Help I'm Not Really Happy With My Droid

[Blind Driver]

Well, at least as compared to my Iphone4.

When streaming music using Slacker Radio or iheartradio, it sounds like the internal amp is turning on and off. I can hear it pop as if I'm disconnecting the cable. Is there a different cable that plugs into the charging port that can run to a USB for charging and into my car's radio like the Iphone does? The poping is really annoying
Also, anytime the phone makes a tone (email and facebook) the apps completely lose their minds. They crash.

The alarm is completely useless. I can only snooze twice. Then it work wake me up again. I have it set to snooze 10 times. I DL'd an app to replace the factory alarm as a fix.

The factory web browser is useless. I have to aim slightly higher and to the left to get the correct key. I can't log in to certain site. I know I have the correct info, but I keep getting told "bad user name or password". I can log in ok with Opera. Opera is working great.

Some of the tones and alert sounds I don't like, and apparently I can't change unless I root.

I DL'd Gmail and Yahoo app, but they don't notify me when I have mail. I only get the tone and icon up top.

On the good side, I like the larger screen, the improved directions from Google maps, and the way the webpages are autocorrected to fit the screen when I zoom in. My iphone required me to keep scrooling back and forth just to read the page

My 30 day test drive is over in 2 weeks. I hope to get the bugs worked out. I'll probably keep it even with the annoyances

 

[Angelsnecros]

"Some of the tones and alert sounds I don't like, and apparently I can't change unless I root."

Yes you can. Settings > Sound > Phone Ringtone / Notification Ringtone > System Ringtone
You'll have to first add your own tones to folders /mnt/sdcard/media/audio/notifications or /mnt/sdcard/media/audio/ringtones. If those folders do not exist create them. Then your custom tones will show up when you select System Ringtones.

"I DL'd Gmail and Yahoo app, but they don't notify me when I have mail. I only get the tone and icon up top."

How is the tone and icon NOT a notification?
Also, if you go to your widget selection, by long pressing on a home page, you can add the email widget so that you can view the emal and subject without having to open the msg. Then clicking on it launches the email viewer.

I didnt even bother with the default alarm. I knew it wasnt going to have what I wanted. I use Alarm Clock Xtreme Free and it has the features you want. You can change the number of times you can snooze or disable snooze completely. You can set an unlimited number of alarms. You can set repeating alarms, etc.

For the brower I use Dolphin HD. I tried Opera but even Opera gave me problems logging into some sites. No issues with Dolphin yet.

No comment about slacker since I don't stream music.

 

[IndyDave]

I created a folder on my mSD called media/alerts, and another media/ringtones, and uploaded all my old favorites sounds and tones to them, and I was able to find them - I think the file system just looks for sound files... because at first they also showed up in my music player...

I am using the free app NoLED, which notifies you of missed calls, email, text... When one of those happens, it floats a different colored icon around over a black screensaver that it starts up, replacing the "off" setting of the lock screen. Not 100% yet, but it does the job.

The external speaker is lacking, but the few times I've listened to music with a decent headset I haven't noticed anything... but admittedly I don't do that often. I've not had notification sounds crash or affect any apps I was running... I suppose its possible you just got a "buggy" phone. Does the return time extend to another 30 days if you swap it based on those things?

 

[Angelsnecros]

My tones are MP3s. You have to make the folders exactly like I described above. When your phone reads from the folder to search for a list of tones its looking for those folders. The "mnt/sdcard/media" folder should already exist but you may have to create the "audo/ringtones" folder. Also, don't confuse the sdcard folder with external_sd. The external_sd is your card you put in yourself. Simply sdcard is your phones internal storage. So just go to and make those folders as shown above, then copy your tones to that folder, and you'll see your tones in the settings. Ive only used MP3s tho. I havent tried with other formats.

And if you have apps crashing a lot it may be a buggy phone. I've had a couple force closes but its rare. Also, when you download an app in the market, check its details. Some will say only tested on certain phones or certain builds of android. It could be an app that just wasnt properly tested on our devices.

 

[IndyDave]

Yeah, should have indicated external mSD card is where i created those folders in my previous post.

 

[acp]

I don't blame anyone for choosing either phone, I switched back to Android because the GS2 is my favorite Android phone and it was $0.01 on Black Friday, so I was able to save $200 by returning my iphone 4s.

Most of the advice you will get is to simply look in the Market and I think as long as you are sticking with Android that is the way to go. There seems to be an app for anything you want to replace iphone functionality.

 

[late8]

Sine getting mine I have had a couple of gripes too.

You have to also give Apple credit. A lot seem to lay into Apple but they do get it right.. "Technology that just works".
No messing with hacks, roots, installing, un installing et etc. Choosing another browser or program because the stock is crap.

However you an also say its a Dictatorship as opposed to Democracy.

My list so far is.

Poor Audio quality
Apps that continue to run in the background- you have to physically close twice over.
Juddery Flash video on some sites
Slow camera
The Dark Samsung Menus

However is it the best phone I have ever used? - yes. Along with iphone.

 

[markzolotoy]

Same here. Sloppy device. Audio is very poor. Yes, I can probably install couple of hundreds of players and find better one. Sure I am going to do that, then oops, 98% of these do not work with an equalizer I have bought a few days before because the one that comes with the phone not working with something else. Then you realize that your app for wired headset is conflicting with MP player you have finally selected since it actually works with equalizer. On, and on, and on. But thanks to real life we have other problems, thus it's all not a big deal.

 

[mratlndmrk]

Same here. Sloppy device. Audio is very poor. Yes, I can probably install couple of hundreds of players and find better one. Sure I am going to do that, then oops, 98% of these do not work with an equalizer I have bought a few days before because the one that comes with the phone not working with something else. Then you realize that your app for wired headset is conflicting with MP player you have finally selected since it actually works with equalizer. On, and on, and on. But thanks to real life we have other problems, thus it's all not a big deal.

And therefore the Iphone is perfect for you. For the rest of us, we like the ability to mix and match and tweak and whatever. It's your choice and no one here is begging you to stay with the GS2. That's your choice too!

 

[markzolotoy]

Oh, take it easy. Are Samsung and Google your relatives? Why to take so personally? My point is as long as you dont mess with the device it should work exactly the same, right? Ok, two examples. My wired headset was working ok. It was accepting calls by pressing a mic button and was canceling it clicking on it again. One day it just stopped doing it. Why? No thing has been changed. Maybe it shouldn't work in a first place? Maybe, how would I know. But What I know being doing programming for so many years that if a program gives you sporadic results it is a very, very bad sign. Another example, even less important. When I turn my phone off it beeps, which is by design, good. but it does not beep every time. Of course, nobody in the whole World would complain about this, but again what does it tell you? Sloppy, that's all.

 

[Blind Driver]

Can the phone play audio out of the charging port like the iphone? I'd like to have the USB charger and the radio input from the same cable. This would eliminate the popping that I hear as songs start and stop and as music is interrupted by other notifications.

I've been told there is no audio out of the lower port

 

[misterrunon]

Well, at least as compared to my Iphone4.

When streaming music using Slacker Radio or iheartradio, it sounds like the internal amp is turning on and off. I can hear it pop as if I'm disconnecting the cable. Is there a different cable that plugs into the charging port that can run to a USB for charging and into my car's radio like the Iphone does? The poping is really annoying
Also, anytime the phone makes a tone (email and facebook) the apps completely lose their minds. They crash.

The alarm is completely useless. I can only snooze twice. Then it work wake me up again. I have it set to snooze 10 times. I DL'd an app to replace the factory alarm as a fix.

The factory web browser is useless. I have to aim slightly higher and to the left to get the correct key. I can't log in to certain site. I know I have the correct info, but I keep getting told "bad user name or password". I can log in ok with Opera. Opera is working great.

Some of the tones and alert sounds I don't like, and apparently I can't change unless I root.

I DL'd Gmail and Yahoo app, but they don't notify me when I have mail. I only get the tone and icon up top.

On the good side, I like the larger screen, the improved directions from Google maps, and the way the webpages are autocorrected to fit the screen when I zoom in. My iphone required me to keep scrooling back and forth just to read the page

My 30 day test drive is over in 2 weeks. I hope to get the bugs worked out. I'll probably keep it even with the annoyances

for most of your problems, there are solutions. it just takes a little more work, but in the end you get a better functioning phone that doesn't look like everyone elses' (and hence, the case you use is the only thing that differentiates your IP4 from any other iphone 4s).

i see your point in that you like the iphone's simplicity.. but for me personally, i rather put a few extra hours of work in my phone to have plenty more options.

if you plan on getting an android, it's only worth getting if you plan on installing a custom ROM on it. if you feel that's too much work, i'd say go back to your IP4.

 

[Mostly Harmless]

I really must have gotten a really good copy of the SGS2. The sound quality on my phone is outstanding, the music player (google's player) is loud and clear. My camera is quick and takes some really nice photos. I can understand peoples frustration with their phone if I were having those problems, but maybe you have a bad copy?

Apple does make a nice product, but they only have one product to focus on. Sometimes I believe that manufactures like Samsung spread themselves thin with too many phones.

if you plan on getting an android, it's only worth getting if you plan on installing a custom ROM on it. if you feel that's too much work, i'd say go back to your IP4.

I don't believe this at all. I know quite a few people who would look at you sideways if you mention the word root to them but are very happy with their Android phones.

 

[CrimsonPride]

I really must have gotten a really good copy of the SGS2. The sound quality on my phone is outstanding, the music player (google's player) is loud and clear. My camera is quick and takes some really nice photos. I can understand peoples frustration with their phone if I were having those problems, but maybe you have a bad copy?

Apple does make a nice product, but they only have one product to focus on. Sometimes I believe that manufactures like Samsung spread themselves thin with too many phones.



I don't believe this at all. I know quite a few people who would look at you sideways if you mention the word root to them but are very happy with their Android phones.

i got a good phone too. sound quality is good, although my old captivate had better sound quality, but it was better than any mp3 player ive ever heard including ipods and whatever else. the gs2 is on par with iphones. the external speaker isnt as clear, but its much louder which i prefer. the galaxy s 2 is the best phone out now, well besides the nexus s which basically the same thing

 

[prophet of doom]

I wasn't aware that at&t had a Droid phone.

 

[arienette]

I don't believe this at all. I know quite a few people who would look at you sideways if you mention the word root to them but are very happy with their Android phones.

I agree - I haven't rooted yet, and I'm pleased with my phone.

 

[misterrunon]

android without rooting/custom roms is not as good as an apple iphone... iphones are imo simpler to use, so if you're not the kind to root, you're generally speaking better off with an iphone.