AT&T NOTE 4 LOLLIPOP: Is it worth the upgrade

[cincyrob]

even with the factory reset the loss of the private folder is still a issue and im sure after resetting it doesnt matter if they fix the issue it wont come back now.
but since i have noticed the gps searching alert has stopped.

 

[Kamau]

Nope. This update has just been one problem after another.

 

[EarlyMon]

Why did you do a factory reset? What difference has that made?

Android runs off of two essential caches - the operating system cache and the runtime cache (still called the Dalvik for legacy reasons).

During updates it's typical for these caches to get tangled up - this is a very, very old Android updating bug suffered by all makes any models.

This could be easily cured by less than a half dozen additional instructions in the OTA update installer - and providers are simply too lazy to do it.

It's really simple and I've watched this confusion for years - there are no theories involved, just facts.

Just like the browser on your pc, Android works by caching.

When your browser gets tangled, you clear the cache and you're good to go.

Same exact thing here.

Except that the only way to clear both caches for non-root users is a factory data reset - that carries the consequence of erasing your data and apps.

It doesn't have to be that way, but it just is if you're not rooted because you don't get a fine control - just the big erase button.

But when those caches are tangled, factory data reset will absolutely fix it every single time.

Here's my problem , my update happened because i kept ignoring it and one morning AT&T forced it on my phone without me being able to back up anything, is there a way i can clear stuff out as if i did back it up but with out losing pics like with a Factory Reset ?

I recommend Helium Backup from the Play Store.

And yes, if the Note bootloader architecture is like the S5 then you may have a half-step option - clear just the cache from below the running system.

If that's the only one screwed up, and not the Dalvik cache too, then that's all you need - you'll get to avoid the factory data reset.

Here's a thread with instructions for the S5 covering the mechanics of everything I've mentioned here.

If your button sequences and bootloader layout are standardized across Samsung models then this has your answers -

http://androidforums.com/threads/s5-lollipop-update-problems-dummies-guide.892800/

Hope that helps.

 

[Bearsyzf]

So Early , will this work for my Note 4 ?

 

[jabloomf1230]

Att just pushed through an update which I'm guessing was to fix the rapid battery drain issue.

 

[JimKnuckles]

I installed it last night. I was wondering what it was all about. I see I'm still on 5.0.1

Didn't see s change log anywhere

 

[cincyrob]

done the 5.0.2 update. battery life is still shat..... this sucks big time. go from just about 24hrs on a charge to barley 12hrs

 

[Bearsyzf]

i wonder if i should do it or not ?

 

[GTbrewer]

Since the upgrade to 5.0, my Note 4 now has a problem in several apps where the background has changed from
(not white) to white, and the text which was white is still white. Does anyone know how to read this? Do I need
special glasses or something? AT&T support and Samsung support are both equally useless on this one.

 

[Bearsyzf]

you should be able to change thos in your texting app right ?

 

[GTbrewer]

If you're responding to my post, it's not a texting app...it's a setting that Google changed (from what I've heard)
starting with Android 5.0---they changed the default background from black to white, but neglected to change
white text to black. So any app that had white text on a black background (that did not specifically SET the background to black) will have white text on a white background. Yep, that's a lot easier to read, google....really
smart move. Both Samsung's and AT&T's tech support has no clue how to fix it, and we all know how responsive
google isn't......

 

[JimKnuckles]

If you're responding to my post, it's not a texting app...it's a setting that Google changed (from what I've heard)
starting with Android 5.0---they changed the default background from black to white, but neglected to change
white text to black. So any app that had white text on a black background (that did not specifically SET the background to black) will have white text on a white background. Yep, that's a lot easier to read, google....really
smart move. Both Samsung's and AT&T's tech support has no clue how to fix it, and we all know how responsive
google isn't......

i havent had this issue. give me an example of a few of the apps you're having trouble with

 

[GTbrewer]

Two that I can name right now are OI Shopping List and Opera (browser). Note that there are several versions of Opera for Android---one does not have this problem, the older (Opera Classic, I think it's called) opens now to white on white ... just one big white display. There were others that I fixed with launcher app themes (the apps drawer, if I remember correctly, was one---the icons were there, but no text until I changed the theme). From what I can see, it all depends on how the developer defined the colors. Just defining foreground colors would open it up to this. I always define both foreground and background, others apply themes, etc. And you may not see it right away. For example, in OI Shopping List, I only see it when entering something that's already in the database, and the AutoCompleteTextView starts showing partial matches---those are what's white on white in that app. It doesn't prevent use of the app, but it is annoying. With the version of Opera I was using as my web browser, it broke the app, period. (But then I switched to a different version, and it's ok...I just have to start over with bookmarks, etc.).

I've read some online today about this (changing the default background color to white) was a decision by either google or some google developers, and I'm not the only one seeing problems as a result. It all started with Android 5.0. Immediately after that upgrade, this hit.