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Coming from a Nexus One, I just got a Skyrocket yesterday.
While having a dual core and LTE speed is indeed nice, the phone is a f****** brick in comparison to the Nexus One, so I am somewhat regretting my decision and might return it ...
It's easy to see the upsides of the phone (speed, large screen, better built quality than the N1), I also want to know what the downsides are, so I can make an informed decision.
As far as I can tell, I already see these - which I mostly pulled together based on my own experiences and what I read on this forum:
1. Throttling of LTE unlimited data plans (I never had that problem on my N1 - though I did not really use that much data (no video streaming))
2. Uncertain CM7/CM9 support - as far as I can tell there are some unofficial ports under way, but no dev from CM has joined the effort and non of the current devs have officially joined the CM team?
3. F'ing AT&T blocking websites (e.g. justin.tv (not that I ever want to go to this site but I am pissed about being blocked))
4. CIQ BS on the stock software (ok, can be fixed by using a custom ROM but still ...)
5. AT&T might watch LTE usage more closely for tethering? I frequently tethered and never had any issues with the N1 - though I did not really use that much data (no video streaming)
6. Reception issues on the stock software (I am in LA with little LTE, yet the phone ALWAYS connects to LTE and NEVER falls back to 3G giving me really sh** reception)
7. Size: it's a brick, not a phone.
8. Unlocking - my N1 was obviously unlocked and at&t never gave me any problems unlocking before, though I heard they might not unlock the Skyrocket PERIOD.
9. Uncertainty about specs (and whether it supports intl. 3G/UMTS2100)?
I am happy to have people convince me otherwise, but at the moment some of these con's outweigh the pro's (the size con even in a literal sense, hahaha)
Also let me know if you know of any other good (normal sized) phones (ideally with the same specs otherwise) that might come to AT&T (or might be available unlocked). I would probably love this phone if it had a 3.7" screen in the same form factor as the N1.
Who cares lol you came to the wrong placce to complain about the skyrocket. If u dont like it take it back. This thread is useless, and should be closed
silver03wrx said:
Who cares lol you came to the wrong placce to complain about the skyrocket. If u dont like it take it back. This thread is useless, and should be closed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your comment is useless. Thank you.
Its not really. We are here because we love the phone and for once its a group that sees a few short comings and we are working as a group to fix them.
You knew the dimensions of the phone when you bought it. For that statement alone...take it back.
Nearly every other complaint you have mentioned has been corrected with development by some very dedicated dev work new and experienced.
In the end only you can make the choice...but when you ask for an opinion be prepared for what you are going to receive good and bad
andTab said:
Your comment is useless. Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using XDA App
andTab said:
Coming from a Nexus One, I just got a Skyrocket yesterday.
While having a dual core and LTE speed is indeed nice, the phone is a f****** brick in comparison to the Nexus One, so I am somewhat regretting my decision and might return it ...
It's easy to see the upsides of the phone (speed, large screen, better built quality than the N1), I also want to know what the downsides are, so I can make an informed decision.
As far as I can tell, I already see these - which I mostly pulled together based on my own experiences and what I read on this forum:
1. Throttling of LTE unlimited data plans (I never had that problem on my N1 - though I did not really use that much data (no video streaming))
Some have the issue some dont, dont abuse it and probably wont be throttled.2. Uncertain CM7/CM9 support - as far as I can tell there are some unofficial ports under way, but no dev from CM has joined the effort and non of the current devs have officially joined the CM team?
I think it will be ported, maybe not cm9 but we have started a thread over there and asked them to, but we will see. its just a ROM - if thats your looking for pick something else. 3. F'ing AT&T blocking websites (e.g. justin.tv (not that I ever want to go to this site but I am pissed about being blocked))
4. CIQ BS on the stock software (ok, can be fixed by using a custom ROM but still ...)
i think this was fixed with they dropped 2.3.6 - i have never tried nor found a site that i couldnt get to. if the fix is a Custom Rom and your answer is BUT STILL....then why are you on these forums. Roms are like clothes change them ****s and move on.
5. AT&T might watch LTE usage more closely for tethering? I frequently tethered and never had any issues with the N1 - though I did not really use that much data (no video streaming)
if you dont video stream, i DOUBT you will ever get throttled or sent the little AT&T teathering email.
6. Reception issues on the stock software (I am in LA with little LTE, yet the phone ALWAYS connects to LTE and NEVER falls back to 3G giving me really sh** reception)
i dont have an answer for this, im in a LTE area with NO PROBLEMS
7. Size: it's a brick, not a phone.
u know what they say about little hands
8. Unlocking - my N1 was obviously unlocked and at&t never gave me any problems unlocking before, though I heard they might not unlock the Skyrocket PERIOD.
9. Uncertainty about specs (and whether it supports intl. 3G/UMTS2100)?
I am happy to have people convince me otherwise, but at the moment some of these con's outweigh the pro's (the size con even in a literal sense, hahaha)
Also let me know if you know of any other good (normal sized) phones (ideally with the same specs otherwise) that might come to AT&T (or might be available unlocked). I would probably love this phone if it had a 3.7" screen in the same form factor as the N1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
those are the only ones i know of....
Good Luck
If you have questions about the device, it's no problem to ask them here. Although, there is a right way to do it. If you have searched and cannot find the answer, then ask. When you do ask, don't come of as a troll like you're bashing the phone and provoking users into defending it. You should know how that is going to end up. Lets keep this thread in the right direction......
andTab said:
Coming from a Nexus One, I just got a Skyrocket yesterday.
While having a dual core and LTE speed is indeed nice, the phone is a f****** brick in comparison to the Nexus One, so I am somewhat regretting my decision and might return it ...
It's easy to see the upsides of the phone (speed, large screen, better built quality than the N1), I also want to know what the downsides are, so I can make an informed decision.
As far as I can tell, I already see these - which I mostly pulled together based on my own experiences and what I read on this forum:
1. Throttling of LTE unlimited data plans (I never had that problem on my N1 - though I did not really use that much data (no video streaming))
2. Uncertain CM7/CM9 support - as far as I can tell there are some unofficial ports under way, but no dev from CM has joined the effort and non of the current devs have officially joined the CM team?
3. F'ing AT&T blocking websites (e.g. justin.tv (not that I ever want to go to this site but I am pissed about being blocked))
4. CIQ BS on the stock software (ok, can be fixed by using a custom ROM but still ...)
5. AT&T might watch LTE usage more closely for tethering? I frequently tethered and never had any issues with the N1 - though I did not really use that much data (no video streaming)
6. Reception issues on the stock software (I am in LA with little LTE, yet the phone ALWAYS connects to LTE and NEVER falls back to 3G giving me really sh** reception)
7. Size: it's a brick, not a phone.
8. Unlocking - my N1 was obviously unlocked and at&t never gave me any problems unlocking before, though I heard they might not unlock the Skyrocket PERIOD.
9. Uncertainty about specs (and whether it supports intl. 3G/UMTS2100)?
I am happy to have people convince me otherwise, but at the moment some of these con's outweigh the pro's (the size con even in a literal sense, hahaha)
Also let me know if you know of any other good (normal sized) phones (ideally with the same specs otherwise) that might come to AT&T (or might be available unlocked). I would probably love this phone if it had a 3.7" screen in the same form factor as the N1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds to us like you've already made your mind up. And the poeple above are right. This IS the skyrocket forum on xda. Were only going to tell you that we love our skyrocket. Which we do. There's not a single phone out there that does not have problems. My biggest problem with every other phone out there is a locked bootloader. Which means it will be even harder for any dev to fix any of the problems you have with any phone you choose. Good luck!
Sent from my HTC Inspire 4G using xda premium
the2rrell said:
those are the only ones i know of....
Good Luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! That was very helpful.
There are lots of good things about this phone (eg call quality is a hundred times better than on the Nexus One which always sounded like a string/tin-can phone).
I want to know about all the bad things, and what is being done to address them.
Does anyone know whether any current CM devs are considering the phone?
Or whether any current Skyrocket devs might join CM/bring official CM support for this phone?
Not getting CM9 would be a dealbreaker for me.
I only found threads about at&t blocking websites on the new LTE APN - I did not find anything about other ROMs or the new stock software update fixing it. Can you point me to the thread?
Reception issues: do custom ROMs/radios fix this problem for anyone that has experienced this?
Does anyone know whether at&t will unlock the phone (or whether we are stuck having to pay these third party sites to unlock)
European 3G - lot's of sites claim that the phone should work with 3G internationally (2100 UMTS) but has anyone tried (even just roaming on at&t)?
Manufacturers and providers have lied before about phone specs ... need to get this confirmed.
andTab said:
Thank you! That was very helpful.
There are lots of good things about this phone (eg call quality is a hundred times better than on the Nexus One which always sounded like a string/tin-can phone).
I want to know about all the bad things, and what is being done to address them.
Does anyone know whether any current CM devs are considering the phone?
Or whether any current Skyrocket devs might join CM/bring official CM support for this phone?
Not getting CM9 would be a dealbreaker for me.
I only found threads about at&t blocking websites on the new LTE APN - I did not find anything about other ROMs or the new stock software update fixing it. Can you point me to the thread?
Reception issues: do custom ROMs/radios fix this problem for anyone that has experienced this?
Does anyone know whether at&t will unlock the phone (or whether we are stuck having to pay these third party sites to unlock)
European 3G - lot's of sites claim that the phone should work with 3G internationally (2100 UMTS) but has anyone tried (even just roaming on at&t)?
Manufacturers and providers have lied before about phone specs ... need to get this confirmed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simple, google the Qualcomm radio this phone has, then look up the specs on Qualcomm's website.
Longcat14 said:
Simple, google the Qualcomm radio this phone has, then look up the specs on Qualcomm's website.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is no answer, since the carrier might have disabled the radio, eg the T-Mobile G2x has quad-band 3G but they disabled the ATT 3G radio when the phone was released.
Someone with the phone needs to test it - since the phone has been out for a while now, I would hope that someone has done so.
Otherwise, we will not know based on some BS specs on some BS website.
only thing I'm worried about is not getting ICS OTA update till late next year and thats really only because I 2nd guess myself over just about everything technology which is halting me from rooting
GeezyF.Ladies said:
only thing I'm worried about is not getting ICS OTA update till late next year and thats really only because I 2nd guess myself over just about everything technology which is halting me from rooting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
as far as rooting Just DO IT!!
and as far as ICS, OTA or not....we WILL have ICS on the this phone due to the devs porting it over. im thinking by maybe Feb we will have something for our phone. or im hoping anyway.
I bet we get ICS even sooner. Also what's this about ATT blocking justin.tv? Plays fine over ATT LTE for me...
Yeah. this phone really sucks. Lets see..
I get 28+hours on my battery..
Large screen with beautiful display
LTE with 40down speeds my comcast cable has 18 down
Good Dev support so far..
I am so sick and tired of hearing this phone is " sub par" etc..
I think I will treat myself to a new Samsung led 1080p hdtv this week...lol
---------- Post added at 05:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:05 PM ----------
geezyf.ladies said:
only thing i'm worried about is not getting ics ota update till late next year and thats really only because i 2nd guess myself over just about everything technology which is halting me from rooting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
rooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:d
you might wanna try the regular galaxy s2. pretty much clears up most of the problems... still pretty big but not as big
I just got a note 4 and so now my S3 does not have a carrier plan or sim card or any way to connect to Internet except WiFi. Since it's still in good shape, I'd like to turn it into a media device to use around the house or wherever.
Is there a Rom that has been designed for this purpose? I would think that a dev could really get creative with the design and features if you don't have to worry about cellular network or legal requirements and whatnot.
Anyone ever heard of something like this? I know it can just disable my mobile data, but I'd like to find a more elegant way to make my S3 a media device/streaming device.
Now that I think more about it, it would be just like putting a non-lte tablet rom on it.
Anyway, any ideas or thoughts? Thanks.
Not that I'm aware of. People always ask this question but from most of the perspective I've seen, you can just enable airplane mode and then enable wifi, or with many roms hide what you don't want to see. On my old phone that's basically all I did and I stripped out a lot of apps I didn't need. What I eventually found is that keeping up with 1 device is enough work.
So like many others using d850 ive noticed that on cloudy 1.2 hotspot is broken. I figured out a fix. I grabbed the apns-conf.xml file from the stock rom and replaced it in cloudys rom. And tethering works great. Don't know if the fix has already been posted but i know a bunch of people were having the problem so i just wanted to share.
Heres what i did:
1. Grab this file
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6Sl-yzm6h3FbXE3S1JZQkIwTDg/edit?usp=docslist_api
2. Using your root explorer of choice, backup your current apns-conf.xml which can be found in the /system/etc folder
3. Place the downloaded apns-conf.xml in the /system/etc folder and set permissions rw-r-r
4. Reboot phone
5. Go to apn settings and reset default all the current apns will clear out and you'll be left with the stock apn.
I tried adding the stock apn to the list of apns in the settings and while it would add it wouldnt allow mobile hotspot to actually share the connection, itd connect but the connected device wouldn't be able to access internet. Again sorry if this has been posted and sorry for any errors I'm on mobile.
TL;DR: Found out AT&T removed functionality from the phone and have yet to find software experience that provides all features
I want to start off by saying I love this phone. I switched from the nexus 5 to the G3 shortly after launch and have been happy for the majority of the time I've had my phone. In all honesty this rant isn't so much about the d850 as it is AT&T's meddling with the software but I'll explain what I mean. When i first received the phone one of the first things I did was root to remove bloatware and carrier IQ and also to install xposed, I thought that was the extent to which AT&T had dirtied up a great phone, so I just brushed it off and went about way never thinking twice. I found something that i felt covered all my needs. The only minor complaint I had was there was no hotspot quicksetting option, but at that point it was still something so minor I was able to overlook it. Now fast forward a couple of months to when Cloudy was released, after seeing constant posts on reddit about OTA's and AT&T not having received a single one, I felt that switching to an international base would put me on the latest and greatest, plus the flash addict in me just really wanted to try something new. So I installed bump and flashed away, it booted up, I played with all the new options in settings, thought it wasn't bad, but to me what was worth the price of admission alone was i got a hotspot quicksetting tile, I figured this was something that must've been added in later. This was during the time that to get LTE back you had to play around with build.prop, so being the curious person that i was I flashed back to stock and applied some of the same build.prop changes to the stock rom, one in particular, changing the operator from AT&T to OPEN. I rebooted the phone and checked the phone, all sort of nifty little features were added (dropbox in file manager, brightness and volume sliders) but the one in particular that really surprised me? A hotspot quicksetting tile, it's a broken tile that doesn't work but its there. Now this means that this feature came stock on the phone and AT&T removed it from their variant, effectively removing functionality from my phone. Now i know not everyone on AT&T has a hotspot capable plan but these quicksetting tiles can be edited, it could've been turned off by default giving you the option to add it later. Now with the limited number of combinations available to me I've tried every rom available that has this feature and it seems that it gives me this feature at the cost of something else (latest version of cloudy has a broken hotspot, earlier versions had broken speakerphone, poweruser is stripped down to much for my tastes and leaving the build.prop in open leaves you with a broken hotspot all together), leaving me feeling like i have an incomplete phone no matter which software choice I make. I know in a way i brought it on myself for initially flashing the phone, but that's like saying that I'm guilty for wondering how the other half lives. Overall its a great phone and i don't regret buying it in the slightest, I just really needed to vent about a great disservice that was done to this phone, and will really make me consider buying another carrier branded phone.
Yawn.
2SHAYNEZ
Totally agree with you on the att screwing with phones is bull****. It's the contract deals that always sucker me in to buying a phone at a discounted price.
Sent from my LG-D850 using XDA Free mobile app
Another downside to changing to OPEN in the build.prop is that you lose the secret dialer menus. Try using it and you get null
oby2 said:
TL;DR: Found out AT&T removed functionality from the phone and have yet to find software experience that provides all features
I want to start off by saying I love this phone. I switched from the nexus 5 to the G3 shortly after launch and have been happy for the majority of the time I've had my phone. In all honesty this rant isn't so much about the d850 as it is AT&T's meddling with the software but I'll explain what I mean. When i first received the phone one of the first things I did was root to remove bloatware and carrier IQ and also to install xposed, I thought that was the extent to which AT&T had dirtied up a great phone, so I just brushed it off and went about way never thinking twice. I found something that i felt covered all my needs. The only minor complaint I had was there was no hotspot quicksetting option, but at that point it was still something so minor I was able to overlook it. Now fast forward a couple of months to when Cloudy was released, after seeing constant posts on reddit about OTA's and AT&T not having received a single one, I felt that switching to an international base would put me on the latest and greatest, plus the flash addict in me just really wanted to try something new. So I installed bump and flashed away, it booted up, I played with all the new options in settings, thought it wasn't bad, but to me what was worth the price of admission alone was i got a hotspot quicksetting tile, I figured this was something that must've been added in later. This was during the time that to get LTE back you had to play around with build.prop, so being the curious person that i was I flashed back to stock and applied some of the same build.prop changes to the stock rom, one in particular, changing the operator from AT&T to OPEN. I rebooted the phone and checked the phone, all sort of nifty little features were added (dropbox in file manager, brightness and volume sliders) but the one in particular that really surprised me? A hotspot quicksetting tile, it's a broken tile that doesn't work but its there. Now this means that this feature came stock on the phone and AT&T removed it from their variant, effectively removing functionality from my phone. Now i know not everyone on AT&T has a hotspot capable plan but these quicksetting tiles can be edited, it could've been turned off by default giving you the option to add it later. Now with the limited number of combinations available to me I've tried every rom available that has this feature and it seems that it gives me this feature at the cost of something else (latest version of cloudy has a broken hotspot, earlier versions had broken speakerphone, poweruser is stripped down to much for my tastes and leaving the build.prop in open leaves you with a broken hotspot all together), leaving me feeling like i have an incomplete phone no matter which software choice I make. I know in a way i brought it on myself for initially flashing the phone, but that's like saying that I'm guilty for wondering how the other half lives. Overall its a great phone and i don't regret buying it in the slightest, I just really needed to vent about a great disservice that was done to this phone, and will really make me consider buying another carrier branded phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All carriers do it. Always have. Think about video calling. Stock devices had this in EU for years before the us ever did. So what did carriers do. Ordered devices without front cameras. Same thing with call recording. If you never want to deal with this then to be honest your only option will be to by unbranded devices from EU. Yes you pay full price but with the proper research you can be sure to get all that the device can do out of the box.
You should copy and paste that to ATT, *yawn*
zelendel said:
All carriers do it. Always have. /QUOTE]
Unfortunately this is true. AT&T is notorious for doing so. For instance, every android phone I have owned that was AT&T branded has always had the network select disabled but the global variants and some US variants did not. The only reasons I can think of is to lock you in on the bandwidths they want (the most likely scenario) and to prevent non technical people from inadvertently changing this setting and calling tech support. Unless enough people complain to the carriers, the phone manufacturers, AND their congress reps, nothing will change as I am sure it is about the almighty dollar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I thought this is where we can post what we want...General section. Lol but a couple snide posts "yawn". Why post your unwanted, unneeded comments. Just don't read it if you don't have anything constructive to add.
Just sad how much XDA has lost its purpose.
dizzyman1180 said:
So I thought this is where we can post what we want...General section. Lol but a couple snide posts "yawn". Why post your unwanted, unneeded comments. Just don't read it if you don't have anything constructive to add.
Just sad how much XDA has lost its purpose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that is what you think then you are very wrong.
XDA is and always be a developers site.
dizzyman1180 said:
So I thought this is where we can post what we want...General section. Lol but a couple snide posts "yawn". Why post your unwanted, unneeded comments. Just don't read it if you don't have anything constructive to add.
Just sad how much XDA has lost its purpose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think it's because it's something people know already: carriers lock, deactivate, revise the manufacturer's features.
think of the AT&T S5 deactivating download boost (LTE+wifi speeds), or our wireless charger being PMA vs Qi, etc, etc.
I completely agree and I use the hotspot feature daily. In the absence of a quick tile I used tasker/sercure settings/tasker app factory to make a very small installable hotspot toggle app and placed the icon on my desktop. Tap it once for on again for off and it works great. If you haven't already found another solution give it a shot.
rzracer2 said:
I completely agree and I use the hotspot feature daily. In the absence of a quick tile I used tasker/sercure settings/tasker app factory to make a very small installable hotspot toggle app and placed the icon on my desktop. Tap it once for on again for off and it works great. If you haven't already found another solution give it a shot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think stock brought something like that but it was just a shortcut to the setting, i found a way to get the hotspot working again on 1.2 cloudy and currently in love with my phone again.
zelendel said:
If that is what you think then you are very wrong.
XDA is and always be a developers site.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol ok
Oby2, I really like Coudy 1.2 on my D850 but I can't get the hotspot to actually work. It starts and I can connect to it but I don't get data transfer. I'm not getting the AT&T authentication popup that you get with the stock ROM and I'm pretty sure this is where the problem is. I have hotspot in my plan and when I flash back to stock it works great. Can you share how you got it working please? TIA
mrhaley30705 said:
Another downside to changing to OPEN in the build.prop is that you lose the secret dialer menus. Try using it and you get null
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What dialer menus are you referring to? I have several that still work: "3845#*850#", "*#*#4636#*#*", "*#06#". Of course if any others were broken I do not know about it.
dizzyman1180 said:
So I thought this is where we can post what we want...General section. Lol but a couple snide posts "yawn". Why post your unwanted, unneeded comments. Just don't read it if you don't have anything constructive to add.
Just sad how much XDA has lost its purpose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree.
---------- Post added at 08:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:21 AM ----------
rzracer2 said:
I completely agree and I use the hotspot feature daily. In the absence of a quick tile I used tasker/sercure settings/tasker app factory to make a very small installable hotspot toggle app and placed the icon on my desktop. Tap it once for on again for off and it works great. If you haven't already found another solution give it a shot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would you be willing to share the script you fashioned?
rzracer2 said:
Oby2, I really like Coudy 1.2 on my D850 but I can't get the hotspot to actually work. It starts and I can connect to it but I don't get data transfer. I'm not getting the AT&T authentication popup that you get with the stock ROM and I'm pretty sure this is where the problem is. I have hotspot in my plan and when I flash back to stock it works great. Can you share how you got it working please? TIA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heres what i did:
1. Grab this file
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6Sl-yzm6h3FbXE3S1JZQkIwTDg/edit?usp=docslist_api
2. Using your root explorer of choice, backup your current apns-conf.xml which can be found in the /system/etc folder
3. Place the downloaded apns-conf.xml in the /system/etc folder and set permissions rw-r-r
4. Reboot phone
5. Go to apn settings and reset default all the current apns will clear out and you'll be left with the stock apn and working hotspot.
Let me know if you can grab from my drive, I think I set everything up correctly but im not sure. I pretty much copy pasted from the cloudy Q&A thread where i had posted the fix per the rules but it just drowned amongst all the other posts. I'll update my OP in case anyone else needs it.
Many thanks Oby2, with your fix Cloudy is now perfect for my use. I'm looking forward to version 2.x for the D850
As many on XDA will tell you a Phone or ROM is only as good as it’s support team. As a developer who has offered various ROMs and android mods since 2009, I have extensive experience in troubleshooting and helping others do so. And in recent years, I very rarely go out of my way to lend an opinion or even review a device, however, I think the android community should be informed about the support that the Essential Phone offers before buying their product.
I was very excited to hear about Andy Rubin's project and immediately pre-ordered the PH-1 with the extended warranty. Despite delays, I had high hopes and had every intention of making it my daily driver. The day I received the phone I also received an email stating that it was not certified for usage on Verizon’s network. Verizon is the only network where I live. I tried my existing sim card and received awful reception. I wrote a quick review and stated “This may be a simple APN fix or could be a serious issue with the radios.” Since the phone was unusable, I boxed it up awaiting Verizon certification.
About a month went by before I finally got an email stating the PH-1 was certified for Verizon. I tried the phone and still received abysmal data reception. Despite 3-4 bars, the download speeds around 3 Mbps and uploads of 0.01 Mpbs or slower. Without wifi the phone cannot complete initial setup/login, Google Assistant cannot function, and in general does not work.
I spent 3 days troubleshooting this with APNs, data resets, Manufacturer's reset, custom bands, hidden menus, confirmed the IEMI via the web portal... you name it, I tried it. During this time, I noticed there are a few spots on the top of the screen that work poorly. So, I finally decided to contact Essential’s support; the options are limited to leaving a voicemail or email. I tried leaving a voicemail that no one returned.
After a week of waiting for a return call, I moved to the email support. I summarized all the steps I had tried. I received a follow up email the next day asking me to perform factory reset….. Something that I had clearly stated I had already done. So, I did another and responded that it did not work. It took over 1 week to receive a follow up asking if I had the My Verizon app installed. I cannot imagine how this would influence data speeds, but I played their game and gave it a try. Of course there was no improvement.
Their follow up ask me to reset the APNs, which is a much more logical option than their first and second response, but once again something I clearly stated I had previously done in my initial request for support. At this point, I took my phone to a Verizon and T-Mobile store and their representatives tried new sim cards, provisioned, and troubleshooted the phone. Both Verizon and T-Mobile, have said there is nothing wrong with the setup, the sim, the apps, and the phone’s hardware is defective.
I relayed this message to Essential Support and and their response was to #1 download the Verizon app #2 reset APNS #3 set the phone to global mode…… Not only had they told me to do this before, but if they bothered to read any of my emails they would have seen this has been tried, and both Verizon and T-Mobile have independently verified the software is fine, it is not user error, and the hardware is defective.
Over the last month, I have made no progress at all on the radio issue and it has been 4 days since Essential’s last lackluster communication.
Despite reminding their support staff several times, no has even tried to troubleshoot the other issue I am having with the screen involving poor touch sensitivity on the superior border. No one has offered me a new phone nor referred to my Essential Extended Care (which I do not want pay the deductible for a phone that never worked). When I asked to return, the phone they said it was 14 day window despite the phone not being certified on my network for the first month I had not the phone.
Over the years, I have owned Motorola Droid, Galaxy Nexus (toro + maguro), G2, G3, 1+1, 1+2, 1+3, LG G2, LG G3, LG G4, GS3, GS4, GS5, Sony Pollux, Nexus 4, Nexus n6p, among others, and I have had to call support for hardware issues. The Essential Phone is by a very wide margin has the worst support I have ever come across and Google’s has had the best.
In its prime, my custom ROM had well over 100,000 users and I tend to be the only one on the team who offered support, so I completely understand android support like very few on this planet. As of last month before the price break, Essential was estimated to have only sold 5,000 phones. Even with a bare bones staff fielding emails and not checking voicemail, their support volume per day is likely less than what I personally did for free for our community for free as part of a “hobby” for almost a decade.
To sum it all up: “Buyer Beware”
DHO said:
As many on XDA will tell you a Phone or ROM is only as good as it’s support team. As a developer who has offered various ROMs and android mods since 2009, I have extensive experience in troubleshooting and helping others do so. And in recent years, I very rarely go out of my way to lend an opinion or even review a device, however, I think the android community should be informed about the support that the Essential Phone offers before buying their product.
I was very excited to hear about Andy Rubin's project and immediately pre-ordered the PH-1 with the extended warranty. Despite delays, I had high hopes and had every intention of making it my daily driver. The day I received the phone I also received an email stating that it was not certified for usage on Verizon’s network. Verizon is the only network where I live. I tried my existing sim card and received awful reception. I wrote a quick review and stated “This may be a simple APN fix or could be a serious issue with the radios.” Since the phone was unusable, I boxed it up awaiting Verizon certification.
About a month went by before I finally got an email stating the PH-1 was certified for Verizon. I tried the phone and still received abysmal data reception. Despite 3-4 bars, the download speeds around 3 Mbps and uploads of 0.01 Mpbs or slower. Without wifi the phone cannot complete initial setup/login, Google Assistant cannot function, and in general does not work.
I spent 3 days troubleshooting this with APNs, data resets, Manufacturer's reset, custom bands, hidden menus, confirmed the IEMI via the web portal... you name it, I tried it. During this time, I noticed there are a few spots on the top of the screen that work poorly. So, I finally decided to contact Essential’s support; the options are limited to leaving a voicemail or email. I tried leaving a voicemail that no one returned.
After a week of waiting for a return call, I moved to the email support. I summarized all the steps I had tried. I received a follow up email the next day asking me to perform factory reset….. Something that I had clearly stated I had already done. So, I did another and responded that it did not work. It took over 1 week to receive a follow up asking if I had the My Verizon app installed. I cannot imagine how this would influence data speeds, but I played their game and gave it a try. Of course there was no improvement.
Their follow up ask me to reset the APNs, which is a much more logical option than their first and second response, but once again something I clearly stated I had previously done in my initial request for support. At this point, I took my phone to a Verizon and T-Mobile store and their representatives tried new sim cards, provisioned, and troubleshooted the phone. Both Verizon and T-Mobile, have said there is nothing wrong with the setup, the sim, the apps, and the phone’s hardware is defective.
I relayed this message to Essential Support and and their response was to #1 download the Verizon app #2 reset APNS #3 set the phone to global mode…… Not only had they told me to do this before, but if they bothered to read any of my emails they would have seen this has been tried, and both Verizon and T-Mobile have independently verified the software is fine, it is not user error, and the hardware is defective.
Over the last month, I have made no progress at all on the radio issue and it has been 4 days since Essential’s last lackluster communication.
Despite reminding their support staff several times, no has even tried to troubleshoot the other issue I am having with the screen involving poor touch sensitivity on the superior border. No one has offered me a new phone nor referred to my Essential Extended Care (which I do not want pay the deductible for a phone that never worked). When I asked to return, the phone they said it was 14 day window despite the phone not being certified on my network for the first month I had not the phone.
Over the years, I have owned Motorola Droid, Galaxy Nexus (toro + maguro), G2, G3, 1+1, 1+2, 1+3, LG G2, LG G3, LG G4, GS3, GS4, GS5, Sony Pollux, Nexus 4, Nexus n6p, among others, and I have had to call support for hardware issues. The Essential Phone is by a very wide margin has the worst support I have ever come across and Google’s has had the best.
In its prime, my custom ROM had well over 100,000 users and I tend to be the only one on the team who offered support, so I completely understand android support like very few on this planet. As of last month before the price break, Essential was estimated to have only sold 5,000 phones. Even with a bare bones staff fielding emails and not checking voicemail, their support volume per day is likely less than what I personally did for free for our community for free as part of a “hobby” for almost a decade.
To sum it all up: “Buyer Beware”
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Man...
I really like this phone... It hit all the sweet spots for me as a device... And I'm in love with the battery life...
But to see @DHO blast Essential like this...
I have seen on other posts that the Essential team reads XDA... And I can only hope that seeing a respected developer complain in such an articulate way has some gravity with them to possibly step up their game...
The hardware (for me on AT&T) has been superb... And I have few if any complaints... But maybe it has to do with the CDMA portion of the device which I will never have to deal with
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk
thanks for the detailed post. It's good to be prepared when it's required. Hope they change their support model and performance very soon.
cheers
rignfool said:
Man...
I really like this phone... It hit all the sweet spots for me as a device... And I'm in love with the battery life...
But to see @DHO blast Essential like this...
I have seen on other posts that the Essential team reads XDA... And I can only hope that seeing a respected developer complain in such an articulate way has some gravity with them to possibly step up their game...
The hardware (for me on AT&T) has been superb... And I have few if any complaints... But maybe it has to do with the CDMA portion of the device which I will never have to deal with
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
rignfool Thanks.
With a little luck word will get out and they will step up their game.
I really hope this post doesn't put all future custom rom development in a death spiral before it even starts. :/
Damn that sucks... I've been using my phone on Sprint for several days and the reception has been outstanding, full bars of LTE+ almost everywhere, while the other phones in my family (Galaxy S7, Galaxy S6, 2 iPhone 7's) get three bars of LTE at most. Hope you get this sorted out, sucks that it happened in the first place.
---------- Post added at 06:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:52 PM ----------
12paq said:
I really hope this post doesn't put all future custom rom development in a death spiral before it even starts. :/
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Click to collapse
Very unlikely, cause @invisiblek has been going ham in terms of getting LOS/TWRP stable on this device.
DHO, sorry to hear you are having issues. I am a Verizon user in Houston. When I first got my PH-1, I couldn't get Verizon to stay connected. Constant drops, like non-stop and unusable.. I was ready to send it back. It was incredibly frustrating. Then I read a post here about resetting radio setting. I changed to Europe, then changed back to US. I set to LTE/CMDA, in the ping/radio section and also on the user network setting.. Who knows what else I changed and changed back. I was trying anything and everything I could. I am definitely a user, not a cellular techie. But Verizon started staying connected, even showing LTE+ most of the time.
Good luck. Maybe you have a defective phone? Seems you obviously know all about troubleshooting and have tried everything. If you can get it working on Verizon, I am confident you will like the PH-1.
Still issues with Verizon WiFi calling, Verizon voicemail and Verizon visual voicemail. But for me, I can live without the WiFi calling and have workaround for vm.
Frustrating situation, no doubt. All the best.
I second the defective phone scenario.. from my reading these forms the first batches with the foam earpiece had numerous issues. Lots of posts about connectivity issues that were resolved by replacement phones
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
12paq said:
I really hope this post doesn't put all future custom rom development in a death spiral before it even starts. :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was surprised, in my circle of devs. I am the only one to purchase the PH-1. Based on my feedback I know it has prevented a few people who were on the fence.
I'm sure once more source becomes available this phone will pick up support. It has TWRP before the Pixel2. And invisiblek is as good as it gets for device bring up. So there is hope
TheF|ipSide said:
Damn that sucks... I've been using my phone on Sprint for several days and the reception has been outstanding, full bars of LTE+ almost everywhere, while the other phones in my family (Galaxy S7, Galaxy S6, 2 iPhone 7's) get three bars of LTE at most. Hope you get this sorted out, sucks that it happened in the first place.
---------- Post added at 06:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:52 PM ----------
Very unlikely, cause @invisiblek has been going ham in terms of getting LOS/TWRP stable on this device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks
houstonironman said:
DHO, sorry to hear you are having issues. I am a Verizon user in Houston. When I first got my PH-1, I couldn't get Verizon to stay connected. Constant drops, like non-stop and unusable.. I was ready to send it back. It was incredibly frustrating. Then I read a post here about resetting radio setting. I changed to Europe, then changed back to US. I set to LTE/CMDA, in the ping/radio section and also on the user network setting.. Who knows what else I changed and changed back. I was trying anything and everything I could. I am definitely a user, not a cellular techie. But Verizon started staying connected, even showing LTE+ most of the time.
Good luck. Maybe you have a defective phone? Seems you obviously know all about troubleshooting and have tried everything. If you can get it working on Verizon, I am confident you will like the PH-1.
Still issues with Verizon WiFi calling, Verizon voicemail and Verizon visual voicemail. But for me, I can live without the WiFi calling and have workaround for vm.
Frustrating situation, no doubt. All the best.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tried this. I have noticed some VERY interesting bugs in the USA band that are causing some sort of error resulting in the deactivation of the data. I wish I could grab a logcat (need SU). If their support was more .... receptive ... I would gladly report how to replicate RIL failures that result in complete deactivation of the radios. Unfortunately this is not the underplaying cause of my issue :/
stinger4321 said:
I second the defective phone scenario.. from my reading these forms the first batches with the foam earpiece had numerous issues. Lots of posts about connectivity issues that were resolved by replacement phones
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, I am hoping they will do the right thing and replace it.
DHO said:
I have tried this. I have noticed some VERY interesting bugs in the USA band that are causing some sort of error resulting in the deactivation of the data. I wish I could grab a logcat (need SU). If their support was more .... receptive ... I would gladly report how to replicate RIL failures that result in complete deactivation of the radios. Unfortunately this is not the underplaying cause of my issue :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am surprised to hear you have not rooted yet with it being available.
Sure you probably tried already but take the sim out and factory reset. Put sim in and factory reset again. Make no other changes unless your trying to get volte to work. Info based on an already active Verizon sim account.
The support reps for some reason go by their tech cheat sheet all the time, instead of reading email fully and understanding that they are communicating to a tech savvy person. I had that before with other OEMs, where they would make go through troubleshooting which were already done previously. Another thing would be if support team knows that this is an average user who doesn't really play nice with technology, then yes, going through troubleshooting steps would be logical.
So, I am planning to buy this phone soon, do users on T-Mobile network have any cell/data issues?
@DHO I assume you've tried the latest stock build? I assume they had to push something once it was Verizon certified. Mine, along with a couple other devs I work with, are working just fine on Verizon.
T-Mobile
Charkatak said:
The support reps for some reason go by their tech cheat sheet all the time, instead of reading email fully and understanding that they are communicating to a tech savvy person. I had that before with other OEMs, where they would make go through troubleshooting which were already done previously. Another thing would be if support team knows that this is an average user who doesn't really play nice with technology, then yes, going through troubleshooting steps would be logical.
So, I am planning to buy this phone soon, do users on T-Mobile network have any cell/data issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on T-Mobile here in Los Angeles with no problems whatsoever compared to my previous S8+ and HTC U11 devices. I know others have reported reception issues on T-Mobile, but I personally am perfectly happy on T-Mobile here.
invisiblek said:
@DHO I assume you've tried the latest stock build? I assume they had to push something once it was Verizon certified. Mine, along with a couple other devs I work with, are working just fine on Verizon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with this statement.
I'm on Verizon and I've had decent speeds.
I've been averaging between 35 - 45 Mb/s down and 7-10 up.
The lowest I've had it drop is 25 down and 2 up.
I can't say i've had any drop out issues either.
mrcooter said:
I am surprised to hear you have not rooted yet with it being available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't want to give them a reason to say I voided the warranty. If they want proper logs, I would be happy to supply.
bill3508 said:
Sure you probably tried already but take the sim out and factory reset. Put sim in and factory reset again. Make no other changes unless your trying to get volte to work. Info based on an already active Verizon sim account.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep tried everything. The Data speeds are insufficient to support voLTE. Even with the LTE+ icon I get 1G speeds,.. a few decibites a second. LOL
Charkatak said:
The support reps for some reason go by their tech cheat sheet all the time, instead of reading email fully and understanding that they are communicating to a tech savvy person. I had that before with other OEMs, where they would make go through troubleshooting which were already done previously. Another thing would be if support team knows that this is an average user who doesn't really play nice with technology, then yes, going through troubleshooting steps would be logical.
So, I am planning to buy this phone soon, do users on T-Mobile network have any cell/data issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both Verizon and T-mobile has identical issues for me.
I know their support is check list based. So I walked them through each step I tried..... around the 6th follow up email I eve wrote out a numbered list because they had circled back to asking the same questions they had previously.
invisiblek said:
@DHO I assume you've tried the latest stock build? I assume they had to push something once it was Verizon certified. Mine, along with a couple other devs I work with, are working just fine on Verizon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. I have tried on each release, including the one pushed over the last week. I have also tried a T-Mobile sim card and no difference than Verizon.
I know this phone is now "Certified" by Verizon but that is somewhat misleading. Because it is not an actual Verizon phone they block it from supporting WiFi calling and Visual Voicemail. You cannot even download and install Verizon's Visual Voicemail app from the Play store and built in Visual Voicemail in the Google Dialer does not work on Verizon. Also while a Verizon SIM is installed in the phone WiFi calling options completely disappear from settings. I think there is one person who said those two features are working for him but for the vast majority of us it does not work. I'm with DHO 100%. With the very poor customer support and the phone not functioning as well as most other phones there are far better options out there. I had connectivity issues with T-Mobile so bad I switched to Verizon and then found out the hard way they don't support those features on this phone. I ended up taking advantage of Verizon's 50% off the Pixel 2 XL with certain trade ins and ordered a Pixel 2 XL to use. I've ended up with a $700 Essential phone I cannot use. So I agree with DHO........BUYER BEWARE
That sounds more like Verizon douche baggery at work, more so than a problem with Essential's support.
Verizon is the one that decides who gets those features, not the phone manufacturer...
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk
JasonJoel said:
That sounds more like Verizon douche baggery at work, more so than a problem with Essential's support.
Verizon is the one that decides who gets those features, not the phone manufacturer...
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For WiFi calling, I think a little column A and a little column B here-.
their radio reception is just awful- that's it. if you get good signal, then you will not likely have issue. even if you go to relatively worse area, you won't notice it too much. but if you actually live or work at a place with weak signal, then your signal drops way too often compared to any other ****ty plastic old phones.
no real way to fix it unless there's some crazy baseband update that somehow drastically improves it. I think they just did not do enough field testing to see how weak signal reception the device can handle. and now, they merely provide lackluster response because they cannot do anything and they cannot really admit that they ****ed up the "essential" part of the essential ph-1. i personally like this phone only because of the price is competitive and LineageOS is now finally supported. I still have some return window thanks to Amazon's holiday return policy, but might have to wrap this up and send back to Amazon for being defective.
Because, I also get ****ty reception on T-Mobile.
Like the subject says.. I don't get the point of
1. Creating a rom that's broken out of the box. Total waste of time to me.
2. Using a rom that is broken out of the box. Important functionality is not there.
I use BT all the time in my car and my service provider like many many others, use VOLTE.
So you are left with a useless phone with broken functionality.. For what? Play games with a few MB more?
Different people have different requirements. No carrier here supports VoLTE, nor do they plan to since LTE coverage is quite poor. While I do use BT personally, older cars/aftermarket headunits don't have hands-free, so BT becomes less important. And the thing you gain with a custom, is usually battery life or smoother/faster day to day experience. Sometimes even both.
What's the point? Literally everything else.
FYI... Most people and carriers on the world do not use/support VoLTE. Most people do not use BT, either. I do, personally, but that's besides the point. If I wouldn't be using my headphones, it would be off all day everyday.
Also, maybe bring this up within the ROM thread, and they might be able to help you with your issues. But although I am aware of some ROMs not working with VoLTE, I'm not aware of any where Bluetooth is an issue anymore, unless you're using a really outdated one.
I assume you're talking about Roms in the original section based on Lineage. I find it works better than Samsung's antiquated roms and the benefits far outweigh the sacrifices. Bluetooth works fine except for calls i.e. music, navigation all work via bluetooth. VoLTE is a pita and I wish you could set calls to 3g like you can on the iPhone. Sometimes I can get calls to go through if I do the calling but am unsuccessful when receiving calls.
Edit: You can disable Wi-Fi calling but I haven't tested this extensively enough to say if it 100% works. I don't care much for VoLTE and I don't see it as a big dealbreaker.
In my country it is illegal to drive with phone in hand and I am most definitely not wearing some ear piece or headphones. Hands free is the only way. In fact my car audio system supports BT and my stock phone/OS. I could not possibly lose BT for that reason alone, if not for streaming my music to my deck. That is a MAJOR feature requirement and a show stopper if it's not there.
I should say I don't blame the ROM makers, not their fault that Samsung hasn't opened RIL. My next phone will not be Samsung, Samsung was great when ROMs could be made to support all the features, now it's like Samsung is pointless. Definitely when I get my next phone I will scope out XDA and see what ROM's offer complete feature support.
Trust me, I went the route of posting to a ROM thread about the lacking feature support. I got torn a new one so I won't be doing that again. "How dare you complain about the ROM, he did it on his own time" blah blah..