Help S5 remorse growing

[carnut65]

Starting to have buyer's remorse on the S5/Android (4.4.2) move (coming off an Iphone4S). Here are my current major gripes: (all of which were non-issue on the Iphone)
1- Known bug for MS Exchange Calendar interoperability
2- Can't access S-Voice from Lockscreen
3- Can't access Google 'Voice' from Lockscreen
4- S-Voice 'voice wake-up' doesn't function reliably
5- S-Voice doesn't work over my car's bluetooth connection
6- Can't access Toolbar from Lockscreen

Any advice/fix info welcomed....thanks

 

[BRAINZ2013]

Hello and welcome to the forums . sorry to hear your having the s5 issues but very glad you joined the android family. Now to get you in the correct path to enjoying android and you change your hate to the word love my android. Now lets take you down that path..

Svoice needs to be reprogrammed very easy to do shall you give it a try .

 

[Mittar]

S Voice is crap, I would use Google Voice exclusively. That said, neither of them will work from the lock screen. You have to be on your home screen for them to work. Not ideal, true.

As for the no toolbar from lock screen, the lock screen is intended as a security barrier. Allowing access to the tool bar prior to unlocking the phone would bypass and negate that barrier.

The exchange thing seems odd, might want to do some research on that.

All that said, Androids IS different from iOS. Siri is all about voice interaction, which I find to be a bit superfluous, I don't like to talk to my phone if I don't have to. Turn on and customize Google Now which integrates with Google Voice, but also does much more predictive contextual type stuff.

If you find that you're just a true blue Apple fan after all, no shame in admitting that and going back. If you're still in your return period, give it some good thought. If you're not, give it a month or so to adjust, and get used to some of the cool things Android can do (widgets, direct dial, direct text, etc etc).

 

[BRAINZ2013]

Yes you need to turn off the s voice . these will help you for now


http://phandroid.com/2014/04/25/samsung-galaxy-s5-first-14-things-to-do/

 

[carnut65]

thx for the feedback. I also don't want to constantly be 'talking' to my phone. But, while driving that option does have high value. The inaccess under Lockscreen is a huge failure (IMHO). Will go through that suggested post...thx

 

[Mittar]

The inaccess under Lockscreen is a huge failure (IMHO).

Nope, it's a design choice. I know the Moto X has an always listening mode that works for voice activation from a locked phone. They actually assign a separate low power core to just always listen for your voice. Hopefully more Android phones go that route, but it remains to be seen.

 

[SolApathy]

You can try to repair your exchange sync issue by doing the following:

1. Go to Settings> Accounts> Corporate.
2. Tap the three dots on the upper right corner and choose "sync now."
3. Swipe down from the top of the screen and go through recent notifications. to show recent
4. Look for the security alert and select it. Choose the option with activate now.

You can also use a 3rd part app like SolCalender (free btw) for exchange calender syncing. Another option is Touchdown (paid app)

Both of them work and also allow for syncing of multiple exchange calenders.

 

[WhiskerBiscuit]

Turn ON S Voice and get "S for Switch Voice"

3 home push's from the lock screen and google now voice listening starts

Note: you can't have a password set for this to work

 

[jmatteis]

S Voice is crap, I would use Google Voice exclusively. That said, neither of them will work from the lock screen. You have to be on your home screen for them to work. Not ideal, true.

As for the no toolbar from lock screen, the lock screen is intended as a security barrier. Allowing access to the tool bar prior to unlocking the phone would bypass and negate that barrier.

The exchange thing seems odd, might want to do some research on that.

All that said, Androids IS different from iOS. Siri is all about voice interaction, which I find to be a bit superfluous, I don't like to talk to my phone if I don't have to. Turn on and customize Google Now which integrates with Google Voice, but also does much more predictive contextual type stuff.

If you find that you're just a true blue Apple fan after all, no shame in admitting that and going back. If you're still in your return period, give it some good thought. If you're not, give it a month or so to adjust, and get used to some of the cool things Android can do (widgets, direct dial, direct text, etc etc).

Coming from ios as well I understand being able to access things from lock screen. I can access my camera from lock screen.
On ios it was just flashlight, Bluetooth, wide, airplane mode, volume mode etc. None of these affect the security of my phone. Sound off would be handy instead of unlocking to quickly mute the phone etc. Or to access flashlight instantly without unlocking the phone. Again handy.

 

[bhageman]

I use Cover for a lock screen. It is much like Toolbox, but better. It knows you're location and your most frequently used apps.

 

[liqrisquicker]

Coming from ios as well I understand being able to access things from lock screen. I can access my camera from lock screen.
On ios it was just flashlight, Bluetooth, wide, airplane mode, volume mode etc. None of these affect the security of my phone. Sound off would be handy instead of unlocking to quickly mute the phone etc. Or to access flashlight instantly without unlocking the phone. Again handy.

Press and hold the power button and you can mute the phone from the locksreen.

 

[jmatteis]

Still not the same. Yes quick but to flick a menu up and be able to change lots of things. Besides there was always talk from android fans on forums that apple stole that idea from android.
Music and flashlight as well as mute were my most commonly used. Apple did a release where music player could be controlled from lock screen. Here I can use my tv remote? Wheres the security there. Would rather have music player than a remote.

 

[jmatteis]

My remorse grows more and more every moment. I am so sick and tired of this keyboard. So, I type something very close to the word and it preselects the word (shown in center, in blue), so I click space and it enters something completely different...
Example. "sorry", I Hit "surry", and it spilled something else, so I backed up and corrected it, showed "Sorry" in the blue box, as the correct word, I hit space and it enters "ear" WTF is that! Is the word for predictive text not automatically entered, when you click space. It takes me twice as long to compose a legible message as it did on my iPhone. So glad to know that I am stuck with this thing for 3 years! I have checked the settings and they are all there to automatically punctuate, as well, the predictive text is on too.
Don't even get me started about missing group messages... which yes, I know, is an apple issue, but it's mind boggling!

 

[AZgl1500]

.

 

[jmatteis]

No wires with dita. No seared text.
No checkmark either. Looking at the bat above the keyboard and I see three choices. One highlighted which should mean natural selection.
There. That sentence was untouched. This keyboard is not intuitive. Intuitive not only figures out next words but if it could do that it should be able to figure out that "no seared text" makes no sense. Neither does "no wires with dita". If I hold a letter three dots appear.

 

[sperho]

My remorse grows more and more every moment. I am so sick and tired of this keyboard. So, I type something very close to the word and it preselects the word (shown in center, in blue), so I click space and it enters something completely different...
Example. "sorry", I Hit "surry", and it spilled something else, so I backed up and corrected it, showed "Sorry" in the blue box, as the correct word, I hit space and it enters "ear" WTF is that! Is the word for predictive text not automatically entered, when you click space. It takes me twice as long to compose a legible message as it did on my iPhone. So glad to know that I am stuck with this thing for 3 years! I have checked the settings and they are all there to automatically punctuate, as well, the predictive text is on too.
Don't even get me started about missing group messages... which yes, I know, is an apple issue, but it's mind boggling!

Swiftkey. Customize autofill to your liking. Sounds like you are in a negative spiral though. Try to adapt and enjoy how much flexibility you have or if you don't appreciate the flexibility that Android presents, sell it and go back to an iPhone. Transitions can be jarring, but you don't really need it to bring you down...

 

[jmatteis]

Swiftkey. Customize autofill to your liking. Sounds like you are in a negative spiral though. Try to adapt and enjoy how much flexibility you have or if you don't appreciate the flexibility that Android presents, sell it and go back to an iPhone. Transitions can be jarring, but you don't really need it to bring you down...

No I know. I used to curse the apple keyboard because of the simplicity. I had a custom keyboard on my old android that I got very used to. Swiping etc. No switching for symbols. Just frustrated because my old one seemed more intuitive than this.
My big thing now is this group message. I found the mms group thing. But I still get individual replies from each person that replies to the original.

 

[Mittar]

I highly recommend swiftkey for predictive typing, but regardless of which keyboard you use, turn off auto complete. It sucks, always, even on iphone. There are entire memes about how bad iOS auto complete is. I've never liked stock keyboards, but swiftkey is very good.

Try out hangouts for group messaging, I hear it's good, but can't personally vouch for it as I don't do group messaging.

ALSO, try to modulate your tone a bit when you ask for help. We're just users like you are, not customer support. We don't owe you anything, and any help or advice that we give is us trying to help you have a better experience. Like you said, you're stuck with this thing for a while, so may as well try to make the best of it (or sell it and go back to iOS).

 

[jmatteis]

I highly recommend swiftkey for predictive typing, but regardless of which keyboard you use, turn off auto complete. It sucks, always, even on iphone. There are entire memes about how bad iOS auto complete is. I've never liked stock keyboards, but swiftkey is very good.

Try out hangouts for group messaging, I hear it's good, but can't personally vouch for it as I don't do group messaging.

ALSO, try to modulate your tone a bit when you ask for help. We're just users like you are, not customer support. We don't owe you anything, and any help or advice that we give is us trying to help you have a better experience. Like you said, you're stuck with this thing for a while, so may as well try to make the best of it (or sell it and go back to iOS).

I do apologize for my tone, it was in direct response to a response I had received in that I had been helped over and over and refused to read what was being said and apparently was complaining... I am not new to forums, and on many forums, have offered as much help as I have garnered! Forums, typing and text, do not properly convey emotion. I guess it sounds like complaining, but more so, was sharing my frustrations. I had never said or expected that anyone owed me anything, and realize that forums would fail to exist the way they do if it wasn't for helpful people. I am not giving up on the S5. And I had frustrations with Apple too...

I am thankful, any disappointment isn't with this forum or it's users, ever. Sometimes with the unit itself, due to issues, etc. and yes, sometimes, with myself, as I can't wrap my head around an issue and solve it.

 

[carnut65]

You can try to repair your exchange sync issue by doing the following:

1. Go to Settings> Accounts> Corporate.
2. Tap the three dots on the upper right corner and choose "sync now."
3. Swipe down from the top of the screen and go through recent notifications. to show recent
4. Look for the security alert and select it. Choose the option with activate now.

You can also use a 3rd part app like SolCalender (free btw) for exchange calender syncing. Another option is Touchdown (paid app)

Both of them work and also allow for syncing of multiple exchange
calenders.

The steps above didn't result in any alerts for me...Trying both SolCalendar and TD currently. SolCal no good.....TD does show both calendars....not sure if it's worth the expense as it doesn't color code each calendar....thanks

 

[Phandroid Phan 1]

I feel like the odd one out that is actually enjoying my S5 a lot. I havent had any problems with it, other than transferring music from my old iPhone.

 

[vgergo]

I had the same frustrations with my Note 3 back in the fall when it was new. I solved it by creating an app first for myself then made it available on the Play Store.

But first, on the S5 you have to enable car mode for voice wake-up to work.

Then you can install the app S for Switch Voice Free to have Google Voice Search (ie Google Now) answer your commands.

And finally you can now have something similar to MotoX touchless control using the app Touchless Notifications Free which does handsfree notification announcement and has something like the new "What's up" feature on the Motorola ~ if you give the command "Open my notifications" it will read-out the active notifications with pretty good looking display...

 

[jack58]

Doesn't matter which phone you have whether it is the S5, iPhone 5s, M8 etc people are always gonna find things they don't like. Most of it is fixable.
There is no PERFECT phone.

No buyers remorse about the S5 here!

 

[mikedt]

I feel like the odd one out that is actually enjoying my S5 a lot. I havent had any problems with it, other than transferring music from my old iPhone.

Music shouldn't be a problem to transfer from an iPhone and iTunes to the Samsung, unless it's got Apple only Fairplay DRM on it, but that was stopped at end of 2009.

 

[mikedt]

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