Help Android Bugs

[J44213]

I have compiled a list over the past few years of Android bugs which make the Android experience less than positive. However, I have learnt over the years to live with them until someone designs a decent operating system. However, a current bug is particularly annoying.

The Download Manager continually tries to download 7 copies of “Female for English (UK)”. When you try to find out the application causing this by pressing on the particular notification it simply says “Download Manager” which is useless information. How do I find out what is causing this issue? At the bottom of the 7 listed downloads (all identical "Female for English (UK)") it says "Download failed. Wait for network".

I can force stop the download manager but this affects all other downloads.

As a general comment, after years of using Microsoft's file manager, I find the file management of Android very poor. To find out where things are and to fault find in Android are rudimentary and need a lot further development.

 

[SrS27a]

Which file manager are you using? Are you using a additional file manager or are you using the one that came with the OS? I suggest trying to disable the file manager app first and then enabeing it again by going to Settings > Apps > "Your file manager" > Then clicking disable.

This is only for system apps. Or you could try uninstalling the app then reinstalling it. Or you could try a different file manager. Other times a system app may just need to be updated. To update a system app just go to Settings > About Phone > Updates > Software updates

Let me know if this helps you out

 

[lunatic59]

Download manager takes over when an app tries to get a file and save it locally. It's likely to be something in your browser that was accidentally clicked and you still have the link active. Close all open web pages in your browser, then clear the browser cache and reboot the phone. If you still get the notifications, then it's coming from an app, probably trying to download something malicious that has since been blocked. Finding that might be a little trickier.

EDIT: Just had a thought ... could "Female for English (UK)" be some sort of text-to-speech library so whatever is reading sounds like an English woman?

 

[J44213]

To answer the first question first - The file Manager program is simply called "Files" and I can't get rid of it because it is a system file. I have tried several file manager programs but they have all been inadequate in one way or another. Again, the layout of Microsoft's File manager is infinitely better and more logical. (And I am no great supporter of Microsoft!)

The second question relating to "Female For English" - you have the right idea - however, I have never tried to download anything for the text to speech software. Again, the poorly written Android system seems to want me to download 15 copies of this file - why and how can I get rid of the notifications and the downloads?

OK, I can simply leave them as failed downloads but like many other Android bugs, they just sit there annoying the users and cluttering screens. You are supposed to be able to delete notifications by pressing on the file download information and moving it to the delete bin. However, this is another Android bug preventing this action. I don't want to do yet another factory reset.

I have never tried Apple software but it might be time to get rid of Android, although I am told that the kiddie factor is starting to creep into their software as well.

 

[codesplice]

What phone do you have?

 

[mikedt]

The "Files" thing might be specific to the whatever it is phone you've got there, its make and model. And I've certainly never heard of the repeated failed downloads of “Female for English (UK)”, which I'm unlikely get anyway with a Chinese phone in China. And I can't ever recall reading this problem here on AF.

What phone have you actually got, make, model, Android version, is it a carrier version, is it cheapo?

 

[lunatic59]

The second question relating to "Female For English" - you have the right idea - however, I have never tried to download anything for the text to speech software.

Could be part of a keyboard bundle or even a theme. It could also be something installed as a system app, which is why we ask about model and Android version.

 

[J44213]

The phone is a Huawei Y560, unlocked, not specific to a carrier. The software version is 5.1.1 which I think goes by the silly name of Lollipop. The phone itself is no great marvel but it works adequately if I ignore several bugs. e.g. The software, Hisuite which comes with the phone is very poorly written indeed. Huawei tech support promised three years ago (with an earlier version of the phone), that they would fix the serious deficiency I pointed out, but, of course as is usual in the software game, have done nothing about it. This software deficiency, however, doesn't have any bearing on the download problem mentioned above as far as I can determine.

If it is part of a software/keyboard bundle it brings up another Android problem - that is that the kids at Google decide what I should have on my phone rather than I deciding. As often happens, they don't think out the consequences or issues that can arise by such impositions.

If no one has a solution, I will just have to put up with a long listing of 15 identical files permanently displayed on the notifications panel, permanently waiting for a network which appears to never to want to download the files. Horrible Android!!!

 

[Hadron]

If it is part of a software/keyboard bundle it brings up another Android problem - that is that the kids at Google decide what I should have on my phone rather than I deciding. As often happens, they don't think out the consequences or issues that can arise by such impositions.

If it's a Huawei phone then it's the kids at Huawei who have made those decisions. It's running a Huawei user interface on top of Android that has been adapted by Huawei for their hardware, with the set of pre-installed apps that Huawei have chosen to include (and that includes the keyboard app, though we don't know that that's responsible, it may be something else - anything with a text to speech interface sounds possible).

It may also be some app you have installed yourself. Have you tried booting in safe mode (which disabled all user-installed apps)? If it starts another download when in that mode then it definitely is a pre-installed app.

As for all the "download doesn't complete, notifications can't be removed" stuff you do know that literally billions of phones don't have those problems. Hence whatever is behind that isn't a generic Android bug (not even on 5.1.1). Something here is specific to either your individual phone's setup, or possibly that build for that particular model (e.g. Huawei screwed-up their most recent update for that phone and then abandoned it).

 

[mikedt]

The phone is a Huawei Y560, unlocked, not specific to a carrier. The software version is 5.1.1 which I think goes by the silly name of Lollipop. The phone itself is no great marvel but it works adequately if I ignore several bugs. e.g. The software, Hisuite which comes with the phone is very poorly written indeed. Huawei tech support promised three years ago (with an earlier version of the phone), that they would fix the serious deficiency I pointed out, but, of course as is usual in the software game, have done nothing about it. This software deficiency, however, doesn't have any bearing on the download problem mentioned above as far as I can determine.

Well Hisuite is a Huawei only thing. So any problems with that will NOT affect any Android device that wasn't made by Huawei. I've never used Hisuite myself, as I've never had a Huawei device. So can't help you there.

If it is part of a software/keyboard bundle it brings up another Android problem - that is that the kids at Google decide what I should have on my phone rather than I deciding. As often happens, they don't think out the consequences or issues that can arise by such impositions.

The kids at Google or Huawei decide? The latter is much more likely given the particular phone you've got there.

If no one has a solution, I will just have to put up with a long listing of 15 identical files permanently displayed on the notifications panel, permanently waiting for a network which appears to never to want to download the files. Horrible Android!!!

Horrible EMUI!!! ....more like.

The thing is Huawei uses a heavily modified and customized firmware that they call EMUI or Emotion OS. Which basically doesn't really look and work like how Google intended Android to be, on say a Nexus or Pixel device. Any quirks, issues and bugs with it are definitely Huawei only, and maybe specific to this Y560 phone.

It's actually EMUI "Based on Android". They can't and don't even call it Android, because it's so heavily modified, skinned and customized by Huawei with their own crap. Quite frankly if you really want to experience Android as Google intended, try a Nexus or Pixel phone instead.

BTW Huawei are not the only Chinese manufacturer like this, many of them implement their own ideas, omissions, modifications, changes, branding, bugs, quirks, etc, over what Google intended Android to be. There's also the fact that Google is outlawed and banned in Huawei's home country, which I'm sure has a lot to do with what certain manufacturers here do to Android.

 

[lunatic59]

Huawei Y560

Well there you go. I'm going to agree with @Hadron and @mikedt that if you are going to point fingers, you have to point them at Huawei (and possibly at the mirror, too).

What you've got there is a low end phone running a heavily modified version of an old, unpatched OS. Comparing it to an iPhone is similar to buying a used Corolla and complaining it doesn't perform like an Audi A4. You really aren't getting the "Android Experience" You are getting the "Low End Huawei" experience ... which would frustrate me as well.

Because these phones are generally sold with international configurations to try and cover many markets and tied back into the EMUI repositories -- not Google -- for updates, that's where I'd look for your "Female for English" problem. Plus, consider that this phone only came with 8 GB total and one GB is RAM ... add to that the system and recovery partitions and you probably only have 5 GB left for user data, I can see where you might simply not have enough space left to download and install this "update". Unfortunately that will put you in a loop of constantly trying, which also might account for all the failed partial downloads.

You could find the app that asks for the update and disable or delete it (but if it's part of the system, as I suspect, then you'll need root and it could break much more by removing it.)

You could try and find an alternate rom for this phone so you have something more like a true Android phone. Anything AOSP based should be good enough. And you might even get a more current version of Android in the process.

Honestly, though, it would be in your best interest to just get a new phone. Sure, an iPhone will give you the Apple experience, since most of those are the same for all their users, but frankly, it's a bit boring. There are quite a few very good Android (true Android) phones that aren't that pricey.

 

[J44213]

Thanks for all your comments - you have convinced me that the issues are Huawei caused and if it is anything like their dreadful HiSuite software it doesn't surprise me one little bit. So maybe I should allow Android another chance. (As an aside, I thought that Google would put strict stipulations on how their software should be manipulated (mangled) by other software/hardware vendors to prevent the very issue of people naturally blaming Android when things don't work properly.) Android or rather Huawei's dreadful adaption of it has caused me more problems than it is worth. The Huawei tech support is horrible and they say they will fix everything and do nothing.

Enough at this time. I will complain no more. If anyone can suggest a reasonably priced (unlocked) phone that actually works properly without too much bloatware please let me know. I don't mind paying reasonable money but I want a device that actually works properly.

 

[Dannydet]

http://www.techadvisor.co.uk/test-c...top-smartphone-reviews-buying-advice-3210667/

 

[lunatic59]

Those are all very nice phones, @Dannydet , but they are also top of the line price-wise. on the lower end of the spectrum I think it would worthwhile for the op to look at phones like the Moto E4+ which has the larger screen and starts at ~$180 US.

 

[J44213]

Thanks again for your comments and reviews. From the reviews I thought that I may try to get a new (but superseded) Galaxy S6 if they are still around. It seems to be a good phone for someone who doesn't want or need the latest and greatest.. I am sure that Android on this device will work as intended!!

 

[codesplice]

I am sure that Android on this device will work as intended!!

It will work as Samsung intended, for sure. Unfortunately that's not always the same as what Google intended. For better or worse, Samsung tends to be a bit heavy-handed with their TouchWiz skin - not near as bad as Huawei's EMUI, but their software still deviates a bit from "stock" Android behavior. That's not to say that the devices aren't good (they are), it's just something to be mindful of when you're shopping for a device.

Both Moto and OnePlus are known for shipping devices with near-stock versions of Android, and they both offer affordably-priced phones. I'd look hard at their offerings if I were in the market for a newer phone and didn't want to spend the money for a Pixel.

 

[lunatic59]

Except OnePlus just got caught with their hand in the cookie jar, so to speak, mining customer data and sending back to them without disclosure. Tsk tsk tsk.

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/oneplus-data-leak-fix,news-25968.html