4G Android phone megathread

The Napkin

wise ass al kaprielian
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Jul 13, 2002
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Pixel question 1 of what will probably be 2354334

On my old phone I had an email button for my personal (gmail) and an email button for my work (exchange) accounts. On the pixel I just have the main email button in the middle of the taskbar that when I open I can cycle through gmail and work. Is it possible to get two different buttons - 1 for gmail and one for work? If so how would I go about doing that?
 

TSC

SoSH's Doug Neidermeyer
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Oct 25, 2007
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Between here and everywhere.
And here's another one - I use Google Hangouts as my text messaging app. Whenever someone on a iPhone sends me a screenshot, it comes in all fucked up. Is that something I can fix?
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
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Jul 31, 2006
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Pixel question 1 of what will probably be 2354334

On my old phone I had an email button for my personal (gmail) and an email button for my work (exchange) accounts. On the pixel I just have the main email button in the middle of the taskbar that when I open I can cycle through gmail and work. Is it possible to get two different buttons - 1 for gmail and one for work? If so how would I go about doing that?
I'd check but the battery on my 6P just died (off of charger for 6 hours, making me want a Pixel) but have you tried long pressing on the gmail app? In 7.1 they introduced long pressing to expose common functions. You may be able to long press and select your account.

Alternately, just download Outlook from the Play store for your Exchange account. If what you want is 2 apps then just, uh, use 2 apps.
 

jayhoz

Ronald Bartel
SoSH Member
Jul 19, 2005
17,367
Pixel question 1 of what will probably be 2354334

On my old phone I had an email button for my personal (gmail) and an email button for my work (exchange) accounts. On the pixel I just have the main email button in the middle of the taskbar that when I open I can cycle through gmail and work. Is it possible to get two different buttons - 1 for gmail and one for work? If so how would I go about doing that?
The easy answer is to download the GMail (you should already have it) and Outlook (or another Exchange based email app) apps. Set up outlook with your work details and then place the two icons (gmail and Outlook) where you want them.
 

The Napkin

wise ass al kaprielian
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Jul 13, 2002
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Use the Outlook app? For my outlook account? Why that's just crazy enough to work!

(thanks, that was kind of embarrassingly easy)
 

Spelunker

Member
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Jul 17, 2005
11,863
Use the Outlook app? For my outlook account? Why that's just crazy enough to work!

(thanks, that was kind of embarrassingly easy)
If you don't want to use the actual Outlook app-and there are good reasons not to- there's a third party one called Nine that is pretty baller.
 

saintnick912

GINO!
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It's too early to be in a rush, so I'm waiting for my freebie.

Switched over to Project Fi today, so far so good. Haven't gone over 2gb anytime recently so the pricing works for me.
 

jayhoz

Ronald Bartel
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Jul 19, 2005
17,367
Those who ordered their Pixel from Google....check your emails for your Daydream coupon.
 

jayhoz

Ronald Bartel
SoSH Member
Jul 19, 2005
17,367
Android 7.1.1, rolling now, adds tap to wake and lift to wake to the Pixel. Really missed this coming from the LG G3.
 

SumnerH

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Jul 18, 2005
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Tap to wake is going to be great to have.
It's a lot less useful with modern Nexus-style fingerprint reader placement--it's faster just to pick up the phone and look at it while placing your finger on the back than it is to tap the phone first.
 

jayhoz

Ronald Bartel
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Jul 19, 2005
17,367
The use case that I find most appealing is when I don't want to pick up the phone. Two taps with it flat on my desk and I see all of my lock screen notifications, time, etc. It's even more useful for that now that the fingerprint reader is on the back.
 

Fratboy

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Agreed. The ambient display is nice, and offers something close to this. (I'm missing Moto Display, but I'm doing okay without it.) Tap to wake will be a very useful addition.
 

johnmd20

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It's a lot less useful with modern Nexus-style fingerprint reader placement--it's faster just to pick up the phone and look at it while placing your finger on the back than it is to tap the phone first.
Correct me if I'm wrong with regards to the Pixel, but if you use a fingerprint, you have to add a pass code to the phone, which defeats the purpose of the fingerprint. So I have that turned off, nothing drives me battier than having to bust through a security fence just to check my texts.
 

jayhoz

Ronald Bartel
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Jul 19, 2005
17,367
You need to set up a passcode or pass-pattern as backup, but all you need to open the phone is your fingerprint. The first time you use the fingerprint and whenever you reboot the phone you have to also use the passcode once, but every other time it is just your fingerprint.
 

johnmd20

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You need to set up a passcode or pass-pattern as backup, but all you need to open the phone is your fingerprint. The first time you use the fingerprint and whenever you reboot the phone you have to also use the passcode once, but every other time it is just your fingerprint.
Oh, gotcha. I'll take a look at that. Thanks! But I still prefer no security so I can turn my phone on with a swipe.
 

jayhoz

Ronald Bartel
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Jul 19, 2005
17,367
The fingerprint sensor is about the same physical action as a swipe and has the added benefit of keeping your phone secure.
 

Fratboy

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Is anybody else experience bluetooth media audio issues with Nougat 7.1.1? Phone audio is fine on the Pixel XL, but I cannot get media audio to play through either my Pixel XL or Nexus 9, both of which are on Nougat 7.1.1.
 

SumnerH

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Jul 18, 2005
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The fingerprint sensor is about the same physical action as a swipe and has the added benefit of keeping your phone secure.
Easier than a swipe, really. After 2 days you'll naturally touch the back of the phone with your finger as you pick it up and it'll be unlocked before you would have swiped.
 

sonsoftrotnixon

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Jul 13, 2005
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Western NY
Is anybody else experience bluetooth media audio issues with Nougat 7.1.1? Phone audio is fine on the Pixel XL, but I cannot get media audio to play through either my Pixel XL or Nexus 9, both of which are on Nougat 7.1.1.
I am. However it's mainly when playing music to a bluetooth connected speaker. It's very choppy and erratic at times, but not all the time.
 

TallerThanPedroia

Civilly Disobedient
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Jul 19, 2005
25,544
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Like @The Napkin I'm on a rapidly-aging Droid Maxx, which I love and wish I could just upgrade its guts. Still, I've narrowed it down to a Pixel or a Moto Z Play (all my smartphones have been Motorola). Anyone have the latter? Verizon is offering them both basically free with a 2-year contract right now, which to me is the same as free.

On the Pixel, is it true you can't just plug it into your computer and drag and drop files? And just to confirm, because I skimmed the last few pages and there was some confusion, it has ambient display?
 

The Napkin

wise ass al kaprielian
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Jul 13, 2002
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Has anyone used the Daydream much? Still idly thinking about it and if it were $50 I'd probably buy it but for some reason $80 just seems too much for something just for shits and giggles. Just curious if people who got them with the phone have used them after the initial "this is new and novel" phase.
Thinking about doing it now to take home for Christmas with the thought that it might keep The Nephew entertained for 15 minutes or so.

(TTP, I LOVE my pixel for whatever that's worth. The fingerprint thing on the back alone is enough to make me love it.)
 

Foulkey Reese

foulkiavelli
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Apr 12, 2006
21,795
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Has anyone used the Daydream much? Still idly thinking about it and if it were $50 I'd probably buy it but for some reason $80 just seems too much for something just for shits and giggles. Just curious if people who got them with the phone have used them after the initial "this is new and novel" phase.
Thinking about doing it now to take home for Christmas with the thought that it might keep The Nephew entertained for 15 minutes or so.

(TTP, I LOVE my pixel for whatever that's worth. The fingerprint thing on the back alone is enough to make me love it.)
It's very cool but Ive probably only used it for 20 minutes or so. I dunno it just seems like a gimmick at this point. I take it out and show people then put it back in the box.
 

Fratboy

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Like @The Napkin I'm on a rapidly-aging Droid Maxx, which I love and wish I could just upgrade its guts. Still, I've narrowed it down to a Pixel or a Moto Z Play (all my smartphones have been Motorola). Anyone have the latter? Verizon is offering them both basically free with a 2-year contract right now, which to me is the same as free.

On the Pixel, is it true you can't just plug it into your computer and drag and drop files? And just to confirm, because I skimmed the last few pages and there was some confusion, it has ambient display?
If you can get the Pixel for free (this can't really be correct, can it?), GET IT.

You can drag and drop files just as before.

Ambient display is now part of Nougat 7.1.1, so yeah, Pixel has it.
 

TallerThanPedroia

Civilly Disobedient
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Jul 19, 2005
25,544
Boston
If you can get the Pixel for free (this can't really be correct, can it?), GET IT.

You can drag and drop files just as before.

Ambient display is now part of Nougat 7.1.1, so yeah, Pixel has it.
Pixel is $10 per month thru VZW right now, free if you have a phone they deem worth trading in (I don't sadly). Ditto some of the other big ones: iPhone 7, Galaxy S7, Moto Z, etc.

The Moto Z Play would be free for me, though. But y'all are making me feel better about going with the Pixel.
 

glennhoffmania

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I'm getting constant notifications to upgrade to Nougat on my S7. Is there a way to get the notifications to stop? I don't have it checked in the settings and it doesn't give me an option to clear the notification.
 

glennhoffmania

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I've read there are a lot of issues. Data connection, WiFi, battery drain, random reboots. You haven't had any of that?
 

Bigpupp

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Jun 8, 2008
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Wife said she hasn't had any of that happen. I was expecting her to see a battery boost because of the Nougat improvements, but she said it's been pretty much the same.

FWIW, She's on ATT
 

Orange Julia

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I'm digging my pixel and it takes great pictures but I'm going to have to move over to Verizon for unlimited data. I've already gone over 6 gigs this month (granted I have been traveling for 2 weeks and the hotel wifi has sucked) and I still have a week left. Does Verizon throttle their "unlimited?" I have a MiFI with them for work, and the old man has Verizon so I think we can do a three line family plan for something like $65/month. Anyway, love the Pixel.
 

DrBlinky

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Jun 18, 2002
825
Cranston, RI
Cell phone (LG G3) essentially died last night. Powers on and can receive texts/calls, but screen shows no display so no way to access anything. Same thing happened to my wife's G3 about 5 months ago. (IIRC, at that time I was told it was the inverter.)

So, I'm unexpectedly needing find a replacement quickly. Want to stick with Android.

The most recent posts in this thread are very high on the Pixel (if I can track one down.) Others I were looking at were the Samsung Galaxy S7, Motorola Z Droid, Motorola Z Play Droid, and Motorola Droid Turbo 2. I was also considering the LG G5 but with two LG phone failures over the past 6 months I'm a bit hesitant.

My usage is fairly basic - calls, text, apps, Bluetooth music, some web browsing. Don't take a lot of pictures so camera quality isn't the be all end all it is for some.

Anyone have thoughts about the S7 or any of the Motos over the Pixel?

Thanks.
 

kelpapa

Costanza's Hero
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Feb 15, 2010
4,639
I lost my g4 and insurance replaced it with a v20. Never heard of this phone and it seems like there are no accessories available for it. Does anyone have this? Thoughts on it?

so far I'm liking it.
 

saintnick912

GINO!
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Oct 30, 2004
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v20 is a pretty beefy phone in terms of specs. It's known for having the best audio hardware of any Android device and a solid camera system as well. The LG bootloop problems might be present, so some people were wary. It was my second choice when I ended up going with the Pixel XL.
 

kelpapa

Costanza's Hero
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Feb 15, 2010
4,639
The AT&T guy was saying it's a step down from the Pixel, but probably better than most other androids on the market. I figured there had to be a situation where it was refurbished since they upgraded from a G4 to the V20. I haven't read anything about a bootloop with this phone, so I'm hoping it doesn't hit me again.
 

Time to Mo Vaughn

RIP Dernell
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Mar 24, 2008
7,204
Cell phone (LG G3) essentially died last night. Powers on and can receive texts/calls, but screen shows no display so no way to access anything. Same thing happened to my wife's G3 about 5 months ago. (IIRC, at that time I was told it was the inverter.)

So, I'm unexpectedly needing find a replacement quickly. Want to stick with Android.

The most recent posts in this thread are very high on the Pixel (if I can track one down.) Others I were looking at were the Samsung Galaxy S7, Motorola Z Droid, Motorola Z Play Droid, and Motorola Droid Turbo 2. I was also considering the LG G5 but with two LG phone failures over the past 6 months I'm a bit hesitant.

My usage is fairly basic - calls, text, apps, Bluetooth music, some web browsing. Don't take a lot of pictures so camera quality isn't the be all end all it is for some.

Anyone have thoughts about the S7 or any of the Motos over the Pixel?

Thanks.
Your requirements are pretty darn minimal and you've been using an old phone as it is. If look at the Nexus 5X or 6P based off of your requirements. Could be had cheap, would be an upgrade performance wise and with the savings you could upgrade in a year to the n-1 phone and come out on top with savings.
 

JakeRae

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Jul 21, 2005
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Your requirements are pretty darn minimal and you've been using an old phone as it is. If look at the Nexus 5X or 6P based off of your requirements. Could be had cheap, would be an upgrade performance wise and with the savings you could upgrade in a year to the n-1 phone and come out on top with savings.
I find the 5X to be frustratingly slow and laggy, at times. It also has a widespread bootloop issue, although I've been lucky enough to avoid it so far. I'm not a power user, but I spend a lot of time on my phone during my commute and dealing with email, and the little delays and frustrations add up over time. I would not recommend my phone to anyone shopping for a new one.
 

SumnerH

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Jul 18, 2005
31,893
Alexandria, VA
I find the 5X to be frustratingly slow and laggy, at times. It also has a widespread bootloop issue, although I've been lucky enough to avoid it so far. I'm not a power user, but I spend a lot of time on my phone during my commute and dealing with email, and the little delays and frustrations add up over time. I would not recommend my phone to anyone shopping for a new one.
I've had no problems with lag with mine (also not a power user).
 

Tim Naehrings Girl

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I did the update for my S7 this weekend and I haven't experienced any real issues. My only complaint was that everything I had on my status bar was suddenly gone, but I just went to the edit bar and put it back the way I liked it. I was most upset that the flashlight icon went away but it was an easy fix.
 

Catcher Block

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Mar 7, 2006
5,825
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Word to the wise....my wife's Verizon S7 edge got the nougat update last night, and it made her WiFi unusable (turns on for a few seconds, turns off, never connects to anything). Safe mode and wiping caches didn't fix the problem.

Looks like some others having same experience, and their only remaining hope is a clean wipe of the phone. This sucks.
 

Traut

lost his degree
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Jul 20, 2005
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We're what 10 years into Android? And Google, Verizon/ATT, and Samsung still can't figure out updates. This is the sole reason my next phone will be a Pixel or iPhone. I've had more Samsung phones than anything else. And I generally like them. But yeesh, a few times a year, the phone gets buggy as all get out and it has to do with a software update.
 

Caspir

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Jul 16, 2005
6,886
Ditto to Traut's feelings. I'm fucking pissed that I bought an S7 Edge only to be the last person on earth to receive an update. The download finally appeared today, but now I'm scared to install it for fear that it will break every useful function of my phone. My Samsungs also go through the random "barely functional, huge lag, depleted battery" after a while as well, despite the fact that I store everything on an external SD, keeping a lot of free space available.

Calling Verizon to complain gets you a $10 credit if you're lucky. I'm switching to the Pixel or *shudders* an iPhone prior to summer.