Database Develop

Your thoughts on Android 5.0?

So the finial version has come out. Im sure a lot of you guys have updated to it. Plus a lot of you have been using the Dev version along the way.
What are your guys thoughts?
I like the the new version but also there are still tons of things are are bugging the *poop* out of me.
I thought this was going to be "THE" version that appeased almost all android fans. Fixed a lot the issues since 2.3 while bringing a lot of new features.
1st the things i dont like.
1. Battery % WHY THE *heck* do we still not have an option to turn on a battery % next to the battery icon?????!!!!!!!
2. Hangouts picture (when syncing with FB) not always showing up bug is still present.
3. I like the new light colors with white and grey but why did they choose that color of teal. Im not super excited about that but i do like the white backgrounds.
4. Multitask menu. I dont like how EVERYTHING is in there. And why do we STILL NOT HAVE A CLEAR ALL
5. Google Now launcher. I like it and dont like it. Dont like how everything is so big and dont like how i cant have the middle space be my default. But Nova fixed that. Plus im rooted so i changed my DPI
6. Battery life. Ive only used it for 1 day (going on 1 day) but it seems my battery life is worse then on 4.4.4
7. Battery menu. Dont like anything about it.
Things i do like.
1. Material design (in most places) animations and universal layout for apps is nice.
2. Lockscreen notifications although i dont like how EVERYTHING is on there but im still messing with the menu for this feature.
Im still playing with it and im sure it will get better as apps update (what took them so long) but over all im kinda disappointed with the amount of hype 5.0 got.

Same here, like it but meh it's not there yet, hoping for apps updates etc. And my battery life is slightly worse too

I like it so far, but smart lock seems buggy as hell. I've got my Moto 360 set up as a trusted device, and even went so far as to set up face unlock, and still, I'm prompted for a passcode more often than not. There really needs to be a rescan option -- or, better yet, just make it work like it's supposed to.

Battery life seems worse for me too but I will give it another few days before really making that decision

Make sure you turn WiFi always scanning off. I am getting better than the Dev preview because of the fixed WiFi drain bug. I like it though.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app

You cant know anything about battery one day after update, after update system still need some time to "sit on place" and its drains battery.

Where is material design music. Sadly it doesn't animate when I press the play button. I really like what was was shown in the demo .

jt3 said:
I like it so far, but smart lock seems buggy as hell. I've got my Moto 360 set up as a trusted device, and even went so far as to set up face unlock, and still, I'm prompted for a passcode more often than not. There really needs to be a rescan option -- or, better yet, just make it work like it's supposed to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have my moto 360 set up as a trusted device and I never need to unlock my phone. Only on reboot. rest of the time works perfectly.
Im not using face unlock though.

hmmm...
i don't like how you'not able to delete multiple contacts + separation of the phone numbers from the emails.
photos app gather all the jpg files that are in the sdcard which kinda sucks (dude, i don't need my album art in my photo gallery.) + you need Google+ enabled to be able to just look at the photos.
multitask is OMG.... really really nice effect but damn, is there any real need to "mark" every menu page i open? (oh, where's the "clear all" button?)
camera is ok but there is no 0.03 seconds of the new API. pictures are taken as slow as before.
material design is not bad but it shines on multiple layers only.
keyboard is really cool looking and although it'll take some time to get used to "button-less buttons" i do like it.
and battery, well, i can't say since it's only 1 day of use.
still, i think it's going to be ok (i still hate those wakelocks though... ) and last but not least, Chrome... i still miss "text wrapping" that's why i use Opera
all in all, i don't hate it, i'm not thrilled about it but i'm sure it'll "grow on me".

UI looks definitely great,performance and battery haven't improved, nor got worse. But it's too early to comment on that.
No toggle in quick settings to cycle through sound modes(sound/silent,vibrate), dafuq Google? I'm certainly missing Xposed.

very annoyed about the removal of the stock email app, i dont want to comingle gmail and my work stuff.

gjw00 said:
very annoyed about the removal of the stock email app, i dont want to comingle gmail and my work stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can DL the stock email app from the play store now

Really? I cant find it. Ended buying 'nine'

I really like having all my emails in gmail app. First day of use, I'm going to get 4hrs sot without messing with settings. It runs really smooth with hells kernel. I would like the pull downs yo have more options, but all in all, I'm happy.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app

#sharath said:
UI looks definitely great,performance and battery haven't improved, nor got worse. But it's too early to comment on that.
No toggle in quick settings to cycle through sound modes(sound/silent,vibrate), dafuq Google? I'm certainly missing Xposed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's one of my main nits as well.
I've used Power Toggles for quite a while now. Short simple and to the point and it lets me toggle between sound vibrate or silent settings easily.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.painless.pc
Not my app but one I swear by.

not available in australia. jesus christ

jt3 said:
I like it so far, but smart lock seems buggy as hell. I've got my Moto 360 set up as a trusted device, and even went so far as to set up face unlock, and still, I'm prompted for a passcode more often than not. There really needs to be a rescan option -- or, better yet, just make it work like it's supposed to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't had to enter my PIN once since I set up smart lock with my 360 and face yesterday. Works great!

You can't use the Photos app if you disable the Google+ app. So.... now I have to open the camera app and scroll through my pictures one by one to view them. Super!

I kinda don't like it.
1: The color scheme is not consistent throughout, which really irritates me. While you spend most of your time in a launcher (I use Nova pesonally) or in apps, some of those apps are system apps, and it seems like almost all of them have had color changes, they don't look good and don't even make sense.
2: Some of the features are cool, and even sound great...but they are commonly riddled with "omg, no way!" points of frustration. Smart-lock...would be AWESOME if it would just freaking work when connected to a specific wifi network! For example...in prior versions I had used tasker and secure settings to disable the lock screen and have a significantly longer screen timeout whenever I was connected to my home wifi. Tasker works just fine for the other things I use it for, such as reading my text messages outloud...but only when I'm connected to my home wifi or headphones. But the pin lock errors out, every single time. Root works, tasker and secure settings are configured exactly as they were before, and they both even have administrative rights. It still fails every time, and I get the toast message pop up. I wonder if it is because Google is worried that your neighbor might name their wifi network to the same as yours is, and have it be an open network so when they steal your phone they would automatically be able to get into it. If that is the case...well, that should be easy to fix, one make the service only work with password protected networks, and I'm also sure they could just only have it work when the network name is also reporting the same mac address. But I digress.
3: Lightflow. Ugh, enough said. You might say this is not a lollipop specific thing, but the guy posted an inquiry on this on the support thread since it was an complication with the new notification system, and they responded back saying they fixed it, and it has still not been pushed out by Google yet!
4: I find myself unable to quickly remove notifications from the lock screen and even when the phone is unlocked in some instances. For example, if I am copying lots of individual files over wifi from my computer, and there are multiple "copied" notifications as a result, the first few can be swiped away, but the rest can't! I have to click on them, and then close it. Kinda annoying.
5: One of the only reasons why I really wanted Lollipop were for the improvements to the lockscreen notifications. I envisioned being able to stop using dashclock entirely, and also having an all around easier time with notifications while the phone was locked. Nope! Sure, the basic functionality is good, I can read text messages without an app for it, and that's great...but I have to say I really miss having the unlock ability from just turning the phone on and swiping. Now I have to turn the phone on, press the padlock to get the phone to switch to the pattern lock, then do the pattern lock. That extra step is really quite annoying for me. I'd prefer to have the "extra step" be to SEE THE NOTIFICATIONS. You know, just like how it used to be with dashclock. (You would know you had a notification by the little icon right next to the time and you would swipe down from there to read them) Maybe I'm crazy, but I unlock my phone a lot more often than I have notifications to read. Especially since I can't get the pinlock automatic toggle to work when I am connected to my home wifi!
6: Most lock screen icons are blocked...and for good reason. But some of them are not. For example, in power toggles I have always used an icon that automatically makes a 14 minute timer, and another one for 29 minutes. I use this for my breaks at work of course. (The icon triggers a task in the "Trigger" app that does this) This works from the lockscreen...which sounds great because I can set that timer without having to unlock my phone...but it has also been deactivated by mistake when the phone was in my pocket. Ugh!
7: I don't like the "swipe down" from either the lock screen or from notifications bar option. A lot of this is because I am really used to using powertoggles for this, and this duplicates a lot of that functionality, but
I knew this was going to happen, I have been complaining about software "improvements" at work for the last year and a half. If something is working, don't break it!
---------- Post added at 09:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:35 PM ----------
svanheulen said:
You can't use the Photos app if you disable the Google+ app. So.... now I have to open the camera app and scroll through my pictures one by one to view them. Super!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out Quickpic. I've been using it for ages, and it has always been amazing. It's super fast, very customizable...and just plain works!

gtg465x said:
I haven't had to enter my PIN once since I set up smart lock with my 360 and face yesterday. Works great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I've figured out the issue. I use "Gravity Screen" to shut my device down when I put it in my pocket. It seems that if Gravity Screen puts the device into standby, it also locks the screen in such a way that Smart Lock is disabled. Since that's normally how I shut off my device, I was seeing this almost every time. I'm hoping that the dev can fix this, because I'm really not used to touching my power button.
On another note. I wouldn't mind the email integration with Gmail, except that there's no way to label my various Exchange accounts. I have two separate Exchange accounts that I must monitor, and both simply show as a random-colored circle with a letter "J" (which is the first letter of each email address). I can't even change the color to something that would help distinguish the accounts. I just have to remember that random-color-J #1 equals one account, and random-color-J #2 equals another. It's very annoying. A combined inbox certainly wouldn't hurt, either.

Things I don't like so far

In order from most annoying:
Cannot whitelist k9 mail (and other things) from power saving (this is a deal breaker, I'm taking it back)
Long press to select text instead of double click (vanilla android allows both) (almost a deal breaker)
Media volume cannot be increased without acknowledging warning when BT connected
Can’t disable bixby button without samsung account
No root (needed to run webserver on 80 and change iptables)
Fingerprint sensor hard to find, hard to touch (compared to nexus 6p)
Default phone app sucks and can’t be changed
-Notifications for blocked numbers calling
-Hard to block numbers
-Hard to add recent calls to contacts (uses wrong account or something)
Volume buttons hard to find, on wrong side of phone
Samsung sms app is ugly and horrible (replaceable)
Samsung calendar app does not allow multiple default reminders (replaceable)
Lock screen time is on multiple lines with no way to change it

Thats nice. Enjoy.

swooperstar said:
bleh bleh bleh
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where is the question? Wrong forum, maybe you should tell someone who cares?

Um, what phone is this, half the things you complain about can be done by the note 8, so must be another phone. Maybe he got the wrong forum...
Sent from my Galaxy Note8 using XDA Labs

Incorrect, but whatever. Pixel2 XL coming next week to replace this samsuck. This site used to be more help less fanboy.

...more help less fan boy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not about fanboys, you didn't ask for any help, just listed complaints. No one cares about personal complaints.

lol once again the user is the problem not the device... you can do all of those things either with an app from the play store or with root. maybe stick to something more simple? try iOS.
Not sure how moving to another Android device will help you. :laugh:

Being that the OP has a total of 9, count them 9 posts and is a junior member, I'm guessing he's referring to the old days on the site when we were more help and less fanbois

Mr.Ash.Man said:
lol once again the user is the problem not the device... you can do all of those things either with an app from the play store or with root. maybe stick to something more simple? try iOS.
Not sure how moving to another Android device will help you. :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He is already using IOS!
Ryland

Now we know from authoritative source that volume button is on the wrong side all those years, imagine that.

There are ways to adjust pretty much all of these points. Some are android specific - assume you are new to Android??
Did you even review the phone/play with it before spending on something you have chosen to dislike? To be fair you've come to a forum where 99.9999% of people are note enthusiasts so you will be whacked with a great big stick with a post like this :silly:

Ok how do you whitelist from power saving in a way that actually works? The settings interface for that is much different than stock android and doesn't actually let stuff run all the time like it does on my 6p. k9 always says syncing disabled (and works fine on 6p with stock nougat or oreo).
How do you get double-tap to select a word in text? Works by default in stock android.
After asking twice before to confirm increase volume while BT connected, it didn't ask this last time I increased it. I guess it is magically ok now.
How do you disable bixby button without creating a samsung account? There is an app that used to work using accessibility but no longer works in latest update.
How do you get root? The rooting page itself says "2.Enable OEM Unlock from developer option (Currently no workaround for those who doesn't have this option)" and I don't have this option.
How do you change the phone app? I tried downloading and installing one from apkmirror and got an error when installing.
How do you prevent notifications when blocked callers call?
How do you get normal time on the lock screen? Not the always on screen.

swooperstar said:
Ok how do you whitelist from power saving in a way that actually works? The settings interface for that is much different than stock android and doesn't actually let stuff run all the time like it does on my 6p. k9 always says syncing disabled (and works fine on 6p with stock nougat or oreo).
How do you get double-tap to select a word in text? Works by default in stock android.
After asking twice before to confirm increase volume while BT connected, it didn't ask this last time I increased it. I guess it is magically ok now.
How do you disable bixby button without creating a samsung account? There is an app that used to work using accessibility but no longer works in latest update.
How do you get root? The rooting page itself says "2.Enable OEM Unlock from developer option (Currently no workaround for those who doesn't have this option)" and I don't have this option.
How do you change the phone app? I tried downloading and installing one from apkmirror and got an error when installing.
How do you prevent notifications when blocked callers call?
How do you get normal time on the lock screen? Not the always on screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A respectful suggestion if I may.
Your first post was..... confrontational? Not the way to have your teething problems answered or supported.
Many of us, in all forum's, experience teething problems. I suggest you ask questions preferably one at a time so a peer can offer you some advice.
I have yet to ask for help here and not receive it. You will find there are some amazingly smart guys and gals here who will help IF you ask a palatable question. I am afraid what you have done is cause bad feeling and that's not the way to get help with your problems. Just food for thought. :good:
Ryland

I agree with the fingerprint sensor placement, for me being left handed, I have ot align it perfectly for it to work. Luckily the iris scanner is fast.
One issue I am coming across is my phone would random reboot and some settings would be changed to stock. For example, the font size would be change to default instead of everything tiny. My quick shortcuts layouts are stock and I have to re-login into some apps.
It happened about 3 times since i got the phone the first week of September. Hopefully I'm not alone. Sucks if I am though...lol

There is no help for those issues. That is why there is no response, and why the phone is going back. I am surprised anyone can stand the samsung interface and that is why it might sound confrontational. The apps that samsung replaces default apps with are really awful.

swooperstar said:
There is no help for those issues. That is why there is no response, and why the phone is going back. I am surprised anyone can stand the samsung interface and that is why it might sound confrontational. The apps that samsung replaces default apps with are really awful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only issue or possibly even an advantage is Samsung is edging it's own ecosystem in more and more. , basically it encourages one to buy another Sammy device and stay on board with them.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

UberPishy said:
Where is the question? Wrong forum, maybe you should tell someone who cares?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I care. Thanks to the original poster for critical analysis.
Anybody can fan-boy and circlejerk, that takes no skill.
It takes skill to spot issues and courage to speak out on them.
Every phones has its issues, these do not make Note 8 useless, but buyers can more easily decide if it is for them, when they know its particular failings.

vasra said:
I care. Thanks to the original poster for critical analysis.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So which of the OP's claims do you really care about, because most are false, many are non issues for the majority and a few are valid. But the point remains that they were posted in the wrong forum.

vasra said:
I care. Thanks to the original poster for critical analysis.
Anybody can fan-boy and circlejerk, that takes no skill.
It takes skill to spot issues and courage to speak out on them.
Every phones has its issues, these do not make Note 8 useless, but buyers can more easily decide if it is for them, when they know its particular failings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not a critical assessment...it's a misleading one.

A few observations.
The volume button on the left side is the more ergonomic position and also makes it less likely you will drop the phone while changing volume making it an objectively better placement. The fingerprint scanner? Yeah, it's poor ergonomics at best and your complaint there is well justified.
Root is something you knew going in you wouldn't have, if it mattered you should have bought something else. I do agree in general that the trend toward taking root access from us is one I hate. That's why I bought an international version and rooted it.
The Samsung calendar app is less well featured than the stock app but it uses no resources when not used and you can always use the google app or one of the several better than stock google calendar apps on the play store. You don't get to complain about not having an app you can put on you phone in seconds which isn't even close to the best app of its kind anyways. I BTW didn't use the stock app on my 6P, didn't meet my needs.Samsung's stock SMS app is awful, IMO someone should be fired there because it falls below even a minimum level of functionality. But then while Googles does manage to get to at least a minimally functional feature set it isn't much better and both are a long way from what can be had in seconds for free that work better than either on the market. You don't get to complain about this one either though, the stock google app is a few clicks away and a few seconds will give that stock google experience if that is your preference.
Same number of clicks with Samsung to add a recent callers to contacts. Hard to do so is dismissed.
Hard to copy because you have to long press instead of double tap? Seriously? lol That's a fairly lame complaint without even taking into consideration the S-pen which opens up a whole world of options that you don't have on the 6P, one of which is using the S-Pen in the first place.
I like the default dialer and it has features which Google's does not. Regardless it can be changed as well as which dialer is the default, where did you get the idea you couldn't change dialers?
I don't have the media volume warning with my phone unless I'm on headphones, not sure why you do?
The Bixby button can be disabled, it can be disabled without signing into Samsung. Just an FYI, it can also be slaved to another function. All without root.
You can white list any app from power saver, just takes a few clicks, assuming of course you know which clicks. You have in an oblique way a real gripe here, Samsung's menus are getting better but they are still too bloated. The search menu function is your friend in pursing hard to find settings.
Who uses lock screens in this day an age? You've get bio-metrics and AOD, leaving the lock screen as an artifact of what was once the best we could do but isn't anymore. Think of it this way, I'm a pathetic old man and I've been able to understand that lockscreens are now just an extra step. Your complaint in this regard reminds me of my friends who cant handle new tech and are still trying to hang on to their flip phone.
At this point you probably think I'm busting your balls a little bit and you're right. On the other hand your complaints are largely groundless. The only real objective gripe you have is the fingerprint sensor location. Your assessment of the volume button location is subjective, not objective, and objectively is incorrect. Your complaints about the stock apps can be applied to google apps in the same way and most of which I changed on my 6P just as I have here. The impression I get is that the main problem you have is you need to learn how to shop better. There is no reason to buy a phone that does not have root if you know you want root. There is no reason to buy a phone well known for it's rather overbearing GUI and menu bloat if you know you are going to hate it. Why do that to yourself?

Huawei Mate 20 Pro - The most beautiful, disappointing phone I have ever owned

Hello all.

Some context: I recently purchased the Huawei Mate 20 Pro because I had that ‘itch’ for a new gadget/phone that I’m sure many of you are familiar with. That, coupled with its beautiful design, its amazing camera setup and the positive reviews made me go out and buy it without hesitation.

That was 4 days ago. I have now decided to return it tomorrow.

It has simply been the most frustrating experience I’ve ever had, with any phone.

I decided to post this here for three reasons:
1. To inform others of my experience with this phone before they go out and buy it themselves
2. To inspire Huawei to do better
3. To simply just vent

So, why am I returning this phone and what has been so frustrating about it?

Here are the bullet points:
• Huawei’s modifications to Android are terrible. Probably the worst OEM ‘skin’ out there.*
• EMUI is a buggy mess with extremely poor memory management. Especially when using a homescreen replacement app like Nova Launcher.
• The cameras produce great results. Sometimes. But it often struggles with getting the exposure right, the video output is choppy with disappointing stabilisation (which can’t be turned off!) and crashes all the time.
• NFC just doesn’t want to play nice with my Banking app making it so that I’ve been unable to perform contactless payments like I’ve been doing effortlessly with my previous two phones.
• Huawei’s implementation of notifications and the status bar icons introduce a ton of usability issues to the point where the phone simply fails to effectively inform the user about incoming alerts and messages.

If you’ve made it this far, I’m sure that by now you either recognise some (or all) of the things I’ve described or have simply become curious about what I mean by this.

Let’s go through them one by one.

Huawei’s version of Android
As I’ve said above, EMUI is probably the worst OEM ‘skin’ out there. It looks ‘fine’, I guess. But if you’ve used pretty much any other recent version of Android before (either stock or modified) then you’ll feel ‘handicapped’ using the Huawei Mate 20 Pro.
No access to notifications or quick toggles from the lock screen. No way to set a live wallpaper as the lock screen background. The default ‘Home screen’ is 'ok'. Just ok, but not great. I get that Huawei aims to simplify things for its less tech-savvy customers… but when you have the option to either have the ‘iOS’ solution of having all apps on the home screen or use the traditional Android solution of having an app drawer, then don’t use an old fashioned, outdated ‘drawer’ button to bring up all the apps. Just take Google’s lead here. Makes you wonder what Huawei’s UX / research team has been up to these last 2 years.

Plus, why on earth is there no option to open the notifications panel using a ‘slide down’ gesture from the Home Screen?*

Instead, you have the option to add a ‘button’ to the navigation menu across the bottom which allows you to quickly open the notifications panel. But then they decide to re-arrange ALL the other icons (Recent Apps, Home, Back) so that they are aligned in the center of the screen and I keep pressing the wrong button when I rely on muscle memory when trying to hit the Home button. Incredibly frustrating and just very, very poor UX design.

EMUI: A buggy mess that doesn’t play nice with homescreen replacement apps like Nova Launcher
So what? Most of the above can be fixed by installing Nova Launcher, right? Like on any other Android phone. Well, guess what? Nope.
Because on the Mate 20 Pro, things just break all over the place when using alternative home screen (Launcher) apps.*
• The memory management is so poor that it effectively becomes impossible to be productive. Apps refresh to their original state when switching between them to simply copy and paste some text over from one to the other. Spotify is killed in the background while using Chrome with as many as 3 tabs open.
• Navigation Gestures stop working properly, causing the ‘swipe up to go Home’ gesture to briefly bring up the ‘Recent Apps’ switcher first
• The ‘Recent Apps’ switcher can only be navigated by pressing on an app preview that is perfectly centred. Tapping any of the apps on the sides simply just closes the Recent Apps switcher, taking you back to the Home screen and ignoring your input. It’s infuriating, since it works perfectly fine when using Huawei’s own Home Screen.
• Huawei’s ’Themes’ app (and probably other apps) doesn’t respect Android’s native Back button behaviour, resulting in weird, inconsistent and frustrating navigating behaviour.

The Cameras: Sometimes great for photography, terrible for video
I’ve already said pretty much everything I wanted to say about the cameras. The cameras produce great results. Sometimes. And I love the wide angle lens. Unfortunately, the camera/software often struggle with getting the exposure right and the video output is choppy with disappointing stabilisation. This can’t be turned off, by the way… so if I wanted to mount my phone to a gimbal, there’s really no point since the actual image is already cropped.
Also… no 4K 60fps is a big disappointment, but I should have read up about this before buying the phone I guess. Still, is it odd that I assume a late 2018 ‘flagship’ phone would have it by now? I don’t think so.
Furthermore, the camera app crashes all the time, or gets ‘stuck’ rendering the final image (the Gallery would display this image slightly darkened with a white ‘Loading…’ text on top of the photo). How can this be a thing, Huawei? This is not Beta software… but it certainly feels like it!

NFC doesn’t work properly
From the 4 days that I have had this phone, I must have spent at least 2 trying to get it set up with my Banking app (ING). An app that I have used with my last 2 smartphones to pay contactless without any issues. I have reinstalled the app, reset the phone, called my bank, called Huawei customer service to see if it was perhaps a known issue with this phone model… all to no avail. Unacceptable to me.

Notifications / Status bar icons usability issues
Repeating what I wrote above; Huawei’s implementation of notifications and the status bar icons introduce a ton of usability issues to the point where the phone simply fails to effectively inform the user about incoming alerts and messages.
• Since there is limited space due to the notch, you would have thought that Huawei allows people to hide any icon they don’t need (NFC, Bluetooth, etc) so that the more important icons can be seen.
• The lock screen allows up to 3 notifications to be seen concurrently. It’s impossible to interact with any notification that lives in the ‘more (+)’ group. You have to unlock the phone, reach out all the way to the top (since you can’t assign a ‘swipe down to show notifications gesture) and then drag down the notifications panel.*
I constantly felt uninformed and kind of nervous about missing out on important notifications using this phone. And this is on Android, the OS that does notifications RIGHT… usually. Not when it’s a Huawei phone, apparently.

In conclusion, I really wanted to like this phone… but I simply can’t justify keeping it. In the past I would have looked for other ways to 'fix' these issues, look into custom ROMs or check the headlines for info on future updates... but I simply don't have the time and patience for that anymore. When I spend this kind of money on a premium phone this day and age, I expect it to work. And to work well.

This phone simply doesn't.

Reading through this forum and catching up on Huawei’s track record where it concerns updates and bug fixes didn’t inspire much confidence either.

I sincerely hope for those of you that decide to stick with the phone that Huawei get their act together in the near future. In fact, I hope to one day buy another Huawei phone and find myself pleasantly surprised… but right now, I would not recommend this phone to anyone.

Caemgen said:
Hello all.
Blah
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest, I felt your pain with most of these issues, except NFC.
I use Action launcher instead of the standard Huawei one. It wasn't until yesterday, when I deleted the stock launcher that ALL of my issues disappeared. It seems the stock launcher is also responsible for some of the recent apps issues too.
That would be my suggestion. Whatever launcher you use, set it as default and delete the stock one via ADB.

miffymiffy said:
To be honest, I felt your pain with most of these issues, except NFC.
I use Action launcher instead of the standard Huawei one. It wasn't until yesterday, when I deleted the stock launcher that ALL of my issues disappeared. It seems the stock launcher is also responsible for some of the recent apps issues too.
That would be my suggestion. Whatever launcher you use, set it as default and delete the stock one via ADB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is very interesting... and I would have tried it if I still had the phone.
But I suppose it still wouldn't have solved the issues with the poor lock screen and notifications implementation.

miffymiffy said:
To be honest, I felt your pain with most of these issues, except NFC.
I use Action launcher instead of the standard Huawei one. It wasn't until yesterday, when I deleted the stock launcher that ALL of my issues disappeared. It seems the stock launcher is also responsible for some of the recent apps issues too.
That would be my suggestion. Whatever launcher you use, set it as default and delete the stock one via ADB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have just tried that. The phone feels snappier now. RAM management more stable. Thanks.

miffymiffy said:
To be honest, I felt your pain with most of these issues, except NFC.
I use Action launcher instead of the standard Huawei one. It wasn't until yesterday, when I deleted the stock launcher that ALL of my issues disappeared. It seems the stock launcher is also responsible for some of the recent apps issues too.
That would be my suggestion. Whatever launcher you use, set it as default and delete the stock one via ADB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when you do this, you only have vertical task manager, right?

Wow, you've described my relationship with this phone perfectly (except NFC, I've not yet set up Google pay). Very interested in what's been said about deleting the stock launcher, I'll be trying that tonight

i'm just not convinced with the camera.. as you say sometimes its good. But not good enough to be a reliable camera. Video is disappointing. I fear buyers remorse will soon set in and i'll be stuck with it for two years. Also hesitant on the amount of updates we'll get for this... Shame. Back to the pixel 2xl it is.. trusty old workhorse!

sousa_2005 said:
when you do this, you only have vertical task manager, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes

Could you describe process of deleting srock launcher with ADB?
Wysłane z mojego LYA-L29 przy użyciu Tapatalka

miffymiffy said:
To be honest, I felt your pain with most of these issues, except NFC.
I use Action launcher instead of the standard Huawei one. It wasn't until yesterday, when I deleted the stock launcher that ALL of my issues disappeared. It seems the stock launcher is also responsible for some of the recent apps issues too.
That would be my suggestion. Whatever launcher you use, set it as default and delete the stock one via ADB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you uninstall stock launcher, do you still hace access to gestures, like swipe up for home etc?
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Vigolec said:
Could you describe process of deleting srock launcher with ADB?
Wysłane z mojego LYA-L29 przy użyciu Tapatalka
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
adb shell
pm list packages - find your home app name
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.huawei."whatever stock launcher was called"
---------- Post added at 08:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:00 AM ----------
jadaress1 said:
If you uninstall stock launcher, do you still hace access to gestures, like swipe up for home etc?
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure, I've never used gestures

jadaress1 said:
If you uninstall stock launcher, do you still hace access to gestures, like swipe up for home etc?
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once stock launcher is removed, only the left/right back gestures work. You need to install another app (like Fluid) to enable full gestures.
Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk

geovass said:
Once stock launcher is removed, only the left/right back gestures work. You need to install another app (like Fluid) to enable full gestures.
Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for confirming that for me.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

I agree and have been experiencing most of you issues mentioned. Nova launcher apparently is a mess to use and camera performance even at 60fps was choppy. I've been trying to talk to guys at huawei about the camera performance since P20 pro and all I kept getting as a response was it's fixed in the upcoming update.
I don't know how or why most of the youtbers or people who own the phone never mention choppy frame rates....almost to a point where `I thought it must be something I did wrong!

nfc works flawlessly here. please check default apps for payments. mine was defaulted to sim card then i switched to pay and it worked amazing
minor os issues, this phone is still a beast.

To uninstall the default huawei launcher run
Code:
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.huawei.android.launcher

I totally agree with most of what's said - "the most beautiful, disappointing phone" sums it up perfectly.
I really, really want to like this phone and I do about 99% of the time but then there are these constant, daily reminders of suckiness (notfications, nfc, bluetooth, video, etc) that totally ruin the experience. I will return mine and wait for the P30 or the S10 (probably S10 for the headphone jack).

I totally disagree with all of this. I'm a power user who gets a new flagship twice a year! I've had everything from the s6, s7, note4, note 5, note 8, and currently own a note 9. I thought the note 9 was the best phone I've ever used till I got the mate pro. I'm selling the note 9 ASAP, enough said!!! This things a beast and a beauty to use and hold. Can't say enough about the fluidity and battery life of this phone. I'm in love with it, I might actually keep it for at least a year till the mate 30 pro comes out.

randomf said:
To uninstall the default huawei launcher run
Code:
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.huawei.android.launcher
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For those who prefer disabling instead of uninstalling (meaning they can just enable again if they have second thought):
Code:
pm disable-user --user 0 com.huawei.android.launcher
To enable again:
Code:
pm enable --user 0 com.huawei.android.launcher

Ppl still use lockscreen? Last time I saw lockscreen was right before fpr sensors were introduced, half a decade ago.

Opinions on the Microsoft Launcher

I'm interested in your opinions on the Microsoft Launcher, especially if you are on it or were. This looks pretty good to me: Microsoft Launcher Review
In the past, I tended to return to the phone's native launcher because:
1. It ended up being actually better all around for what I wanted to get done.
2. It's easier to leverage other people's experience.
My reasons for going with 3rd Party launchers have been:
1. OEM was not as flexible. I can't seem to get the dark theme even with LWP+. All of my Setup screens are still black on white. It's a checkbox on the Microsoft Launcher. I can lay things out with as many icons on a row as I want and can even get my own icons for the things that have icons that make no logical sense.
2. After a factory reset you can restore your setup. With OEM you cannot unless you have root and restore from TWRP. I don't have root for the first time with my Note 9.
3. You can bring the same interface it to any Android phone such as from a Samsung to a Pixel 2 (LG) with no costly layout time and learning curve.
I don't know if it affects battery life or not. I'm used to having root so I don't know if there are apps that let me see what sucks on the battery and what doesn't.
I'm also interested in the best way to put to sleep battery suckers for processes I don't use.
Thanks!

Been on it for a while now.... And honestly I love it. It really is so useful. It has time-line built in. It has loads of customization like for example probably the best implementation of adaptive icons I've ever seen. Every last one of my icons are the shape I choose without that stupid white background. It actually convinced me to switch back to using outlook as my main client and it's been so long since I had some of the most basic email features on mobile I forgot how nice it is. I hope they continue this project. I also started testing using edge as my browser by forcing it as default and my battery usage while online seems to be better... Could be placebo. Gotta say aside from some optimization issues/ redraws here and there I've been super happy with my decision to try it out. I have religiously used pixel Launcher or the open source version here on xda called rootless launcher for years. It's been eye opening for sure... I previously used Nova and a few others but so far I'm sticking with this new Microsoft project to try and diversify my digital footprint considering I've spent the better part of my adult life freely giving away my personal info to Google without a single thought.

bobby_digital234 said:
Been on it for a while now.... And honestly I love it. It really is so useful. It has time-line built in. It has loads of customization like for example probably the best implementation of adaptive icons I've ever seen. Every last one of my icons are the shape I choose without that stupid white background. It actually convinced me to switch back to using outlook as my main client and it's been so long since I had some of the most basic email features on mobile I forgot how nice it is. I hope they continue this project. I also started testing using edge as my browser...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just figured out I forgot to subscribe to my own thread.
That thing is a lot more than a launcher. It's an environment administrator that seems to have forgotten what Android and Samsung say are impossible.
Question: I have all of my apps organized into folders. If I try it out, will it blow those up?
Thanks!

I have all mine in folders but I don't know for sure if it will allow them to import. It did import all my widgets and settings though so I'd assume the same for the folders.

bobby_digital234 said:
I have all mine in folders but I don't know for sure if it will allow them to import. It did import all my widgets and settings though so I'd assume the same for the folders.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got it! I'm not sure if I'll do Microsoft, Nova or stock.
The more I work with the new TouchWiz, the more I think when they say TouchWiz is getting pretty close, my response is close to what, infuriating people? Just trying to get a black theme with the TouchWiz is a challenge while with Microsoft and most apps it's a checkbox. TouchWiz has zero control over icon size, spacing, shortcut text, behavior, gestures, or anything else. I have multiple file managers that all are labeled File Manager and I can't even rename one of the to Asus File Manager. TouchWiz on KitKat even works better. I can get black anytime I want to and with folders, I can see enough of the cascaded icons to know what is in it, and I can arrange them so the most important one is in the forefront. With Oreo, I can download a black theme if I set up a Samsung account and give them rights to everything but the 3 digit codes on credit cards, and allow them to use the information for any purpose and give it to anyone. Their privacy policy makes Google look like a saint.
Thanks for your feedback!

Question questions about customization

I'm considering getting an S21 5G or S21 Ultra. Is it normal that there isn't much in terms of modding/rooting/etc for Samsung phones? I don't normally go for things like this.
I like the Nexus 5 and have a V30+ right now. I want to be able to control the phone and modify a few things I don't like about the stock experience.
What kind of situation am I looking at here? Is there a safe and reliable root? Or are things extremely locked down like an iPhone?

sneak said:
I'm considering getting an S21 5G or S21 Ultra. Is it normal that there isn't much in terms of modding/rooting/etc for Samsung phones? I don't normally go for things like this.
I like the Nexus 5 and have a V30+ right now. I want to be able to control the phone and modify a few things I don't like about the stock experience.
What kind of situation am I looking at here? Is there a safe and reliable root? Or are things extremely locked down like an iPhone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your better get a Oneplus Phones for modding / rooting purpose.
For samsung phones, somebody have to find a solution for knox trip.

sneak said:
I'm considering getting an S21 5G or S21 Ultra. Is it normal that there isn't much in terms of modding/rooting/etc for Samsung phones? I don't normally go for things like this.
...
What kind of situation am I looking at here? Is there a safe and reliable root? Or are things extremely locked down like an iPhone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, as you already noticed the modding/rooting community for the S21 series is not that active (yet?), maybe indeed different to phones like the Oneplus 8 Pro etc...
But still there is a reliably working method for rooting the device, although depending from your location warranty may be void afterwards. And then there is Knox, so rooting will definitely disable some specific Samsung functions (Samsung pay & Safe Folder among them).
If you are interested, there are threads on rooting and TWRP - the forum is presently only one for all S21U topics so things move down the line pretty quickly :
I for myself as a long-time "rooter" decided to go with locked stock ROM and while missing some detailed tweakings things are running pretty nicely so far. One of the things I noticed is that 90% of the things you do with rooting are workarounds to cover the negative effects of rooting - like making Gpay work etc.

Yes, unless there's a solution for the Samsung Knox issues, rooting will void your warranty. FWIW, the stock software has so much customization options that even after 2 months of using it I still haven't got hold of all the customizations. Yes, you might do in OnePlus where the software is quite bland/ featureless but that's not the case with One UI

fairyshacker said:
Your better get a Oneplus Phones for modding / rooting purpose.
For samsung phones, somebody have to find a solution for knox trip.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't want anything from a Chinese company.
s3axel said:
Well, as you already noticed the modding/rooting community for the S21 series is not that active (yet?), maybe indeed different to phones like the Oneplus 8 Pro etc...
But still there is a reliably working method for rooting the device, although depending from your location warranty may be void afterwards. And then there is Knox, so rooting will definitely disable some specific Samsung functions (Samsung pay & Safe Folder among them).
If you are interested, there are threads on rooting and TWRP - the forum is presently only one for all S21U topics so things move down the line pretty quickly :
I for myself as a long-time "rooter" decided to go with locked stock ROM and while missing some detailed tweakings things are running pretty nicely so far. One of the things I noticed is that 90% of the things you do with rooting are workarounds to cover the negative effects of rooting - like making Gpay work etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not worried about warranties. I don't know if I'd ever need the samsung specific things like Samsung Pay. Not sure what Safe Folder is but I guess it's some kind of encryption based file storing? I generally don't use all these mainstream things people like.
I don't really spend time making Google Pay work because I have no use for it. I'll have an occasional issue with an app refusing to operate because of rooting and Magisk Hide doesn't work, but it isn't a big deal.
I like tweaking things like the battery logo (I like having a circle with percentage number inside and not having the extra/stock battery logo up there at the same time). I like to disable certain system icons from the top bar that aren't necessary to be there and just clog it up. I like adding the "clear all" type buttons in the running apps page. I like customizing the behavior of holding the power button so I can reboot, reboot to recovery, or shut the phone off easily.
For example, on my LG V30+ right now I am running the stock rom but rooted it and did things like I described above. Nothing major and don't need Google Pay. The LG app for air conditioners won't run because of my root. My bank app notifies me of root very occasionally but isn't a big deal. Yeah, I don't think my SafetyNet passes, but I don't care.
I am using Xposed, hostless AdAway, No Shutter Sound, Highway Radar and YouTube Vanced as well.
amirage said:
Yes, unless there's a solution for the Samsung Knox issues, rooting will void your warranty. FWIW, the stock software has so much customization options that even after 2 months of using it I still haven't got hold of all the customizations. Yes, you might do in OnePlus where the software is quite bland/ featureless but that's not the case with One UI
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tend to go through every single setting in a phone before I even start really dailying it . I don't mind it. I like customization. That's great to hear. I do like unrestricted or not very restricted phones as opposed to iPhone style lockdown stuff, though.
I used to consider the OnePlus phones but lately I have been more insistent on not buying things made in China or from Chinese companies as much as possible... for various reasons.
---
So assuming I don't care about things like warranty and Samsung Pay.. what other drawbacks are there? What would stop me from going this route? I intend on picking it up from Google because they have really good deals and I can even make 0% interest payments. I just have to stick with Fi for 3 months, then I can go back to ATT.
Another concern I have is the size of the phone. It makes me lean towards the S21 5G. I just like the Ultra for the other enhancements.
Thanks to all of you as well for the replies.

I wouldn't get that phone if my intent was to root it. One of the more easily rootable Samsung models probably be a better choice*. If you want a blackhole gravity well to get frozen in time with while you're troubleshooting the root then this is a good choice.
That said stock Samsung's are the most customizable phones there are. Hundreds of free icon packs/themes, the Good Lock family of apps and more. The SSC codec for the Buds+ that seamlessly connect to this model with the propiatory Samsung new 360° audio support.
You can lock it down with PD MDM package disabler and Karma Firewall.
*Also no SD card slot so no dual drive ie data drive; you lose a valuble key feature.
Personally I loathe it's rounded corners/display and it's larger frame to display ratio. It's ugly compared to the Note 10+ or N 20 U; I take either of these over the 21 series any day.
Yeah, I really don't like the 21 series... even at half price I would spurn them.

I just read up on Samsung Pay and it's actually pretty interesting. I may actually try and use that. I would love to not have to pull out my wallet all the time and swipe/insert my bank card. That alone is very enticing.
I don't watch TV and haven't had TV service in ages, but I found out with this phone I'll have access to TV stations without a subscription or any kind of fee. That's pretty cool as an added bonus and I may find some shows I like.
blackhawk said:
I wouldn't get that phone if my intent was to root it. One of the more easily rootable Samsung models probably be a better choice*. If you want a blackhole gravity well to get frozen in time with while you're troubleshooting the root then this is a good choice.
That said stock Samsung's are the most customizable phones there are. Hundreds of free icon packs/themes, the Good Lock family of apps and more. The SSC codec for the Buds+ that seamlessly connect to this model with the propiatory Samsung new 360° audio support.
You can lock it down with PD MDM package disabler and Karma Firewall.
*Also no SD card slot so no dual drive ie data drive; you lose a valuble key feature.
Personally I loathe it's rounded corners/display and it's larger frame to display ratio. It's ugly compared to the Note 10+ or N 20 U; I take either of these over the 21 series any day.
Yeah, I really don't like the 21 series... even at half price I would spurn them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That package disabled is really nice to know about, thanks. That is also something I did on my current phone but I did it through ADB (well, I uninstalled things I didn't want and saved the APK of the app).
I'm pretty sure I can use AdAway and YouTube Vanced without root. I'm currently using an older version of Vanced because newer ones do not work. Mine is from Magisk. I figure it has to do with Vanced on this specific phone and I can probably use some other version on the S21/Ultra.
Not sure what you meant about gravity and about a "valuble key feature". I am aware it has no sd card support, but I've found that I have never had the need for this on my current phone which supports up to 2 TB sd cards.
There is one thing that I doubt I'll be able to do which I've done on my V30+... I have the stock phone app modified to have a built-in recording feature. One press and I record calls with no notification beeps or anything stupid like that. After the call ends it prompts me to listen now or later. It saves the recording automatically as a file, based on the settings I've already configured. I can turn this on and off whenever I want during the call and if I turn it on before the call is answered, the app automatically waits until the call is connected to enable call recording. It records both sides in clear quality whether or not it's using the speaker or regular mode.
Is there a shutter sound on the S21? If so, is there a way to disable it without root?

sneak said:
I'm considering getting an S21 5G or S21 Ultra. Is it normal that there isn't much in terms of modding/rooting/etc for Samsung phones? I don't normally go for things like this.
I like the Nexus 5 and have a V30+ right now. I want to be able to control the phone and modify a few things I don't like about the stock experience.
What kind of situation am I looking at here? Is there a safe and reliable root? Or are things extremely locked down like an iPhone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just come over to the S21 Ultra from Xiaomi. I loved how you could theme the Xiaomi. I tried a few themes from the Samsung store but nothing would change all the icons. A real miss match and it looked terrible. Maybe I never searched hard enough well anyway I downloaded Good Lock and some modules from the Samsung store. It has some good customisations and it changes all icons to the same style and hides icons from status bar. Not sure if this is what your after but I knew when I got this phone there would not be much development on it at the start. Actually not to fussed about rooting at the moment. Also aodNotify as I missed the notification light. Moved away from Chinese phones myself. Here's a couple of pics if this is the sort of thing that your after.
Hope this helps

Clarkie_955i said:
I just come over to the S21 Ultra from Xiaomi. I loved how you could theme the Xiaomi. I tried a few themes from the Samsung store but nothing would change all the icons. A real miss match and it looked terrible. Maybe I never searched hard enough well anyway I downloaded Good Lock and some modules from the Samsung store. It has some good customisations and it changes all icons to the same style and hides icons from status bar. Not sure if this is what your after but I knew when I got this phone there would not be much development on it at the start. Actually not to fussed about rooting at the moment. Also aodNotify as I missed the notification light. Moved away from Chinese phones myself. Here's a couple of pics if this is the sort of thing that your after.
Hope this helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Congrats on leaving Chinese brands. I'm also making effort to buy things not made in China as much as possible as well. So Taiwan, Japan, USA, etc...
I don't usually do the whole custom icon set thing on phones, but I am aware that's a big thing so I understand why that would be frustrating when you can't find one you like. The most theming I've done is choose one I like (color wise) from some LG app I had on the phone which worked well.
Other small changes may count as theme changes in some ways, but it wasn't the intention.. it was mostly for functionality.
Thanks for the info.
Also I have researched a few things...
1. AdAway. It can now be used without root, which I didn't know. It can be run on S21 variants. BUT, you have to run an AdAway VPN to do it.. so might as well find another method for ad blocking. My friend showed me a screen on the S20 where there is a "private DNS" option. I could block ads that way.
2. Vanced doesn't need root. It actually is arguably better without root because you only have to set the app to open YT links and it doesn't replace the YT app. Right now I can't use auto app updates because it won't let me pick and choose which to not auto-update and one of the ones I would need to stop from auto updating is the stock YT app.
3. From research online and after asking Google about the variant they sell, you can disable shutter sound in the settings (which is actually better than what the LG V30+ supports.. a huge surprise).
4. Don't think I can use Xposed. There MAY be some bootleg way with partial functionality or something but I don't know for sure.
Can I (without root) remove the stock battery icon and replace it with a circle and percentage? Like this:
I also want to enable the seconds counter and add the date.. I want to do all that stuff, if possible.. that I did there.. including hcanging the size of fonts and capitalization of fonts in the top middle area.
Main thing I want is the seconds counter.
A friend showed me this from his s20:
So that's cool that he can change the icons displayed. I used Gravity Box or Xposed.

Not so much I cant find what I like it's just they don't change system wide like Xiaomi did. So I end up having half custom and half stock and looks crap with all the different colors in the folders. At least Good Lock manages to change them system wide which I don't quite understand why Samsung theme store will change maybe fifty percent. Anyway got it to how I like it.
With Good Lock you can remove status bar icons but no customisation with battery indicators. That pic is a pic of Good Lock the one you posted. I went with the Hong Kong version with Snapdragon which you can unlock bootloader in development options. Don't think you can on US Snapdragon versions. Here in OZ we only had the Exynos. Got the 16/512 Snapdragon for $1550 AUD. Same phone with Exynos just over $2200 here.
AdAway have not really missed it. Had it on my previous phone and maybe I'm not taking any notice of adds and just enjoying the phone. Never use Vanced. Cant see any setting in camera to turn off shutter sound but you can silence it in volume controls. Haven't looked into Xposed yet.
Don't know what model your going to get but there is root and TWRP available for ultra models. But soon as you flash a boot image you will trip Knox and lose some features of Samsung apps. Mainly Samsung pay I believe and warranty if you buy local. Still sussing this out myself. Have a old Tab S that I rooted and my first Android was a Samsung Galaxy Gio (GT-S5660)
Overall extremely happy with this phone.
Hoe this helps Sneak

A stock Note 10+, heavily customized.
Running fast and stable on Pie/OneUI.

sneak said:
I don't want anything from a Chinese company.
I'm not worried about warranties. I don't know if I'd ever need the samsung specific things like Samsung Pay. Not sure what Safe Folder is but I guess it's some kind of encryption based file storing? I generally don't use all these mainstream things people like.
I don't really spend time making Google Pay work because I have no use for it. I'll have an occasional issue with an app refusing to operate because of rooting and Magisk Hide doesn't work, but it isn't a big deal.
I like tweaking things like the battery logo (I like having a circle with percentage number inside and not having the extra/stock battery logo up there at the same time). I like to disable certain system icons from the top bar that aren't necessary to be there and just clog it up. I like adding the "clear all" type buttons in the running apps page. I like customizing the behavior of holding the power button so I can reboot, reboot to recovery, or shut the phone off easily.
For example, on my LG V30+ right now I am running the stock rom but rooted it and did things like I described above. Nothing major and don't need Google Pay. The LG app for air conditioners won't run because of my root. My bank app notifies me of root very occasionally but isn't a big deal. Yeah, I don't think my SafetyNet passes, but I don't care.
I am using Xposed, hostless AdAway, No Shutter Sound, Highway Radar and YouTube Vanced as well.
I tend to go through every single setting in a phone before I even start really dailying it . I don't mind it. I like customization. That's great to hear. I do like unrestricted or not very restricted phones as opposed to iPhone style lockdown stuff, though.
I used to consider the OnePlus phones but lately I have been more insistent on not buying things made in China or from Chinese companies as much as possible... for various reasons.
---
So assuming I don't care about things like warranty and Samsung Pay.. what other drawbacks are there? What would stop me from going this route? I intend on picking it up from Google because they have really good deals and I can even make 0% interest payments. I just have to stick with Fi for 3 months, then I can go back to ATT.
Another concern I have is the size of the phone. It makes me lean towards the S21 5G. I just like the Ultra for the other enhancements.
Thanks to all of you as well for the replies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In 100% me..
You just write that's way am here on xda,
Am a fan to customise my phone as I want,
And if I pay so much money we should have the right, and possibility to choice and use ..
Sorry for my English.

Well, I bought one from Google. If there are serious issues I don't want to put up with I will return it.
As long as I can disable the stock battery icon I would think I could get an app which has a custom battery icon.
I hope it's possible as well to do vertical listing of apps in app screen instead of having the left/right pages.

sneak said:
Well, I bought one from Google. If there are serious issues I don't want to put up with I will return it.
As long as I can disable the stock battery icon I would think I could get an app which has a custom battery icon.
I hope it's possible as well to do vertical listing of apps in app screen instead of having the left/right pages.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Congrats
The scrolling from the right was a pain at first. But all good now. Hopefully Good Lock will bring something out in the future and change it.

sneak said:
I'm considering getting an S21 5G or S21 Ultra. Is it normal that there isn't much in terms of modding/rooting/etc for Samsung phones? I don't normally go for things like this.
I like the Nexus 5 and have a V30+ right now. I want to be able to control the phone and modify a few things I don't like about the stock experience.
What kind of situation am I looking at here? Is there a safe and reliable root? Or are things extremely locked down like an iPhone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea rooting is possible and safe if right software is used but might affect warranty i guess

If anyone remembers the whole Carrier IQ thing, do you know if there's something like this on the S21 Ultra?
System UI Tuner doesn't seem to work as far as showing seconds in the status bar clock.
I would love to be able to customize the recently used apps section in the apps drawer. Either remove it completely or set static apps or somehow customize a blacklist or whitelist or some other variables to determine what goes there.
When I use jetaudio+ it puts a notification with details in the menu from the top. I can't swipe it away and it stays there even after I close the app and remove it from app list. I found out I have to drag down on it to expand it to be slightly larger and then an "x" appears. These "x" buttons would appear by default on apps like this on my old phone and they were a little larger relative to the rest of the UI as well. Would love to be able to tweak this functionality.
I want a feature I had on my LG V30+ where based on my GPS location I can enable or disable WiFi. Meaning, the same as hitting the wifi icon in the quick toggles based on entering a certain location or leaving that location. That way when I get home my phone will automatically globally turn on wifi and when I leave it twill automatically turn it off so it isn't hunting for networks.
Another feature in the same section was something which allowed me to have the phone remain unlocked when paired with a specific device. I want the phone to stay unlocked when paired with my car instead of having to unlock it all the time with fingerprint.
I would like to be able to scroll the apps list vertically, like normal.. instead of this left and right pages stuff.
I want a battery indicator setup where there is a percentage inside of a circle and the circle is representative of the percentage. Not finding an app option that has what I want. Does anyone know of a way to do this or an app?
I also want to make pressing the home button in the bottom center of the screen do a full open of the bar from the top.
On my current phone I've also found some way to keep the alarm clock icon from Alarm Clock Xtreme without having a persistent notification of the next alarm. Not sure how on this.

MacroDroid!
the answer to toggles based on location. A lot of features there to look into. Very nice.

MacroDroid seems fine for the WiFi toggle but it doesn't keep the phone from locking. At first it was keeping the screen on but then it just did nothing. I want the screen to still shut off if necessary but not require thumbprint or code or anything to unlock, while paired with phone.

sneak said:
MacroDroid seems fine for the WiFi toggle but it doesn't keep the phone from locking. At first it was keeping the screen on but then it just did nothing. I want the screen to still shut off if necessary but not require thumbprint or code or anything to unlock, while paired with phone.
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I don't advise using it but stupid Bixby probably can ie Bixby Routines.

blackhawk said:
I don't advise using it but stupid Bixby probably can ie Bixby Routines.
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That's the first thing I checked but I couldn't figure out how to do it. It's not very intuitive....