Changes in HTC's Android 2.3 Gingerbread Desire update

Deleted User · Aug 8, 2011

HTC seemed to make a big fuss about having to make cuts to get Gingerbread on the Desire, but other than what they told us wasn't being included in the RUU (Teeter, Flashlight and Wallpapers, all included in their ZIP file) I can't find anything of significance missing to save space. I would have liked to see them remove some of their own bloat, like Stocks, News and Footprints for example.

I thought it was worth having a dedicated thread to post any changes we come across, so I'll start with a few things I've found so far.

You can no longer enable/disable Vibrate or Sound via the power button's long press menu (options are Power off, Airplane mode and Restart).

Manage Apps displayed item size does not include cache, making 'sort by size' a bit pointless.

*#*#4636#*#* no longer includes the Battery History option, which gave us access to partial wake information to see what was eating the battery.

womb raider · Aug 8, 2011

mjpartyboy said:
You can no longer enable/disable Vibrate or Sound via the power button's long press menu (options are Power off, Airplane mode and Restart).

Damn, they took away the 'connect to mobile internet' option?

phil35 · Aug 8, 2011

I literally came on here now to start this thread. Is there any chance as people post more thing, that you'd be able to edit your original post, and bullet point them maybe?

I've not yet upgraded to 2.3, I'm waiting a little while until I get a full picture of what's changed, what no longer works, what's better etc.

From other threads I've seen, I'll list a few.

Pros

More internal storage available
Generally smoother and faster to use
Removal of all bloatware

Cons

Pressing the current weather icon on the HTC clock / weather widget no longer takes you straight to the weather app
Can't root or roll back to 2.2 (unless there's been any developments in the last day or so)
Numerous mentioned of unexplained force-closes.
Will lose all data (games / texts etc.) stored on phone, and will have to go through and ensure everything you want to keep is backed up.

I'll add more if I see anything mentioned in other threads.

Deleted User · Aug 9, 2011

phil35 said:
Pressing the current weather icon on the HTC clock / weather widget no longer takes you straight to the weather app

I was about to post this one after forgetting to in my opening post.

The thing that has disappointed me, is three changes they have made (power button long press options, Manage Apps size and clock not linking to weather) have taken away functionality from three things I used quite heavily, yet I see no benefit to these changes.

If they had published a change log, I probably would have stayed on 2.2, because although the phone is a bit smoother and more responsive, the gains are not significantly better than 2.2, and I've only gained a minimal amount of storage space (5-10 MB more) and haven't even installed all the apps I had before.

Meh · Aug 9, 2011

My clock links to weather just fine. Press the weather section, weather app opens. Confused.

Ref power button, to be fair you can enable sound/vibrate/silence through the volume buttons. So whilst it is different you haven't lost the feature.

Personally I've had no force close issues in the week I've been on the update.

Agree it's silly you can't roll back though.

Deleted User · Aug 10, 2011

Meh said:
My clock links to weather just fine. Press the weather section, weather app opens. Confused.

This is how mine worked on 2.2, but hasn't done since 2.3.

Km76 · Aug 10, 2011

I have just updated my HTC Desire to Gingerbread from the HTC developer site. Before this I was running on froyo with a2sd+ (no custom rom, using the standard rom).

I wanted to know if there are any benefits of gaining internal memory if I use a2sd+ on my Gingerbread?

The reason I ask is that I read somewhere that Gingerbread moves more of the app to SD than a2sd+ but it doesnt seem to be making all apps that were movable earlier to SD (like Facebook, Whatsapp, etc.)

Thanks in advance...

SUroot · Aug 10, 2011

It doesn't move more than a2sd+. It moves more than 2.2 and moves different parts than a2sd+.

Google "move to SD" 2.2 - Shifts the apk to FAT32 on SD
Google "move to SD" 2.3 - Shifts the apk and libs (for apps that have libs) to FAT32
a2sd+ - Shifts the apk and the dalvik-cache to SD-EXT

Since A2sd+ does not shift the libs, if you have a2sd+ in place on 2.3 and then "move to sd", it will move the libs for those apps that have them, giving the appearance that it moves more (as its moving something a2sd+ doesnt) however, moving just the apk and libs using "move to SD" is much less than moving the .apk and dalvik-cache using a2sd+

Every app has dalvik-cache, not all apps have libs

Vicdude · Aug 10, 2011

SUroot said:
It doesn't move more than a2sd+. It moves more than 2.2 and moves different parts than a2sd+.

Google "move to SD" 2.2 - Shifts the apk to FAT32 on SD
Google "move to SD" 2.3 - Shifts the apk and libs (for apps that have libs) to FAT32
a2sd+ - Shifts the apk and the dalvik-cache to SD-EXT

Since A2sd+ does not shift the libs, if you have a2sd+ in place on 2.3 and then "move to sd", it will move the libs for those apps that have them, giving the appearance that it moves more (as its moving something a2sd+ doesnt) however, moving just the apk and libs using "move to SD" is much less than moving the .apk and dalvik-cache using a2sd+

Every app has dalvik-cache, not all apps have libs

Whilst I don't fully understand all of that, it does explain a few things regarding the movement of apps to SD. I had always wondered why "bits" of app would stay on the phone after moving.
Cheers

oxy5533 · Aug 10, 2011

sorry, fixed.

In Froyo there was a tiny but very convenient for me feature, that I think has gone (possibly just for me):

When dialing a number and holding phone away from ear (so proximity sensor not activated), you receive a short vibration when the opposite side answers the phone, so you don't have to hold it to your ear all the time.

Deleted User · Aug 10, 2011

I thought I would sync contacts again using Facebook for HTC Sense and see that it's still broken and still clutters up the phone list with Facebook contacts who have registered a phone number on Facebook.

Km76 · Aug 11, 2011

SUroot said:
It doesn't move more than a2sd+. It moves more than 2.2 and moves different parts than a2sd+.

Google "move to SD" 2.2 - Shifts the apk to FAT32 on SD
Google "move to SD" 2.3 - Shifts the apk and libs (for apps that have libs) to FAT32
a2sd+ - Shifts the apk and the dalvik-cache to SD-EXT

Since A2sd+ does not shift the libs, if you have a2sd+ in place on 2.3 and then "move to sd", it will move the libs for those apps that have them, giving the appearance that it moves more (as its moving something a2sd+ doesnt) however, moving just the apk and libs using "move to SD" is much less than moving the .apk and dalvik-cache using a2sd+

Every app has dalvik-cache, not all apps have libs

Thanks for the info... So I will go ahead and implement a2sd+.. Just one other clarification.. I was reading in the forum where people had mentioned that one needs to root one's phone before implementing a2sd+ but I remember that I had not rooted my phone, just had downloaded the Android SDK and used some commands and I was set.. Would be great if you can clarify and point me to the direction to implement a2sd+ without rooting... Thanks

Km76 · Aug 11, 2011

Km76 said:
Thanks for the info... So I will go ahead and implement a2sd+.. Just one other clarification.. I was reading in the forum where people had mentioned that one needs to root one's phone before implementing a2sd+ but I remember that I had not rooted my phone, just had downloaded the Android SDK and used some commands and I was set.. Would be great if you can clarify and point me to the direction to implement a2sd+ without rooting... Thanks

I forgot to see your links in your post, managed to implement a2sd+ in a jiffy!!! http://androidforums.com/desire-tip...ore-most-apps-sd-without-root-simplified.html
Thanks for all your help, although would still want to understand why some people were mentioning that one needs to root the phone before implementing a2sd+?

SUroot · Aug 11, 2011

A2sd+ is a script that links data/app to sd-ext/data/app. You DO need to be rooted. The link you posted is a trick to change the default install location.

trevytrev · Aug 11, 2011

I'm having another small problem with my browser since updating. It doesn't ever load up on my home page any more, always the last page I was browsing even if I clear the cache and history. In fact I even restarted the phone, opened the browser and it opened the last page I was on, not the home page. It also happens if I press back to exit out the browser. Any ideas why anyone? It's nearly got me in trouble a couple of times!

SUroot · Aug 11, 2011

Mine always opened at the last page when I was last on a sense rom (admittedly that was 2.1) and its still the same in vanilla android.

What if you close all "windows" in the browser

AceMathias · Aug 12, 2011

mjpartyboy said:
I thought I would sync contacts again using Facebook for HTC Sense and see that it's still broken and still clutters up the phone list with Facebook contacts who have registered a phone number on Facebook.

I take it you do not want to have your facebook contacts displayed? Can't remember the exact commands (as i'm now rooted), but under contacts/people press menu, you then can choose which contacts it displays.
Else check the facebook app and when on main screen press menu and go to settings an option at the bottom can toggle which contact information it syncs.

Hope this helps.

Deleted User · Aug 12, 2011

AceMathias said:
I take it you do not want to have your facebook contacts displayed? Can't remember the exact commands (as i'm now rooted), but under contacts/people press menu, you then can choose which contacts it displays.
Else check the facebook app and when on main screen press menu and go to settings an option at the bottom can toggle which contact information it syncs.

The view settings in the People app have no impact on the list that appears when you press HTC Sense's Phone button and once Facebook contacts have synced on the phone, no amount of unsyncing removes them from the Phone list, the only way to remove them is to delete the Contacts Storage data.

It would be great if the contacts displayed in the Phone list were determined by the People app's view settings, but alas they are not, meaning to make use of linking contacts with Facebook, you have to sync Facebook and fill the Phone list full of clutter. I use the Phone list much more than the People app when it comes to making calls, so this clutter is annoying.

I'm sure HTC acknowledged this Phone list clutter as a bug way back in 2.1, but have never fixed it.

SUroot · Aug 12, 2011

Agree. It's the same with the messages app.

It's the same version of sense as on 2.2 so wouldn't have expected them to change that. Newer sense won't fit either

amnesia · Aug 12, 2011

mjpartyboy said:
This is how mine worked on 2.2, but hasn't done since 2.3.

Strange... works on mine exactly like it did before 2.3

farpadana · Aug 14, 2011

Temp root by Visionary is not possible in GB 2.3 unlike foryo

Lord Fletcher · Aug 21, 2011

I did the update too, and everything is perfect and better than before.
I still have internal memory issues, though, and I've decided to root, in order to use a Data2sd ROM, Supernova.
But you said that I can't root now?
Can't I even somehow reinstall Froyo and then root?

Fishyweb · Aug 21, 2011

There's a thread on the rooting forum that shows how to root the gingerbread update.. I followed it today and it worked great.

Lord Fletcher · Aug 22, 2011

Fishyweb said:
There's a thread on the rooting forum that shows how to root the gingerbread update.. I followed it today and it worked great.

Thank you very very much!
Would you be as kind as to provide me with the link?
Thanks again!

Lord Fletcher · Aug 22, 2011

Fishyweb said:
There's a thread on the rooting forum that shows how to root the gingerbread update.. I followed it today and it worked great.

I found the link, so, just let me get this straight:
you had an unrooted HTC Desire updated to Gingerbread through the official update here HTCdev - HTC Kernel Source Code and Binaries
Then you went here How To Gain S-Off, Flash a Custom Recovery, and Root Your Android Phone Using the Revolutionary Method | TheUnlockr
and it worked.
Is that correct?

Changes in HTC's Android 2.3 Gingerbread Desire update

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