Help "UPDATE" question

[Tweeder]

So, I'm new to the forum and apologize If this is a repeat question. I'm more or less just venting in the hopes that programmers may read this and think about it. I recently bought the Motorola Droid 4. I loved the phone, the interface screens, the options, and just about everything about the phone. I researched this phone and knew it was what I wanted when I walked into the store. I downloaded every app that I had on my original Motorola Droid, and everything worked perfect, and exactly how I wanted it. This was about a month and half ago. Yesterday, I get a notification that there is a "bug fix" update. So I downloaded and installed. Now, everything about this phone that I loved is gone!! All the interfaces are different, some of my apps don't work correctly, a lot of the internal features that I bought this phone for disappeared, and even my notification sound is so quiet I can barely hear iron if at all??? (Not a volume issue I can fix, phone volume is at Max.) So it brings me to my question: WHY DO THEY HAVE TO REPROGRAM MY PHONE TO FIX "BUGS?" 2 years ago I bought a new PC, windows based; it has undergone probably 50 "updates" in that 2 years, yet every time I turn it on, it looks, acts, performs, and operates exactly as it did the day I bought it?? Why can't these smart phone "updates" be the same way?? When I buy a phone I buy it for what it is, not for what they are going to turn it into some time down the road? I would be willing to bet that if one of these programmers were to buy a BMW M5 tommorow, drive it around for a month and take it in for an oil change; they would get really pissed off if the dealership returned their M5 with different interior, different engine, and different performance options and stuff?? Why do they expect that consumers of these phones wouldn't be the same pissed?? Now, I either have to find a computer guru to turn back my OS and not get any benefits of bug fixes, return the phone and settle for something that I don't want, or live with this new OS that I hate??? Very unhappy.

 

[ExtremeNerd]

DROID 4 Owners – Your Ice Cream Sandwich Update Is Ready to be Pulled – Droid Life

This is a HUGE OS overhaul upgrade, not just bugfixes. You went from 2.3 to 4.0, and the software is much different. This is progress, and it is expected when you get the latest and greatest. It's like comparing Windows 8 to Vista.

 

[lunatic59]

*moved to Motorola Droid 4 forum*

As the updates from Gingerbread (2.3.x) to Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0.x) roll out there are a lot of people running into issues like yours. A factory data reset will often clear up problems encountered with a major platform change (and the move from Gingerbread to ICS was a major platform change.) A factory reset will clear all apps and user data from the system partition of the phone and reinstall a fresh copy of the CURRENT operating system, meaning ICS.

A good plan of action is to do the following ...

Make sure all your contacts are sync'ed with Google as they will be erased from the phone. Backup any/all text messages and emails if you wish to keep them as the databases will be reset. Know all your logins and settings as these will need to be re-entered. Backup app data, although it would be better to start fresh with most apps, in case there are incompatibilities between the ICS and gingerbread versions. Finally backup all files (including the hidden ones) on the SD card and internal storage partition. A factory data reset should not affect those files, but it's best to have them backed up in any event.

If you have sync'ed your app data to Google's servers and checked automatic restore, once you reset the phone, the apps and the app data will be reinstalled automatically. Be advised that this will happen as soon as you register the phone to the original gmail account, so make sure you are connected to wifi first if you have a limited data plan. Also note that as the apps are reinstalled it will throw all the icons on the home screen and IMHO make a mess of it, so I generally uncheck the automatic restore option when resetting and manually install the apps that I want back.

Once you are sure you have all your important data backed up, go to settings>backup and reset and select factory reset.

It will be a bit of a nuisance to have to re-setup the phone, but it generally clears up the problems.

 

[Tweeder]

DROID 4 Owners – Your Ice Cream Sandwich Update Is Ready to be Pulled – Droid Life

This is a HUGE OS overhaul upgrade, not just bugfixes. You went from 2.3 to 4.0, and the software is much different. This is progress, and it is expected when you get the latest and greatest. It's like complaining that Windows 8 is different from Vista.

That's exactly my issue, the "update" info that came across my phone said it was a "bug fix" update. And it isn't like complaining that windows 8 is different from Vista, its like complaining that "I like the features of Vista, so I bought Vista instead of windows 8 and during a service pack update I suddenly have windows 8."

 

[lunatic59]

That's exactly my issue, the "update" info that came across my phone said it was a "bug fix" update. And it isn't like complaining that windows 8 is different from Vista, its like complaining that "I like the features of Vista, so I bought Vista instead of windows 8 and during a service pack update I suddenly have windows 8." Thanks.

Let's first make sure we are all on the same page. Is it that your phone was on Gingerbread (2.3.x) and the update was to ICS (4.0.x)? If that was the case, then it absolutely is much more than a "bug fix" and should have been worded differently. Unfortunately many carrier updates are set to automatically apply.

The features that you had previously are still there, it's just they behave a little differently in ICS. If you'd like some help in finding and configuring them, we'll be happy to help. If you only want to vent a little understandable steam, that's okay, too as long as everybody keeps it polite.

 

[judyn1]

But it kept asking and today when talking to someone I got the phone out to add something to the calendar and made a mistake and it started installing, and here I am with ICS. I didn't want it.

Not only could I not stop the install and it didn't ask me again if I wanted to do it, I don't have a charger with me. Are they smart enough to check the charge level before beginning? What a STUPID STUPID thing. I guess upgrades without asking are becoming more popular, but they are NOT popular with me!

At least with Verizon I still have my home page layouts! My husband's Samsung Note lost them. I would have taken photographs of my pages before upgrading, when I finally decided to do so.

So far "People" is horrible. I already have my own calendar program. I guess it's time to look for a Contacts program. The Favorites page is particularly disgusting with horrible pictures it apparently found on the internet when I first loaded my contacts before the upgrade. When it couldn't find a picture on the internet the only thing I can see is a HUGE silhouette of no one. Can hardly read the names. It isn't even sized right. It wants to put 6 pictures on the page and the "name" falls off the bottom of the 3rd row. Besides, whose idea was it to alphabetize by first name?

To get into the phone I have to look at a pulsing thing. I HATE PULSING STUFF! I hope someone does something about that! I have figured out it doesn't take two presses -- if you aim right a swipe works.

I've read other comments that ICS is less intuitive. It certainly is for me. I guess I'm going to have to read up.

Hey, if Android phones had real backups, I could go back! But they don't and I can't.