Related
There lot of interrogations and frustrations concerning slowdowns/battery drains on Android, sometimes not really fair.
You need to control your build and knowing what is going on into it, because most programs you install live from their own and can downgrade your stability and your battery performance.
A detailed guide is provided here in order to have a good battery drain with very smooth and reliable android experience on Hd2, gathering tips and advices users need to know when they come to this Os or want to improve it durably.
Following this guide, you will be able to have hundreds of apps into a super smooth, stable and battery friendly android build.
Most importantly, without transforming your smartphone into a dumbphone :
- Wifi and sync always on
- Mails checked every hour
- 148 applications installed (no I don’t need them all ;-) )
- 6 widgets running on the screen or in background (check screenshot) : Folder organizer, News, Facebook, Current widget, Powersnap, switch pro, pure calendar, pure grid calendar.
- In standby, it can last for 4 days :
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"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
- Smartphones are more and more looking like a laptop, so I consider that 5 or 6 hours with the screen alight is good.
The assumption is the battery drain can be affected by several factors:
1) Screen brightness.
2) Memory management if wrongly configured
3) Program launching in background if wrongly configured
4) Program updating in background if wrongly configured
5) Build and Kernel
6) Wm rom, radio, Sd card, Cpu in standby
7) Extras : Backups, customizing etc
Once you have the good utilities and understand how it works, it is easy to setup and need no more tweaks, unless you install new apps.
To keep a battery trace, current widget with logs and battery snap are mainly used.
1) Screen consumption
The screen battery consumption is huge when we use the phone. It was the same on windows mobile, and was to expect when buying it with that huge size.
Therefore, the screen brightness is an important factor to deal with.
In order to keep a good battery life when your phone is on, you need to keep your phone around 300 MiliAmpers or less. You have to keep in mind that a 75% brightness = 500Ma.
The best behavior is to keep your screen :
-25% brightness at home, with no sun.
-50% brightness mostly of the time
-75% and 100% brightness in very rare occasions with direct sun exposition.
In order to swich fast between this settings, and since we don’t have for now a functional kernel with auto brightness, using a brightness widget is recommended.
I personnaly use “Brighness level”, and launch it by swiping a dock icon into launcher pro.
Ps : Take care to not press 0%, or your screen will be completely dark. You can revert by guessing where the icons were, but it is tricky.
2) Memory management
In order to keep your hd2 fast and battery friendly, it is better to keep your phone with more than 200Mo free ram (when you are not using it).
There is a great free program for that, called task panel X. With it you can choose which program you want to close every time you put your phone in standby.
It is very important that you choose well the apps that need to stay in memory, and the others.
It is pretty simple: Keep the widget you use and system apps. Discard all the others by including them in the autokill list. It is a bit long to do if you have hundreds apps, but you have to do it only one time.
Example:
3) Programs launching automatically in background
You need to control the apps you install. Problem is that some programs are launched automatically into your memory at any time. I was surprised to see that programs that don’t need to be to stay in memory (when I don’t use them) launch by themselves at anytime. “Mabilo wallpapers” was the best (or worst) example.
You need an app to control that. I recommend “Startup Auditor”, and set carefully wich apps that can launch by themselves or not. Same as with task panel, just keep system apps and widgets. You can keep too your mail app. If you don’t use the Gmail app program, remove it from the list.
You will see into task panel that very few programs keeps running despite of that. You have to question yourself: “Ok this one is great to find new wallpapers, but it is constantly running in my memory and I don’t know why (suspicious) -> Do I really need it ?”
4) Programs updating in background
Programs that you authorize to launch automatically in your memory are often in order to update automatically things. (Mail, weather, facebook, tweeter etc…)
It is important that you know what they are, and where are located their update settings in order to not to waste uselessly your battery. Checking mails each hour or two hour is sufficient. Checking every 15mn cause obvious battery drains.
For most needs, manual updates for social apps or weather is sufficient, because it take only two seconds when you want to see them. If manual updating is not available, choose the longer updating interval (one day for example)
5) Builds
The following is based on my personal opinion; you are free to use and test every build you want.
First, i don’t recommend using sense builds due to personal bad experiments. I had crash and a lot of slowdowns, but most importantly it was battery draining due to all the htc third apps hard coded into. It is a build very hard to control.
I use and recommend a shubCRAFT 1.5 with stock Cyanogen mod 6 Final :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=740963
Don’t forget to download the 1Go user data file in order to install more apps.
It’s a build very fast to boot, smooth, efficient and highly customizable. The kernel provided in it is good for now.
Launcher Pro is used here, very smooth and easy to customize.
6) Wm rom, radio, Sd card, Cpu
SetCpu can be usefull, depending on the kernel you are using. There is a lot of threads on it, the most important setting is to downclock your cpu at standby.
Sd card
There is some evidences that your sd card can drain your battery. If you follow this guide and still have battery drain, it can be the cause. Check into this post :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=781433
I use a Kingston 16Go class 10 micro sdhc card with no issue.
Registry tricks :
I had before these regitry settings into windows mobile rom, no idea how it affect Android :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=585729
Radio
I use 2.12.50.02_02
Ppp or rmnet
I don't have dataplans, so i can't tell about rmnet or ppp battery drains, but my suggestions to users who use it, is to activate it when you turn on your phone or every one hour, with a third app like Tasker.
SuperUser permissions
Polo735 suggest that, in rare cases, the superuser permissions program can be faulty and need te reinstalled, otherwise it drains your battery.
Symptoms are : When installing an app requiring superuser permissions, no pop up granting it appear.
See his post here
7) Extras :
If you like the screenshots design, it is the stock Shubcraft froyo framework with a custom black toolbar form manup revolution theme, compressed for speed. You can download it bellow and copy the file to /sdcard/Android/root/system/framework/ You have to set some custom colors into the cyanogens mod settings:
-Toolbar color in black
-Clock color in white
-Date and toolbar title in white.
Have fun !
Nice one, thanks!
Blame73 said:
Nice one, thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Happy to help
Sichroteph said:
I don't have dataplans...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is possibly the major reason of your low battery consumption...
Wildcopper said:
This is possibly the major reason of your low battery consumption...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Na, I use data most of the and with it turned on I get between 7 and 10 mA in standby,
Nice thread was already using most fixes just different apps, any chance of a link for task panel x can't find it on market.
And like the brightness app, lol first thing I did was press 0%
Sent from my HTC HD2 using Tapatalk
Sichroteph said:
Happy to help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd recommend you give bangsters build a shot, according to shu8i's Twitter he's offline till October :-\ bangster us constantly updating and everything is pretty stable
Sent from my HTC HD2 using Tapatalk
whynot66 said:
Na, I use data most of the and with it turned on I get between 7 and 10 mA in standby,
Nice thread was already using most fixes just different apps, any chance of a link for task panel x can't find it on market.
And like the brightness app, lol first thing I did was press 0%
Sent from my HTC HD2 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this link from your htc hd2, should bring you directly to the market :
market://search?q=pname:com.taskpanel
Sichroteph said:
Try this link from your htc hd2, should bring you directly to the market :
market://search?q=pname:com.taskpanel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks but Not there for me :-( where are you based? Must need the market enabler
Sent from my HTC HD2 using Tapatalk
whynot66 said:
Na, I use data most of the and with it turned on I get between 7 and 10 mA in standby
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use data and get 5mA in standby (screen off).
If this was true, the 1230mAh battery should last 1230/5=246 hours in standby mode running Android, which is 10.25 days, right?
We all know this isn't true.
The battery consumption gadget is cute, but not precise
whynot66 said:
I'd recommend you give bangsters build a shot, according to shu8i's Twitter he's offline till October :-\ bangster us constantly updating and everything is pretty stable
Sent from my HTC HD2 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree, it is a good build too. Cyanogen makes thing so smooth. I recommended Shubcraft, just because i have no drawback to say about it, but fortunately there are other builds we can use.
Wildcopper said:
I use data and get 5mA in standby (screen off).
If this was true, the 1230mAh battery should last 1230/5=246 hours in standby mode running Android, which is 10.25 days, right?
We all know this isn't true.
The battery consumption gadget is cute, but not precise
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who's gonna leave there phone in standby for ten days to test it, infact who's gonna leave their hd2 in there pocket for 30minutes, fact is my data is on I've just been to my current widget log and for the last ten minutes (logging every 2mins) my usage was 4mA, 5mA, 3mA, 6mA, 4mA
So you tell me? Guess the current widget doesn't work
Is there any other battery widgets so I can run multiple ones and compare.results?
I left off charge last night for 8 hours while I slept and used 5% I think its pretty accurate reality.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using Tapatalk
Wildcopper said:
I use data and get 5mA in standby (screen off).
If this was true, the 1230mAh battery should last 1230/5=246 hours in standby mode running Android, which is 10.25 days, right?
We all know this isn't true.
The battery consumption gadget is cute, but not precise
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I made a simplier calculation. I lost 1% per hour, so 4 days in standby. maybe a more rigorous way. Current widget is not always very precise, but it can help a lot to trace possible battery drains.
whynot66 said:
Thanks but Not there for me :-( where are you based? Must need the market enabler
Sent from my HTC HD2 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I extracted the Taskpanel X apk from a titanium backup ... Don't know if it will work for you.
Sichroteph said:
I made a simplier calculation. I lost 1% per hour, so 4 days in standby. maybe a more rigorous way. Current widget is not always very precise, but it can help a lot to trace possible battery drains.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, that's more accurate. That's approximatively what I lose too. But it's definitely draining more than 5mA.
It's not THAT bad, but Windows Mobile is still way more energy efficient.
My guess is that there are some things that should be turned off but aren't, hardware wise, when the HD2 runs under Android.
Wildcopper said:
Yeah, that's more accurate. That's approximatively what I lose too. But it's definitely draining more than 5mA.
It's not THAT bad, but Windows Mobile is still way more energy efficient.
My guess is that there are some things that should be turned off but aren't, hardware wise, when the HD2 runs under Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not the point of this thread. I am pretty sure this it is useful to new users because wm and android are obviously different to manage. I want to bring something rational here, talking about screen consumption and memory management. Not about "something" we can't see but drains.
I saw several windows mobile threads concerning battery life frustrations too, so it would be more constructive to make some real battery tests between this two Os. For now, what some users complains are just "feelings" for me.
Hey, I didn't want to belittle your thread, the OP is definitely useful
My point was, right now even with all tweaks, the situation is not really satisfying, and hopefully soon we won't need any tweaking anymore because the developers will have perfected the HD2 port.
One thing that may help some people:
Make sure that your phone is using superuser permissions correctly. A while back on an earlier build I installed setcpu and autokiller. I thought they were working correctly but my battery life was poor. I tried opening superuser permissions and it crashed. I uninstalled Superuser Permissions, then reinstalled. Now setcpu and autokiller work correctly and battery is very good.
There is no indication that these apps aren't working besides the "... granted superuser permissions" popup. If you don't know to look for that message you may not realize there is a problem.
polo735 said:
One thing that may help some people:
Make sure that your phone is using superuser permissions correctly. A while back on an earlier build I installed setcpu and autokiller. I thought they were working correctly but my battery life was poor. I tried opening superuser permissions and it crashed. I uninstalled Superuser Permissions, then reinstalled. Now setcpu and autokiller work correctly and battery is very good.
There is no indication that these apps aren't working besides the "... granted superuser permissions" popup. If you don't know to look for that message you may not realize there is a problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never saw that problem before, nevertheless with no doubt it can help a lot.
Added in first post, thanks.
This thread is designed to organize ZGPAX Discussion.
I will begin by posting what i have learned and if others have mods or useful information, OP will be updated.
Please feel free to PM me, and drop a line. ADD ME ON FACEBOOK - all that is in my xda profile to the left
Also, if you are interested you can mail me your ZGPAX via USPS and i will root/ install the modification listed. For more Information PM me with your inquiry!
Also We can Skype/Video Call / Hangouts Video Call for the watches that i mod
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"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
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Using Next Launcher 3D
[VIDEOS]
Running NEXT LAUNCHER 3D -
Tablet Talk Notification TEst / Misc Testing
Awesome ON / OFF Application
Stock Test Run
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OTHER VIDEOS
Courtesy of
Shaolin95
ZGPAX Running Dreamcast Emulator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZmdEl9yAvI
ZGPAX Running Playstation - Tekken 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzPNHKuWfbo
ZGPAX Playing Shinobi via M.A.M.E w/PS3 Controller https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNFyWJXZcLQ
ZGPAX Quadrant Standard Benchmark https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUGlLVXJ77U
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SOFT BRICK OR STUCK in a BOOTLOOP? REVERT TO STOCK
TWRP is required to use the following backup. Please make sure you still have it installed and are able to access it.
Download the stock OS backup Here http://www.4shared.com/zip/dxnYQfmpba/stock_zgpax.html
You need to be able to access your SD Card, if not you may need to use an external SD. Navigate to /SD Card/TWRP/Backup (or create the folder if it doesn't exist). Next you need to make a folder called Stock ZGPAX. Then your are going to place the files you downloaded here from the link above.
IF you cannot access your SD Card, try using an external MicroSD card. You will have to make the /TWRP/Backup Directory and Folder yourself... and then place the files in there manually.
Finally, you will REBOOT into TWRP and Navigate to the restore option. Look for your folder there and restore this backup.
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ROOT
Just install "framaroot.apk or sideload to the watch's internal storage and install - Do not ask for links, just google it
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RECOVERY
To install TWRP, you can download and install RECOVERY TOOLS for Free. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.mkrtchyan.recoverytools
Next download to Internal SD This TWRP image https://www.dropbox.com/s/05818ubth99f2x9/twrprecovery.img and UI.Zip https://www.dropbox.com/s/f59htzer97tvliz/ui.zip
--Open Recovery Tools - Select FLASH OTHER RECOVERY - Locate and Select the twrp.IMG file you downloaded and hit YES. Continue to flash...
--Download UI.zip Here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=52782588&postcount=892 Make sure you place it in --> Internal Storage/TWRP/theme - (you are actually going to make this folder yourself)
--Reboot into recovery (Hold down back+power) and you should see twrp.
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STOCK ANALOG CLOCK LOCKSCREEN / SCREENSAVER BYPASS
This will prevent the stock lockscreen analog clock and launcher from showing up when you press the power button to turn the screen off
Requirements: ADW or other 3rd party launcher/Root Access/RomToolbox/"NO LOCK" Free application on google play
Be sure you have root, and you have already installed ADW or a 3rd party launcher and ROM TOOLBOX or equivalent.
Step 1: Download "NO LOCK" from play store... Yellow iPhone looking app icon. Or Bluetooth transfer / side-load application to internal storage and INSTALL
Step 2: Go into SETTINGS >> APPS >>> ALL TAB >> Navigate to COM.SZKCT.ACTIVITY and click on it >>> Force STOP & DISABLE if possible
OPTIONAL: If you would like this to stick after reboot: GO TO ROM TOOLBOX >> APP MANAGER >> ALL >>> Locate COM.SZKCT.ACTIVITY and FREEZE the package.
INVERTED GOOGLE PLAY STORE
View attachment 2488657
This application just looks a whole lot better on our device. https://www.dropbox.com/s/ka1zpew0r2rqpsp/Inverted_Google_Play_Store_4.5.10.zip?m=
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SMS & INCOMING CALL NOTIFICATIONS
Thus far, the only app i have verified to work RELIABLY is TABLET TALK, which is currently $2.99 in the PLAY Store.
You may need to install PIE CONTROLS to have the MENU BUTTON functionality first. PIE is free in play store - Afterwards:
Install on Both, android phone and the smart watch.
On the android phone you are using, setup the device in settings >> at the bottom >> The phone should be selected as PHONE
On the smart watch, go into the same settings menu at the bottom >> The device should be selected as tablet
On both devices, you should press the bluetooth icon.... Both will turn yellow, and then GREEN, when they paid. DONE!
PERFORMANCE
Using a TOOLBOX / RooT app (such as Rom TOOLBOX or Trickstermod) recommendations below to help performance and battery.
Scheduler --> Change I/O to DEADLINE - This will increase SD Card read Speeds --> The stock is CFG, Deadline is usually faster!
Governor ---> Try ON DEMAND Governor. Can help eliminate over-heating without sacrificing performance. Stock is Hybrid
XPOSED FRAMEWORK
.A number of apps will not fit within the visible area of the device without changing the DPI. Confirmed that Xposed and App settings works with the ZGPAX and can be found here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2072081. For example, in the ADW popup dialog you cannot change screen borders or change wallpaper until you change the DPI to 100.
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USEFULE APPS
Some useful good apps that install and work for this device. Will update frequently with your help:
Battery Monitor Widget - This widget may help updating the battery percent and reflect more accurately at all times.
Awesome ON OFF - Similar to galaxy gear, turning the watch activates screen on, with vibrate
Shake Screen ON OFF by Freebooks - Simple shake to turn the screen on or off - no need to use home button
CPU SPY is good for monitoring deep sleep... in case you install an app that keeps the device awake.
ADW EX Launcher - 4x4 grid is perfect, runs smoothly, can stretch clock widgets and such
Active Apps - Good for clearing apps and Ram in one convenient location
DigiClock - Large 4x4 clock with built in themes
Frama Root - For quick rooting
Google Maps - Be sure to actually download and install from the playstore or it may not work
NO Lock - Removes lockscreen and you can sleep / wake watch from whichever home screen you left off at
PIE controls - So you don't have to always be hitting the hardware POWER and Back buttons... also allows many toggles
ROM TOOLBOX - All root tools, file explorer, boot animation etc etc
thanks for your works
i wainting arrive my device :laugh:
Volume Change
Since mine isn't here yet, I guess someone else can test this. It's from the Joe's Tech Review website and it's for a different model, but it might work.
Z1 smart watch phone Engineering code. (Bas Advalvas)
INCREASE CALL VOLUME: found it!
Finally found it. And it's easy! Call sound value is too low on the Z1, 1 of it's main drawbacks.
■Start the phone dialer and dial: *#*#8787#*#* This will start Engineer Mode on de the Z1.
■Select Audio, then Normal Mode. Choose the 'type' Speech, change the value 6 into 0 (that's the loudest) and press Set.
■Press the Back button once. Now select LoudSpeaker Mode. Choose the 'type' Speech, change the value 24 (?) into 10 (on my Z1, the value 0 made the sound very soft, probably because of the system that prevents feedbacklooping from speaker to microphone (how you call this?)) and press Set. Press the Back Button a few times to leave Engineer Mode.
That's all! The standard call volume increases a bit (40%?), but the handsfree volume (which is otherwise about the same as the standard) inceases a lot (150%?) AND the annoying interference sound is now gone!!!
Drayke5 said:
Since mine isn't here yet, I guess someone else can test this. It's from the Joe's Tech Review website and it's for a different model, but it might work.
Z1 smart watch phone Engineering code. (Bas Advalvas)
INCREASE CALL VOLUME: found it!
Finally found it. And it's easy! Call sound value is too low on the Z1, 1 of it's main drawbacks.
■Start the phone dialer and dial: *#*#8787#*#* This will start Engineer Mode on de the Z1.
■Select Audio, then Normal Mode. Choose the 'type' Speech, change the value 6 into 0 (that's the loudest) and press Set.
■Press the Back button once. Now select LoudSpeaker Mode. Choose the 'type' Speech, change the value 24 (?) into 10 (on my Z1, the value 0 made the sound very soft, probably because of the system that prevents feedbacklooping from speaker to microphone (how you call this?)) and press Set. Press the Back Button a few times to leave Engineer Mode.
That's all! The standard call volume increases a bit (40%?), but the handsfree volume (which is otherwise about the same as the standard) inceases a lot (150%?) AND the annoying interference sound is now gone!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The speaker is incredibly loud... and being that you haven't actually received your zgpax, i don't think you will need any volume increase.
Would you describe some of the customization you've performed with ADW-EX in order to get such a great look? I haven't used the pay version before, so perhaps it is a silly question, but how did you get such large icons on the main page?
I'm considering buying this watch. Two questions:
1. How does it handle notifications from my phone?
2. Can I use Bluetooth to connect my phone to it since I don't want to put my SIM card in there?
zNiiC,
Check out this other thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2507033&page=8
To answer your questions directly, not yet. It is designed to be a stand-alone device (that being said it may happen eventually).
zNiiC said:
I'm considering buying this watch. Two questions:
1. How does it handle notifications from my phone?
2. Can I use Bluetooth to connect my phone to it since I don't want to put my SIM card in there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I've seen that thread. Could you possibly tie your smartphone to this watch with some sort of app to recieve notifications on it?
ItzSnitz said:
zNiiC,
Check out this other thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2507033&page=8
To answer your questions directly, not yet. It is designed to be a stand-alone device (that being said it may happen eventually).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apparently the manufacturer is still working on making this possible..... I've tried a lot of apps so far with no luck
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app
Humm. Bummer. I think I read somewhere that someone used mysms. Not sure if it was in the other thread or for a different watch.
If you really want to make it happen, you can use Tasker, Zapier and Pushover to do the job. Here's a useful explanation intended for a different application. Bottom line: if you expect to transmit more than 100 notifications per month, you'll have to shell out some ridiculous money.
ItzSnitz said:
If you really want to make it happen, you can use Tasker, Zapier and Pushover to do the job. Here's a useful explanation intended for a different application. Bottom line: if you expect to transmit more than 100 notifications per month, you'll have to shell out some ridiculous money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To BigBison420 and ItzSnitz,
Couldn't you use tasker along with either open watch or notify my android since you can install apps on this watch? (Not quite sure how these apps work). Might be worth a shot to see if it is able to send notifications.
OpenWatch: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=554551
Notify my Android: http://www.notifymyandroid.com/
BigBison420 said:
Apparently the manufacturer is still working on making this possible..... I've tried a lot of apps so far with no luck
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is that the watch is a phone. It is recognized by other devices also as a phone.... And try googling how to pair an android phone to an android phone to use for notifications and call handling Lol.... Not happenin
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app
zNiiC said:
To BigBison420 and ItzSnitz,
Couldn't you use tasker along with either open watch or notify my android since you can install apps on this watch? (Not quite sure how these apps work). Might be worth a shot to see if it is able to send notifications.
OpenWatch: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=554551
Notify my Android: http://www.notifymyandroid.com/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried to get open watch to work but no go.... I spent a lot of time trying app store apps. Lots of hidden ones too but I'll def post when something works
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app
ItzSnitz said:
Would you describe some of the customization you've performed with ADW-EX in order to get such a great look? I haven't used the pay version before, so perhaps it is a silly question, but how did you get such large icons on the main page?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im using 1.3.3.8 which is an over hauled update of the app... All prior versions are clearly not as good.
I downloaded digi clock widget, which has tons of built in theme and stretches out nicely (4X4 widget).
Also disabled action bar in adw, disable dock, and grid set to 4x4 for the homescreens. That's really the foundation of my cosmetic tweaks. Also i completely disabled lockscreen as described in OP so immediately the watch awakens to the clock on the homescreen
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app
Hi guys,
Newbie here. I too bought the ZGPAX smart watch about 3 weeks ago, OEM version. I also purchased another model EC-309 from HOPU watches, which is based on similar hardware MTK6577, Android 4.0 and with the extra that it has 3G network, different hardware layout (camera on the side not front).
Purchased the ZGPAX for around 140$ odd plus shipping, EC-309 on the other hand was priced above $230. Full disclosure, I own a retail store selling OEM Android tablets in Indochina and would like to add smart watches into my product portfolio.
I would like to get some tips on how to extend the battery life seeing as some users managed to be able to get 1 to 1 1/2 days use on a single charge . Rooted the devices, lowered the CPU range. Tried basic user stuff like, screen timeout, brightness. Switched from 3G to GSM. Still cant get more than 6-8hr battery life. Have tried DX battery Saver Pro, this really extend the batt life but at the at the expense of shutting off wifi and 3G (not acceptable solution). Any other ideas?
For those who might be interested, here's a comparison of the two devices
1) ZGPAX touchscreen runs much hotter than the EC-309
2) ZGPAX has superior speakers, music sounds clearer and louder, no distortion at higher levels
3) ZGPAX has SD card slot, EC-309 only has internal 4GB
4) EC-309 slightly better finish, aluminium bezel, ZGPAX feels a little plasticky
5) Similar firmware for both models. Same issues, Google voice, Skype, Facebook crashes or does not work.
6) Similar battery life - 6 to 8 hr max
7) Similar battery monitoring issues - battery indicator not accurate
8) Both models have good wifi and 3G reception
9) EC-309 comes with Launcher 8 as a default..Win 8 style launcher, no custom launcher like ZGPAX.
10) EC-309 uses micro SIM , ZGPAX regular SIM size
Will share more on apps that work for me soon.
kindredd said:
Hi guys,
Newbie here. I too bought the ZGPAX smart watch about 3 weeks ago, OEM version. I also purchased another model EC-309 from HOPU watches, which is based on similar hardware MTK6577, Android 4.0 and with the extra that it has 3G network, different hardware layout (camera on the side not front).
Purchased the ZGPAX for around 140$ odd plus shipping, EC-309 on the other hand was priced above $230. Full disclosure, I own a retail store selling OEM Android tablets in Indochina and would like to add smart watches into my product portfolio.
I would like to get some tips on how to extend the battery life seeing as some users managed to be able to get 1 to 1 1/2 days use on a single charge . Rooted the devices, lowered the CPU range. Tried basic user stuff like, screen timeout, brightness. Switched from 3G to GSM. Still cant get more than 6-8hr battery life. Have tried DX battery Saver Pro, this really extend the batt life but at the at the expense of shutting off wifi and 3G (not acceptable solution). Any other ideas?
For those who might be interested, here's a comparison of the two devices
1) ZGPAX touchscreen runs much hotter than the EC-309
2) ZGPAX has superior speakers, music sounds clearer and louder, no distortion at higher levels
3) ZGPAX has SD card slot, EC-309 only has internal 4GB
4) EC-309 slightly better finish, aluminium bezel, ZGPAX feels a little plasticky
5) Similar firmware for both models. Same issues, Google voice, Skype, Facebook crashes or does not work.
6) Similar battery life - 6 to 8 hr max
7) Similar battery monitoring issues - battery indicator not accurate
8) Both models have good wifi and 3G reception
9) EC-309 comes with Launcher 8 as a default..Win 8 style launcher, no custom launcher like ZGPAX.
10) EC-309 uses micro SIM , ZGPAX regular SIM size
Will share more on apps that work for me soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really depends on how you use the device.... i could get 3 / 4 days out of it, simply using it as a watch to check the time. Streaming wi-fi and videos and downloading stuff is a whole different story. Have you tried changing the CPU Governor? I have not lowered the stock cpu settings... mine sits at 1001mhz max and 250 min. Deep sleeps about 90% of the time
BigBison420 said:
Really depends on how you use the device.... i could get 3 / 4 days out of it, simply using it as a watch to check the time. Streaming wi-fi and videos and downloading stuff is a whole different story. Have you tried changing the CPU Governor? I have not lowered the stock cpu settings... mine sits at 1001mhz max and 250 min. Deep sleeps about 90% of the time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Much thanks for the quick feedback BigBison! Frankly the watch gets fully used most days, I am actively chatting on WeChat, checking time, playing around with some basic voice recognition apps (utter, voice reading). Am trying to squeeze as much as possible out of the device. Will try to lower the CPU settings to half 667mhz and see if that helps. IO on deadline and Govenor OnDemand.
BTW, Any devs out there want to help with Custom ROMS? Am happy to donate towards the purchase of a smartwatch for the dev if it can help resolve the battery, Skype, Facebook and Voice search issues.
Also heard from my OEM supplier in China that a new version with Android 4.3 will be coming out early 1st Quarter 14. Will keep you guys informed.
kindredd said:
Much thanks for the quick feedback BigBison! Frankly the watch gets fully used most days, I am actively chatting on WeChat, checking time, playing around with some basic voice recognition apps (utter, voice reading). Am trying to squeeze as much as possible out of the device. Will try to lower the CPU settings to half 667mhz and see if that helps. IO on deadline and Govenor OnDemand.
BTW, Any devs out there want to help with Custom ROMS? Am happy to donate towards the purchase of a smartwatch for the dev if it can help resolve the battery, Skype, Facebook and Voice search issues.
Also heard from my OEM supplier in China that a new version with Android 4.3 will be coming out early 1st Quarter 14. Will keep you guys informed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow that is very cool! keep us posted, we love updates! haha
Also if you find useful information or good apps for the watch let me know so i can update the OP in the meantime for other peeps.
Cheers!
There's also Augmented Smart Watch Pro (Play Store), however I suspect it's still the same issue that ZGPAX is a phone, not a watch. Might be worthwhile to reach out to those developers to check their pulse on this application.
BigBison420 said:
Tried to get open watch to work but no go.... I spent a lot of time trying app store apps. Lots of hidden ones too but I'll def post when something works
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wakelocks are the bane of battery life and ever since stock rom, there has been a single wakelock that for the life of my I couldn't shake.
Diagnostic.Client.Wakelock !!!!
This wakelock is brought up everytime in ROM threads only to be buried with answers such as drain your battery to empty and reboot, that fixes it!!!111
However the issue runs deeper. Remember the controversy a few years ago about spy software on our phones? Does carrier IQ ring a bell?
Ever since stock rom, as well as any derivations of the stock rom, I've always seen this wakelock with hundreds of wakes. No amount of googling helped until this week, when I stumbled on another thread about Carrier IQ. Our Note 3 has Carrier IQ in it and it's the source of Diagnostic.Client.Wakelock. Innocent looking name for a wakelock huh?
However the fix for it is quite simple really, remove any Android OS calls to any carrier IQ libraries/frameworks. Instructions:
1) You need Root.
2) Download System Tuner from the play store. I can't link urls as a new user but the play store link should contain this "details?id=ccc71.pmw"
3) In System Tuner go to "App Manager".
4) At the bottom filter your Apps by "System".
5) Find "Android System" in the list, and press "Open" at the bottom.
6) Choose "Details"
7) Go to the "Activities" tab and uncheck the following:
Code:
com.carrieriq.iqagent.service.ui.UserPage
com.carrieriq.iqagent.service.ui.ShowMessage
com.carrieriq.iqagent.stdmetrics.survey.android.QuestionnaireLaunchActivity
com.carrieriq.iqagent.stdmetrics.survey.android.QuestionnaireActivity
8) Go to the "Receivers" tab and uncheck the following:
Code:
com.carrieriq.iqagent.service.BootCompletedReceiver
com.carrieriq.iqagent.service.receivers.EnableTogglelmpl
9) Go to the "Services" tab and uncheck the following:
Code:
com.carrieriq.iqagent.service.IQService
10) Reboot your phone.
You will never see Diagnostic.Client.Wakelock ever again. It's been 3 days for me and I'm on Firenote ROM and I dont see this wakelock showing up anymore. And the battery difference is very noticable. No more 1% drain while screen is off.
If you found this advice helpful consider buying me a coffee: Bitcoin Address: 1MXubhXjxCNGxzTLpRttgr6w1YWXQeo5ei
BONUS: If you want to cleanup after Carrier IQ consider removing its library files from /system. Voodoo Carrier IQ can tell you where they are located and deleting them gave me no problems: As a new user I cant link so google: "org.projectvoodoo.simplecarrieriqdetector"
Just curious what Firmware are you currently on with your AT&T Note 3 ?
I've read alot about Carrier IQ and there tracking way's and there company still denies what the software is truly intended to do..But nonetheless it's a invasion of privacy and I like your post...
I'm currently on 4.4.2 Dynamic Kat 3.2 and I did download Voodoo's app to verify if Carrier IQ exist...When I ran the test it came up with 0 hits (NO Carrier IQ)...Which is no where to be found in this Rom, But I used this app before on other devices and found it...
View attachment 2792180
I'm using FireNote ROM v? not sure if it was version 7,8 or 9. Doesn't matter, because it's still a derivation from the stock rom, and I remember staying on Stock ROM for the longest time and not being able to get rid of this wakelock.
I don't know where 4.4.2 Dynamic Kat 3.2 originally was derived from, but if it was derived from stock rom, then odds are it will have traces of Carrier IQ. AFAIK tablet roms such as XNote should be free from Carrier IQ, because cell phone service providers only wanted to monitor your phone use and data mine your activity.
While Carrier IQ may not be fully active in the sense of sending actual data back to whomever designed it, it's still active as far as running on your system, hence the wakelock. Not to mention what kind of a bogus wakelock is called Diagnostics? Diagnostics of what, my mileage or disk space, or tethering use???
The easiest way to check for Carrier IQ is to run some of these Carrier IQ detection apps, OR manually browse the /lib folder for carrier IQ ".so" files. For the ROM I was on (FireNote), I found two .so files named carrier IQ:
DO NOT DELETE THESE FILES. SOME USERS ARE REPORTING A SOFT BRICK. However I assume booting into recovery you can readd these files from another rom.
Code:
/system/lib/libiq_client.so
/system/lib/libiq_service.so
Again it all depends on where your ROM was derived from, if stock, then yes you probably have it.
Edit:
Dynamic Kat is a stock THEMED Kit Kat rom based on the international build NC2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably because the ROM is an international ROM and not US based, explains why there is no carrier IQ. WTF USA???
Thanks for the find. I have been experiencing this wakelock since the OTA in Jan/Feb. I had great battery life before the OTA. I tried almost all of the custom roms in this forum. The only one that did not produce these wakelocks was X-Note. I had assumed that result because it was an international rom. I also liked FireNote but got the wakelock.
This fix should let me try out AT&T stock based roms now.
Again, thank you very much.
Scanned my phone and it looks like the official KitKat is infected with Carrier IQ, but it's not active.
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"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
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My awake time hasn't gone down significantly, but I'm getting more battery with the tweaks from OP.
Yeah since the root cause of Diagnostic.Client.Wakelock is coming from Carrier IQ, the only roms affected by it should USA based roms meant for cellphones. International roms or roms ported from tablets should not have this issue.
Although I haven't installed any KitKat roms it makes sense that it contains it, and also that XNote which was ported from a tablet does not have this issue.
I just used this instruction last night and no more battery drain from client wakelock. Thx op
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
Any way to help this wakelock op?
AudioOut_2
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
Netrunner157 said:
Yeah since the root cause of Diagnostic.Client.Wakelock is coming from Carrier IQ, the only roms affected by it should USA based roms meant for cellphones. International roms or roms ported from tablets should not have this issue.
Although I haven't installed any KitKat roms it makes sense that it contains it, and also that XNote which was ported from a tablet does not have this issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeh, I give you credit Netrunner157...Not many users are even aware of this wakelock....Good Find Bro.. :good:
Very strange...I used several apps to detect "Carrieriq" Every app I tried said there were NO TRACES Of this wakelock (Spyware)...But I decided to use your method and look through "System Tuner" and sure enough it's there...I posted a pic above showing no traces...But it's inaccurate for me..Because it exist in the Android System...See pic below...
View attachment 2799625
wish777 said:
Very strange...I used several apps to detect "Carrieriq" Every app I tried said there were NO TRACES Of this wakelock (Spyware)...But I decided to use your method and look through "System Tuner" and sure enough it's there...I posted a pic above showing no traces...But it's inaccurate for me..Because it exist in the Android System...See pic below...
View attachment 2799625
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed. The System Tuner software shows how stealthy the CarrierIQ software is, hiding within the main Android System process. I am quite glad to have it deactivated. Nasty piece of garbage.
Also don't delete the libiq because if you do and restart the phone it will get stuck on the att logo
Sent from my AT&T Galaxy Note 3
Beware
Wish I saw that already. Now I'm soft bricked and rocking the touch pro 1 again
Ilkinansr92 said:
Also don't delete the libiq because if you do and restart the phone it will get stuck on the att logo
Sent from my AT&T Galaxy Note 3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These tips were fantastic! I was on the NC2 bootloader so I just was able to have root yesterday. I applied these changes re-booted and then guess what, it indicates that I am now custom. LOL! BFD! Thanks for the tips, much appreciated!
jhollow3 said:
Wish I saw that already. Now I'm soft bricked and rocking the touch pro 1 again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just pull the lib files from a zipped ROM put them on microSD card go to recovery mount system and go to advanced file manager and copy the files over then fix permissions
Sent from my AT&T Galaxy Note 3
Heh, I actually posted this back in may and in a reddit thread, after finding out about the carrier IQ process in the LG G2 forums.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=52807274
Not only did it get rid of the wakelocks, but I no longer have GPS disconnect issues.
Synapse777 said:
Not only did it get rid of the wakelocks, but I no longer have GPS disconnect issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you by any chance using the Xposed Disable Location Constent module? I occasionally lose GPS while using maps, and have to toggle GPS on/off/on from the QuickTiles occasionally and I wasn't sure what that was related to.
So Carrier IQ was probably polling for GPS and breaking it?
What other tweaks do you have for removing other wakelocks, or other improvements? It's good to see people researching the same issues that one can solve.
Now for some reason System Tuner can't open my Android System process...
Anyone have any ideas about that?
Very Nice!!!!!....Thanks a lot!!...Usually my battery drain is higher overnight..if I leave it at 90% before sleep I used to have 50% in the morning. I applied this wake lock fix and slept with 61% baattery and in the morning I still see 55%...Woww!!...I have almost 100 apps installed
Guys i have being playing around with the phone for 3 or 4 days. My first impression as every one was WTF 4562398562389476 Bloatware apps installed. And i did remove all of them or disabled them. (im using original rom). I have also removed all the GAAPS, cleaner and all that stuff from the phone.
But it crossed from my mind why not to check ASSUS apps.
Splendid: This aps gives you full control of the display. You can enable blue light filter, vivid color mod, you can control hue and saturation, the temperature of the image also. its a very complete app and its not bad at all.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
SystemUpdate: There is not much to say there but with one click you can receive the OTA updates. Quick and easy (and works lol).
Themes: it does what it is. you can apply in a easy way new themes. it gives you the option too, you can share your creation with ASUS and they may include yours into this.
Weather: As it says the name this is an app that shows the weather from were you are its very complete and its stylish. also has a good looking widget.
MiniMovie This app is for making videos "presentations" from photos that you have on your phone. you can add text music. is easy its not bad at all. i do not use this kind of apps but i may stat using it . also when you finish editing you can share to whats up, or upload into youtube, etc.
Music: This app is the music players it has nothing special it does what is expected not bad at all. also has an option that you can connect to cloud storages to listen your music.
MyAsus Its an app that let you connect to asus and open tickets to them ask questions etc. also you can access zen forum. there is not much interesting here more than you can open support tickets to them. i did open asking for update 5.1.1 and it took like 2 days to reply but they did. Also they send you news like the IFA event form today.
Pc link: This application lets you mirror the screen from the phone into your windows desktop. its not bad at all. there you can controll all your phone, also take snapshot, make videos , etc. its not bad at all.
Photo Collage: This apps let you make Collage with taken photos, or downloaded ones. its easy and quick not bad at all. lots of options. you can modify the colage how is made. add text effects colors etc. when you save you can share through watsapp or any app.
Power Saver: This app lets you configure may aspects of battery consumptions. also let syou set battery modes .
FlashLight: This app turns on your led to use it as a flashlight also you can turn on the display for more light. SOS message and some other thinks . this app is not very good it does drains your battery if you turn off the LED and you left the app opened. so close the app when you stop using it. There is not need all this options we only want turn on the led to use the celphone as a flashlight.
FM RADIO: I have not tested due i did not connected a head phone yet. but it should be good.
Kids Mode: I have not used it but its good one. you can configure the phone to have only some apps that kids can use.
Asus Mobile Manager: I have mixed feelins with this app. it does make some short cuts to the ui or other apps. but what can you do there is. you can configure not to start apps when the celphone boots. also you can make applications not to send notifications. You can clean the memory from apps loaded. And go to the Battery saver app.
Audio Wizard Basically you can select music modes presets
Auto Start Manager: This app is shown inside Asus Mobile Manager. it lets you block apps to start when the celphone boots.
Camera: This is the camera app there are lots of review. it has tons of options its very good.
Asus Cover: This app lets you configure the Flip cover when its installed on the phone. i dont have one so there its not much to do here.
Email: Im very happy with this app i have connected to Outlook server and it works grate it has tons of options very complete. Probably it is not the best but its ok for most users.
Calendar: tis a calendar its very good also. i have synchronized to outlook sever works perfect tons of options to configure.
Regarding the ASUS IU. its great its fluid and you can tweak all aspects from the interface. you can modify fonts, effects, colors etc. it may be not as complet as nova or similar launchers. but for most of us the job is well done.
There are some others apps that i still have disabled. like:
Mirror:(its enable the front camera (selfie))
Remote link: allows you control your pc from the cellphone. (this is not bad at all if you need it)
Party link: i think it was like an app to share contact in a party but the other person should have the app installed also. The idea is not bad but too complicated to send a contact.
ShareLink: Dont remeber waht was this.
SuperNote: An app to do notes. im using other so i don´t have any opinion on this. But should not be bad at all.
WhatsNext: its like shows you what you have to do next in your calendar. its like a shot cut to your schedule.
ZenCircle and ZenTalk don´know like something "SOCIAL"
Giving a thought what i can say of ASUS apps. they are not bad at all i was expecting very bad apps. and they are being updated so it may be good to give them a try. they are balanced for productivity and leasure. they are quick and elegant. what i can say thumbs up for almost all of them
i cant deny they are A LOT.
Most of the bloatware can be disabled now. On previous versions of the firmware, this could not be achieved without rooting. That being said, its hard to deny that a select few of the Asus apps are actually quite useful and designed well for use.
---------- Post added at 03:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:06 PM ----------
Also I included this thread in the device index as a guide for the stock apps function: http://forum.xda-developers.com/zenfone2/general/index-asus-zenfone-2-wip-t3149748
cmendonc2 said:
Most of the bloatware can be disabled now. On previous versions of the firmware, this could not be achieved without rooting. That being said, its hard to deny that a select few of the Asus apps are actually quite useful and designed well for use.
---------- Post added at 03:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:06 PM ----------
Also I included this thread in the device index as a guide for the stock apps function: http://forum.xda-developers.com/zenfone2/general/index-asus-zenfone-2-wip-t3149748
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i was not aware. good to know they are making things better. we need to wait 5.1.1 update to have better battery performance.
There is not even an iota of doubt that they are making things better but they should have released 5.1 now. its getting late every single day
PhotoCollage and Minimovie and flashlight are excellent aps. The others i don't use.
Let 5.1 come first and then you'll get real performance cause 5.0 supports only 32 bit unlike 5.1, it supports 64 bit too and memory bug leak is mind **** on 5.0
I actually like Splendid. Wish I could download it for my other devices such as my shield tablet.
Sent from my SHIELD Tablet using XDA Free mobile app
I did disable 23 apps. Wish I could disable asus web storage
Yeah, PC Link is pretty cool. Love the mirroring. Thanks for your post!
wifestealer said:
I did disable 23 apps. Wish I could disable asus web storage
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The version that I have it is not installed. I have installed my self to get free 5th of.storage.
Probably can be uninstall our disable
tatubias said:
The version that I have it is not installed. I have installed my self to get free 5th of.storage.
Probably can be uninstall our disable
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, I dont want that storage but It can't be disabled or uninstalled I guess
wifestealer said:
LOL, I dont want that storage but It can't be disabled or uninstalled I guess
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's odd I can uninstall the app. Do you have the latest firmware instaled? I have ww version
tatubias said:
That's odd I can uninstall the app. Do you have the latest firmware instaled? I have ww version
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes I've latest firmware with WW version, I'm having one problem more. Does 2g work on second sim?
Well, agree that some of them are good - I like Splendid and Picture Collage, the camera app is good, and the PC Link suite are good. But the calendar is basically the same as Google one but much uglier. Mail app I prefered the ASUS one to Gmail, but why both preinstalled? Waste of space - shouldn't bother with Gmail one, those who want it can get from playstore. The Supernote app is awful - the finger writing function is just plain useless. Party Link is pointless. The torch app is OTT - a simple quick settings toggle would suffice. Live water - waste of space. Browser - why? It has Chrome, surely most people use that? I suppose some of the apps that duplicate Google app functions are needed for the CN sku, but we don't need them on WW models. I could go on, but I won't. Basically, I just wish they had put in only the core apps and then an ASUS Apps Hub app that introduces extra apps you could choose to get from the playstore according to your need.
Hello!
I just wanted to know if this phones' software have ads anywhere in the UI? If yes, is there an option to opt-out?
Secondly, I've heard Xiaomi phones are notorious for having stock apps that ask for unwanted permission to function (eg: calculator wanting to access contacts etc.), is this one a victim of that?
Also does the stock os has an option to disable gesture based navigation and use on-screen navigation bar instead?
Finally, does it come with 3rd party keyboard(like swiftkey etc.) out of the box, or how is the built-in one in terms of privacy? Was it known for data gathering in the past?
If you have the device in hand, please do check these things and let me know. Are there anything else that I should be aware of, like known issues? I am not planning to flash custom roms or modify deeply.
Thanks in advance.
@n1troV I have been using my M3 for more than one month, I hope that I have answered all your questions.
1. ads anywhere in the UI?
Yes, in all Xiaomi system apps, you have to go through the settings in each of them and choose to trun off "Recommendations", to disable ads for each app.
2. unwanted permission
The calculator in MIUI does not require any permissions, in the settings, the Storage permission is listed, but denied, the calculator can still be used without the permission. There are a lot of pre-installed Google apps. The dialer, messages, and contacts apps are also from Google.
(Edit: The Taiwanese version uses the original MIUI dialer app and messages app)
3. option to disable gesture based navigation
Yes, it can be changed in the settings, please see the screenshot below.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
4. 3rd party keyboard
Yes, it came with Gboard pre-installed, you can install a different keyboard, if you do not want to use it. By default, Gboard sends analytics data back to Google, but that can be disabled in the settings.
I am using the stock MIUI ROM, and the fingerprint unlocking was very slow when I got the phone, but after getting two system updates, now the unlocking speed is faster.
If possible, I suggest that you can use Szaki/XiaomiADBFastbootTools (can be downloaded from GItHub) to debloat the phone with adb, to remove some unwanted system apps like MSA , WMService, Analytics, Chrome and other Google apps.
I used the phone for navigation several times, and the GNSS accuracy is about 4m, it is usually enough, but sometimes if another road is too close, the maps app thinks I am on the other road.
By default, VoWiFi is not enabled on this phone, but it can be enabled by disabling carrier check, using the code *#*#869434#*#* in the dialer.
If privacy is important to you, you can use a private DNS service like AdGuard DNS or NextDNS to block unwanted connections.
The phone is not perfect, but it is still a good phone for its price. If you want to have more RAM and an ultra-wide-angle camera, you can take a look at Redmi 9T, it has almost the same hardware, but it's better, and its price is the same as or similiar to M3's price, depending on which country you are in.
You can ask me if you have any other questions about the phone.
Thank you very much! You've answered pretty much all of questions I had and then some. I was unaware of the sluggish fingerprint sensor and inaccurate GPS, neither of which are dealbreakers to me, personally.
I've considered 9T too, I actually dig the design language of that one abit more than M3 and there's a slight bump in performance too. It's significantly more expensive compared to the m3 where I live though.
By the way, have you tested read/write performance of the ufs storage on the m3? If you have some free time, please do run passmarks' disk benchmark utility and share some screenshots along with the storage capacity.
Moreover, are there any noticeable lags/frame drops in the UI, delays in app opening? I am not expecting ~$150 phone to perform like ~$1000 flagships but I'd like to know what the general user experience is like.
And thanks for the tips on secure DNS. I was thinking of implementing pihole for network-wide ad-blocking, will look into private DNS services too.
Thanks again for taking your time to write a well-detailed reply, cheers!
@n1troV It takes about 2 seconds for the phone to open an app, I have tested with different apps. I think it's acceptable for the price.
My previous phone had SD625 chip, and M3 has SD662 chip, after changing to M3, I feel that M3 is a lot faster.
There is one thing I forgot to mention, this phone has dual speakers, but when I tried it the bottom speaker is a lilltle louder than the top speaker, I think when I watched review videos of M3, someone also mentioned this problem.
I will test the storage speed tomorrow when I have time.
n1troV said:
If you have some free time, please do run passmarks' disk benchmark utility and share some screenshots along with the storage capacity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Below is a screenshot of passmark.
(Edit: The phone has 4GB of RAM, but passmark only shows 3GB)
I have the 128GB version, so the storage is UFS 2.2, the SD card I use is Kingston Canvas Select Plus 32GB.
I also have another screenshot of the CIT mode, it shows the hardware information of the phone.
To show you what it feels like to open apps and to scroll through Google Play on the phone, I have recorded a video using the built-in screen recorder, it is in the attached zip file.
Thank you! The ufs storage performance was abit underwhelming though. Have you had an emmc 5.1 based phones in the past? I suppose those chips perform about the same in benchmarks. In fact, having ufs based storage is one of the main reasons I've considered m3 hoping it would help sustain good overall ui performance/snappiness although that does not seem to be the case here.
As for the muffled earpiece speaker; I guess i can pass on that since even higher end phones suffer from the same issue likely due to the fact that there isn't much space in phones with edge-to edge displays and camera hardware to fit a better speaker.
Does this phone support streaming off of popular platforms? There used to be a requirement of some codecs or something along those lines to support drm enabled streaming out of the box iirc, can this one do?
Lastly; if you're in the market for sub $200 phone and m3 and 9t are not your options, what would be your next best pick? Just curious.
@n1troV Previously, I had used two different Redmi phones, both with emmc storage, and they have Snapdragon 435 and Snapdragon 625 chips.
After start using my M3, when I transfered files from my laptop to the M3 using a USB cable, it still took a long time, the speed of transfering files from PC does not feel any faster than my previous phones that have emmc storage. I think this is because the phone only has a USB 2.0 port.
The phone supports Widevine L1 DRM certification, so it can play DRM content at the maximum quality.
I have not played any DRM content on it, but the "DRM Info" app shows that the security level is L1.
I already got used to XIaomi's MIUI, since I used two Redmi phones previously, I would only choose a phone that is made by Xiaomi, this is why I bought the M3.
Before I bought the M3, I had thought about buying other phones that are made by Xiaomi, including Redmi Note 8T (It is not sold in where I live), Redmi Note 9 Pro (It supports NFC, but it is too expensive), and Redmi 9.
When I decided to buy a new phone, because the Redmi phone I was using (Redmi 6 Pro) had GPS issues, last year, I went to XIaomi's website again, and saw that there was a new phone called POCO M3, and I compared its specs with Redmi 9.The specs of M3 are a better than Redmi 9's, except that the CPU of Redmi 9 has better performance, and Redmi 9 has a wide-angle camera. So I decided to buy the M3, since I don't take photos often, and I don't play mobile games.
After using the M3, I feel that the side-mounted fingerprint sensor is a lot more convenient than the rear-mounted fingerprint sensors that my previous phones have, with the side-mounted fingerprint sensor, it's easy to unlock the phone even when it is on the table.
Excellent! I'm relatively new to the world of android phones and almost everybody here is pushing big-name-brand phones despite them having worse specs purely for the brand recognition (I suppose?) I've come to conclusion that M3 offers good value/performance for the price you're paying, not without its fair share of shortcomings though. That's to be expected, I guess.
Thanks for saving me lot of time not having to search answers for each questions I had. It certainly helped getting answers directly from an owner of the mighty M3.
That usb 2.0 bottleneck situation is understandable though. There are $1k devices on the other side of the pond still utilizing usb2 protocol, so yeah.
I mostly agree with your argument on fingerprint sensor placement except I personally prefer rear-mounted sensors mostly due to the fact that those got large surface area to work with and tends to be more accurate and quick. Usually your index finger sits there so its only natural to unlock the device as you pick it. Only downside is not able to unlock when device is on table.
Side mounted sensors on the other hand solve that issue but depending on the placement, it might be hard to reach specially on big phones. Having a hole cut on the side of the frame shouldn't help in terms of structural rigidity either. Eitherway I'd pick any capasitive implementation over gimmicky in-display sensor in a heartbeat.
@n1troV I just remembered that I could also do a read/write speed test on my old phone (Redmi 4X), it has LPDDR3 RAM and emmc 5.1 storage, the screenshot below shows the test results of Redmi 4X.
(POCO M3 has LPDDR4X RAM)
Since you have not used Xiaomi phones before, I think you need to know that Mi and Redmi phones have the original MIUI launcher, and the MIUI launcher does not have an app drawer, but POCO phones only have the POCO launcher, it has an app drawer, and cannot be disabled.
I have tried to install the MIUI launcher on my M3, but it could not be installed, so the only ways to install MIUI launcher on POCO phones are installing a custom ROM, or root/installing a magisk module.
Hmm it turns out ufs based storage is still significantly faster, at least on the reads.
You brought up an interesting point on the launcher, does M3 use swipe up gesture to launch app drawer or it has an option to have that dedicated grid style icon?
I don't dig the stock icons/ui elements on the above mentioned phones though. As long as a 3rd party launcher can be installed with unread counts reliably shown without random crashes, it should be fine.
I've had friends who used Mi phones in the past that I got to have some hands on time with (can't recall the exact model names), most of them were either android go/one devices though. Miui based phones were from 2016-17 so I'm sure alot has changed since then.
EDIT:
I might consider flashing custom rom as my last resort option, specially if I found stock apps constantly phoning home. Preferably a privacy focused rom (graphene/lineage?) with bare essential apps and 3rd party store (aurora?) minus the google stuff. That is only if services like realtime notifications are unaffected. Also there's a steep learning curve as I've not done any of this before
@n1troV The POCO launcher uses the swipe up gesture to open the app drawer, if you do not want to have an app drawer, there is a 3rd party launcher called Lawndesk, it can be installed and used on M3, and it can show unread counts after giving it the notification access permission.
Other 3rd party launchers can also be installed on the phone, but almost all of them have app drawers.
I had unlocked the bootloader of the phone and installed Magisk on it before, but it was difficult to update the phone with Magisk installed, so I reinstalled stock MIUI ROM and relocked the bootloader with Mi flash tool.
I am currently using NextDNS on the phone, because it is customizable, below is a screenshot showing blocked connections to Xiaomi. I have disabled all analytics options in the M3's system settings, I have also removed (debloated) all system apps that are related to analytics or system ads, but the phone still 'phones home'.
I still prefer using the stock ROM and POCO launcher, at least I have blocked those connections with NextDNS.
cbw said:
if you do not want to have an app drawer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey that's not what I mean. Remember before the swipe up gesture was a thing, there used to be an icon on the bottom row of the home screen that opened app drawer on tap? I was wondering if such option is present on M3 to use drawer icon instead of swipe up.
cbw said:
I have disabled all analytics options in the M3's system settings, I have also removed (debloated) all system apps that are related to analytics or system ads, but the phone still 'phones home'.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See, this is the kind of stuff that bothers me. You went through all the trouble navigating deep in system settings and opting out, yet it does sh!t like this in the background. In the screenshot you've attached, you seem to have narrowed down results to the requests made to domains that contain "mi" in it. Who knows what else its pinging
It's impractical for average user to go through each and every request phone is making as there is probably hundreds if not thousands of them. I really do believe that if you opted out of something it should not be pinging servers over the web period. Privacy is becoming a bigger and bigger problem every day yet most people ignore it entirely. I doubt average user would know or care about such sketchy behaviors of their "personal" devices.
tl:dr Probably not the best for privacy, at least not out of the box.
n1troV said:
there used to be an icon on the bottom row of the home screen that opened app drawer on tap?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
POCO launcher does not have that option, but there is a small arrow that can be clicked to open the app drawer.
I have found a 3rd party launcher called Apex Launcher, it still has the old Android icon for opening the app drawer, but I think the old version (3.3.3) of it is better than the current version.
n1troV said:
you seem to have narrowed down results to the requests made to domains that contain "mi" in it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had to do it, because I also use other apps, and browse websites, so if I didn't do it, it would show a lot of domains, including the ones used by other apps and websites.
For browsing websites on the phone, I suggest that you can install an extension called ublock origin, but most mobile browsers don't support extensions. Kiwi Browser and Firefox Android (There is also a fork called Iceraven, it supports more extensions compared to Firefox) support extensions, so you can install extensions on them for privacy.
n1troV said:
Who knows what else its pinging
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have just restarted the phone, cleared the log in NextDNS, and stopped using the phone for 25 minutes, I have only opened NextDNS's website with Kiwi Browser, below is a screenshot of NextDNS's log.
Thanks for the update on stock launcher and possible third party options.
cbw said:
I also use other apps, and browse websites, so if I didn't do it, it would show a lot of domains, including the ones used by other apps and websites.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand that. Embedded trackers within apps is whole another story. I was more concerned about OS telemetry that cannot be disabled. There is no guarantee that the phone is pinging domains only have "mi" in it.
cbw said:
I suggest that you can install an extension called ublock origin, but most mobile browsers don't support extensions. Kiwi Browser and Firefox Android (There is also a fork called Iceraven, it supports more extensions compared to Firefox) support extensions, so you can install extensions on them for privacy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am also aware that the mobile firefox has somewhat limited extension support. However adding more and more extensions doesn't exactly help with browser fingerprinting. In fact it makes matters worse as you stand out more compared to the "default" ff installations. uBo is my go to addon for adblocking on computers, will definitely have that on phone as well.
cbw said:
I have just restarted the phone, cleared the log in NextDNS, and stopped using the phone for 25 minutes, I have only opened NextDNS's website with Kiwi Browser
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suppose you're logged into google account and has sync enabled? I mean still its imperfect way to track ALL the requests phone is making specially when its on standby, and for such small period of time. Unless its connected to pi-hole or some sort of firewall/nw analyzer all the time, there's no way you can tell whats going on
n1troV said:
I suppose you're logged into google account and has sync enabled?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I have enabled sync for my Google account. With DNS, I could not find a better way to track the requests, because DNS cannot tell which requests are coming from a specific app.
I have installed AdGuard to filter requests on my phone (with local VPN method), and I will post screenshots of blocked requests later.
These are the blocked requests.
Xiaomi Cloud (and Cloud Backup), Xiaomi Service Framework, and System Apps Updater can be uninstalled using Szaki/XiaomiADBFastbootTools.
It is possible to use Android Debug Bridge (adb) to uninstall Google Play Services, but I do not know if it is safe to do it.
After searching online about uninstalling the Mi Account app, I found this.
https://gist.github.com/Biswa96/81fe477079fa5279f7cfd7b98d5519c7
Do not uninstall com.xiaomi.account if you've already logged in MI account.
You will get "This device is locked" message and won't be able to unlock it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, thanks for saving the day, again! I'm so glad the first person to reply to my thread happens to be somewhat privacy conscious.
cbw said:
I could not find a better way to track the requests, because DNS cannot tell which requests are coming from a specific app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly! Unfortunately same thing applies for network activity monitors. Pi-hole seem to have a decent dashboard, probably 3rd party hardware firewalls too.
cbw said:
uninstalling the Mi Account app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not planning to log into any third party services. Probably not even google on setup wizard.
I was wondering, is there a way to sandbox apps in android? As in you could isolate app data from one another and have full control over each app as to whether it's getting access to internet/gps and whatnot. I heard Shelter does this, not sure how that works exactly.
Unrelated to privacy: does the stock launcher has option to "lock homescreen grid"?
n1troV said:
Shelter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will cause bootloop in MIUI.
I also saw this in Shelter's description.
Some vendor / custom ROMs may have a broken implementation that may cause crashes and even bricking of your device. One such example is MIUI from Xiaomi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I want to test apps without installing them on my phone, I use a virtual machine app called "VMOS Pro", it works well on my M3, but it sends analytics data to several servers, and there is no option to disable that.
By the way, POCO launcher also sends data to two different severs, "api.accelerator.intl.miui.com" and "api.ad.intl.xiaomi.com", so you might want to avoid using it, POCO launcher can be uninstalled using adb or XiaomiADBFastbootTools.
n1troV said:
does the stock launcher has option to "lock homescreen grid"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.