I think I'm ready to rage quit Samsung phones

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,010
66
91
Recently I made a thread about my last S6 being slow as all hell, in which the solution as to clear cache. I did this multiple times, then finally ended up breaking the phone one day. Got a new one now, and this one is giving me a different issue.

Now, whenever I press the button to pull up all my in use apps, it often says "No recent apps", even though I am 100% in multiple apps at once. The only solution thus far is a restart of the phone. It's annoying as all hell and I'm about ready to dump this phone and go back to iphone (blasphemy, I know) because I never really had issues with that phone until the radio antenna started to break after 3 years.

I'm still waiting to switch from ATT&T to Tmob to take advantage of them paying my current lease out. It seems like a pretty good time now...
 

Fingolfin269

Lifer
Feb 28, 2003
17,948
34
91
What you're describing is one of the main issues I had with Android. Seemed like there was always something wrong. I can't think of any issue I've had with iOS other than some customization concerns but at least I know what those limitations are. There aren't any surprises and it just works.

With that said, this iPhone headphone jack removal pisses me off and I may end up getting an Android anyway.
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,010
66
91
What you're describing is one of the main issues I had with Android. Seemed like there was always something wrong. I can't think of any issue I've had with iOS other than some customization concerns but at least I know what those limitations are. There aren't any surprises and it just works.

With that said, this iPhone headphone jack removal pisses me off and I may end up getting an Android anyway.
Yeah that's been my experience. Over the years I've actually used my phone less and less. It's at the point now where all I use it for is some texting, youtube and Clash of Clans. The removal of headphone jack is a 100% deal breaker for me with iphone. I have some nice Audiotechnica headphones that I use to listen to music in bed while my g/f is sleeping next to me or watching TV. Phone is totally useless to me with out the 3.5mm jack. So, if I went iphone I'd grab a 6s, but looking down the road, I'd probably have to go back to Android once the 6s is obsolete.
 

RockinZ28

Platinum Member
Mar 5, 2008
2,171
49
101
Try a Nexus phone. I dumped Samsung after the pile of deuce that was the Note4. Same crap with the constant lag, clearing ram. TouchWiz is horrible. All my other Samsung devices root & custom ROMs were available, so never noticed how bad things were until the unrootable VZW Note4.

Nexus 6P has been fantastic, and the freedom of choice is great. Samsung's prices are also comical.
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,010
66
91
Yes this is the obvious choice. I guess that I'm sort of handcuffed because I was to get off of AT&T, but Tmob does not offer Nexus phones direct. I had a thread about this, too. Basically, you all explained to me that the only way I can get on Tmob with Nexus from my current position is to sell the S6 to Tmob, buy any random phone from them on a plan, pay it off, sell it, then buy a Nexus outright, then bring that over. Basically a giant PITA for me, and a somewhat expensive one. Not to mention July/Aug is the the worst time on the year to buy a new phone.

I guess if I can deal with this shiz for another 2 months, I can get the 6P for much cheaper.
 

isekii

Lifer
Mar 16, 2001
28,578
3
81
S6 was total trash come to the S7 ;)
also if you're coming to tmobile ;) shameless referral offer ;)
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,010
66
91
I don't see why the S7 would be any better. My gf and my dad both have the S5 and it's always laggy or freezing up on them.

Things could possibly be better with a root, but I'm too lazy for that crap now a days.
 

isekii

Lifer
Mar 16, 2001
28,578
3
81
I don't see why the S7 would be any better. My gf and my dad both have the S5 and it's always laggy or freezing up on them.

Things could possibly be better with a root, but I'm too lazy for that crap now a days.

I totally skipped out on the s 4 / 5 / 6
no lag as far as I can see~ on my S7e and battery life is nice. Expandable memory is back,
if skipping sammy all together, have you atleast tried using a different launcher?
If all else wait out for the newest nexus unless you're getting a phenomenal price on the 6p.
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,010
66
91
Have not tried a different launcher yet. I guess I could, but are there any good free ones?
 

gorcorps

aka Brandon
Jul 18, 2004
30,739
454
126
Try a Nexus phone. I dumped Samsung after the pile of deuce that was the Note4. Same crap with the constant lag, clearing ram. TouchWiz is horrible. All my other Samsung devices root & custom ROMs were available, so never noticed how bad things were until the unrootable VZW Note4.

Nexus 6P has been fantastic, and the freedom of choice is great. Samsung's prices are also comical.

Eh, I've had my own issues with the 6P that doesn't make it a clear winner over the Note 4 it replaced... let alone the new Note 7.

IMO vanilla Android without rooting isn't much better than Touchwiz. It may be "smoother" but there's a lot less that I'm able to control. I much prefer the quick toggles in the notification area in Touchwiz compared to the god awful system in Marshmallow where I have to swipe the panel down twice to even see the quick toggles, and then don't have nearly as much control about the buttons there and how they're organized.

So I have to root it to start getting what I want, and that's when we fall into the age old issue with Android... how much BS are you willing to put up with to get what you want? I can't simply apply OTA updates when I'm rooted, I have to download the entire update to the phone (usually ~1gig) and then flash that separate. Thank god for Flashfire which automates re-rooting after an update, but it's still tedious. Then depending on how you're rooted and if Google has accounted for it yet, Android Pay may not work while rooted. It currently works with root, but there was a couple months where it didn't after an update to Android Pay. You CANNOT used any xposed modules and have Android pay working, which is a big loss for customization.

Battery life is worse than the Note 4 when actually using the phone. I've been pretty disappointed with the Nexus experience really. I shouldn't be too surprised, I was also one of the outliers with a Nexus 7 who didn't like vanilla Android then either. It seems more limited than Touchwiz, and rooting has never been a streamlined process. As time goes on, Android seems to be becoming less root-friendly for security reasons and I just don't have the patience to keep up with it anymore.

I don't hate the 6P by any means, and it was still the better choice between the Note 5. However, for me I really should have held out a little longer for the Note 7.
 

isekii

Lifer
Mar 16, 2001
28,578
3
81
Have not tried a different launcher yet. I guess I could, but are there any good free ones?

Try nova, it's snappier than touchwiz and it feels more basic. If you like it, you pay couple bucks I think to get the full unlocked version which gives you more features. What those features are I have no clue.
 

isekii

Lifer
Mar 16, 2001
28,578
3
81
Switched from Samsung after the note 2 to huawei and haven't been happier.

Note 2 was my all time favorite and got me like $200 bucks after couple years usage and went to the note 3.

*I keep my devices in top shape on condition.
 

RockinZ28

Platinum Member
Mar 5, 2008
2,171
49
101
I use the Google Now launcher. Seems perfect for me.
Eh, I've had my own issues with the 6P that doesn't make it a clear winner over the Note 4 it replaced... let alone the new Note 7.

IMO vanilla Android without rooting isn't much better than Touchwiz. It may be "smoother" but there's a lot less that I'm able to control. I much prefer the quick toggles in the notification area in Touchwiz compared to the god awful system in Marshmallow where I have to swipe the panel down twice to even see the quick toggles, and then don't have nearly as much control about the buttons there and how they're organized.

So I have to root it to start getting what I want, and that's when we fall into the age old issue with Android... how much BS are you willing to put up with to get what you want? I can't simply apply OTA updates when I'm rooted, I have to download the entire update to the phone (usually ~1gig) and then flash that separate. Thank god for Flashfire which automates re-rooting after an update, but it's still tedious. Then depending on how you're rooted and if Google has accounted for it yet, Android Pay may not work while rooted. It currently works with root, but there was a couple months where it didn't after an update to Android Pay. You CANNOT used any xposed modules and have Android pay working, which is a big loss for customization.

Battery life is worse than the Note 4 when actually using the phone. I've been pretty disappointed with the Nexus experience really. I shouldn't be too surprised, I was also one of the outliers with a Nexus 7 who didn't like vanilla Android then either. It seems more limited than Touchwiz, and rooting has never been a streamlined process. As time goes on, Android seems to be becoming less root-friendly for security reasons and I just don't have the patience to keep up with it anymore.

I don't hate the 6P by any means, and it was still the better choice between the Note 5. However, for me I really should have held out a little longer for the Note 7.

Yea I feel ya. Don't think there is any perfect solution. I too don't like many aspects of vanilla Android and still require root for what I want. Can't stand iOS whatsoever. The PureNexus ROM on the 6P has been great for me though. Never even bother with updates.
 

lothar

Diamond Member
Jan 5, 2000
6,674
7
76
Yes this is the obvious choice. I guess that I'm sort of handcuffed because I was to get off of AT&T, but Tmob does not offer Nexus phones direct. I had a thread about this, too. Basically, you all explained to me that the only way I can get on Tmob with Nexus from my current position is to sell the S6 to Tmob, buy any random phone from them on a plan, pay it off, sell it, then buy a Nexus outright, then bring that over. Basically a giant PITA for me, and a somewhat expensive one. Not to mention July/Aug is the the worst time on the year to buy a new phone.

I guess if I can deal with this shiz for another 2 months, I can get the 6P for much cheaper.
I'm scratching my head to find out exactly why anyone would want to buy a Nexus from a carrier instead of from Google themselves directly. I haven't bought a phone from a carrier in ages, but I was under the assumption that most US carriers have already abandoned the subsidy model?
original.jpg
 

Raduque

Lifer
Aug 22, 2004
13,140
138
106
The S6 was garbage. Mine had terrible battery life, short Bluetooth range (if the BT even connected at all!), poor performance and small storage. I got so mad at it one day while driving to work because it dropped BT connection to my pickup one day and wouldn't reconnect after a reboot, I ended up slamming it against the arm rest about a dozen times. Because of that, I couldn't get a warranty replacement anymore. I gave it to Verizon and they gave me my Note 4 back.

I did go to a Droid Turbo 2 for almost a year, but I decided the stock Android experience wasn't for me - and now I'm on a Note 7 and it's love at first swipe.
 

core2slow

Senior member
Mar 7, 2008
774
20
81
Note 2 was my all time favorite and got me like $200 bucks after couple years usage and went to the note 3.

*I keep my devices in top shape on condition.
I still have the note 2, but it's relegated to just be a multimedia player. It's indeed a great phone but sadly it's one of the last good phones that Samsung churn out (other than the coating on the battery cover start peeling and falling off like flakes from your scalp..)
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,010
66
91
I'm scratching my head to find out exactly why anyone would want to buy a Nexus from a carrier instead of from Google themselves directly. I haven't bought a phone from a carrier in ages, but I was under the assumption that most US carriers have already abandoned the subsidy model?
I don't think any carrier still does that model. It's more modeled like a car lease type of system now, as I'm sure you know.

I'm just sick of buying a new phone every year with android because I end up raging out. First was the HTC one, then the s5, then the s6. Before that I had an iPhone 4 for like 3.5 years that I only got rid of because radio failed. Big failure but never had software issues really...

I just despise Apple as a company overall. I'm so heavily invested into Google+ now that going back to iOS would be a huge headache. I'm not up to date with this stuff: Is there a way to carry over all my Google+ info using iOS? Maybe this is a dumb question. I'm pretty sure things in chrome would be okay right? Like all my auto fill in info, etc, once that's set up.
 

tsupersonic

Senior member
Nov 11, 2013
867
21
91
I just despise Apple as a company overall. I'm so heavily invested into Google+ now that going back to iOS would be a huge headache. I'm not up to date with this stuff: Is there a way to carry over all my Google+ info using iOS? Maybe this is a dumb question. I'm pretty sure things in chrome would be okay right? Like all my auto fill in info, etc, once that's set up.
I'm confused here - are you talking about Google+, the social media site from Google? Or are you talking about Google data in your iPhone? Either way, iOS can handle Google data just fine. You can sync Chrome (auto-fill, passwords, etc.) assuming you have this feature enabled in Chrome. Personally, I think Chrome is clunky on iOS.

I also had an S6, and I killed it in a swimming accident. Had it been an S5 or S7, it would've survived as the phone was submerged 3-4 ft deep and for < a min. It was a nice phone, but I don't miss bloatware (thanks AT&T), and slow updates (thanks AT&T). I wish you could use an unlocked phone on AT&T with HD-voice and WiFi calling (damn you AT&T!).
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,010
66
91
Yeah I guess I meant like, all my contacts that get auto loaded into my phone that are saved in Google+, all my passwords that are saved using Google, etc. A lot of times when I sign up for services/websites I just log in using my Google+ account. I vaguely remember using chrome on iOS and not liking that experience. I also didn't like Safari which was a big reason I switched to Android.

I also hate the "Ok Google" functionality on the S6. About 50% of the time it doesn't even recognize what I am saying and I end up just typing it in anyway. Not sure if Siri is much better.

And yeeeeep, I need to get off AT&T asap, but I've been dropping assloads of cash on medical bills and golfing lately, so ditching another 350+ to get a Nexus on Tmob would be a tough pill to swallow right now. If anything, I'd get the Note 7 on one of those lease plans, then pay it off a little later, sell and get a Nexus if I wasn't happy.
 

lothar

Diamond Member
Jan 5, 2000
6,674
7
76
I don't think any carrier still does that model. It's more modeled like a car lease type of system now, as I'm sure you know.

I'm just sick of buying a new phone every year with android because I end up raging out. First was the HTC one, then the s5, then the s6. Before that I had an iPhone 4 for like 3.5 years that I only got rid of because radio failed. Big failure but never had software issues really...

I just despise Apple as a company overall. I'm so heavily invested into Google+ now that going back to iOS would be a huge headache. I'm not up to date with this stuff: Is there a way to carry over all my Google+ info using iOS? Maybe this is a dumb question. I'm pretty sure things in chrome would be okay right? Like all my auto fill in info, etc, once that's set up.

In that case, get T-Mobile to pay for your old phones and buy a Nexus from the Google store. My friend moved from Sprint to T-Mobile. He turned his Sprint iPhone to T-Mobile and paid out of pocket for his Nexus 6P last year from Google. T-Mobile gave him a credit for the Sprint iPhones which he used to pay his future phone bills.
Whether the carrier gives you a credit to lower the price of the new phones that they sell or gives you a credit to pay your phone bills does not matter. Money is money, and money is fungible. It's a bit like getting store credit from Walgreens or Home Depot for a returned purchase...Yes, you have to spend that store credit at Walgreens or Home Depot, but they don't limit what you can buy in the store with it.

Before you abandon Android, try a Google Nexus. The new ones are coming in October.
I came from Samsung's TouchWiz to Google Nexus and majority of my complaints with Android went away.
Unless you want removable batteries or SD card, there's practically almost no reason to get a Galaxy device nowadays. For a few minor people, those 2 features are non-negotiable.
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,010
66
91
The way Tmob explained it was that I also had to buy a new phone from them, too, but maybe the woman was a bit misguided. She made it seem like the only way they'd pay for my old phone, was if I traded them my s6 and bought a new one from them. She said if I wanted a Nexus, I'd have to buy one on my own separately. I'll have to confirm this.

I can probably wait until October to make the move unless the Samsung starts borking up every day.
 

isekii

Lifer
Mar 16, 2001
28,578
3
81
The way Tmob explained it was that I also had to buy a new phone from them, too, but maybe the woman was a bit misguided. She made it seem like the only way they'd pay for my old phone, was if I traded them my s6 and bought a new one from them. She said if I wanted a Nexus, I'd have to buy one on my own separately. I'll have to confirm this.

I can probably wait until October to make the move unless the Samsung starts borking up every day.

That's true, If you're on a contract with ATT you can trade in any smartphone and you need to buy a phone for them to pay off your ETF.

If you're on a lease/payment plan, you have to trade in the device that's currently being paid off and they'll give you credit to cover the cost of the device.
For example if you owe $350. they'll give you like $150 trade in credit at the time of and the rest will come I think via prepaid visa card.
But you would also still need to purchase a device from T-mobile at the time of signup/switch.