I've had my Nexus One for quite a few weeks now, and I've made a list of my 'annoyances' from my own experience. These are all to do with Google's own apps, which is a bit disappointing because it is, ultiamtely, their own platform. They are annoyances instead of complaints because none of them hinder me in any significant way, but the length of the list do make me feel that there is no reason for Google to not include these features as soon as possible.
Contacts - Synchronization with Gmail contacts is great, but can't edit Birthdays on an Android phone.
Maps - Can't add an address pinned on the map to an existing contact, can't apply custom labels to starred items, My Maps always gives me "This Community Map could not be displayed because it contains errors."
Calendar - I've got 3 calendars synchronized with Google Calendar, associated with 3 different colours, and while all of them work fine in Day, Week and Agenda views, absolutely no colours show up in Monthly View! This is really annoying.
Browser - Can only recognize US phone numbers, so if I want to call a number on a page which is not in US format, I've to manually copy it and paste it in the Phone app, rather than just a long press or something easier.
Selection of Text - a bit cumbersome given HTC Desire does it better in my opinion.
Account Synchronization - Sometimes doesn't work. I've made changes in a contact and separately in my calendar entry, only to come back and find the change reverted to the original setting. I tried to repeat the change again but it would just revert back again. Finally I had to make the change in my PC browser and force-sync the phone for it to be accepted. Mind you, as I mentioned this has happened only a few times, it works fine most other times.
So as I mentioned, by themselves these issues aren't big. And I do realize in some instances a free 3rd party app is the way to go. But still, surely Google should make sure that their own apps leave as little to be desired as possible.
Thoughts?
A few key apps that aren't even developed yet:-
khaytsus said:
Google should write a good Google Docs
Google Tasks (integrate with Calendar, plus Widget)..
Maybe a nice shortcut forcing the Android browser for Google Reader.. I love Google Reader in the default browser, but if you have Opera set as default it looks horrid.
Google Analytics/Adwords
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TT1986 said:
Calendar - I've got 3 calendars synchronized with Google Calendar, associated with 3 different colours, and while all of them work fine in Day, Week and Agenda views, absolutely no colours show up in Monthly View! This is really annoying.
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I've just realized that the reason nothing shows in Monthly views is because events are all-day rather than during a specific time period on the day. If an event was scheduled for, say, between 1700 and 1800 hours, then a colour would show.
Not that this makes it any better. I still should be able to see something in the Monthly view to tell me that an all-day event is up on that day.
I know you're talking update what they have, but I think they're missing some important things..
Google should write a good Google Docs
Google Tasks (integrate with Calendar, plus Widget)..
Maybe a nice shortcut forcing the Android browser for Google Reader.. I love Google Reader in the default browser, but if you have Opera set as default it looks horrid.
Google Analytics/Adwords
You're quite right. The absence of an editable mobile app for Google Docs, from Google, is mind-boggling.
Infact I'll include your post in the OP. It'll help build a decent list of "Apps to Do or Improve by Google for Android."
Actually the most disappointing thing is that some of those issues are pretty obvious to anyone having used the phone a few days.
Also some were reported years ago ...
For example Google contact sync ridiculous resolution for photos, maps location labels etc ... And it's not like it would take them more than a couple hours work to fix either.
I dont think google will allocate their resources on specific stock apps or them given priority over the development on Gingerbread since with apps they have community resource.
unlike mobileme or exchange, google offers a lot of the cloud services free of charge for our personal use, and we shouldnt take that for granted.
and to answer the op, I too would like to have the listed features applied, but I would categorize them as 'nice to have'.
-Task list (would be very elegant solution to other 3rd party notepad software)
-gtalk video
chuday said:
and to answer the op, I too would like to have the listed features applied, but I would categorize them as 'nice to have'.
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I agree, I'm not too inconvenienced by them, but it would make the platform/apps so much neater and more polished. Some of them are really basic though, and you have to wonder that if Google can include some advanced features in an app (for example - layers or the seemingly defunct My Maps in the Maps app) why not quickly complete the basics?
Here's another thing I've been noticing regarding Gmail's Push mechanism. I've subscribed to this thread and another thread for instant notification and I've received a total of 5 replies, so 5 emails. Two of those emails have been delivered instantly to my phone, but the other 3 emails have had delays, the worst one being 11 minutes.
Again, my Gmail account isn't critical, so it doesn't bother me. However it's a feature which I imagine a lot would like perfected.
TT1986 said:
Contacts - Synchronization with Gmail contacts is great, but can't edit Birthdays on an Android phone.
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I absolutely hate how I can't stop it from syncing auto-added contacts, which should be an option to completely disable in Gmail anyway. It's been almost a year since they changed it but Google apparently doesn't bother paying attention to people's complaints.
I did read somewhere that 2.3 is supposed to be heavily focused on improving the stock design and apps. I certainly hope that's true.
TT1986 said:
I agree, I'm not too inconvenienced by them, but it would make the platform/apps so much neater and more polished. Some of them are really basic though, and you have to wonder that if Google can include some advanced features in an app (for example - layers or the seemingly defunct My Maps in the Maps app) why not quickly complete the basics?
Here's another thing I've been noticing regarding Gmail's Push mechanism. I've subscribed to this thread and another thread for instant notification and I've received a total of 5 replies, so 5 emails. Two of those emails have been delivered instantly to my phone, but the other 3 emails have had delays, the worst one being 11 minutes.
Again, my Gmail account isn't critical, so it doesn't bother me. However it's a feature which I imagine a lot would like perfected.
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Hmm? Layers and My Maps work in Google Maps... I have a layer of Star*ucks and Kroger Fuel stations and when I need to fuel up (me or the car ) I fire up Maps, turn Layers, My Maps, click the one I need.
I wish Google Maps could do orientation of travel... Navigator does, but sometimes a flat map is just fine.
I think they said Gingerbread would have major cosmetic changes so I think they will improve google apps, overhall the Music app (which has been near enough the same since 1.0) and the messaging app etc etc.
Θmega said:
I absolutely hate how I can't stop it from syncing auto-added contacts, which should be an option to completely disable in Gmail anyway. It's been almost a year since they changed it but Google apparently doesn't bother paying attention to people's complaints.
I did read somewhere that 2.3 is supposed to be heavily focused on improving the stock design and apps. I certainly hope that's true.
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Try going to contacts.google.com and set your contacts into separate groups (friends/family/etc) and tell the phone to only sync those groups. Lifehacker had a post about this awhile back with better directions
Google Apps are BY FAR the worst, most incomplete, apps I have installed on my phone.
How about the fact that you can't change your "send as" address in Gmail for Android? They gave us that ability at Gmail dot com years and years ago, but there's been an open ticket on adding it to the Android version for over a year with NO response from Google at all.
I HATE how the contacts app automatically merges similar contacts. My dad and I have the same name, so it adds my Facebook account and all of my email addresses to his contact after every sync.
The Google Voice App gives you the options to "Never call with GV", "Always call with GV", "Use GV for international calls", or "Always ask"... Why can't you set the option on a per-contact basis? I wan't to call half the people in my phone book with GV and half without it, but I have to tell it which is which for every single call. I opened a ticket on this months and months ago with NO response from Google.
The list goes on... I just can't believe how long some of these tickets have been open, and how many "+1" responses they have, but Google just ignores them. It really makes me wish they'd release paid versions of their software so that maybe we'd have a voice (nevermind the fact that I gave Google $575 for my Nexus One).
The other frustrating part is that Google's "novelty apps" seem to be more complete than their "productivity apps". Maybe it's because I don't use them every day or because I don't rely on them, but does anybody have any complaints about the My Tracks app? Or Google Goggles?
Anyway, thanks for letting me vent!
Billy
Another one of my rants, regarding the Gallery app: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=738590
harrellj said:
Try going to contacts.google.com and set your contacts into separate groups (friends/family/etc) and tell the phone to only sync those groups.
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Would you _please_ stop this, it's causing me utter agony
My Samsung Galaxy S is deprived of this functionality by Samsung (!). Groups sync but just don't show... To prove they indeed sync, just create a group in goole with the name "test". Then sync. Group does not appear on phone. Now try to create a group "test" on the phone -> Error "Group name already in use".
Samsung really f... up the contacts management
Customizable snooze times and volume per alarm would be nice.
Is google also responsible for the youtube app? It sucks too ^^
No comments possible for example...
That is def.ly a good topic to debate and I def.ly would say yes they should. It looks like those apps will def.ly be redefined come gingerbread time (3.0). Even the gmail apps is not as defined as it should. At least there should be an unread mail count by default in the app among other things.
TT1986 said:
You're quite right. The absence of an editable mobile app for Google Docs, from Google, is mind-boggling.
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I gotta agree with this. It doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
Gmail: needs the ability to send to a group.
YouTube: needs a setting to tell it what resolution of video to default to. It's a pain to load the video and then select "high quality" every time.
And lets not talk about everything that needs to be done to make the Market app not suck.
I think they should. While Sense is nice (even though I'm not using it lol) I think it would be a lot better if Google's stock UI was much better. There's a lot of rumors going around that Gingerbread has Google focused on a much better user experience so that they don't need things like Sense, MotoBlur, etc...And I hope so. I think Google should stack it's main stock options, and then if people want to be able to add extra stuff by putting on some kind of skin/extra UI then they should have the option. Just my 2 cents
OP you read my mind. I really do think google should spend some time upgrading the overall look and feel of the stock apps. I mean they have added about every feature you can possibly need but some basic things they have seemed to overlook. Especially their music, email, youtube, and other almost daily used apps should be more pleasing to use. But as someone mentioned earlier, their 3.0 gingerbread might sexy things up a bit.
Samsung S4, Verizon, Android 4.2.2, JDq39.GoogleEdition.I545VRUAMDK
On Wifi, everything works as expected. The problem is when I'm connected to a mobile network.
Problem: I'm only able to access *google.com* sites!
When I try anything else (www.xda-developers.com, www.reddit.com, www.theoatmeal.com, etc) I get a "This webpage is not available" message from Chrome or "Web Page Not Available" from Dolphin.
I cannot access Google Voice. I cannot access Google Play.
What is working:
- Google search results show up, but when I click on the web pages, they don't load
- Google Apps (gmail, calendar, etc work fine)
- Google's cached pages
- I can make and receive phone calls
I've tried rebooting, and installing a new browser (Dolphin) in case of a settings issue.
Any solutions? Thanks!
try a new search engine, duckduckgo?
Jrcon said:
try a new search engine, duckduckgo?
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Tried that. The problem isn't loading search results (*google.com works fine). The problem is loading webpages from the search results and even when typed manually in the address bar.
In addition to *google.com, *android.com and *youtube.com pages also load properly. Youtube app works. Google Maps works. Gmail app works. Google Play and Google+ apps do not. Uber, Twitter and my bank apps do not.
When I load those that don't work, messages say there's a data connection issue. But, that's not the case, as some of the Google apps seem to function.
I have restarted the phone.
Do you have the correct APNs installed in your phone?
I just set my Mother-in-law up with a new Nexus 5 updated to Lollipop. She had an existing gmail account that we used to sign in at the phone setup. However, when opening the Play Store, I notice that none of the preinstalled apps (Gmail, Calendar, etc) show up in My Apps. However, searching for these apps in the Play Store show they're installed and give the option to Update them. Do I really need to do this one by one for each app for an account that has never used Android? After updating an app, then it shows up in my apps, but it seems like a giant waste of time to have to sync them with my account.
That really doesn't seem right.. I'd try a simple factory reset first and see if it works then.
Actually confirmed this with another account too (never had signed into Android before). Guess maybe the easier thing to do might be do it through the web link to Play store.
Hello all,
I have a problem syncing my Google contacts with my HTC One M8 (running Android 6.0). In the past, I have been able to sync the HTC People app with Google (and also link them with data from other apps).
Yesterday, I had to reset my Google account settings. I also cleared the People data, before putting the account settings back and syncing the data. Now it will only sync some of the contacts. It's missing about 190 of my contacts (which are clearly still there on Google). I can find no pattern to the contacts it includes/excludes. I have tried repeating the process - clearing all the data and settings and putting it all back - but I cannot get all of the contacts to appear on my phone any more.
Can anyone tell me how to solve this? Failing that, is there another (reliable) app for syncing contacts data from multiple sources, including Google, Whatsapp, and Skype? Thank you in advance!
Can you verify that missing ppl have either google plus profiles or (birth)dates set? Refer to https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-2-xl/help/contact-sync-flashing-8-1-image-syncing-t3715229 ... this seems broken since the 8.1 release but also breaks for non-oreo and non-pixel devices
asc366 said:
Can you verify that missing ppl have either google plus profiles or (birth)dates set? Refer to https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-2-xl/help/contact-sync-flashing-8-1-image-syncing-t3715229 ... this seems broken since the 8.1 release but also breaks for non-oreo and non-pixel devices
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Thanks for posting so quickly - and for directing me to a thread for precisely this issue! I am missing rather too many contacts to go through all of them, but it's definitely not confined to contacts with a G+ profile and/or a date. As you say, the Android version on my phone also pre-dates that of most users experiencing this problem.
It seems there's no clear solution yet, but (from the thread) it seems to be early days. For now, I have manually exported my Google Contacts to a vCard file and imported it to my phone contacts. I guess I'll wait and see if Google comes up with a solution in due course.
karim434 said:
Thanks for posting so quickly - and for directing me to a thread for precisely this issue! I am missing rather too many contacts to go through all of them, but it's definitely not confined to contacts with a G+ profile and/or a date. As you say, the Android version on my phone also pre-dates that of most users experiencing this problem.
It seems there's no clear solution yet, but (from the thread) it seems to be early days. For now, I have manually exported my Google Contacts to a vCard file and imported it to my phone contacts. I guess I'll wait and see if Google comes up with a solution in due course.
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Deleted my Google account and People app data (again) today. Replaced them and suddenly I am finding ALL my Google contacts syncing again. I don't really have an explanation for why it worked this time but it might be relevant that I also installed the dedicated Google Contacts app this time round.
I solved this problem by deactivating power saver. After a few minutes, Contacts started to sync with my Google account.