20 seconds too long between searches with 0 results - About xda-developers.com

This forum requires that you wait 20 seconds between searches. Please try again in 20 seconds and do not refresh the page or the timer will reset. (This is to prevent robotic abuse)
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If a search returns 0 results, 20 seconds can be a really long time. Often enough, you'll just remove a word from the query, or make a small change, then you'll want to search again. But you can't - you have to wait 20 seconds; and even worse, the timer resets when you hit Search too early.
This is obviously a feature of the forum script. I can see why it has been activated - it does make sense to combat abusive bots and other attempts of the like. I also realize that this may not be easy to change without disabling the feature outright.
I'm not suggesting to disable this feature completely. Why not remove the limit for logged-in users with more than 10 or so posts? Or 25, or whatever? I don't know if this is vbulletin, or if it's possible to make such a setting without coding up a function for it, but I'm hoping that you'll consider it, and maybe even look into it.
Thanks.

I understand your frustrations and believe me, we have tried more lenient policies. However, we had a robotic attack on our Search functionality where someone used bots that were logged in (yeah!), in an attempt to bring down our web site by repeatedly using the Search. Even though some searches return no results, they still have a resource impact on the servers. That brought down the entire Search system and we had to make the difficult decision to have the 20 second timer.
We are working to dramatically improve the Search, however I don't have an ETA on the roll out just yet. Keep an eye on the announcements, it is being worked on

thanks for the reply svetius, that's great news! I fully understand the issue and it's great to hear that you guys are working on it.
thanks!
Atrixed from my xda app

Behind every good thing there is someone to ruin it for you.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using xda premium

That´s what I call positive thinking!
ticrandall said:
Behind every good thing there is someone to ruin it for you.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using xda premium
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Related

Search no longer working?

Hi,
yesterday I wanted to list all my posts. I went to the tab called statistics and hit the link "display all posts" but I got an error that search is down for 5 minutes and that I should retry in 10 minutes.
I did, but same error.
Trying today, I still get this error - any ideas?
We put in place a limit on the number of searches that can be performed within a given period. We were finding that some users were exploiting the search, causing site slowness. So, we had to do something about it =D.
yes but it says try again in 10min and you wait 10min and then it still doesn't let you search is the issue.
sgt. slaughter said:
yes but it says try again in 10min and you wait 10min and then it still doesn't let you search is the issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Replied to your other post. Basically in 10 min, you may or may not be able to use it, depending on how many people are actually using the feature at the time.
svetius said:
We put in place a limit on the number of searches that can be performed within a given period. We were finding that some users were exploiting the search, causing site slowness. So, we had to do something about it =D.
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Sorry svetius, but this is bad. Problem is, finding something is a two step process:
1. Find the correct thread (at leat one or more search to nail it).
2. Find the related post within the thread (again, more searchs).
We have lots of threads with hundreds, some with thousands of pages, it is impossible to NOT use search here, lots of them.
When i close some irrelevant threads im used to say " Use Search"...now what i will say to them?
svetius said:
We put in place a limit on the number of searches that can be performed within a given period. We were finding that some users were exploiting the search, causing site slowness. So, we had to do something about it =D.
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af974 said:
When i close some irrelevant threads im used to say " Use Search"...now what i will say to them?
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Click to collapse
Use Google?
Instead of doing this kind of thing, start from things that will not hurt our regular users, like disallowing guest access. Right now, there are more guests than registered users browsing the forum, creating an unnecessary burden on the system.
egzthunder1 said:
Replied to your other post. Basically in 10 min, you may or may not be able to use it, depending on how many people are actually using the feature at the time.
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Then this should be explained in the message you get when trying to search then if this is in fact the case.
Now to be honest i understand needing to help speed up the site but this seems a little extreme and is going to cause the site to have more and more already redundant posts form people asking questions about things they could of found out by simply searching because they couldn't. resorting to having to search via google isn't the answer in the end, if thats the case search should just be disabled to begin with.
I do agree with disallowing non members the ability to search in hopes that us registered members can then be freed up to use it more freely.
Feed the beast...Hardware...more Hardware...
Oh and a good DBA that can tune the search engine would also be of help.
Love the site, except I can't search for anything.
bsinclair said:
Instead of doing this kind of thing, start from things that will not hurt our regular users, like disallowing guest access. Right now, there are more guests than registered users browsing the forum, creating an unnecessary burden on the system.
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Click to collapse
Yes, Jesus Christ this is annoying. How was I ever exploiting the search? Search is the best and fastest way to find the threads I seek. This is nonsense.
Sorry, everyone. We're looking into the cause of this. It's possible that our server admin had to turn off search for several hours to do maintenance. It must have been unexpected, because usually he encourages us to announce the down time before it happens when it's going to be more than a few minutes.
its still working fine
keşke ingilizcem olsaydı sana yarım etmeyi çok istedim

Easy way to foster searching!!!

- New user comes on here and does a search, but gets no results or not what they're looking for.
- They do another search.
- "Sorry. You must wait 25 seconds."
What do you think will happen?
They go and create yet another redundant pointless thread.
Reducing this time limit by at least 15 seconds would go a LONG ways to helping people search more. I know personally I always get extremely frustrated when I search for something and then have to wait. If we want people to search more, why make it so frustrating?
Welcome to the ADHD generation. Is it hard for people to search using Google with an XDA modifier or doesn't it occur to people to try?
Genuinely interested!
DirkGently1 said:
Welcome to the ADHD generation. Is it hard for people to search using Google with an XDA modifier
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Correct. Most people have no idea what that is.
Is it even possible to look through all of the returned search results in 25 seconds? You'd have to be a record breaking speed reader
I suppose if someone enters the search term with a typo and then tries again it might be within the 25 second window.
Regularly when I make a search I click on the wrong option (display thread/post or else) and I'm stuck with that 30 seconds limit and this is really annoying. What's the reason for this limit? Avoid overwhelming servers?
DirkGently1 said:
Is it even possible to look through all of the returned search results in 25 seconds? You'd have to be a record breaking speed reader
I suppose if someone enters the search term with a typo and then tries again it might be within the 25 second window.
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Yes, exactly. Typo, or my search term was too specific, so I get 0 results.
missparker76 said:
Regularly when I make a search I click on the wrong option (display thread/post or else) and I'm stuck with that 30 seconds limit and this is really annoying. What's the reason for this limit? Avoid overwhelming servers?
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EXACTLY!! I HATE that.
I click one option; it returns 0 results, so I want to broaden my search and... I can't.
I see now why this hasn't been a problem for me. I always start with one or two keywords and, if necessary, get more specific in following searches.
Kinda the other way round
DirkGently1 said:
I see now why this hasn't been a problem for me. I always start with one or two keywords and, if necessary, get more specific in following searches.
Kinda the other way round
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Well I think most of us do like you. This has nothing to do with the fact that we are stuck by the 30 sec limit.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
With all due respect to seasoned members and searchers, really, it isn't that simple to someone who is new to all of this and seeking knowledge. I really don't understand why there's any time limit on searching whatsoever, that seems very counter-intuitive - and it will absolutely result in needless first posts, as Paul220000 pointed out, especially when you've got an issue on your hands you just don't understand how to fix.
reinbeau said:
With all due respect to seasoned members and searchers, really, it isn't that simple to someone who is new to all of this and seeking knowledge. I really don't understand why there's any time limit on searching whatsoever, that seems very counter-intuitive - and it will absolutely result in needless first posts, as Paul220000 pointed out, especially when you've got an issue on your hands you just don't understand how to fix.
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Search is very resource intensive, and to make sure the site remains fast, it is necessary to have some restrictions on it.
pulser_g2 said:
Search is very resource intensive, and to make sure the site remains fast, it is necessary to have some restrictions on it.
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Of course. But 30 seconds is just too long. It results in a lot of useless threads.
Another thing that would help tremendously is to default the search to the "Search this forum" link. I.E. whatever forum you're in, clicking search will default the "Search in Forum(s)" box to the forum or device you're in, since usually you're looking for device specific information anyway.
Compare these two links to see what I mean:
General search: http://forum.xda-developers.com/search.php
"Search this forum": http://forum.xda-developers.com/search.php?f=556
Notice the second link searches only the Nexus One forums.
For a new person looking for info, it would probably be more beneficial to search for device-specific information rather than the default of searching all 700+ forums.
If the resource drain on xda is really that big a deal on searches, maybe adding that Google Search bar that searches with the xda modifier that a lot of other sites and blogs use would be a workable solution.
Yep but would it still allow to search only in specific forums and threads and not in the whole site?
i went to search something yesterday and it took me over 30seconds to find the search box... frustration had already begun to creep on me... finally i located the 'search this forum' button... using it was easy enough... i typed into the box the words 'recalibrate battery'... i then carefully proofread my search criteria before putting it through, which took about 30seconds by the way... at this point i was getting excited... then it returned just about every thread those words were mentioned in.... more frustration...
i agree the search may or may not be confusing to some people, be too slow, have wait periods, or give you the entire forum just in a different order... but it's not XDA's fault... go to any forum that uses vbulletin and you will have the same issues...
distortedloop said:
If the resource drain on xda is really that big a deal on searches, maybe adding that Google Search bar that searches with the xda modifier that a lot of other sites and blogs use would be a workable solution.
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Click to collapse
We are planning on improving the google search for the site.
As others have said at the moment the google search only works on a Site basis, we're looking into getting it on a per-forum basis.
Dave

Ban "Sent from my XXX using App" garbage

I can't be the only one who is getting bored of every second post (at least in the i9000 forum) containing:
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
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Something should be done about it, because it's getting out of hand.
1) It makes quoting posts frustrating. It actually punishes us, because we need to manually remove the crap, which is ironically MUCH more difficult on mobile webbrowsers, than PC.
2) It makes posts more difficult to read. Most of them add a few blank lines and itself, making less fit on a screen without scrolling
3) It's totally unnecessary.
4) It is spam by the apps themselves.
5) Users who need an XDA app, can just type "XDA" into their app stores. So it can't even be argued that it is difficult to find such apps otherwise.
My Proposal:
1) Automatically filter the comment out of posts. They are lame, and unneccessary. Get rid of them automatically (simple string substitution).
2) Give a 3 month warning that users utilising clients which post such garbage, will be given 3 warnings, and will be temp banned if they use them. It is fair.
3) Start a shame list of poorly designed XDA clients.
I agree it isn't the end of the world, but its a lot of wasted productivity, and it's unnecessary. It's bad enough that I have noticed that some people here have massively long/intrusive signatures. Some of those people also have these annoying tags, so they have 3x more "crap", than they do actual post.
I agree with this, but it's up to the admins, will flag this to them.
TheDeadCpu said:
I agree with this, but it's up to the admins, will flag this to them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's been flagged!
The thing with the signature is that it serves the same purpose as the default signature of your mobile phone in the email client (for example: "Sent from my Verizon Droid X"). It helps to inform people that your message was written while mobile, and so the text might contain errors, or might not be as well thought out as it would have been if you were in front of your computer. The signature is activated by default on our Android apps (and, actually our Windows Phone 7 app).
That said, if there is huge support for turning off the default signature in the application, we'll do it, but this is the first time we're hearing about it being a problem. As mentioned, it serves a practical purpose.
Thanks for the feedback.
svetius said:
It's been flagged!
The thing with the signature is that it serves the same purpose as the default signature of your mobile phone in the email client (for example: "Sent from my Verizon Droid X"). It helps to inform people that your message was written while mobile, and so the text might contain errors, or might not be as well thought out as it would have been if you were in front of your computer. The signature is activated by default on our Android apps (and, actually our Windows Phone 7 app).
That said, if there is huge support for turning off the default signature in the application, we'll do it, but this is the first time we're hearing about it being a problem. As mentioned, it serves a practical purpose.
Thanks for the feedback.
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Edit: deleted..
I can respect that, but surely, there must be better means of doing so, or at least filter them when using Quoting capabilities.. I recall seeing people get in trouble because they included the comments in their quotes (but I might be imagining it)
Auzy said:
I recall seeing people get in trouble because they included the comments in their quotes (but I might be imagining it)
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Click to collapse
Huh? I agree it's useful ... more so than not, at least, as an identifier and a screaming 'hello I'm on my mobile so if this doesn't make sense you know why' kinda thing. I don't see how this is a big deal ... at all. LOL ... ? I also fail to see how it gets in the way of anything, like quoting especially, as it is essentially another single line that still precedes the quote tags.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
conqu1stador said:
Huh? I agree it's useful ... more so than not, at least, as an identifier and a screaming 'hello I'm on my mobile so if this doesn't make sense you know why' kinda thing. I don't see how this is a big deal ... at all. LOL ... ? I also fail to see how it gets in the way of anything, like quoting especially, as it is essentially another single line that still precedes the quote tags.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
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Click to collapse
It's useful IMHO and I am not aware of any issues in including the signature in quotes- it's a single line... who cares? I imagine someone quoted an entire, incredibly long OP, to say "thanks"...
I don't know if it is possible, but how about making the signature from the tapatalk app's just smaller than average text? That way, people can still be informed it was written while mobile, and it would be less obtrusive for the ones who don't like it.... And I'm sorry, I know my normal signature is long
Sent from my Computer using Mozilla Firefox App
RANT
You have to post one way or another - we don't need to know how or what you used to post. It is getting easier to post so more people are posting. Teens are no longer getting flip phones and now populating this forum with more and more silly questions looking for answers you can easily find using google. People have the EVO 4g and think they can post anything they want in the EVO General forum because you have an evo and you are posting in the general section. I want to see general information about the EVO and not other phones on other networks and other random things you find interesting. There are other forums for that.
We all have to start somewhere I know that and when I joined in 2006 the first 4 years I probably posted 100 times and now I am posting like crazy trying to help these people find answers hoping people learn something. People are here 1-2 years with over 1,000 posts.
Yeah, it helps to know that is was posted on a phone but with keyboards and big screens take a couple extra seconds to make sure everything is typed right. I do it why can't other people.
But what if you could have the benefits of knowing which client it was posted with, without having that crap in posts too? Surely that would be better, correct?
svetius said:
It's been flagged!
The thing with the signature is that it serves the same purpose as the default signature of your mobile phone in the email client (for example: "Sent from my Verizon Droid X"). It helps to inform people that your message was written while mobile, and so the text might contain errors, or might not be as well thought out as it would have been if you were in front of your computer. The signature is activated by default on our Android apps (and, actually our Windows Phone 7 app).
That said, if there is huge support for turning off the default signature in the application, we'll do it, but this is the first time we're hearing about it being a problem. As mentioned, it serves a practical purpose.
Thanks for the feedback.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, please, don't turn off signatures in the app. Can't they be stripped, however, the way they're stripped when quoting and responding on the desktop app? I agree, they're difficult to remove if you're responding on the app, but as you said, they're useful to indicate the poster is swyping, or whatever may account for little errors in their post.
rushco said:
RANT
You have to post one way or another - we don't need to know how or what you used to post. It is getting easier to post so more people are posting. Teens are no longer getting flip phones and now populating this forum with more and more silly questions looking for answers you can easily find using google. People have the EVO 4g and think they can post anything they want in the EVO General forum because you have an evo and you are posting in the general section. I want to see general information about the EVO and not other phones on other networks and other random things you find interesting. There are other forums for that.
We all have to start somewhere I know that and when I joined in 2006 the first 4 years I probably posted 100 times and now I am posting like crazy trying to help these people find answers hoping people learn something. People are here 1-2 years with over 1,000 posts.
Yeah, it helps to know that is was posted on a phone but with keyboards and big screens take a couple extra seconds to make sure everything is typed right. I do it why can't other people.
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I fail to see how this post is even for or against the 'signature' argument.
Its a single line.
Like me finishing off my post with this single line.
Or this one, or below.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App

The search function sucks..

Am I the only one that thinks so? I see all these threads being quickly responded to saying "use the search before posting, thread closed, etc.. ". Well if search worked halfway decent on this site these threads would be unnecessary. I'm sure a good percentage are noobs being lazy, but for those of us actually looking for legit info, well, good luck. Maybe it's just xda's mobile app search function. I have not used the websites search on the full site to compare. Again, is it just me? Somebody help me out here..
Example: there is a thread asking for the .Apk file for teeter. A mod jumped in saying use the search, and locked the thread. I'm interested in this game aswell, so I used the search. And nothing..
What am I missing?
Sent @ 04:20
Just did a search for teeter apk and recieved loads of results, many of which detail where to get it from and how to install it
Even starting a new thread with teeter apk in it's title brings up a list of similar threads.
Something is deft wrong then. Just did the same search (teeter. Apk) and got nothing but random threads that are fiftyleven pages long. Guess u just need patience and free time to find what you need.. Oh well
Sent @ 04:20
A tedious search is worth not getting flamed for not lol
Sent from my Moto Atrix using XDA Premium App
You just have to know how to use it. Kind of like Google search. Know what you want or need and be able to use terms or phrases to get you results. I joined xda last year and since then I haven't had any problems with the search feature. I either find the solution using search or figure it out on my own. I really don't understand how people mess up some times. Usually devs explain things really well, to the point where they are holding your hand. I love xda and couldn't imagine an android experience w/o it. Thanks xda!
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
i'm a new member n just flashed my phone with a custom rom. now my phone has incoming call delay where the phone only starts ringing after 2-3 times ring tones at the other side. n since i'm a new member, i cant post to development thread. i need to have posted at least 8-10 posts to other general threads only i can post to that thread. i thought i can faster post 8-10 posts so i can ask for help but there is a 5 min delays between post for new member.
i tried the search function, many results returned but i cant find a solution n i urgently need to ask for solution in the proper thread. but this is only my 3rd or 4th post.
i'm sorry if i complained.
kinda frustrated to that i have to randomly post to get off the 10 posts limit...
or is there any better way?
@ACis0014.. it's nothing at all like google search... Not even remotely similar. With google, you type your query and you have answers damn near immediately. Here, it looks as though it brings up threads that your search query might be mentioned in and I guess it's up to us to flip thru all the hundreds of pages and posts to find out if it's even the answer we're looking for.
And yes, god forbid we need help right away with an issue and post a question about it. Oh man, it's like burning their flag or something. It is what it is tho I guess. One of those things where you either deal with it, or move on..
Sent @ 04:20
I mean I am not here to convince you, that's not my job. You can believe whatever you want. But as I mentioned before I have never had a problem. It's also a matter of working to find your answering. do you expect everything to be handed to you? Rooting and modifying your phone takes work and patience apparently you don't have either one or just aren't trying. If you can't "deal" with the search than stay with stock or visit another website. Personally I don't ask for help until I have exhausted all other options. There's also a sense of pride in rooting and modifying knowing you did something by yourself without really having much experience beforehand. The devs and members here are wonderful who work their asses off for themselves and are courteous enough to share their work without really asking for money. At the most they ask for users to press a damn "thank you" button. Whoop di do! The only real complaint I have about xda is that some members post these stupid, immature comments or act like total douchbags or some think they are the damn xda police who are here to shape everybody up. Thank god my fellow mytouch 4g users are pretty good for the most part!
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Lol. You're really trying to earn that xda brown nose badge aren't ya..
Look, The sites itself is fine, I've learned plenty and have done my share of research.I'm just talking about the search function and also the elitists here who think everyone who posts something has to post at a professional developers level. im not talking about your precious xda forum and its devs. This place is the best of the best.. Relax..
Sent @ 04:20
Don't use . in the search, only use keywords, so: teeter apk
If you do get stuck with no results that give you the answer, then if one of the results is similar then try posting in there to bump it back to the top.
It's also a good idea (tends to quieten down the "Search n00b!" bunch) to start the post with "I did try to search but came up with nothing useful, so if someone can just direct me to a thread they know about that'd be much appreciated, anyway, my problem is..."
Well, dunno what is up with the search here. I am pretty sure the stock vBulleting search has options to use logical operators such as AND/OR in search terms (even accessible via checkboxes).
Why is it disabled here?
xaccers said:
Don't use . in the search, only use keywords, so: teeter apk
If you do get stuck with no results that give you the answer, then if one of the results is similar then try posting in there to bump it back to the top.
It's also a good idea (tends to quieten down the "Search n00b!" bunch) to start the post with "I did try to search but came up with nothing useful, so if someone can just direct me to a thread they know about that'd be much appreciated, anyway, my problem is..."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the tip.. I usually just google my question and add xda in the query and it usually will give me a list of specific posts and threads containing what I'm looking for.. example: (teeter apk xda) i find this much easier and faster than the forum search..
And also.. Yes, I would like things "just handed to me" when I have a question or problem.. That's what the Internet is for!!! In fact, I think the word Internet is Latin for instant gratification. Or something.. Just sayin..
Sent @ 04:20
I think I can live with this kind of search function
most of the forum's search function is like this..
doktornotor said:
Well, dunno what is up with the search here. I am pretty sure the stock vBulleting search has options to use logical operators such as AND/OR in search terms (even accessible via checkboxes).
Why is it disabled here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmmm, no answer?
Maybe just hook up a custom Google search here instead? Would work a whole lot better.
doktornotor said:
Hmmmm, no answer?
Maybe just hook up a custom Google search here instead? Would work a whole lot better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Suggesting something here apparently appears about as productive as screaming out for help in the middle of a deep forest. Maybe this sucky crippled search is a "feature", exactly as the crippled "report post" functionality.
Silently ignoring user feedback about apparently broken functionality is really NOT appreciated. The issue will not disappear if you ignore it.
The truly annoying thing about search on this site is half of the time when you want to use it, it is either temporarily disabled or otherwise not working.
Rakeesh_j said:
The truly annoying thing about search on this site is half of the time when you want to use it, it is either temporarily disabled or otherwise not working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I made a short "usability" analysis of the search feature here. Well guys, this way, you would not succeed even 10 years ago, when Google was just starting. Uh.
See below:
I gave up using the search function on the site and in the worst case scenario i search the forum manually (or use google directly)
The search function works fine for me. If you dont know how to use it optimally, thats not the same thing as it sucking

can s-voice speak text for confirmation instead of visual preview?

Hi.
S-voice seems to work more accurately for my "accent" than google's program so I've had a decent success rate with it for daily use this last week.
That said, I cannot tell whether this feature is available: when I ask it to send a text or email and give it the content, it asks me for a visual confirmation that it got the words right. is there a way to get it to speak back what I asked it to type up? I've spent last three days searching without luck, which suggests this doesn't exist yet so I'm just paying to obtain confirmation and closure.
Thank you for your time.
I found it strange it did not do this. Its almost all hands free up until this point if your using Bluetooth you have to look at your phone. Almost makes it pointless. I have not found away around it yet but I do agree it should read the text back to you.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
kkl0wn said:
I found it strange it did not do this. Its almost all hands free up until this point if your using Bluetooth you have to look at your phone. Almost makes it pointless. I have not found away around it yet but I do agree it should read the text back to you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for confirming. The one time I got google now to write a text message for me, it, too, did not repeat it outloud. Well, I just won't use that feature then, it's already gotten me in trouble with incorrect word.
I found a an application called "assistant" which sort of does it well, but it's just so.. rough. Always a compromise, isn't it?
Bummer.

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