers! :D

viridis — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 23:35:03 GMT

@Marjo wrote:

Which phone(s) do you have?

Sony Xperia X, XZ, XZ Premium, tablet Z3, tablet Z4

What's the best thing(s) for you in your Android phone?

Cameras, speed and displays.

What thing(s) are you not so satisfied with, and would like to change?

Raw support and open implementation of camera2 api.

Customisation. There's a lot of things you can do with Android to make it more your own... How do you customise yours?

Generally I'll flash firmwares on the ones I can, for instance I regularly flash O2 firmware on them so I can run in 3G/4G mode only, UK and most other EU generic don't have this option. Now O2 have debranded their firmwares, it's win/win, especially now I can use VoLTE and WiFi calling.

Re: A few questions for Android lovers! :D

DDRomford — Sun, 09 Jul 2017 07:59:59 GMT

First of all, I make no excuses for what may be an unhealthy interest in mobile phones. To follow your bullet points:
- The phones I own at the moment are iPhone 7 Plus (rose gold), Sony Xperia XZ Premium (chrome), BlackBerry KEYOne, and the LG Stylus 3. I really have only hung on to the iPhone because it syncs with my Mac, Apple Watch and iPad Pro. I don't usually have more than two phones, but somehow, I can't seem to part with any of these at the moment, even though I know how fast they depreciate. Only two are on contract and that is my XZP (O2) and the Stylus 3 (only a tenner a month for 4 GB data and unlimited texts and calls with 3).
- I prefer Android because I have 128 GB memory cards which can be moved from phone to phone. This, in my opinion, is what I like best about Android, the ability to increase your storage for a fraction of the cost. I won't have an Android phone without a memory card slot. I have ripped a lot of my own CDs on my laptop and moved the music over to my SD cards. I guess this is "old school" as most stream their music these days, but I have a big collection of CDs (old and new) and I like having a lot of it on my phones.
The Sony XZP has the best resolution and sound quality and I have a Sony Bluetooth speaker to stream my music through from any phone.
The BlackBerry's keyboard is phenominal. You can set up two shortcuts on each key with a long press for one shortcut and a short press for the second. I love this phone. It's a workhorse and a phone for people who are a little bored.
The best thing about the LG is the stylus, but in all honesty, I could live without it. It was cheap to buy outright and allowed me to have a good tariff for a small outlay each month.
- The battery life on the BB KEYOne is amazing, but generally, it is the battery life on the phones that I would change. I guess you can't have everything and phones that do so much require power.
- To customise my phones, I find HD wallpaper to match the colour of the case I have on the phone, I put my apps in folders and name the folders, for instance, all the TV apps, YouTube, Netflix, Fire TV, etc are in a folder called Entertainment, Kindle and Audible are in a folder called Books, bus and train apps are in Travel, The Utilities folder consists of calculator, printing app, antivirus, etc. Using folders means I only have the home screen and the screen with all the folders. I also organise my photos into folders.
I bet quite a few have dropped off to sleep reading this by now! I don't have a lot of people in my life who I can bore with my enthusiasm about phones - until they are ready to upgrade and need to find the best deal. I do the research and report back.
I know I need to sell on at least two to three phones to get my next, but there is just nothing out there I want at the moment.
I used to be die-hard Samsung, but the Note 7 and my damaged S7Edge with an unsatisfactory outcome changed all that. I've moved on! Never say never though!

Re: A few questions for Android lovers! :D

Marjo — Sun, 09 Jul 2017 15:04:41 GMT

@DDRomford wrote:

I bet quite a few have dropped off to sleep reading this by now!

Nope! Love reading your comments @DDRomford and everyone else!! Awesome to hear you have the Blackberry KeyOne. I miss my Blackberry phones and especially the keyboard a lot! I could type without looking at my phone.

Re: A few questions for Android lovers! :D

Marjo — Sun, 09 Jul 2017 15:08:09 GMT

@Sammy_boy wrote:
I'm generally an Apple guy at the mo but also have a OnePlus 3T I got secondhand at Cex. Absolutely brilliant phone, almost stock Android with a few tweaks like drawing a 'v' on the screen even when off activates the flashlight, and has a lightning quick fingerprint sensor. I don't like the size of the thing - don't like the current trend for ever bigger phones and Android ones particularly guilty. There's very few powerful, high end Android handsets out there. Love the dinky iPhone SE, my 6S is useable one handed too.

Wow you mean if you draw 'v' on the screen even when the phone is off, it works for the flashlight?? @Sammy_boy

Re: A few questions for Android lovers! :D

Sammy_boy — Sun, 09 Jul 2017 23:11:32 GMT

Yep it even works with the screen off! You can set other gestures like opening the camera and skipping forwards and backwards in tracks too! You just have to watch you don't accidentally activate the flashlight when getting the phone out of pockets etc. Very intuitive phone

Re: A few questions for Android lovers! :D

MI5 — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 05:28:28 GMT

Gesture control is a feature found on many Chinese phones.
Can be very useful to set some of your most common actions to a single swipe

Re: A few questions for Android lovers! :D

gmarkj — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 09:54:56 GMT

@Marjo wrote:

Hi guys! How's your day going?

I've got a few questions related to your Android phones that I'd love to hear about!

Here goes:

Which phone(s) do you have?

What's the best thing(s) for you in your Android phone?

What thing(s) are you not so satisfied with, and would like to change?

Customisation. There's a lot of things you can do with Android to make it more your own... How do you customise yours?

Looking forward to your comments!

Which phone(s) do you have?
- Main phone - LG G4. Also have a Sony Z1, plus recently acquired a Galaxy Tab 2.
What's the best thing(s) for you in your Android phone?
- Customisation, removable battery, being able to increase storage, there's a (free) app for almost everything!
What thing(s) are you not so satisfied with, and would like to change?
- Battery life (hence removable battery), software updated sometimes a little delayed (still on Android 6.0, plus security patch 20**Personal info**!). Customisation can also be a negative - too much choice and too long to set up with all the options!
Customisation. There's a lot of things you can do with Android to make it more your own... How do you customise yours? :)
- I'm a bit boring really - don't change the wallpaper, but do change the ringtone/message tone. Being able to have ringtones for specific people is great. Also have lots of folders to aggregate apps (news., sports, health, games, etc).
- Have previously tried the whole custom ROM thing, but always found it a little too long winded for the result. Admittedly this was 5-6 years ago so no doubt has moved on since then!

Re: A few questions for Android lovers! :D

pgn — Sun, 13 Aug 2017 20:06:59 GMT

@Marjo wrote:
Hi guys! How's your day going?
I've got a few questions related to your Android phones that I'd love to hear about!
Here goes:

Which phone(s) do you have?
What's the best thing(s) for you in your Android phone?
What thing(s) are you not so satisfied with, and would like to change?
Customisation. There's a lot of things you can do with Android to make it more your own... How do you customise yours?

Looking forward to your comments!

If you're still interested in hearing this stuff @Marjo:

1. OnePlus 3T

2. Actually the OnePlus 3T flap cover that turns the display off when you close it over, or on again when you open it (magnets, yes, I know)

3. The slider-button takes a bit of getting used to - up for Silent, down for Ring, center for Do Not Disturb. The slider resides on the side of the phone that's on the hinge-side of the flap cover.

4. Not too many customisations, and I am loathe to try a different loader (Nova?) to let me make the App Drawer transparent like I used to be able to do on my HTC.

Better late than never.