Develop Bugs

Best Current Advice for new Fire Phone user? (battery life, reduce heat, carousel)

Just starting out with the Fire Phone, unlocked version being used with T-Mobile.
Found the YouTube instructional video for loading the Google Play Store and got it to work fine after about 27 updates to the phone and store downloaded.
After trying a half dozen different launchers, went back to the stock version as seemed to work the smoothest and couldn't get any others to do what I wanted anyway.
Questions for current users:
1. Phone gets warmer than any phone I've used before. Is this normal?
2. Any way to dock a useful time/date widget and a weather widget on the home screen (or front of the Carousel)?
3. Any way to get rid of or minimize the mostly useless Carousel without using a different launcher? I'd rather see my wallpaper and place a few icons around the screen, then it'd be perfect.
4. If no way to remove the Carousel without using a different launcher, is there a launcher that gives a simple, clean interface and the ability to have your own wallpaper, a date/time and weather widget on home screen, and standard icon and icon folder placement ability? None of the ones I tried gave me that. I find it bizarre that custom wallpaper is not a standard option on every single launcher.
5. Battery life is pretty bad. Walking around for just about two hours yesterday playing Pokemon Go drained my 100% battery entirely. Is that normal?
6. I'm seeing people mention "turning off fancy stuff" and the like in threads here to improve battery life, but cannot find where anyone says what specifically to turn off or how to turn it off...help?
7. Any way to customize the left-hand tilt menu? It is mostly useless links...the "Music" link doesn't even go to Prime Music -- what's up with that? I'd like to customize what gets launched from the links, but it seems impossible.
8. The "swipe up" back button feature is really annoying as it is so picky and just plain doesn't work in some situations and some apps. Any way to improve it?
9. Any way to tell what apps are currently running to close some? My last phone would show the list if you held down the main button, but this phone just brings up a microphone service when I do that.
10. Is Alexa on the Fire Phone a junior version? It can't do anything I ask it and I'm used to Alexa from my Fire TV. I want to do stuff like "Alexa Play Adele" or "Alexa What Time is It?" but it just shows the "I can't do that" text. (On a related point...any way to get the "Okay Google..." talking function?)
11. Is the GPS a bit weak? Maps don't always load, rather annoying.
12. When I'm talking on the phone, I can't figure out how to get the screen to turn on again if I have to enter numbers, change speakerphone, or check something. Others phones just automatically turn on when I take it away from my ear, but the screen just stays off with this one. Is there a button to push to get it turn on again?
My primary uses for the phone are Prime Music, the Camera, and texting, so it is really a great phone for me. With more reliable mapping, better battery life, and a good back button, it'd be an excellent phone despite the other above gripes.
If you can help with any of the above questions, that'd be great. Thanks!

Stock launcher very restrictive you'll need a third party one to have custom options. That's not as easy as it sounds as not all support widgets on fire phone. I use lucid launcher which does. Mine doesn't heat up much, and battery life is the best I've had on a phone. Double click button for running app display.

try install custom rom like MIUI, I am using MIUI in my fire phone and its really fun... apart from few minor bugs like switching camera it's a great rom, boost battery time, heat up problem solved and very fast rom as compare to stock rom.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-phone/general/miui-7-6-3-20-fire-phone-t3412344

ratbags said:
Stock launcher very restrictive you'll need a third party one to have custom options. That's not as easy as it sounds as not all support widgets on fire phone. I use lucid launcher which does. Mine doesn't heat up much, and battery life is the best I've had on a phone. Double click button for running app display.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I'll look at Lucid Launcher -- wasn't one of the ones I tried.

kingtymur said:
try install custom rom like MIUI, I am using MIUI in my fire phone and its really fun... apart from few minor bugs like switching camera it's a great rom, boost battery time, heat up problem solved and very fast rom as compare to stock rom.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-phone/general/miui-7-6-3-20-fire-phone-t3412344
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, if I'm understanding other threads, camera function is iffy for everything except FireOS. Since the most important part of this phone is the camera for me (tied with messaging), it looks like I need to stick to stock on that.
Frustrating though as I really like the look of that MIUI 7 you linked. I wish I had time to give it a shot just to see if the camera is still good enough.
Thanks.

FeuerFon said:
Thanks, I'll look at Lucid Launcher -- wasn't one of the ones I tried.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using nova and widgets work fine as long as you move the app to /system, but you'll need root for that.

dato02 said:
I'm using nova and widgets work fine as long as you move the app to /system, but you'll need root for that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which unfortunately means camera issues on the Fire, so not good for my situation. :/

FeuerFon said:
Which unfortunately means camera issues on the Fire, so not good for my situation. :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root itself doesn't cause issues with the camera, it's roms other than stock.

Try Nova Launcher With Hd Packs...

Im determined to keep this phone... Looking to "upgrade" it in certain ways

But ive heard that earlier versions of android can be security risks... is that true? What if you never do anything critical like banking on your phone?
Ive been toying with the idea of trying a custom rom (that someone else already built lol), but, i absolutely despise the standard android toggles that are only like 3 per row and take up the whole screen. theyre massive. i LOVE how the stock touchwiz keeps everything all on the one screen in the notification drawer. Are there any roms that use this same compact design? without having the 2 screens?
ive also been toying with trying to add ram using a partitioned SD card. but i have a few quesitons about that too. first being that ive heard that you cant access your SD card by computer anymore.... so with that being the case, how do you go about backing up the data on your SD card just in case the card fails? has anyone done this successfully with this phone?
i love the small physical size of this phone, i have small hands. and newer phones, much like roller coasters, are shooting for the biggest tallest on the market it seems. im an ambidextrous swiper so even to smoosh the keyboard to one side is a pain... id be forever going into settings to switch sides. i have a tablet i do this with, its quite irritating. but the glide i can reach using either hand on full width for the keyboard. and once in a while, i do still use the physical keys
oh! also... i have played with an S5 mini (but a fake i suspect)... my captivate glide does certain things, like greenify apps, faster... for it being newer and higher ram (a bit) it doesnt seem all that... higher. so at least for the time being, im going to stick with my good ol captivate glide. the s5's haptic feedback is lousy too and thats become a feature that i just cant live without (for swipe and typing especially, but i like it for the touch buttons too). also not a fan at all of the tiles for notifications, i much prefer just having the icon up in the corner. and my screen lock does something the new one doesnt... it doesnt instantly require your pattern again even though you did power the screen off with the button. so many little things, i just LOVE about captivate glide.
Ive rambled a little but i hope anyone who has tried can point me to the best rom, if im not best off with sticking with stock touchwiz, which is what ive done until now.
if anyone still also using this phone has any tips that would be great

I'm also determined to keep it, but primary because of the hardware keyboard, which you seemingly are not using?
If you have become accustomed to your current setup, bear with it as long as you can. Yes custom ROMs are fun and glorious, but flashing and configuring can be a PITA and it doesn't sound you're the tech-savy nerd willing to fight it through.
So just go on & stick with the stock ROM. However if you can, do not use the internal stock browser but a recent Chrome version because of the security fixes it will contain.

Should I root my Pixel XL

I'm interested but don't know anything. What are the benefits? Like why should I root and why I shouldn't. My Pixel has been nothing but reliable and just want to know if i'm getting the full potential or if i'm missing out on something. Someone shine some light

im12whatisthis said:
I'm interested but don't know anything. What are the benefits? Like why should I root and why I shouldn't. My Pixel has been nothing but reliable and just want to know if i'm getting the full potential or if i'm missing out on something. Someone shine some light
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just google it and you will find the answer it's very simple.

Rooting in my opinion is only worth it if you want to tinker around with the Android OS. Having root provides the user with much more control over their device. Everything from theming (substratum theme engine which requires root) to flashing custom roms (which typically have cool mods cooked right into the firmware).
Root also provides the user to use custom kernels which allows the user to tweak all sorts of the phones "under the hood performance" like CPU voltages or the screen's color saturation and hue.
In my opinion the most popular adblocker, AdAway, requires root access. Titanium backup, the only app I use to backup my data also requires root.
Before you decide to hook your phone up to your pc and begin the journey into rooting and flashing I highly suggest you read many of the guides in the guide section of this forum. XDA is an amazing resource for people like yourself. Read, read and read some more.

I can't live without root. But it's kinda for tech junkies. I use root for setting up custom gestures with gmd gestures. Allows me to add multifinger gestures like 3 finger swipe down to go home, 3 finger swipe up for recent apps, and 3 finger swipe left and right for next app/previous app. Also allows my launcher (Nova launcher) to do a special screen lock that's root only. Some people use it for back up and restoring apps with titanium backup. Someone above mentioned allowing tweaking if under the hood options with a custom kernel like modifying voltage the cpu draws but my stock kernel settings work fine out the box. I think the last thing I use it for us to limit the number of recent apps with the app recently

I use to root all my device, but lately I feel like there is less and less that I am getting out of root. I don't think Xposed worked in 7 and pretty sure it's not out for 8 yet. In fact the only reason I have root right now is I got switched from my 6p to the XL and the dual speaker root mod took sound(audio and notifications) from below average to average, at least for my ears.

I used to root every device before i had a pixel xl, now i don't feel the need to root. I do miss adaway to block ads, but thats about it. Its all about preference i think. Root and try it out, if you like it, keep it, and if you don't, you can always go back. Make sure you read the guides to root a pixel xl though. Dont want to end with a bricked device.

You should only root it if you have an idea on what you hope to accomplish with it, so the best thing to do is research root for your device. Back in the day I rooted my phones religiously, my S3, S5, Note 4 were all rooted almost instantly. With my OG Pixel XL there were a lot fewer reasons to root as a lot of the reasons to root have been natively built into the OS over time.
I rooted my Pixel XL for adblocking, and lucky patcher. Of course there are many more reasons to do so if they fit what you want to do.

+1 for GMD Gesture Control, I can't live without it. The power of it is not with the default gestures that come with it but the ability to create your own that can start from any zone or edge of the screen. I've got around 50 gestures set up (a bunch of which launch from the edge and are mirrored for either edge so I can use the phone one handed with either left or right hand).
Viper4Android's my other must have app, as is Titanium Backup.

AdAway, TB, and Root Explorer are my primary reasons for root. I have a few other root aps that are more of a habit now than a need for me after years of rooting everything I have ever owned. If there were an equally effective non-root alternative to AdAway and I had to buy a device that couldn't be rooted, I might have to deal with it for the right price vs. performance vs. convenience of not keeping up with what is becoming a constant struggle with the Pixel. My son is due for a new tablet (for his birthday next month) and I haven't even looked into the root options yet of the couple of devices I am considering. That would have been step number one until last fall when I got the PIxel and Pixel XL.

Rooting?

I'm going to be honest here. I like my pixel 3xl and it's stock Android but it's not perfect. I don't like the two swipe gesture navigation to open up the app drawer and it's getting a bit laggy. I downloaded the March security patch today and I haven't seen any crazy improvements (I may be wrong). Anyway, the point is I'm not satisfied with my setup. Meaning, I switch between launchers (Nova, smartlauncher, Hyperion) and such. However, the launchers are not perfect (they are hella laggy) so I end up coming back to pixel launcher. I want to customize my phone. I have something in mind as to how my phone should look to me. Full dark mode with green theme and no navigation gesture. I don't particularly like the notch but it'd be great if I can hide it with the icons in the notch area like nacho notch (it's not perfect. It goes away when playing videos).
So I've been thinking about rooting my phone but I'm afraid for couple reasons:
1. I can't use certain apps (Google pay and snapchat) I don't care about other apps but I'd love to continue using them.
2. I'm scared of bricking my phone.
3. There is a lot to learn and follow if you want to root your phone.
4. I don't know which guide to follow (there are lot here)
5. I feel like I might miss out Android Q when it comes out ( I don't know why I think that haha).
6. Security issues. I feel like my phone might not be safe from rooting.
I know there are lot of pros in rooting your phone but I want some of your honest opinions so I can break free of the 6 reasons I mentioned above and root my phone.
I would also really appreciate it if you could post some links here so I can reference them.
Thanks!

abhinavkonagala said:
I'm going to be honest here. I like my pixel 3xl and it's stock Android but it's not perfect. I don't like the two swipe gesture navigation to open up the app drawer and it's getting a bit laggy. I downloaded the March security patch today and I haven't seen any crazy improvements (I may be wrong). Anyway, the point is I'm not satisfied with my setup. Meaning, I switch between launchers (Nova, smartlauncher, Hyperion) and such. However, the launchers are not perfect (they are hella laggy) so I end up coming back to pixel launcher. I want to customize my phone. I have something in mind as to how my phone should look to me. Full dark mode with green theme and no navigation gesture. I don't particularly like the notch but it'd be great if I can hide it with the icons in the notch area like nacho notch (it's not perfect. It goes away when playing videos).
So I've been thinking about rooting my phone but I'm afraid for couple reasons:
1. I can't use certain apps (Google pay and snapchat) I don't care about other apps but I'd love to continue using them.
2. I'm scared of bricking my phone.
3. There is a lot to learn and follow if you want to root your phone.
4. I don't know which guide to follow (there are lot here)
5. I feel like I might miss out Android Q when it comes out ( I don't know why I think that haha).
6. Security issues. I feel like my phone might not be safe from rooting.
I know there are lot of pros in rooting your phone but I want some of your honest opinions so I can break free of the 6 reasons I mentioned above and root my phone.
I would also really appreciate it if you could post some links here so I can reference them.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just do your research here on XDA and/or other forums or YouTube and you`ll find all the info you need.

Bro, you can add me on Facebook Messenger, i'm with Pixel 3 XL rooted with March update and i injoy it! You can rooted without any problem! If you want i can help you it's easy just add me on Facebook Messenger https://www.facebook.com/hanibioud

abhinavkonagala said:
I'm going to be honest here. I like my pixel 3xl and it's stock Android but it's not perfect. I don't like the two swipe gesture navigation to open up the app drawer and it's getting a bit laggy. I downloaded the March security patch today and I haven't seen any crazy improvements (I may be wrong). Anyway, the point is I'm not satisfied with my setup. Meaning, I switch between launchers (Nova, smartlauncher, Hyperion) and such. However, the launchers are not perfect (they are hella laggy) so I end up coming back to pixel launcher. I want to customize my phone. I have something in mind as to how my phone should look to me. Full dark mode with green theme and no navigation gesture. I don't particularly like the notch but it'd be great if I can hide it with the icons in the notch area like nacho notch (it's not perfect. It goes away when playing videos).
So I've been thinking about rooting my phone but I'm afraid for couple reasons:
1. I can't use certain apps (Google pay and snapchat) I don't care about other apps but I'd love to continue using them.
2. I'm scared of bricking my phone.
3. There is a lot to learn and follow if you want to root your phone.
4. I don't know which guide to follow (there are lot here)
5. I feel like I might miss out Android Q when it comes out ( I don't know why I think that haha).
6. Security issues. I feel like my phone might not be safe from rooting.
I know there are lot of pros in rooting your phone but I want some of your honest opinions so I can break free of the 6 reasons I mentioned above and root my phone.
I would also really appreciate it if you could post some links here so I can reference them.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[Guide] Pixel 3 XL Android 9.0 (Pie) Unlock/Root/Install Images/Kernels/Recovery + by homeboy76

I just rooted my pixel 3xl today actually. I was very apprehensive about modding it because when I was using an OG Pixel XL I got myself into a boot loop situation. But I'm not going to do anything too crazy this time around. I found this guy called meowdroid or something on youtube to be very helpful. I followed his tutorial without any issues. Just do your research you should be fine. It's great to have a community where you can go when you need help, and the pixel generally has a good following behind it.
https://youtu.be/S2Ke36U2WqQ

Just ordered the Tab S4...any tips for a new owner?

Aside from installing Vanced youtube...I am not sure I need root anymore. Weird to say that as I was big into custom ROMs, root, overclocking my phones back in the day
Anyway, mostly using this to replace my aging original Tab S 10.5 which is now been used inside my PC to display CPU speeds, temps, etc.
It was lagging with EMBY and other things even with custom ROMs but I am glad I was able to find a new home for it to be useful.
Thanks for any feedback!

Same boat, I was really into root and other tweaks, now I'll get frustrated if I have to spend much time getting the experience I supposedly paid for. I actually just browse this forums in hopes of an update on next oneUI versions since they seem to have fixed some of the small caveats I find with the current version; sadly we are probably never going to get it though.
Anyway, the tab is beautiful and fast, and it will do most of the things you are expecting without losing a beat. To get the most out of it I would recommend getting the "good lock" apps to further personalize your experience (I wish someone told me about these before since I used the device for a month before finding them). The one hand operation(together with navigating gestures), the task changer(smaller more manageable app changer menu and initializing apps in floating mode from there), and the multistar(some nice tweaks to the floating mode like swiping from a to corner to start floating an that is already on screen) are the most useful in my perspective. I also downloaded an app called edge gestures to personalize my gesture experience even further, and an app called no keyboard because sometimes you just need to select/move/copy/paste text without the keyboard(even floating) to take any space on your screen.
Other nice apps I would recommend would be concepts(though still in development it is a nice vector based, layer-supporting drawing app), write 3.0 for general note taking(snappier stroke experience you'll get on android, and also vector based), and I cannot believe how much I have gotten into 3d sculpting and modeling with an app called nomad(is just so much fun even without knowing what you are doing).
I hope you have a great time with your tablet!

Pazzu510 said:
Same boat, I was really into root and other tweaks, now I'll get frustrated if I have to spend much time getting the experience I supposedly paid for. I actually just browse this forums in hopes of an update on next oneUI versions since they seem to have fixed some of the small caveats I find with the current version; sadly we are probably never going to get it though.
Anyway, the tab is beautiful and fast, and it will do most of the things you are expecting without losing a beat. To get the most out of it I would recommend getting the "good lock" apps to further personalize your experience (I wish someone told me about these before since I used the device for a month before finding them). The one hand operation(together with navigating gestures), the task changer(smaller more manageable app changer menu and initializing apps in floating mode from there), and the multistar(some nice tweaks to the floating mode like swiping from a to corner to start floating an that is already on screen) are the most useful in my perspective. I also downloaded an app called edge gestures to personalize my gesture experience even further, and an app called no keyboard because sometimes you just need to select/move/copy/paste text without the keyboard(even floating) to take any space on your screen.
Other nice apps I would recommend would be concepts(though still in development it is a nice vector based, layer-supporting drawing app), write 3.0 for general note taking(snappier stroke experience you'll get on android, and also vector based), and I cannot believe how much I have gotten into 3d sculpting and modeling with an app called nomad(is just so much fun even without knowing what you are doing).
I hope you have a great time with your tablet!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Than you so much for the information! Mine arrives tomorrow. I will research all the apps you mentioned.

I totally agree with Pazzu510. I use my tablet a looooooot, I use it for work and for media. I'm going to recommed you to give it a try the default samunsg apps that comes with the tablet. I LOVE the file explorer, you can syncronize one note and its just perfect. The browser is awesome too, it has a lot of configurations. I use samsung notes for my college notes, but I already tried noteshelf (very good app too, but samsung works better with the spen in my opinion. Try both and use whatever you like more) Xodo, to annotate on pdf or just open them its just a must have. It has a very good integration with the spen, onenote, etc, and you can have mutiple pdfs open.
I recommend you to set the battery limitation to 85% to protect it. And take a time and configure the energy app administration settings to bring you the best experience.
I'm very very happy with my tablet and I hope you the same!!

InsertCoin_Pls said:
I totally agree with Pazzu510. I use my tablet a looooooot, I use it for work and for media. I'm going to recommed you to give it a try the default samunsg apps that comes with the tablet. I LOVE the file explorer, you can syncronize one note and its just perfect. The browser is awesome too, it has a lot of configurations. I use samsung notes for my college notes, but I already tried noteshelf (very good app too, but samsung works better with the spen in my opinion. Try both and use whatever you like more) Xodo, to annotate on pdf or just open them its just a must have. It has a very good integration with the spen, onenote, etc, and you can have mutiple pdfs open.
I recommend you to set the battery limitation to 85% to protect it. And take a time and configure the energy app administration settings to bring you the best experience.
I'm very very happy with my tablet and I hope you the same!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much. It is on the UPS delivery truck and should be here in the next 3 hours or so. Really pumped to finally upgrade from the old S 10.5
Thanks for the tips!

The tablet is fantastic so far. Just trying to figure out which case style I prefer now. Probably will end up with like 4 cases at least.
The one disappointment was the sound...with the 4 speakers "tuned by akg" I was expecting more. My Mate 20x actually sounds better (which I know is highly regarded for sound but still). Luckily speaker usage is not crucial for me.

shaolin95 said:
The tablet is fantastic so far. Just trying to figure out which case style I prefer now. Probably will end up with like 4 cases at least.
The one disappointment was the sound...with the 4 speakers "tuned by akg" I was expecting more. My Mate 20x actually sounds better (which I know is highly regarded for sound but still). Luckily speaker usage is not crucial for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes,I agree it is very good Tablet
_ I have T830 andoid 10, without root ... I'm using only Vanced Tube, I have removed enough bloatware, and I'm using " Nicelock downloader companion" & some modules for my device.These, I think are enough for this device...
( Nicelock downloader companion thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...p-v2-16-manual-download-links-thread.3923844/
_ (there is also a module for "audio - sound utility" ) : https://sites.google.com/view/nicelockdownloader/
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...2020-launcher-w-update-notifications.3908648/ )
_ How to Remove bloatware without Root, for free : https://beebom.com/how-remove-bloatware-android-without-root/

daitalos said:
Yes,I agree it is very good Tablet
_ I have T830 andoid 10, without root ... I'm using only Vanced Tube, I have removed enough bloatware, and I'm using " Nicelock downloader companion" & some modules for my device.These, I think are enough for this device...
( Nicelock downloader companion thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...p-v2-16-manual-download-links-thread.3923844/
_ (there is also a module for "audio - sound utility" ) : https://sites.google.com/view/nicelockdownloader/
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...2020-launcher-w-update-notifications.3908648/ )
_ How to Remove bloatware without Root, for free : https://beebom.com/how-remove-bloatware-android-without-root/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the information and the link, really appreciated it!!

shaolin95 said:
Aside from installing Vanced youtube...I am not sure I need root anymore. Weird to say that as I was big into custom ROMs, root, overclocking my phones back in the day
Anyway, mostly using this to replace my aging original Tab S 10.5 which is now been used inside my PC to display CPU speeds, temps, etc.
It was lagging with EMBY and other things even with custom ROMs but I am glad I was able to find a new home for it to be useful.
Thanks for any feedback!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought the same thing. Almost a year later and still no android 11 with the sm-t837T. So that's pretty much my reason for wanting root. Lineage os! I've yet to root this tablet. Wonder is dex is gone it you flash a custom rom