• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

My complaints with Android

DaSchmarotzer

Blame it on me
Mar 10, 2010
3,086
1,569
Qu
I've been using Android for quite a while now and I love it, but still there are things which I do not like that much. Maybe some of you guys can even help me understand a few things?

First of all, when I was looking for a new phone, I kept hearing that the iPhone was locked and you couldn't change anything. I also heard that Android was all about customization and you could do whatever you wanted with your device. Well, if that means changing the wallpapers and stuff like that, ok, but that's not what I call total customization. I had to root my phone and get metamorph to create my own theme (I love transparency!), and then again I can't change everything. With an iPhone, isn't rooting just like jailbreaking? I am more than happy with my device, but I think it's not really a fair reason to get Android, as you'll need a lot of technical knowledge to customize the stuff you want. Installing a custom recovery via ADB isn't what I call user friendly.

Second thing: I get a lot of apps that "aren't responding" (windows anyone?). I then get the choice to kill it, or to wait. As soon as I click wait, it works just fine. Not once have I ever chosen not to wait. Does that only happen to me? (or my device, Samsung Galaxy I7500)

And what's with the homescreens? I had to install another launcher just to get 5 of them (I use 7 now). Three is definitely not enough.

Wifi. Oh boy, don't get me started on wifi. As soon as my device gets disconnected from my home network (because it does, don't ask why). It won't reconnect automatically. I have to enter the settings, click on wifi, and only then it will connect automatically. Yay. I have no data plan, so this is really annoying.

On another subject, what brought me to Android were the updates. Funny that my phone still has 1.5! (I'm using a custom 1.6 ROM, and there's a 2.1 beta available, but the camera doesn't work. None of this comes from Samsung.) I know this has nothing to do with Google, but the phones should receive more updates. There are a lot of new phones on the market every month or so, causing the older phones to be "forgotten".

One last thing: my phone won't reconnect to the carrier's network after I lose signal. It's going to take a lot of time before I can use the network, which is really annoying. I don't know who or what to blame for that though.

Alright, that's it for now. I could talk about a lot of stuff, but it would be even more boring and no one would read it. Once again, I like Android and I have no regrets at all. :D
 
I dont think the phones were even meant to be rooted, lol.

Its kinda like a PC, my computer cant run Vista or Windows 7. Unless I buy a new computer i will never see Vista or Win7. But I don't care, my computer does what I need it to do, if it doesn't, and i want a new OS, i have to buy a new computer.....


Iphone can update to all the new OS's but it doesn't mean that all the features are going to work depending on what generation the iphone is.....

I don't know what to tell you....... But you have to keep upgrading the get the lastest and greatest..... the way it works......
 
Upvote 0
Second thing: I get a lot of apps that "aren't responding" (windows anyone?). I then get the choice to kill it, or to wait. As soon as I click wait, it works just fine. Not once have I ever chosen not to wait. Does that only happen to me? (or my device, Samsung Galaxy I7500)

I very rarely get apps freezing up on me...

And what's with the homescreens? I had to install another launcher just to get 5 of them (I use 7 now). Three is definitely not enough.

2.2 has 5 by default I believe. My Slide running 2.1 had 5 by default and an option (that I took) to expand that to 7. I'm not sure if only the 7 screens or if even the 5 is part of the Sense UI...

Wifi. Oh boy, don't get me started on wifi. As soon as my device gets disconnected from my home network (because it does, don't ask why). It won't reconnect automatically. I have to enter the settings, click on wifi, and only then it will connect automatically. Yay. I have no data plan, so this is really annoying.

I have no problems with my Slide, and also had no problems with a Droid Eris I used for a few weeks late last year.

On another subject, what brought me to Android were the updates. Funny that my phone still has 1.5! (I'm using a custom 1.6 ROM, and there's a 2.1 beta available, but the camera doesn't work. None of this comes from Samsung.) I know this has nothing to do with Google, but the phones should receive more updates. There are a lot of new phones on the market every month or so, causing the older phones to be "forgotten".

Hopefully market forces will push manufacturers to quit being stingy with the freely available updates. Supposedly the UI improvements in Gingerbread will make custom UIs obsolete anyway, with luck it will just be a matter of time 'til all new Androids simply run a Vanilla version that can be very easily updated.

One last thing: my phone won't reconnect to the carrier's network after I lose signal. It's going to take a lot of time before I can use the network, which is really annoying. I don't know who or what to blame for that though.

Again, no problems with my Tmobile Slide or the Verizon Droid Eris I used in this regard...
 
Upvote 0
-Wanna create your own them? From scratch? Get sweeterhome 2, its just amazing what you can do with that app, you are gonna have to download the app from sweeterhome.com because t is not in the market yet.
-there are also some home replacements that let you add screens to your home
-as to the unresponsive apps, well that depends on the app and your device, sometimes apps are just poorly written or sometimes they are just too much for your device to handle.
-as for your wifi problem, I think I've seen some apps that help you keep the wifi awake, try searching for keep wifi or something like that.
-good luck for the rest lol
 
Upvote 0
Well, if that means changing the wallpapers and stuff like that, ok, but that's not what I call total customization. I had to root my phone and get metamorph to create my own theme (I love transparency!), and then again I can't change everything. With an iPhone, isn't rooting just like jailbreaking? I am more than happy with my device, but I think it's not really a fair reason to get Android, as you'll need a lot of technical knowledge to customize the stuff you want. Installing a custom recovery via ADB isn't what I call user friendly.

Have you... like, ever handled an iPhone? Ever? At all? Five minutes at a shop? A youtube vid? The simple ability to install home replacements/alternative launchers alone is more than any iDiot can ever hope to get, and if you're familiar enough with Android to root you must know that several alternative launchers completely change the way your homescreens behave (app dock, pinch to leap, SweeterHome's total customization). You can without rooting change the keyboard, browser, shortcut icons, whatever. Oh, and widgets. Good luck with trying those on a non-jailbroken iphone.

And what's with the homescreens? I had to install another launcher just to get 5 of them (I use 7 now). Three is definitely not enough.

So? Send Samsung a strongly worded letter or something. My N1 came with five screens out of the box and I understand the Milestone comes with nine. ADW Launcher and Launcher Pro both lets you have up to seven. It's not as if downloading either of those takes a Herculean effort, and they're designed to look like vanilla Android anyway.

Wifi. Oh boy, don't get me started on wifi. As soon as my device gets disconnected from my home network (because it does, don't ask why). It won't reconnect automatically. I have to enter the settings, click on wifi, and only then it will connect automatically. Yay. I have no data plan, so this is really annoying.

Sounds like a hardware problem. Reminds me why I don't buy Samsung.
 
Upvote 0
Have you... like, ever handled an iPhone?
+1. OP should spend some time with the iPhone to see the differences.

Second thing: I get a lot of apps that "aren't responding" (windows anyone?). I then get the choice to kill it, or to wait. As soon as I click wait, it works just fine. Not once have I ever chosen not to wait. Does that only happen to me? (or my device, Samsung Galaxy I7500)
In my experience, yes. I've definitely had to force close some apps. But I don't have many that end up in a non-responsive state to begin with.

Three is definitely not enough.
Five is more than enough IMO. Depends on who you talk to and how they use their home screens. There are options to get more so I'm not sure why this point was stated.
 
Upvote 0
The one complaint in particular that I have with Android is the inability to have a proxy setup in WiFi. Unable to use WiFi at work because of this.

Now, that being said, I need to do an experiment. I relive I can load a different browser and set a proxy in it, although I"m not sure if that will work. But browsing is not my concern. I want all the background sync that goes on to use the WiFi. I am presuming that will not happen, even if I do get a browser that I can set a proxy in.
 
Upvote 0
The one complaint in particular that I have with Android is the inability to have a proxy setup in WiFi. Unable to use WiFi at work because of this.

Now, that being said, I need to do an experiment. I relive I can load a different browser and set a proxy in it, although I"m not sure if that will work. But browsing is not my concern. I want all the background sync that goes on to use the WiFi. I am presuming that will not happen, even if I do get a browser that I can set a proxy in.

Talk to the technicians of the company you work to give you proxy settings. I can connect to work place with no problem at all.
 
Upvote 0
I've been using Android for quite a while now and I love it, but still there are things which I do not like that much. Maybe some of you guys can even help me understand a few things?

First of all, when I was looking for a new phone, I kept hearing that the iPhone was locked and you couldn't change anything. I also heard that Android was all about customization and you could do whatever you wanted with your device. Well, if that means changing the wallpapers and stuff like that, ok, but that's not what I call total customization.

The iPhone (iOS specifically) is all about NOT customizing. You can pick up any iPhone anywhere and expect it to behave exactly as any other, except for maybe a background (whoo-hoo, talk about innovation!!!) or the apps that are installed. Android offers so much more in customization right out of the box (unrooted) including but not limited to Just about anything on the home screen, widgets, the number of home screens, the way the home screens behave, widgets, multiple input methods, fonts, colors, location, widgets, transparency ... did I mention widgets? Now, total customization is a different and dangerous animal, however, if you are motivated you could modify the OS is you wanted to. Whether you should or not, is a different story, but go ahead and call Apple or Microsoft and ask them for the source code.

I had to root my phone and get metamorph to create my own theme (I love transparency!), and then again I can't change everything. With an iPhone, isn't rooting just like jailbreaking? I am more than happy with my device, but I think it's not really a fair reason to get Android, as you'll need a lot of technical knowledge to customize the stuff you want. Installing a custom recovery via ADB isn't what I call user friendly.

Technically, rooting and Jailbreaking are gaining access to administrative privileges to alter the OS for whatever reason. However, to customize anything on an iPhone requires jailbreaking where Android gives you plenty of customization options without rooting. And, Google will never intentionally brick your handset with an OTA update because you did it. Apple did.

Second thing: I get a lot of apps that "aren't responding" (windows anyone?). I then get the choice to kill it, or to wait. As soon as I click wait, it works just fine. Not once have I ever chosen not to wait. Does that only happen to me? (or my device, Samsung Galaxy I7500)

That is not typical behavior, and if it did it from day one, before and after OS updates, I'd look to a hardware fault. Perhaps some flaky memory or a marginal circuit path that goes wonky from time to time (sorry, for the technical jargon).

And what's with the homescreens? I had to install another launcher just to get 5 of them (I use 7 now). Three is definitely not enough.[

Talk to Samsung about that one because it's definitely not a limitation of Android. Of course they may have limited to three because more would tax the devices limited abilities. In many cases, just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.

Wifi. Oh boy, don't get me started on wifi. As soon as my device gets disconnected from my home network (because it does, don't ask why). It won't reconnect automatically. I have to enter the settings, click on wifi, and only then it will connect automatically. Yay. I have no data plan, so this is really annoying.

This is a hardware idiosyncrasy, not an OS issue. If Samsung used a shoddy radio or did something funky with the driver that it won't renegotiate the connection when it wakes up then check with them. If this is endemic to the I7500, then it's the radio. If it's any wireless device in your house, then it's your router. If it's only your phone, then it's the drivers.

On another subject, what brought me to Android were the updates. Funny that my phone still has 1.5! (I'm using a custom 1.6 ROM, and there's a 2.1 beta available, but the camera doesn't work. None of this comes from Samsung.) I know this has nothing to do with Google, but the phones should receive more updates. There are a lot of new phones on the market every month or so, causing the older phones to be "forgotten".

Right, it has nothing to do with Google (aka Android). If Samsung insists on throwing a custom UI on Android then it's their responsibility to keep you updated. However, it is not your right to get every update that comes down the pike. You get what comes with your phone the day you bought it, technical patches to address problems with that OS version and any promised OS updates by the handset manufacturer. Expecting older equipment to be fully functioning with a newer OS is a bit unreasonable.

One last thing: my phone won't reconnect to the carrier's network after I lose signal. It's going to take a lot of time before I can use the network, which is really annoying. I don't know who or what to blame for that though.

Sounds like an antenna issue to me. Maybe the iPhone 4 engineers used to work as Samsung.
 
Upvote 0
I just got a Samsung Galaxy Spica with 2.1 and I don't have any of your issues. It switches seamlessly between wifi and 3G and have no problem reconnecting if either falls down.

I have experienced the occasional "App not responding" but really not a great deal and always when I have played with it a lot and had plenty of stuff gong on. I keep forgetting that the thing is pretty weak compared to regular computers :eek:

I'm not really into heavy customasation though so I can't comment on that except that I have nine (I think) homescreens available.

So I guess your device is just a tad outdated and/ or suffer from some technical glitches.
 
Upvote 0
I have the I5700 (Samsung Spica/Portal/Lite) and I've never had issues with connecting and reconnecting to wifi - well other than my router trying to give my cell phone an IP address that was already in use but that was easily fixed on my router.

I only had trouble connecting to the network (Rogers) once when for some reason my cell phone was kicked off. I threw another copy of the new OS I was using (Samdroid) on it and its worked fine since. I have more problems when my cell phone shuts off and doesn't want to reboot than anything else (and as such, the workaround is to keep it charged always).

Samsung has pulled 2.2 from the Spicas and won't support it. Why? Its too old apparently. So instead I'm going to have to get it from an outside source who's been working his butt off trying to get a working version for all the Spica/Lite/Portal owners in the world. So its really not just your Samsung, there's others out here who aren't all that happy buying a phone less than six months ago to be told "oh its too old." (If you're interested we have a club house, T-shirts, and cake ;))

I've had a number of apps force close on me and usually its been something that's been going on in the background. I don't know why. I'm chalking it up to them not really being compatible with my OS. Or the fact that I seem to have a kajillion apps on there and not enough room. Or maybe it really is just that I haven't got the approved Rogers version on my Spica.

For the record, while I like having more real estate to put all my awesome widgets (seriously addicted to those by the way) in some ways limiting myself to 3 screens has the advantage of me not downloading every app that looks cool to slow down my phone. I'm far too much of a "ooooh shiney" person than is healthy so this helps me. :)
 
Upvote 0
This probably should be moved to it's own thread entitled "thinking of switching camps"

If you are comparing the two type of devices based on what you listed alone, you should see a couple links referring to the IPhone. They specifically reference, hardware problems and resolutions and Apple's new iads (ads that show up inside Apple ios programs. In my opinion, Android phones offer way more customization and options than even the "unlocked" iPhone. It really comes down to what you want. If you want "an idiot can do it functionality" get an iPhone.
"Jailbreaking" to me seems worthless as a "jailbreaked" iPhone can just do things a "non rooted straight from the manufacturer" Android phone can do by default. If you want a phone that is capable of doing more things (such as the aforementioned customization), get an Android. Here are some links below to look into if you are thinking about switching camps.

Apple Responds to iPhone 4 Antenna Problem - PCWorld

Apple's first iAds hit the iPhone | Circuit Breaker - CNET News

Here is a link outlining what a "jailbreaked" iPhone can do. To me it seems like all "jailbreaking" does is let you use non Apple sanctioned apps.

5 iPhone Apps Worth Jailbreaking For
 
Upvote 0
Thanks for all the replies. :D

To set a few things straight, yes, I've "played" with an iPhone and no, I don't consider "switching sides" or anything. I was just pointing out a few things that bugged me, most of them being related to the lack of RAM of my device (and the crappy service from Samsung. Oh, and whilst it might not look like it, I've got a lot of technical knowledge, so no need to explain everything or use simplified versions. There's one thing good about the iPhone (well, not really anymore). All the apps used to work just fine without lag, because every device was the same. Seeing that my Galaxy I7500 is already getting old, lots of applications won't work so well, which is kind of disappointing.

I can't afford another phone, especially since I've only had this one for a couple of months. Still, if I had to start over, I'd get the exact same phone.

PS: Can't wait for Portal 2. :D
 
Upvote 0
Its definitley a phone issue and its outdated or faulty hardware/software. I had a cliq and nothing made me miss my iphone 3gs more. I had that thing for a year and had almost all the problems that your describing. I was stuck on 1.5 cupcake(why do they name them after delicious deserts) and after being promised updates for months, I figured that they would never come. Right when I was about to jump ship and buy another iphone the Vibrant and its 7 customizable home screens came out.

I love this phone and it is by far the best phone that I have ever owned. Touchwiz 3.0 isn't bad at all. Very smooth with zero lag issue and responsive to every touch. Samsung did a really good job with this version of touchwiz. I tried everything from LauncherPro to ADW launcher and I always went back Touchwiz. All around, this phone makes the 3gs feel archaic. Its funny how just a couple of months can make the technology of a phone outdated.

And as for the 3.1.2 update for the 3gs, it was great, but the iOS4 update made it crippled. Don't even get me started on the iphone4. My buddy has that phone and he hates it sooooo much. He played with my phone for 5 minutes and he was talking about jumpin ship and coming to android.

It just seems like when it came to your phone and the behold II(that phone sucked and I hated that one too), Samsung struck out big. Well 3rd times a charm and with the Galaxy S being their flagship phone, I see many good things when it comes to updates.
 
Upvote 0
Seeing that my Galaxy I7500 is already getting old, lots of applications won't work so well, which is kind of disappointing.

I can't afford another phone, especially since I've only had this one for a couple of months. Still, if I had to start over, I'd get the exact same phone.

Interesting, I'd get something that worked well instead. ;)
 
Upvote 0
I actually agree with the OP on a number of the issues, particularly around the apps and WiFi. I get a lot of apps that get stuck and stop responding, which is an issue I rarely had with my previous phone (yes, it was an iPhone), regardless of whether I was using a jailbroken 3rd party app or an Apple-approved one. On that note, while a lot of the apps that are available on the iPhone are also available for Android, the Android versions tend to be lighter on features and have a worse UI. AccuWeather and Faceook both spring to mind.

My WiFi also frequently drops. I've managed to solve this problem at home by setting a static IP but that's obviously not a solution for all networks. It's really irritating that I have to manually go into settings and select a network since the Nexus One I've got never seems to automatically connect.

In my mind, this all boils down to two things. When I use my Nexus, I immediately get the sense that it's a very powerful phone and can do a lot of things. BUT, when I used my iPhone, the user experience was just much more enjoyable. I had the sense that a lot of the features had been thought about and well-designed, which is not something that I get with Android (for example, the music player on my phone randomnly stops responding to the headphones; or Gmail push stops working... quite a bit actually.). Apple has a lot of flaws (the closed OS, the recent antenna debacle, the lack of copy-paste until quite late in the day, etc.) but the a closed OS has its positives as well.
 
Upvote 0
I actually agree with the OP on a number of the issues, particularly around the apps and WiFi. I get a lot of apps that get stuck and stop responding, which is an issue I rarely had with my previous phone (yes, it was an iPhone)

Here's a hint--ask some 3G users how iOS4 is working out for them. Even some 3GS users report their phones have become crippled after the OS update. That's what happens when Apple attempts multi-tasking with their mobile OS. Well-designed and well-thought out, eh?

I get the sense that OP is something of a power user, in which case I've to question: why get the Samsung Spica or whichever it is? Why not one of the high-end Android devices which have been available for quite some time?
 
Upvote 0
Interesting, I'd get something that worked well instead. ;)

Well, I forgot to say that it's because of a few issues that I came to this place and started to learn more about my phone, Android and mobile devices in general. I didn't have much choice (had to use Bell) and I needed a phone with Wifi. The other phones cost much more. I don't have a data plan.


I get the sense that OP is something of a power user, in which case I've to question: why get the Samsung Spica or whichever it is? Why not one of the high-end Android devices which have been available for quite some time?

I wasn't a poweruser before I got the phone, nor did I know I would become one. I do not even have the Spica, my phone was released before that. And I'm in Canada, so I guess even less phones were available.

Funny thing is that the Galaxy I7500 (which I own...) is still one of the "spotlight" phones in my local shop, and there are still commercials about it on the radio.
 
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones