Switched over from Iphone. Got some Questions! - Galaxy Note5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hey there guys!
So I switched over from iphone after 4 years of owning an iphone since I had .. NO FREEDOM haha so im loving the phone so far! but I do miss some things from my iphone and wondering if there is a solution?
1. Imessage - I know its gone, but is there any apps that let me reply from my computer or tablet if I get a text on my phone?
2. wifi-phone - on the iphone I can answer calls on my computer from my iphone and talk, I know there is side sync but it wont install on windows 10. I was wondering if anyone knew of a dialer app or something that can help me? I am using true dialer simply due to the fact no call goes un-masked
3. photos/Gallery- This kinda bugs me but im sure someone here knows. I go on a lot of business trips and take photos while im out. I like to put them in albums and then just hide them away so I dont have to scroll through them all to get to a photo I took before I left. is there a way to have certain photos not show up in google photos? also, a way to hide my downloaded videos from my photo viewer? I dont wanna see all my batman animated series videos meshed in with family photos and such.
4. A good assistant: coming from siri I may be a tad spoiled, but google doesnt have the assistant activate by holding the home key, instead I have to hit the home key, say "okay google" and then it lets me search. can I jump straight to the "listening mic mode" ? or any 3rd party assistants you recommend?
5. passbook. I use it for flights and such. I would store all my boarding passes and loyalty cards in passbook. Is there an alternate android version of this?
Thanks to anyone who takes the time. I really hope some of these are solvable !

1) I use Google Voice (for years) as my primary. So when I change phones or carriers or numbers it doesn't matter and I can text from browser (Chrome w/Google Voice plugin).
3) Build folder tree and put a blank file (txt etc) named ".nomedia". Check out Quickpic app as well, nice alternative to gallery.
4) You have to turn on google detection on all screens, its not so deep in the Google Now settings, to late to type it up you'll find it or can find it online. Also disable S Voice (as well as other carrier sammy bloatware) in apps mgmt (ie: Uncheck notifications, Force stop, then Disable/Uninstall). Your battery will thank you.
5) Not sure if Google Wallet would cover it for flights etc but I have my AMC and some other loyalty cards in Wallet.
Welcome to the free world.

HeroofTime92 said:
Hey there guys!
So I switched over from iphone after 4 years of owning an iphone since I had .. NO FREEDOM haha so im loving the phone so far! but I do miss some things from my iphone and wondering if there is a solution?
1. Imessage - I know its gone, but is there any apps that let me reply from my computer or tablet if I get a text on my phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Pushbullet. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pushbullet.android&hl=en

4. A good assistant: coming from siri I may be a tad spoiled, but google doesnt have the assistant activate by holding the home key, instead I have to hit the home key, say "okay google" and then it lets me search. can I jump straight to the "listening mic mode" ? or any 3rd party assistants you recommend?
5. passbook. I use it for flights and such. I would store all my boarding passes and loyalty cards in passbook. Is there an alternate android version of this?
Thanks to anyone who takes the time. I really hope some of these are solvable ![/QUOTE]
Alternative to Siri, try Cortana
Instead of Pass book, use Stocard or beep n go

1. http://www.vysor.io/

2) SideSync installs just fine and works well on Windows 10.

Race2Speed said:
2) SideSync installs just fine and works well on Windows 10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much for all the awesome replies!
I am currently using Mightytext which seems to work well. only issue is when I get a pic message it can take a minute or two to send it over to me.
As for cortana, she doesnt recognize any of my contacts, do I have to upload them to my hotmail account? I mean if I say "bob smith" its fine but If I say "shmitty jensensburger" it just gets lost and cant send or call. Sugesstions?
As for google voice, is there an alternative to the GV app? maybe something nicer/cleaner interface?
Also for passbook I use pass2u which uses apples passbook files and imports them so dont need to even miss passbook at all D

HeroofTime92 said:
Thanks so much for all the awesome replies!
I am currently using Mightytext which seems to work well. only issue is when I get a pic message it can take a minute or two to send it over to me.
As for cortana, she doesnt recognize any of my contacts, do I have to upload them to my hotmail account? I mean if I say "bob smith" its fine but If I say "shmitty jensensburger" it just gets lost and cant send or call. Sugesstions?
As for google voice, is there an alternative to the GV app? maybe something nicer/cleaner interface?
Also for passbook I use pass2u which uses apples passbook files and imports them so dont need to even miss passbook at all D
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GROOVEIP works well with Google Voice

Related

[REVIEW] Choice Dialer - BT Dial/Command Entry

I recently purchased Choice Dialer, and thought I'd start a thread with somewhat af a review, and hopefully learn from others too about how to make it work well for us.
Ever since moving to Android, I have sorely missed Microsoft Voice Command. Choice Dialer is a start toward that direction. Of course, some will think of Vlingo, which in fact may be better now than when I last used it. Seems there is not one voice app that does everything.
Among features that it has are;
Of course, Dial by name, or number
Play/pause music; Next/Previous song; Play by artist; Play from album; Play songs by title
Send email
Send text
Set Facebook status
Create contact
Open App
Schedule an event on calendar
Enable/Disable WiFi, Blue Tooth, GPS and some more
Tell you the time
Add to calendar
I have only had the app for a few days, and this review will not be comprehensive.
Does it understand?
I am struggleing a bit having it understand me. I frequently have it say "Try again". Sometimes it does something completely different from what I asked.
I am finding that it has a learning curve for speaking so it understands, as it is getting a little better. Interestingly, it understands better if I speak faster. When talking to a voice recognition, I think people have a tendency to speak slow and enunciate clearly. Interestingly, i find that makes it worse...at least, speaking slow does, for me.
I also think the app needs to mature some. For example I had this conversation with it yesterday:
Me: Enable Blue Tooth
CD: Did you say Disable Blue Tooth?
Me: No
CD; Disabling Blue Tooth.
Uh...it should have understood NO.
Another thing, as all voice dialers need, it needs a fairly quite environment. Background noise, radios, etc. will really throw it off.
Playing Music
First off, the only music player it plays through at the moment is the native android music app. I use MixZing, so prefer that.
It is nice that it will play by Artist, Album, or Song. But a glaring omission is it will not play by Genre. I asked them about playing genres, and got this response:
As to your suggestion for genres, for now perhaps you can approximate the effect through playlists? I steer clear of genres, as Android does not support the concept in its data model (I cannot ask the phone to tell me which songs are "pop").
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dialng
I find it to do fairly well at dialing when the person is in the contacts. Occasionally need to retry. I really like that it has voice confirmation.
Send Email
When I go to dictate an email, it uses Google Voice to hear the message. And often I get "Server problem Speak again" message in the Google App. I suppose it is a problem for the Google App, not Choice Dialer. But in the end, not too great. I attempted an email 7 times, and it worked twice. When it works, there is no way that I know of to have it use punctuation.
Open App
I can say Open <program name> and it works fairly well.
An interesting challenge for it is this one: "Open GPS Test". It never gets that. I presume because GPS is not a word.
Enable/Disable Functions
It works pretty good to enable Blue Tooth, and WiFi. Again, I sometimes need to repeat.
But, interestingly, enabling GPS is not what you expect. It launches the settings for you to click it, rather than just turning it on. I contacted them about it, and this is their response:
That is because that is all it CAN do.. nothing more direct is permitted a non-Google app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That one perplexes me. If you can directly enable Wifi, and Blue Tooth, I wonder why you couldn't do GPS. Certainly, there are apps that you can toggle it with.
Support
I find them VERY responsive. This is a good sign, and hopefully the app will mature and improve.
Wish List
If only this, or some app somewhere, could be as solid and capable as I found Microsoft Voice Command to be.
Would like to be able to : Play music by genre; Of course, have improved understanding and accuracy; tell me what is on my schedule today, and tomorrow. I'm sure there are others, but I'm running out of time for now on this post.
Conclusion
I may continue to use this for basic stuff, including dialing, and turning on BT when in car, opening apps etc. But for now, its too much effort repeating and so forth for the other features to be of much value to me.
So, are you using Choice Dialer? Better luck with it? Suggestions for use?
ewingr said:
I recently purchased Choice Dialer, and thought I'd start a thread with somewhat af a review, and hopefully learn from others too about how to make it work well for us.
...
Conclusion
I may continue to use this for basic stuff, including dialing, and turning on BT when in car, opening apps etc. But for now, its too much effort repeating and so forth for the other features to be of much value to me.
So, are you using Choice Dialer? Better luck with it? Suggestions for use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried the free version and really found it to be barely on par with the VoiceDailer.apk. Additionally, though there were lots of settings, it seemed overly complicated to me (I am a huge Voicedial fan from MS6.5).
I really only want the dial bit with confirmation (I never got that to work with the free version), and maybe reading/sending texts via voice.
I am not ready to step up and buy the app, and a 1 day trial is sort of silly. Give me 3-4 days. I did not realized there was a 1 day trial when I got the free version from the market, so I did not have an opportunity to test the paid version.
It is good to hear that their support is responsive. Let me know how you progress with this. I will let you know if I purchase the product.
I'll post back in a while.
I am still finding it a bit frustrating. I love the confirmation. But, I find it has a LOT of trouble understanding me. I think it is due to background noise.
Last night I tried it a bit driving home. I drive a Lexus, so road noise is not that bad, but with my Motorola T505 speaker phone unit, I had to scream at it for it to hear me.
Well, I'm about to give up on Choice Dialer. It just has way too high a percentage of not understanding.
I'm very disappointed. This is the only app I've found that has verification by voice.
I find Vlingo and Google Voice to have its share of misunderstanding, but not near as bad as Choice Dialer, but then they require hands on methods for verifications.
The major omission I found when switching from Windows Mobile to Android Eclair was voice dialling thru bluetooth. When I updated to Froyo I immediately tested the Voice Dialler with my Jawbone II - disappointed is an understatement. Recognition of contact names was abysmal, half the time it would dial the wrong contact without any confirmation. Other times I'd have to select an option on the screen - hardly hands free!
I tried Vlingo, but soon found it would only listen and speak thru the phone, not the bluetooth. Apparently a headset with A2DP profile is required.
So I tried Choice Dialer free, and found it better than the stock voice dialer because it offers voice confirmations thru bluetooth. That alone makes it worth using.
Recognition is good using the Jawbone, I haven't tried a built-in bluetooth or separate speaker phone yet. I'll report back when I've done so.
Anyway, I was impressed enough to purchase the Choice Dialer Plus. Can't say I've used the text and email capabilites for real yet, because although you can dictate a message thru bluetooth, you can't send it without pressing a button on the screen. Apparently the developer is working on making texting fully hands-free. He seems pretty active, judging by the change log on the site.
So I would recommend that those who are disappointed with stock Voice Dialler give Choice Dialer a try and see how the voice recognition works for you. Or if you have an A2DP headset, try Vlingo.

New to WMP 8. Some basic questions.

Finally after four long years with ios i have thought of trying windows phone 8 and have taken a Lumia 820. Now some basic things i am not able to find and am really having problem.
1) How do i do a rotation lock? Every time i pickup the phone, the screen will rotate. I cannot read while laying down in bed as the screen constantly will rotate.
2) How do i take screenshot?
3) How to find out how much data is used?
4) Is it only me, i feel the app store is very kiddish and unprofessional
5) I am sure more question will follow as i explore.
Thanks in advance.
I don't know if has an rotation Look,
For an screen shoot press Windows Button an on/off. To find out the Data was used going to the settings/info.
Sent from my Lumia 930 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
xtrose said:
I don't know if has an rotation Look,
For an screen shoot press Windows Button an on/off. To find out the Data was used going to the settings/info.
Sent from my Lumia 930 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought it was the Windows button + the camera button?
I ve got a UC Browser it has a "Lock" option. When you set it on the screen doesn't rotate. I also use phone in example in bed and this option is very useful
Sent from my Lumia 820 using Board Express
Sent from my RM-826_im_india_201 using Board Express
the_rahul_009 said:
1) How do i do a rotation lock? Every time i pickup the phone, the screen will rotate. I cannot read while laying down in bed as the screen constantly will rotate.
2) How do i take screenshot?
3) How to find out how much data is used?
4) Is it only me, i feel the app store is very kiddish and unprofessional
5) I am sure more question will follow as i explore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Not implemented at OS-level. Applications can do rotation lock on their own via application-specific settings.
2) Press start (button with windows logo) + power buttons at same time. Screnshot will be available from "Photos" app.
3) "Settings" -> "Phone storage"
4) Yes it is. Short development time, lack of QA etc. They will improve over time, probably.
eyeofhell said:
3) "Settings" -> "Phone storage"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was looking for internet data usage.. I have not found any app yet :|
the_rahul_009 said:
I was looking for internet data usage.. I have not found any app yet :|
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, Windows 8 do not provide any functionality or public API for this. You can use your carrier's commands (like "*100#" etc) to get details on traffic usage, costs etc.
Data Sense
the_rahul_009 said:
I was looking for internet data usage.. I have not found any app yet :|
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Windows Phone on the Nokia has an app called the Data Sense to keep track of your data Usage check it out!!
eyeofhell said:
1) Not implemented at OS-level. Applications can do rotation lock on their own via application-specific settings.
2) Press start (button with windows logo) + power buttons at same time. Screnshot will be available from "Photos" app.
3) "Settings" -> "Phone storage"
4) Yes it is. Short development time, lack of QA etc. They will improve over time, probably.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure you are trolling or not with #4. There is more QA than Android.
In my Lumia 920, take a screenshot is Windows button and power button!
Not Windows button and camera button!
I can´t find the Nokia app names data sense!
Is this app not available in Germany, T-Mobil???
xtrose said:
In my Lumia 920, take a screenshot is Windows button and power button!
Not Windows button and camera button!
I can´t find the Nokia app names data sense!
Is this app not available in Germany, T-Mobil???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even i can't find.. looks like its verizon only app.
xtrose said:
In my Lumia 920, take a screenshot is Windows button and power button!
Not Windows button and camera button!
I can´t find the Nokia app names data sense!
Is this app not available in Germany, T-Mobil???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use counters from nokia.
Same Boat.....additional questions
I'm a long time Android user and looking to move over to WP8 after my experiences w/ my Surface Pro. Thinking using W8 on my comp and laptop, it would only make sense to use the same interface on my phone. That being said, I've searched the WP8 store and find the bulk of what I'd need in apps, but I know I'll miss the customizing aspects of Android.
I have a few questions that maybe some experienced WP users can answer for me to ease my concerns......
1. How different is WP8 from W8? I know they look the same, but do you control them the same? Do you swipe down for menus, from the left for last app, etc? I'm hoping they do work the same, I'm beginning to really like W8.
2. My phone is my central hub for daily life, the alarm clock is no exception. I've gotten used to my phone going silent every weeknight at 10 except for the phone and alarm (emails, texts, etc make no noise and the LED doesn't blink). Can this be done on WP8? Somehow the thought of my phone beeping all night as emails come in is a turnoff.
3. Speaking of notifications, do most of the WP8 phones have LED's? The one I'm looking at now (Nokia Lumia 920) never mentions the lack of one or it's presence.
4. Another notifications question. Can you have dedicated ringtones for contacts or companies? Seperate tones for different emails (exchange, gmail, yahoo, etc.)?
5. How integrated are things like Box or Dropbox and sharing? I see SkyDrive mentioned each time, which makes sense because it's the MS equivelant, but others in my company will be sticking with their iPhones or Android devices, so Dropbox is a must and Box is really needed. Can I upload from within each program as convienlently as Android? As example, I take a picture of a reciept for expenses with MDScan, when I'm done labeling it, I can upload it from within MDScan to any of these: Bluetooth, Box, Drive, Dropbox, email, Gmail, etc.
Is there anything else a business phone user will miss coming from Android to WP8?
Thanks in advance, looking forward to doing some more reading and hopefully taking the plunge!
MonkeyTime said:
I'm a long time Android user and looking to move over to WP8 after my experiences w/ my Surface Pro. Thinking using W8 on my comp and laptop, it would only make sense to use the same interface on my phone. That being said, I've searched the WP8 store and find the bulk of what I'd need in apps, but I know I'll miss the customizing aspects of Android.
I have a few questions that maybe some experienced WP users can answer for me to ease my concerns......
1. How different is WP8 from W8? I know they look the same, but do you control them the same? Do you swipe down for menus, from the left for last app, etc? I'm hoping they do work the same, I'm beginning to really like W8.
2. My phone is my central hub for daily life, the alarm clock is no exception. I've gotten used to my phone going silent every weeknight at 10 except for the phone and alarm (emails, texts, etc make no noise and the LED doesn't blink). Can this be done on WP8? Somehow the thought of my phone beeping all night as emails come in is a turnoff.
3. Speaking of notifications, do most of the WP8 phones have LED's? The one I'm looking at now (Nokia Lumia 920) never mentions the lack of one or it's presence.
4. Another notifications question. Can you have dedicated ringtones for contacts or companies? Seperate tones for different emails (exchange, gmail, yahoo, etc.)?
5. How integrated are things like Box or Dropbox and sharing? I see SkyDrive mentioned each time, which makes sense because it's the MS equivelant, but others in my company will be sticking with their iPhones or Android devices, so Dropbox is a must and Box is really needed. Can I upload from within each program as convienlently as Android? As example, I take a picture of a reciept for expenses with MDScan, when I'm done labeling it, I can upload it from within MDScan to any of these: Bluetooth, Box, Drive, Dropbox, email, Gmail, etc.
Is there anything else a business phone user will miss coming from Android to WP8?
Thanks in advance, looking forward to doing some more reading and hopefully taking the plunge!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cant answer #1, don't know W8 yet, but wanting to!
Regarding #2, there is no setting or app that I know that schedules a sound setting time (do not disturb) I have to go in and tell my phone to silence whenever I go to bed. The alarm will still work even if silenced, just notifications won't make any noise.
#3, yes, they have LED's, but not to notify you of anything more than your phone is charging. At least thats so on the 8X.
#4, yes and no. You can have individual ringtones for people in your contact list, but not individual text or emails.
And don't know about #5, I use skydrive exclusively.
jerrya said:
Cant answer #1, don't know W8 yet, but wanting to!
Regarding #2, there is no setting or app that I know that schedules a sound setting time (do not disturb) I have to go in and tell my phone to silence whenever I go to bed. The alarm will still work even if silenced, just notifications won't make any noise.
#3, yes, they have LED's, but not to notify you of anything more than your phone is charging. At least thats so on the 8X.
#4, yes and no. You can have individual ringtones for people in your contact list, but not individual text or emails.
And don't know about #5, I use skydrive exclusively.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, those are all good starts. I know I'll be fine without a lot of the little customized tweeks I've gotten used to, but have this ingrained fear of the unkwown. I am looking forward to a phone that works, consistantly!

Very 1st Things to do After Activation?

Hi everyone, just got my N3 last night and I am pretty excited about it.
I am a long time Mac Rumors member and my past phones have been ...... JB 3g, JB 3gs, JB 4, JB 4s
I am very upset with the tiny screens on my iphones and I refuse to wait another year for the 6 to come out.
So now I am a 1st time Android user and what to really check out the Android scene.
What are the first things I should do with the phone, what should I install right away? (different keyboards, apps, etc)
Is there a thread around here with tutes instructing how to transfer my contacts etc?
I surely will appreciate all replies, so thanks in advance. I really wanna get the very MOST out of this device.
edit: does Google Play offer any rebates/coupons/freebies for newly purchased devices?
Hey I would use smart switch to get your things from iPhone to your new phone but that is after you have it activated
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
XiphoneUzer said:
Hi everyone, just got my N3 last night and I am pretty excited about it.
I am a long time Mac Rumors member and my past phones have been ...... JB 3g, JB 3gs, JB 4, JB 4s
I am very upset with the tiny screens on my iphones and I refuse to wait another year for the 6 to come out.
So now I am a 1st time Android user and what to really check out the Android scene.
My N3 arrived Wednesday evening, and it's STILL not activated, (and its killing me).
The reason being, I wanna know if there is anything I should do BEFORE I call ATT and activate it.
(I do NOT want to close any windows, so is there is anything you folks recommend I do before I activate it)?
Once activated, what are the first things I should do with the phone, what should I install right away?
Is there a thread around here with tutes instructing how to transfer my contacts etc?
I surely will appreciate all replies, so thanks in advance. I really wanna get the very MOST out of this device.
edit: does Google Play offer any rebates/coupons/freebies for newly purchased devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean by call ATT and activate it? All you have to do is put your SIM card in and it is ready to go with a few account setups. After that it is up to you except for rooting and modding. Cant be done right now without voiding your warranty.
First thing you do is scratch off the att emblem since they locked the bootloader
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
XiphoneUzer said:
Once activated, what are the first things I should do with the phone, what should I install right away?
Is there a thread around here with tutes instructing how to transfer my contacts etc?
I surely will appreciate all replies, so thanks in advance. I really wanna get the very MOST out of this device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello?
Looking for some help here. This keyboard is way different than iphone, is it something you get used to, or should I install something else?
Please tell me what are some of the things I should change/install right away, (there's got to be some "must haves" no?)
XiphoneUzer said:
Hello?
Looking for some help here. This keyboard is way different than iphone, is it something you get used to, or should I install something else?
Please tell me what are some of the things I should change/install right away, (there's got to be some "must haves" no?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the keyboard, i prefer the google keyboard over the samsung one. It provides functionality similar to the iphone and is easy to switch between the iphone and android if you use them both in daily life.
As for apps, here is a small list of apps i like to have on all of my devices.
GOOGLE CHROME. Its much better than the built in browser and is able to synchronize with my desktop browsers favorites, etc.
Skype: Perfect for if you are travelling over seas at all with your device.
Google Hangouts: A good replacement for the built in SMS app.
Facebook & Twitter: If you need an explanation, you shouldn't be useing these apps.
Battery Doctor by KS Mobile: Simple app, but is helpful to save battery life and know exactly how much you have left.
Google Music: I have most of my library stored on google so it makes my life easy to have this.
Google Books: The book equivalent of my music library. Syncronizes what i have read across devices and browsers.
Kindle for Android: For the ebooks you buy on amazon.
Google Keep: Great for taking quick notes and having them on all your devices.
Dropbox: Great cloud file storage. Comes with free storage and you can pay to get more.
Google Drive: Google version of dropbox.
MX Player: This video player will play any video format you throw at it.
Google Maps: A must have for all smartphone users.
Zedge: While its quality has gone down a fair bit from what it once was, its still a great place to find ringtones and notification sounds for your android device.
GPS Status: Great for calibrating your devices sensors and ensuring that it works properly.
Now for the ROOT ONLY apps.
Titanium backup
SuperSU
Triangle Away
Hopefully this is a useful list to get you started. I have all these plus many more installed on my devices, and I find I use them all fairly regularly.
djdelusional said:
Skype: Perfect for if you are travelling over seas at all with your device.
Google Hangouts: A good replacement for the built in SMS app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I prefer Hangouts to Skype because Hangouts features free video multi-chat.
But I use Google Voice for SMS because it provides free unlimited texting. Hangouts insists on using the phone's native number rather than your Google Voice number, so you have to pay extra for a text plan or for individual messages.
Doesn't anyone else have any advice for a first time Android user?
XiphoneUzer said:
Doesn't anyone else have any advice for a first time Android user?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your new to android I'd stay away from root for a while.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I467 using Tapatalk 4
XiphoneUzer said:
Hello?
Looking for some help here. This keyboard is way different than iphone, is it something you get used to, or should I install something else?
Please tell me what are some of the things I should change/install right away, (there's got to be some "must haves" no?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel like for every-day typical phone use cases, there aren't that many gaps that stand out as needing to be filled by a third party app. You'll probably need a new music player, the defaults are crapola - but I can't be much help here; I keep my music as folders full of MP3 files (like God intended!) and play with Music Folder Player, and shun the dirty S&M ("sync and manage") apps.
There's a big list of stuff that I did when I first got the phone to get it to where I'm happy with it, but all of this was root required stuff. There are apps that come pre-loaded on android devices and can't be removed or disabled without root. Also, customizing stuff that can't be customized without root. I couldn't abide by some of the not-changable-without-root defaults. Getting rid of the "screen turns on so you can unlock it when you hit the home key" behavior is probably the most glaring example for me; my ass* was unlocking it constantly - but coming from iPhone, you probably view that as the Right Thing for home button to do.
I think most people use a custom keyboard. Swiftkey and Swype are the most popular. The phone comes with Swype, but it's an ancient version with limited support for changing the dictionary, you want the newest one.
I use Hangouts for gchat, but not for SMS. I actually prefer default app for SMS..
Settings:
Pull down status bar, long press on wifi, WiFi -> menu -> advanced settings, uncheck auto connect to AT&T hotspots (unless they don't suck where you are. Around here, they often don't have internet behind them, and just break your connectivity for the 30 seconds or so it takes for the phone to connect to them, determine that the wifi is no good, and fall back to 4G. At least this phone does that; Original note would just sit there like a fool trying to use non-functional wifi... I've also yet to find a hotspot that performs better than the 4G does. But I live in a city, so the situation may be different elsewhere).
Pull down status bar, long press on GPS. Uncheck "Use wireless networks" - on newer versions of android, this drains battery while idle; the damned thing wakes the phone periodically to check the networks around it - if the phone is nearly idle, this can halve battery life (!!!)
Pull down status bar, swipe to the left along the options at the top (woah, did you know you could do that?), tap multiwindow to enable multiwindow (this was a headline feature for the note 3, but comes disabled by default). If I long-press back button, that makes the multiwindow tab hide or unhide (once it's enabled), but I don't remember if I had to do something to get this behavior.
General must-have things:
AppOps Starter (to kill permissions from apps that request permissions you don't want to give them)
Battery Monitor Widget (gives you a realtime readout of battery usage)
ES File Explorer
If you want to pretty-ize clock + weather widgets:
DigiClock
Eye in Sky
If you work in IT or have need of these (if you aren't sure what these mean, you don't need them ):
ConnectBot (telnet/ssh client)
AndFTP (ftp/sftp client, supports scp if you pay)
RDP Client (remote desktop and VNC client)
FEAT VPN (OpenVPN client)
Hacker's Keyboard (you'll tear your hair out trying to use swype/swiftkey for terminal sessions or RDP)
If you want to root the phone:
Root it, then immediately install titanium backup and "freeze" AT&T software update, so it won't update your phone (breaking root) while you're not looking
Titanium Backup - freeze all the useless bloatware that AT&T and Samsung included (there's a list of what apps you can freeze here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmzC8GFarItSdGpOZzBfWlR4MC03aDMyZ1BDUFNqU0E - not my work)
Root Explorer
Pen Window Manager for adding apps to the pen window feature
Xposed Framework
Wanam - general huge amount of customization, including selecting apps for multiwindow.
Keyboard Manager (almost a necessity if you use ConnectBot/RDP frequently - keyboards designed for messaging and such are garbage for doing administration of non-phone systems, while hacker's keyboard is garbage for messaging and everyday phone stuff)
Terminal Emulator (gives you a command prompt on phone. Doesn't require root, but there are very few use cases for terminal on android that don't also need root)
*Well, I keep it in my front pocket, so technically it wasn't my /ass/ unlocking the phone....

[Q] Control with voice only

Hi, i'm disabled and only have the use of one arm, is it possible to completely control the g watch r using my voice ONLY?
I'd recommend going to an O2 store and testing out the Moto 360 (they'll have one for use on display, and the voice commands will be the same as the G-Watch R), so you can get a feel for it. You can do a lot of stuff with voice, but not 100% of stuff. For example, I don't think you can change the song playing via voice.
Changing songs via voice doesn't matter too much really, is there anything else you can think of
Many, many... thing can no do with voice
Ex : OK Google Show alarm -> Ok it open alarm window, but..... you need to swipe to close window.
Ex : Ok Google start Evernote -> Ok it open Evernote App but.... you must select item in Evernote menu to continue. Select "Find" with press "find" item and after you can say Note title to open it......
You must also swipe all Card in screen any time a card is displayed and you want look at the clock face.
And............................
PAULRYAN52 said:
Changing songs via voice doesn't matter too much really, is there anything else you can think of
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Come to think of it, dealing with notifications might just be a no go :/ It really depends on what your use case is for the device. If it's for sending texts and emails via voice, you'll be fine. But notifications and apps, that might be a struggle. Android Wear should be getting an update soon, so that might change!

Bixby or Google Assistant

What has your experience been?
Does one do something better or different than the other?
There should be an expansive list of instructions for both!
Maybe it's just personal preference....
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk
skinnytoo2 said:
What has your experience been?
Does one do something better or different than the other?
There should be an expansive list of instructions for both!
Maybe it's just personal preference....
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use both. Bixbie is good for system stuff, Google assistant is good for everything else like looking up stuff or things on the internet
I wake up screen with Bixby and for most of the other stuff use ok google
Can you reprogram the bixbi button to
Single press open bixbi
Double press open Google assistant
Press and hold take a photo?
Here a decent video :
https://youtu.be/R3OOsNZ7Y-g
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk
I suggest you to watch this video. It shows what Bixby can do that Google Assistant can't, and at beginning clearly states that you really shouldn't compare them.
Of course Google Assistant will be better finding information from web, but Bixby kills it when controlling the phone. Two different assistants for two differed jobs.
I vote for Bixby AND Google Assistant
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f7Dz3QNy-gU
Using the phone. Bixby. When it comes to looking up just about any bit of information: Google Assistant. The only thing Bixby is good for is if you ask it to search the internet for a specific set of keywords or a phrase. And even then, it's only about equal with Google Assistant. But it won't answer simple, direct questions like GA. I don't know why these two things are being directly compared.
I'm hopeful that Bixby will be able to do what GA can do, though. But I think Google has quite a huge advantage there considering the data it has about how people search for information.
I compare them because one stop shopping beats two stop shopping. It would be nice just to deal with one AI especially in consideration of the fact that they are increasingly becoming trainable and they are also massively invasive in terms of privacy. I figure the latter horse is already out the barn but there is no reason to sell yourself out more than necessary.
All in all I see little need for a lot of what Bixby does well, I'm never going to use it to swipe right for instance or any of its other similar capabilities, on the other hand voice commands I actually do use like setting timers and alarms work just fine with GA and it's much faster. Right now I see that button going unused and eventually getting remapped until Bixby becomes a more compelling choice.
So I still don't really understand if Bixby can pull stuff up on the web?
I was hoping for one assistant that can do both . Hopefully Bixby development will enable that for us Note8users
skinnytoo2 said:
What has your experience been?
Does one do something better or different than the other?
There should be an expansive list of instructions for both!
Maybe it's just personal preference....
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use both.
Ryland
gingi999 said:
Can you reprogram the bixbi button to
Single press open bixbi
Double press open Google assistant
Press and hold take a photo?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes you can by using bx actions and bk disabler (Samsung variant)
in BK disabler search bixby and disable everything except bixby voice (some reason this needs to be running )
once you do that go onto bx actions and set it up (you do need to use ADB but it tells you exactly what to do on first run)
ive got mine set to single click nothing long click google assistant and double click camera
personally i see no real use to bixby had a play with it and in reality for how i use my phone it does nothing that google assistant don't already do (each to their own on this, its just how i personally use my phone)
hope this helps
I'm using both, they work well together.
harveydent said:
I'm using both, they work well together.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same. Using both is working pretty well for now.
Still wish Microsoft would take the training wheels off Cortana for Android. She's the main thing I miss from my Lumia Icon.
Screw it. I'm gonna roll with Bixby for the next week and see how things go.
roaduardo said:
Screw it. I'm gonna roll with Bixby for the next week and see how things go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At the very least, use Bixby to get free money from Samsung Pay.
The way I see it, Bixby is good for controlling your phone without the need to touch it (basically another form of input other then touch). Everything else GA dominates for now. I've been using both. Bixby is great for handsfree control while driving. Also a handy backup if you breaK your screen and lose touch input until you can have it repaired.
Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk
I've found they work great as a team together.
I use Bixby to control things inside the phone. Things such as making calls to contacts, changing settings, setting reminders and alarms, and controlling my music.
I find Google to be great at handling things that happen outside my phone. Calling businesses that are not in my contacts is a big one. Also most of my street navigation, shopping, and search needs.
They both seem to excel in thid manner for me working as a team. I'm new to Bixby and still watching some YouTube to find out more what it can do.
On a final note, I am still not comfortable talking to my phone as much as others. It's great when I'm alone in my car or home; but, I just feel silly talking to my phone with my family or coworkers around. Also, it seems to me it would annoy others for me to be using my voice to do things I can do quietly.
I love Bixbys idea when it works. A lot of times I have to repeat myself and only works when I hold down the Bixby button. When I try to use the "hi bixby" command it always end up with connection error.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Well something is buggy on my end. I've created 5 quick commands and for some reason one of them gets stuck after the first or second item in the list of commands it needs to execute. I have a "car mode" type of thing where when I'm about to head out my WiFi turns off, BT turns on, screen brightness turns up to 100%, AOD turns on and finally screen locked. It does this just fine but then when I get home the quick command to basically do the opposite of this gets stuck. Like the Bixby icon shows and the list appears but nothing happens. My other quick commands work fine but this one in particular is acting all wonky.
I'll keep playing around with Bixby but right now I'm not seeing a large improvement to my daily habits. I seem to be able to do things that I want to do much quicker than the speed Bixby performs at. I think eventually I'm just going to go back and keep Google voice search (not Google Assistant) as my default. That can open apps and can launch navigation destinations which is all I need whilst I'm in the car. For every other time I'm good just performing the actions myself instead of relying on Bixby.
Capzlawk said:
I've found they work great as a team together.
I use Bixby to control things inside the phone. Things such as making calls to contacts, changing settings, setting reminders and alarms, and controlling my music.
I find Google to be great at handling things that happen outside my phone. Calling businesses that are not in my contacts is a big one. Also most of my street navigation, shopping, and search needs.
They both seem to excel in thid manner for me working as a team. I'm new to Bixby and still watching some YouTube to find out more what it can do.
On a final note, I am still not comfortable talking to my phone as much as others. It's great when I'm alone in my car or home; but, I just feel silly talking to my phone with my family or coworkers around. Also, it seems to me it would annoy others for me to be using my voice to do things I can do quietly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same way I use mine.
And I also don't want to be the douchebag talking at his phone in public, so I usually hold the phone up to my head as if I'm making a call, hold the Bixby button and quietly/softly say the commands. Works almost all the time as long as I don't dial it down to a whisper. What's more embarrassing is when it answers back in public.

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