OFFICIAL Android Feature Wishlist Thread

[Daniel Fernandes]

I want an option to manually change screen orientation MANUALLY like the app "Rotate" does. Auto rotation is draining battery very fast...

 

[rlg118]

The ability to install fonts. I can do it on Windows; why not my phone?

 

[EmmaSurf99]

Bear in mind that I have been drinking iphone KoolAid for a year since I got a 5s for free from a friend. But I can't take much more and am coming back to Android so here are the top 3 that are making me crazy for current Android.

1. I want the OLD dictionary/autocorrect/etc back. The word list included the most common words, and NO surnames acronyms etc. I could ADD anything I wanted to my personal list, and it was editable!! No auto inclusion of facebook twitter etc datascraping. (I know this is not Android specific but forget Apple ever allowing any editing - Android though this should be available). For those who want the huge mess that gets auto added, it could be an option for them. I just know that Swype on the old Evo 4G was awesome and it's gone downhill ever since.
2. Pls back to the old way when apps could be on the SD card.
3. Better GPS - most current phones seem to be off a bit.
4. Any why do Android phones cost as much as iphones but seem to have mfg problems like crappy soldering, bad USB ports, etc. I'm not an iphone fanboy but that is a valid issue IMHO.
5. I know this is a distant memory, but the move away from removable batteries to soldered ones - good for the mfg not the consumer. At least when my usb would crap out, I could use an external charger for the extra batteries I had.

There are many nice to have additions, but the above have really impacted the ability to work efficiently. Pretty bad when I go to a Windows laptop to type this so I don't have to correct all the autocorrects (Yes any typos here are mine and mine alone and I take responsibility for them.)

 

[lunatic59]

2. Pls back to the old way when apps could be on the SD card.

They can, but like all progress, it's different. With most new phones that support SD cards, when you insert it for the first time you are presented with the option of using it for storage only or using it as adoptable storage. Of course there's never a good description of what each does at that moment -- you're just supposed to know. The first is pretty much just what it says. File storage for photos or music or the odd document. It's transportable and you can pop it out and read the contents on a PC.

Adoptable storage, on the other hand, is encrypted and used to expand the phones internal memory so that it can be used for apps as well as files. This is tied specifically to your device so you cannot use it anywhere else without reformatting it.

3. Better GPS - most current phones seem to be off a bit.

I would say this is a criticism of all consumer GPS radios, not just Android devices. That said, my recent phones have been pretty darn accurate in locating where I am at any given moment.

4. Any why do Android phones cost as much as iphones but seem to have mfg problems like crappy soldering, bad USB ports, etc. I'm not an iphone fanboy but that is a valid issue IMHO.

The phones that cost as much as iPhones are most likely flagship devices and shouldn't have the issues you describe. I am not hearing many complaints about poor quality manufacturing from consumers about HTC, LG, Motorola, Samsung, etc. for their top end products (The Note 7, notwithstanding). The devices with issues are usually budget models or low cost imports.

 

[rcmastah]

MOD HIJACK: This is now the official Wishlist Thread. Please use it accordingly.

Thanks for the HIJACK.

Instead of discussing crazy apps that would be cool, I think there is still a lot of basic feature improvement that can be done to Android (which might include integrating some current apps in the OS).
Thought it would be good to have this in one convenient thread for the google developers to be able to take note.
Here's a list to get the ball rolling (not in any particular order of importance)

1. Better Caller ID (This might be T-Mobile's fault, but all the numbers that I used to get ID'd, show up as "unknown").
2. Bluetooth Voice recognition? I couldn't get it to work with my motorola set.
3. Virtual Keyboard - I like the Vista Tablet model, but in this case, you would use your thumb to slide the keyboard out when you need it, kind of like you slide out the Main Menu. Although if that got in the way, maybe you could access it through the menu button.
4. I want the option to auto-mount the sd card when connected via USB put back in menu as a check box.
5. Also, the option to choose the time-interval between data auto-syncs.
6. Better battery management functions, profiles, and quicker access to screen brightness, and the other functions that Toggle provides.
7. Make the alarm clock more like Klaxon (minus all the crashing). Big snooze button, back button = dismiss, ability to select any audio in system or sd card, ability to change snooze length (in 1 minutes intervals).
8. Option to remove unnecessary apps, like Amazon MP3.
9. Ability to setup multiple gmail accounts (with one set to master account)
10. Improve email app, allow for multiple message delete, empty trash, search mail
11. Add in-browser Flash support
12. Add OpenOffice-like app to not only read, but create new docs and save to sd card.
13. Add PDF support.
14. Add a file manager. I like Bender, but I think with the support of Google devs, we can make an even better one that integrates a little more seemlessly.
15. Google Earth!!!!!!! I was shocked to see my brother pull up Earth on his ITOUCH!!!! and ashamed that my Google, yeah that's right GOOGLE, phone could not do the same
16. Speaking of iPhones, the two-fingered zoom in/out is just awesome. Not sure if that is software or hardware, but it's just a huge difference is usability. And you won't hear me praise many things about the iPhone.
17. VPN functionality.
18. Fix Auto-connect WiFi. I almost always have to go in and manually connect, says connection problem, but then connects manually just fine.

[edit: thought of some more...]
19. I have a lot of Google Map connectivity issues, while being able to use other network apps fine, could be google server issue. Don't think it is T-Mobile (I'm in LA)
20. Sync contacts with popular desktop apps, such as Evolution, Outlook, Thunderbird, etc...
21. I am not big on IM, but I've heard a lot of frustration in this area, maybe someone else can give input here.
22. I'm going to steal from another thread, even though this is hardware related. I think we need a VGA video camera in the front for video-conferencing. Can you please release this OTA?
23. Tethering phone to laptop.
24. What do you call it when the screen senses the orientation of the phone, well I want that.
25. How could I forget? ability to copy and paste text from non-text edit modes. Maybe special text selection mode?
[/edit]

OK, whew, that's all I got.

But to finish, I never expected the G1 to be perfect, it's 1st gen, so as Beta testers, hopefully Google/HTC/Tmobile are listening to us to improve not only our phones but the next gen as well.

Hey, free consumer feedback right here. We are your customers. Make us happy.

Block all bloatware, whether it be unnecessary system apps/features that absolutely no one uses (*cough* Samsung *cough*), or carrier apps (*cough* Verizon *cough*).

 

[The_Chief]

Silly me, but here's an idea, Google: when you advertised "backup and restore"... actually backup and restore everything!

I had to do a reset and reflash of my Note 5, but good thing I had selected Backup and Restore, right? WRONG. I logged into my Gmail account and maybe 40% of my previously installed apps returned. NONE of the data did. I had to scroll through and reinstall dozens of apps from scratch, which means logging in all over again and setting things up. What a monumental waste of time.

 

[RoadhammerGaming]

From a developer's standpoint I want to have tts functionality with audio files, such as, send a pre recorded speech to the RecognizerIntent. why? because for one, in noisy situations I want to get the mic, record the user's speech request, run it through a bandpass filter to edit out the background noise, then return the modified file to 'Ciri' to do something useful with instead of her reporting "sorry I didn't get that"

 

[chanchan05]

The ability to install fonts. I can do it on Windows; why not my phone?

I can do it on my phone, but it's a Samsung, and only fonts from Samsung Store. So capability is there.

I want to get the functionality for mobile data timed toggle back. Ok I understand they want you secure so they blocked things like Tasker and Green Power from doing it, but can they make it built in then?

 

[dontpanicbobby]

I'm kinda out of things. Quick Charge blew my mind...

How about a built-in hydraulic charger that can use a stream or a faucet?

 

[Sira]

Register to say this -

I wish Android someday can allow user to configure audio volume per app, just like Windows do. It is good enough even if it is simply a disable / enable.
The most simple way would be an option in an app's setting page, default is on, and user can turn it off.
If audio function is disabled, the app cannot gain audio focus.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

I want flat screens to make a major come back.
Curves and Bevels are a crack waiting to happen.

 

[codezer0]

The ideal phone environment, would be one where you could build/customize a phone the same way one can do with building a PC. Maybe start with a screen/CPU/GPU linked, so that it's not like someone tries to cheap on a video chip that can't possibly handle a 4K screen or some similar (like what Sony itself did with their Z5/ZX Premium). Then add in the radio module from the given carrier for cheap, or buy a universal mode radio as a high-end option so you could easily switch carriers with the appropriate sim, then be able to upgrade storage, ram, and battery as you please. But seeing that Google of all things bought the closest thing that could have led us to this, the monolithic model stands

what's stuff I miss?

• standard sd slots
• unlocked bootloader so you could root, recover, install custom roms and keep up to date even when the maker has moved on
• being able to replace the battery, and install a higher capacity battery
• hardware keyboards and function buttons. Yes, you can technically do more with a soft-keyboard, but at least those slide-out physical keyboards allowed me to use it in lieu of a controller, and since nobody else has attempted to integrate a gamepad like the PlayStation phone of yesteryear, it'd be nice to see this come back

What's one thing I wish was corrected? how everything's always the wrong volume. Maps is never with an appropriate volume for directions. but then games I don't need the audio for are always too damn loud. Then if I am using bluetooth headphones, it never gets as loud as if I plug them in with the aux cord.

What's something I wish was in phones more often? the universal radios that allow it to actually work across carriers. Much as I rag on Apple on the shortcomings of iStuff and especially with the controversy where they knowingly gimp phones they deem 'old', the thing they've done right (at least as of the 6S) is have a radio chip installed that literally works with every carrier on the planet. We know that any and every carrier that has worked with Google to make an iterative Nexus and Pixel has had access to such radios. It angers me that they couldn't see the savings by making that the standard, and instead are only too happy to slot in radio chips that are basically useless outside of a carrier specific model on a single network. While charging MSRP well after any normal or more open models would have since been discounted. I dread the thought of dumping that much money on a phone, finding the 'home' network decides it wants to take a nose dive, and then being stuck with a phone for a year or more that is basically useless because no amount of firmware updates or factory resets will ever get it to connect properly again.

What's a trend that needs to die? Effing sealed batteries. The only reason that I 'settled' on the MXPE to attempt to upgrade from my older Note 3 is because it was the only phone on the planet (at the time) that had a universal radio and still retained an SD slot. Before I finally had to sell it as "for parts" for far less than I'd hoped to get, that thing destroyed several cases, over a dozen (yes, at least 12 confirmed dead) USB cables, the factory charger, and the normal charging port of the external battery I bought for it. And because lenovo decided "oh, nobody's allowed to buy or sell these batteries, LOL" that $400+tax I spent on the thing was basically toilet water. So I couldn't even attempt to repair it myself for the utter inability to source the requisite parts.

Another thing that needs to be fixed in the android environment? the absolute disparity between flagship and even mainstream, much less budget phones. Until I was able to find appropriate projects to help me get the Note 3 back into service, I didn't really have a usable phone to work with after all the crap ongoing with the MXPE. Another user here (thankfully) allowed me to borrow a Moto E that was able to be sim-unlocked to work with T-Mobile for me. That said... that was one of the few things the phone did do well. For what was supposed to be a mainstream phone, it was so ungodly terrible to respond and run. Nevermind that Google play refused to let me even install Pokemon Go considering it was all super-locked like Niantic liked, it was also the fact that at the time I would at least play some Magikarp Jump to pass the time and it would just quit the app while I was playing it! It would be an understatement to express how aggravating that got.

And now, here I am, with just my 3G only note 3, and literally no viable upgrade path. Because no maker, at any price, will make a phone that meets what I need out of it to warrant actually investing in it. If anything, all the MXPE showed me was that anything with a sealed battery was basically going to give me problems within two months of initial ownership.

 

[Mannie_O_kelly_Davis]

I would REALLY like the option to set up two passwords for full device encryption, one unlocks the phone, the other wipes it. A wipe password would be awesome.

 

[Papamalo]

1: Universal wakeup voice command to unlock screen, take photos, and make calls hands-free.

2: Ability to program a custom voice command phrase for all apps and activities,
(Like the Moto voice app)

3: Ability to eliminate countdown when using google voice assist to take a photo.

4:Ability to zoom, set flash settings & copy & send just-taken photos, using voice command

5:Total, unlimited voice command control, over every action and app forever.

6: Restore my lost youth, help me lose 10 pounds, and a better insurance rate.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

As much as I like #6 @Papamalo I'd like #1 to be truly secure. Right now you could probably bypass that with a really good recording. Where you'd get that from I am not sure but I know I've been fooled by recordings before. Think answering machines.

 

[Papamalo]

That totally makes sense. I guess I liked it because it gave me totally hands free use, and I also had a nearly impossible to pronounce name as my voice lock password. I think I am buying an LG V30 which is reported to be able to voice unlock from a lock screen, and now I am considering the face recognition unlock feature. It is can recognize my face when it is flipped sideways, (The way I use it mounted in my car) then I'll probably get it today.

Thanks!

 

[Silverfisher]

Auto silence when in a meeting scheduled on my calendar. Had it on an old Motorola years ago. Where is it now?

 

[The_Chief]

If it's a Samsung flagship, turn the phone face down on the table and it will go silent. Or tell Bixby to set Do Not Disturb. Done.

 

[Milo Willamson]

Telekenisis powers!!! Able to control all time and space buwaahahaha hahaaa.. Change the system fonts, and able to do different colors for everything. Able to make it more human -

Erm never mind, Alexia beat us to the punch. (evillaughter)

 

[Milo Willamson]

Telekenisis powers!!! Able to control all time and space buwaahahaha hahaaa.. Change the system fonts, and able to do different colors for everything. Able to make it more human -

Erm never mind, Alexia beat us to the punch. (evillaughter)

Well I would also add an ultra fireproof, earth proof, waterfall proof phone, a hard outershell, like otterbox, but also easy to slide on and off like my rubber outercase of my phone. I know that thumbprints and fingerprints changed over time, voices too, but you can take in voice lessons online and just be that, so you can disguse your voice, and face too. Well face you can do on a whim anyways, and wear different hats too.

 

[MoodyBlues]

Change the system fonts,

Hopefully, you're doing that now as described in my ADW Launcher thread!

 

[Davdi]

OEMs to stick to the published Android guide and not break things that are meant to be part of vanilla Android, have a look at this link: https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/122098785,
As one of the contributors writes "This is a request for a better CTS to ensure OS core functionality is not selectively broken out of the box" I'm with that comment.

 

[Milo Willamson]

Hopefully, you're doing that now as described in my ADW Launcher thread!

I will pick up a gift card soon, I have ultra plenty of money right now too wooo.
(Also saving up for a nice dinner too

 

[dontpanicbobby]

I've given up on 3d. So.... How about Audiop Spacial Landscapes?

 

[Davdi]

Replaceable batteries, and be able to install the latest Android on any phone or tablet; maybe a GSI with a clever installer that can repartition the device as necessary, that can install Android GO or the full fat version depending on the device.
In the same way that I can install Linux on a 10 year old PC and have it install with everything working. I have several old phones from Jellybean up to Nougat that I'd like to update, that don't have any dev support on XDA.
It's not rocket science (Although maybe it is!)