Help Help my wife enjoy the SIII

[Spacekungfuman]

Yesterday my wife picked up the SIII after being an iPhone user for the last 2 years (iPhone 4). She loved her iPhone but liked the bigger screen, so she decided to try out the SIII and she absolutely hates it so far. I convinced her to give it a few days before returning it, and I'm hoping people here can help with her complaints:

1. She wants to see previews of her messages on the lock screen.

2. She wants an easy way to put the phone on silent or vibrate (she really misses the hard toggle on iOS).

3. She hates having multiple home screens. She wants to just have 1 or 2 with a grid of apps and nothing else.

4. She doesn't like having g chat on the phone. Can it be deleted?

5. She finds the phone to generally be confusing with so many settings menus. Is there a way to have a single settings screen that covers everything like iPhone?

Basically, she wants an iPhone with a bigger screen and has no interest in extra features, but she doesn't want to install too many apps or 3rd party tweaks. She certainly will not go for a new shell or anything like that. That will make her return the phone, probably. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

 

[valorian]

1. Not without loading a third party app. I know there is one but I don't remember the name.

2. I hold down the power button till the power off screen appears and switch to vibrate that way.

3. Again, not without loading a third party launcher like Apex.

4. No, this is a Google app that cannot be removed without Rooting the phone.

Basically, if she missed her iPhone way of using the phone she'll be best to go back to iPhone. Otherwise she will need to be patient and adapt to the Android OS.

There are going to be differences between the two operating systems. Some iOS features can be duplicated on Android but not without a third party app to do it.

 

[bob60626]

On my S2 I can delete home screens. Can S3's not do that?

 

[blarelli]

Yesterday my wife picked up the SIII after being an iPhone user for the last 2 years (iPhone 4). She loved her iPhone but liked the bigger screen, so she decided to try out the SIII and she absolutely hates it so far. I convinced her to give it a few days before returning it, and I'm hoping people here can help with her complaints:

1. She wants to see previews of her messages on the lock screen.

2. She wants an easy way to put the phone on silent or vibrate (she really misses the hard toggle on iOS).

3. She hates having multiple home screens. She wants to just have 1 or 2 with a grid of apps and nothing else.

4. She doesn't like having g chat on the phone. Can it be deleted?

5. She finds the phone to generally be confusing with so many settings menus. Is there a way to have a single settings screen that covers everything like iPhone?

Basically, she wants an iPhone with a bigger screen and has no interest in extra features, but she doesn't want to install too many apps or 3rd party tweaks. She certainly will not go for a new shell or anything like that. That will make her return the phone, probably. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

1. I believe she can just pull down the notifications bar on the unlock screen to see everything. Once the S3 is updated to android 4.2, she can add lock screen widgets which will show messages, emails, etc.

2. There are widgets which can control the phone's sound settings (one of the more elegant features of android). She can even schedule when she wants the ring tone on, and when she wants it on silent or vibrate. Go to the play store and look up "volume widget" and try some out.

3. There's nothing stopping her from just filling up her home screens with icons right now. Long press what you don't want, remove it from the home screen and add what you do want. I would try to get her to try some widgets for a little while though. Widgets really are the one killer feature on android. Get her to try one of the quick settings widgets (controls wifi, airplane mode, screen brightness, etc), a calendar widget if she uses her phone as a planner, a music player widget, and maybe a facebook widget. I'll bet you that once she gets used to it she will love not having to launch an app to check her schedule or look at what's going on on facebook.

4. No idea, but she can always just ignore it by going into settings and have it show her as away all the time or signing out.

5. It really isn't that confusing. It's just different, and it will take a little while to get used to how android works, but there are widgets for the most used settings so she won't even have to go into the settings menues.

 

[damewolf13]

I have moved this thread into the S3 forum so that others with this phone can post their tips to help.

 

[john_g]

I've never thought of the S3 as an iPhone with a bigger screen, so perhaps disappointment was inevitable. Just today I've been reading rumours (on reputable websites!) that the next iPhone model will come in more than one variant to accommodate both the four inch and a larger screen. I think this is credible as a large screen seems to be what people want now. Maybe your wife would be happier with her existing iPhone, with the hope that she can update it later next year?

 

[Heisenberg123]

Yesterday my wife picked up the SIII after being an iPhone user for the last 2 years (iPhone 4). She loved her iPhone but liked the bigger screen, so she decided to try out the SIII and she absolutely hates it so far. I convinced her to give it a few days before returning it, and I'm hoping people here can help with her complaints:

1. She wants to see previews of her messages on the lock screen.

2. She wants an easy way to put the phone on silent or vibrate (she really misses the hard toggle on iOS).

3. She hates having multiple home screens. She wants to just have 1 or 2 with a grid of apps and nothing else.

4. She doesn't like having g chat on the phone. Can it be deleted?

5. She finds the phone to generally be confusing with so many settings menus. Is there a way to have a single settings screen that covers everything like iPhone?

Basically, she wants an iPhone with a bigger screen and has no interest in extra features, but she doesn't want to install too many apps or 3rd party tweaks. She certainly will not go for a new shell or anything like that. That will make her return the phone, probably. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

1. you can pull down the notification panel from the lock screen

2. either hold power button for mute option or pull down notification panel and its at the top "sounds" tap once for vibrate tap again for silent

3.pinch the home screen with your fingers like zooming out on iOS and you can manage homescreens from here

4. you can hide it, when in the "app drawer" the app drawer is the far right icon in the dock that shows you all your apps, well in the app drawer hit the key to the left of the home button(menu bottom) now hit show/hide apps and you can hide any that bug you and cant be deleted

5. well thats just it the Samsung has more settings than an iPhone, i used an iphone 4 for 2 years also before coming to Android tell you wife to be patient and she will not regret it

 

[phil75231]

FartDroid. Definitely get her the FartDroid app, stand back and let the hilarity ensue.

 

[wxman2003]

Simple solution...iPhone 5.

 

[funkylogik]

Simple solution...iPhone 5.

Yup, she wants an iphone bro. Unless u can find a way for it always to be in app drawer or u spend few hours making her a beautiful main homescreen set-up..... shes gona be faking it (liking the phone)

 

[funkylogik]

I have moved this thread into the S3 forum so that others with this phone can post their tips to help.

My "thanks" was sarcastic man

 

[BigCiX]

I would never convince my wife to get an android. It would be a nightmare to teach her after having various iphonys since '08

 

[nimoxp]

Well, the only suggestion I have is to get an app or launcher that is a I-phone copycat to maybe make her feel more at home during the transition.

Espier Launcher is suppose to be a pretty good one.

Also there is
Fake iPhone 5

There's a a few of them, but these 2 I here are some of the best. I can't tell you exactly what they do, but I hear they are pretty impressive at making appear that you are using an I-phone.

 

[Szadzik]

Meizu MX new version seems to be best iPhone knockoff, better than iPhone itself, anyway.

 

[Mostly Harmless]

Simple solution...iPhone 5.

This. S3 is already too confusing to her and to get the phone to work they way you want it will only add to the confusion, get her an iPhone.

 

[Gomjaba]

On home screens you can simply delete the go-chat shortcut - in the app drawer simply hide it - no root needed ... press settings and hit "hide Applications" ... Its not "unisntalled" - but away from sight

 

[Stuntman]

Yesterday my wife picked up the SIII after being an iPhone user for the last 2 years (iPhone 4). She loved her iPhone but liked the bigger screen, so she decided to try out the SIII and she absolutely hates it so far. I convinced her to give it a few days before returning it, and I'm hoping people here can help with her complaints:

As some others have suggested, perhaps she is better off with an iPhone. There are many subtle differences between an iPhone and any non-iPhone. If she is not willing to learn these differences, the path of least resistance is to just get her an iPhone.

1. She wants to see previews of her messages on the lock screen.

I think there may be apps for this. The next OS update whenever that may be will have lock screen widgets, but who knows when that will be available.

2. She wants an easy way to put the phone on silent or vibrate (she really misses the hard toggle on iOS).

Easiest way is "Volume Widget".

3. She hates having multiple home screens. She wants to just have 1 or 2 with a grid of apps and nothing else.

You can delete the extra home screens.

4. She doesn't like having g chat on the phone. Can it be deleted?

No. You can simply remove it from her home screen.

5. She finds the phone to generally be confusing with so many settings menus. Is there a way to have a single settings screen that covers everything like iPhone?

I am thinking here that she is just used to how the settings are organised on the iPhone. They are organised differently on the SGS3. Also, if you can tell us specifically which iPhone settings that she generally needs, we may be able to suggest some widgets that will provide quick access to those settings on her home screen to make it easier for her.

Basically, she wants an iPhone with a bigger screen and has no interest in extra features, but she doesn't want to install too many apps or 3rd party tweaks. She certainly will not go for a new shell or anything like that. That will make her return the phone, probably. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Depending on what she wants, installing a few apps and widgets may be what she needs. Volume Widget is one that will help.

The iPhone 5 is an iPhone with a taller, but not wider screen. If she is really wanting just a screen size upgrade, perhaps this is the best and simplest solution for her depending if the iPhone 5 screen is big enough for her.

 

[RoadSuper]

Handcent messaging app will display the whole test message from the lock screen and will even allow you to reply to the message right there, without even unlocking the phone or going to the app..very convenient.

 

[nicka3200]

This might make her feel a little more at home. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nlucas.iphonenotifications&hl=en