Droid Turbo 5.1 (Lollipop) Experiences and Observations

vzwuser76 · Jul 8, 2015

Thom said:
BTW ... it now provides simultaneous voice and data.

Soak test ended today.

... Thom

When you say that it now provides simultaneous voice and data, do you mean at any time, or only in an LTE area with Advance Calling activated? The Turbo could do V&D before but only if you had LTE coverage and AC enabled. I can't have AC enabled due to a bug that occurs when you use a Network Extender, so for me to use simultaneous V&D I need to use WiFi.

vzwuser76 · Jul 8, 2015

doogald said:
KitKat never had a clear all apps button, either.

Didn't the Droid Maxx have that for awhile while on KK? I seem to recall it did, since their first KK update didn't fully convert to the KK style (dialer, status bar, etc). The 2nd update changed some of those things though.

vzwuser76 · Jul 8, 2015

Somniferum said:
You may already know this, but there's a option in Chrome to change tab behavior back to Kit Kat style (Chrome > Settings > Merge tabs and apps). However, I would recommend giving the new behavior a fair try before changing it back. I hated it at first but after getting used to it I now prefer the new behavior. One thing that helps is the color-coding of the tabs, which helps you find them quicker in the stack. Note that disabling the merged tabs and apps also removes the color coding completely from the address bar/status bar for web pages that have implemented it, which is a matter of preference but I really like the color coding.

Glad to see you guys finally getting to enjoy Lollipop! I don't have a Turbo but recently sold my Droid Maxx and bought a Nexus 6, so have been adjusting to Lollipop over the past few weeks. Feel free to ping me with any questions about Lollipop in general.

Yeah, I still prefer having tabs contained inside Chrome rather than splitting them up in the recent tabs window. Many times I have multiple Chrome tabs open, so it really clutters things up. Like now for instance, I have 7 tabs open, and since the rolodex keeps separate tabs for apps and their settings, it can fill up rather fast.

Somniferum · Jul 8, 2015

vzwuser76 said:
Yeah, I still prefer having tabs contained inside Chrome rather than splitting them up in the recent tabs window. Many times I have multiple Chrome tabs open, so it really clutters things up. Like now for instance, I have 7 tabs open, and since the rolodex keeps separate tabs for apps and their settings, it can fill up rather fast.

Understood. For what it's worth, I happened upon an interesting article by Chrome's designer, Sebastien Gabriel, where he explains the philosophy behind the change. Basically the idea is to treat every document in Android equally, whether it's a native app or a Chrome tab, as part of a more unified user experience. The example he gives is that you're taking notes for an upcoming trip in a native notetaking app (say Evernote or Keep) and you need to access a Chrome tab to copy some information. In the old system, you had to either use the app switcher and find Chrome, or jump out of the native app to the home screen and open Chrome. Then you had to invoke an entirely separate tab switcher within Chrome to find your tab. Under the new system, you just tap the app switcher and find your tab in the stack, at the same level as your notetaking document. Looking at it that way, I could finally see what they were trying to accomplish and it actually is a neat idea. I think the problem is that we were all used to the other system already, so it seems like more work to change it now even if the actual number of steps is reduced. Plus it comes across like an arbitrary change for change's sake, rather than a well-thought-out change in design philosophy.

Here's the article -- it's a great read about this and other elements of Chrome under material design: https://medium.com/google-design/redesigning-chrome-android-11eab15dc7ee

gridbug · Jul 9, 2015

doogald said:
KitKat never had a clear all apps button, either.

Are you sure? I seem to recall that there was a "clear all" option with KitKat, which is why I immediately noticed that it was missing in 5.1...

oaklane · Jul 9, 2015

I don't like the screen that comes up now when a call comes in, or the white background. Is there any way the change this? So far this is what I've seen and don't like.

AlfaDroid · Jul 10, 2015

About the Turbo audio:

call audio quality is quite good, significantly better than my previous phone, a Razr M. I suppose due to VoLTE. I am also NOT experiencing the low call volume some users have reported (which does not seem releated to 5.1 anyway).

However, I am a bit puzzled by stereo sound over headphones when playing music. The sound is not as full as with the Razr M (less bass) and even playing with the equalizer preset does not seem to have any noticeable effect in "Settings -> Sound & Notification -> Audio Effects. I have installed an EQ app I have on the Razr M, which also has a Bass Boost slider, and that one too does not seem to do anything. The latter could just be the app not being compatible with either the Turbo or Lollipop, but the former is strange. The built in EQ should make an audible difference, it does on the Razr M.

Unfortunately I had the Turbo for only a few days before Lollipop got pushed, so I did not notice if it had the same behavior with KitKat 4.4.4

oaklane · Jul 11, 2015

Why make changes other than the bugs? I hate the latest update, dialer isn't the same visually, notifications bar is white not black, battery usage doesn't show how long it's been since last charge! Why? I'm sure there's more that I haven't seen yet.

Thom · Jul 11, 2015

Observation merged from existing thread.

... Thom

emmzone22 · Jul 11, 2015

Is there a way of still receiving notifications without it plastering up the screen, which covers up what I'm trying to read/do? It's just like an iPhone which I dislike. It seems with each new Android version, it gets closer and closer to iOS which I really hate.

Thom · Jul 11, 2015

oaklane said:
Why make changes other than the bugs? I hate the latest update, dialer isn't the same visually, notifications bar is white not black, battery usage doesn't show how long it's been since last charge! Why? I'm sure there's more that I haven't seen yet.

In the case of the battery. They changes it to be predictive.

If you look at the display for the first hour it is pretty minimal. If you look at it after that the graph shows when you came off full power ... what you have used so far ... and a prediction on when it will go to zero. It also gives you the prediction in words.

Improvement? Some will say yes. Some will say no.

... Thom

Kevin-B · Jul 11, 2015

Obviously we're all struggling with the various new volume settings in 5.1. But this looks like a bug to me:

When I press the volume rocker and select "None", then reverse that and select "All," my volume levels end up back where I started. However, if I select "Priority" and then return to "All", the notification volume remains at zero.

Anyone else have this phenomenon, or is it likely some app I have installed?

Thom · Jul 11, 2015

emmzone22 said:
Is there a way of still receiving notifications without it plastering up the screen, which covers up what I'm trying to read/do? It's just like an iPhone which I dislike. It seems with each new Android version, it gets closer and closer to iOS which I really hate.

Don't you have to pull down the screen from the top to see the notifications and swipe up to make them disappear? I don't understand how that gets in the way.

I guess I don't understand what you mean by notifications. An app can send a popup or flash to the screen that covers up what is there. Perhaps you are talking about one misbehaving app on your phone?

... Thom

emmzone22 · Jul 11, 2015

Thom said:
Don't you have to pull down the screen from the top to see the notifications and swipe up to make them disappear? I don't understand how that gets in the way.

I guess I don't understand what you mean by notifications. An app can send a popup or flash to the screen that covers up what is there. Perhaps you are talking about one misbehaving app on your phone?

... Thom

Text messages among others display a window or bubble as they come in, and then they disappear to the notification area. If I'm using my phone when they come in, it covers up what I'm doing for about 5 seconds or so. With KK, the notification came through to the notification area without the window or bubble first. It's very annoying because I have to pause what I'm doing.

emmzone22 · Jul 11, 2015

Thom said:
Don't you have to pull down the screen from the top to see the notifications and swipe up to make them disappear? I don't understand how that gets in the way.

I guess I don't understand what you mean by notifications. An app can send a popup or flash to the screen that covers up what is there. Perhaps you are talking about one misbehaving app on your phone?

... Thom

Text messages among others display a window or bubble as they come in, and then they disappear to the notification area. If I'm using my phone when they come in, it covers up what I'm doing for about 5 seconds or so. With KK, the notification came through to the notification area only without the window or bubble first. It's very annoying because I have to pause what I'm doing until the window disappears.

vzwuser76 · Jul 12, 2015

oaklane said:
Why make changes other than the bugs? I hate the latest update, dialer isn't the same visually, notifications bar is white not black, battery usage doesn't show how long it's been since last charge! Why? I'm sure there's more that I haven't seen yet.

It doesn't display the time since it was last taken off the charger, but there are ways to figure out how long it's been off the charger. One way is to look at the battery graph. It displays hash marks with times below each one (10am for example). You can also I believe look at cell standby, which will I believe show how long it's been active since off the charger, and it's on pretty much all the time.

Thom · Jul 12, 2015

emmzone22 said:
Text messages among others display a window or bubble as they come in, and then they disappear to the notification area. If I'm using my phone when they come in, it covers up what I'm doing for about 5 seconds or so. With KK, the notification came through to the notification area only without the window or bubble first. It's very annoying because I have to pause what I'm doing until the window disappears.

What texting app are you using?

... Thom

emmzone22 · Jul 12, 2015

Thom said:
What texting app are you using?

... Thom

It does it using both the stock messaging app and the downloaded Google Messenger app.

oaklane · Jul 12, 2015

The battery usage was so easy for reading how long off the charge, I don't want to have to hunt and do the math. I'll try that other battery widget to see if it does what I'm used to.

emmzone22 · Jul 12, 2015

oaklane said:
The battery usage was so easy for reading how long off the charge, I don't want to have to hunt and do the math. I'll try that other battery widget to see if it does what I'm used to.

It's sad that a 3rd party app has to be downloaded to do what Kit Kat used to do. I see very little improvements, if any in Lollipop.

Thom · Jul 12, 2015

I use chompSMS and Pixel Phone Pro. I do not have the problem you report.

I adopted a strategy of using the best third party apps and divorcing myself from MANY problems introduced with system upgrades.

BTW Android used to be distributed with a pre-installed file manager app.

... Thom

doogald · Jul 12, 2015

One of the best things about smartphones is that you can replace mediocre built-in apps with top of the line alternatives from the Play Store. This isn't a bad thing - it's a great thing. I'm all for using built-in apps when they make me productive, but if I can be more productive with a third party app, I'll go for it.

Somniferum · Jul 12, 2015

emmzone22 said:
Text messages among others display a window or bubble as they come in, and then they disappear to the notification area. If I'm using my phone when they come in, it covers up what I'm doing for about 5 seconds or so. With KK, the notification came through to the notification area without the window or bubble first. It's very annoying because I have to pause what I'm doing.

I use Google Hangouts with SMS merged, and do not have the issue you describe.

Somniferum · Jul 12, 2015

oaklane said:
The battery usage was so easy for reading how long off the charge, I don't want to have to hunt and do the math. I'll try that other battery widget to see if it does what I'm used to.

GSam Battery Monitor is my favorite app for this. Free in the Play Store.

emmzone22 · Jul 12, 2015

Somniferum said:
I use Google Hangouts with SMS merged, and do not have the issue you describe.

I just tried it with Hangouts and it still does it. It's not as big a window, but it's still there.

Droid Turbo 5.1 (Lollipop) Experiences and Observations

Android Expert

Android Expert

Android Expert

Android Enthusiast

Well-Known Member

Android Enthusiast

Newbie

Android Enthusiast

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Android Expert

Well-Known Member

Android Enthusiast

Well-Known Member

Extreme Android User

Android Enthusiast

Android Enthusiast

Well-Known Member

BEST TECH IN 2023

Smartphones

Best Android Phones

Upcoming

Best iPhones

Upcoming

Tablets

Best Tablets

Upcoming

Laptops

Best Laptops

Upcoming

Televisions

Best TVs

Upcoming

Game Consoles

Best Game Consoles

Upcoming

Wearables

Best Wearables

Upcoming

Smart Home

Smart Home Tech

Upcoming

Similar threads