Always on Display updates - Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Questions and Answers

One of the biggest disappointments for me with this phone was the lack of 3rd party support for the Always on Display, which would make it so much more useful.
When I was setting up the phone, I was in the Edge display section and it prompted me for an update. Looking in the Always on Display section, there is an "about" which tells you that it's already on the latest version.
Does this mean that that feature could potentially be updated separate from the ROM and functionality could be added later? It seems so and gives me hope for the future with this phone.

There will be 3rd party support, just gotta have patience since the phone isn't even officially released yet lol

Wothout third-party app support, always on display is pretty useless to me.
Samsung we need some update...

Related

Ditching my Omnia 7

With the current issues with Chevron and unlocking I am making the decision to trade my omnia for a Galaxy S, the phones are pretty much exactly the same hardware wise. The only thing I don't like about the Galaxy is the shape, I prefer the sqaureness of the Omnia.
Now for my Omnia:
No proper 3rd party communication possibilities(sockets), I use Skype a lot and i've tried alternatives but none of them work well when the phone goes on standby. Microsoft are so controlling with the standby mode that apps are basicly useless when the phone is on standby. Toast notifications are all controlled by MS so if they have issues with their system or a bottleneck I don't get informed that someone has sent me an IM. Which brings me on to another issue.
Microsoft platform.
Microsoft service.
Why the hell is there no Windows Live Messenger support? The fact that a company as big as Microsoft can put out a OS like WP7 and NOT include apps for their own damn product is just stupid. No one knows why they didn't and Microsoft will not give an official reason as to why.
You may say these are all software issues, that they are. Wait for the updates you say...I highly doubt an update that allows apps to use 3rd party protocols will be out for at least 6 months. I thought this februrary update was hopefully going to open up more things on the developer front but all that has been mentioned is Copy & Paste and better performance.
I shouldn't have to wait months and months for updates that allow me to use my phone the way consumers have got used to using them before WP7 was even realeased.
I stuck with Microsoft and had a lot of faith in them and even went as far as to spread the word, but this unlocking issue was the final nail in the coffin. What do you guys think I should do?

Hmmm...no Touchwiz afterall?

Seems LG knows something Samsung doesn't? They say Google not allowing ui over lay on honeycomb at this time... Maybe vanilla 3.0 after all?
http://phandroid.com/2011/03/24/lg-says-google-wont-allow-custom-uis-on-honeycomb-samsung-says-huh/
Sent from my Tab using XDA Premium App
This is very interesting. Because Samsung was verrrryyyy careful to note that TouchWiz4.0 would be coming to "some devices" in "some markets". and wouldn't even hint at which those were.
Also it should be noted that they're calling TouchWiz4.0 a "UX" or User Experience, rather than a UI (User Interface). Although this is kinda stupid because they're re-skinning basic Honeycomb UI elements like the back/home/multitasking buttons and the entire settings menu, etc. Sounds like a UI more than a UX to me.
Sounds like they're going to try and develop TouchWiz4.0 and then fight Google on it. If anything, Google will push it back until they just include a few widgets and call it a day. I'm perfectly okay with this.
This sounds awesome btw, and I hope Google follows through with it. Its good for them to try and protect Android as a brand and keep it from getting bastardized by all the manufacturers and carriers.
You guys should remember that Samsung has previously squeezed through Google's rules. Google tried to stop Android from being put on tablets too early by not allowing GAPS (Google Apps, e.g. the Market) to be shipped on those devices, however there was an exception to this rule and surprisingly enough it was the original Galaxy Tab. I also believe the Notion Ink Adam had the market installed, but I don't know how they managed that one.
If what LG states is true, Samsung and maybe even other major manufactures like HTC do not have to follow this rule. I assure you, TouchWiz will somehow make it to these tabs somehow, Samsung seems to be special.
martonikaj said:
This sounds awesome btw, and I hope Google follows through with it. Its good for them to try and protect Android as a brand and keep it from getting bastardized by all the manufacturers and carriers.
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Click to collapse
I totally agree. I think it would be great for Google to be firm footed about this. It's mainly the UI customisation that has caused so many manufacturers to cancel or postpone Android OS updates. I don't care if a manufacturer can produce a better UI than stock, I'd still rather have stock so that OS updates can be more timely.
Manufacturers can still customise the UI/UX somewhat via the application layer and their own widgets. Look at Launcher Pro for example.
I think Google need to create a supported mechanism for manufacturers to customise/skin/theme Android via official API calls. This gives manufacturers the differentiation they want and keeps everyone working ontop of official API calls.
Google should simply require that any modifications to the stock Android Experience be made "optional" by the manufacturers. Everybody wins.
RickBaller said:
Google should simply require that any modifications to the stock Android Experience by made "optional" by the manufacturers. Everybody wins.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This. That way Samsung can advertise it all they want in promotional material etc., but there is a switch in the settings menu to turn it all back to stock. Maybe this will be Samsung's compromise, who knows. It sounds like Google would prefer if it was stock and no questions asked. Manufacturers can customize all they want with widgets and apps, just leave the OS stock!
What people don't realize is that as long as carriers have any part of the update process, you will always get updates late. Why do you think the iPhone has no carrier logo, no carrier apps, and all updates are through iTunes? Apple knows that carriers are slow as **** and mess up everything they touch.
ryude said:
What people don't realize is that as long as carriers have any part of the update process, you will always get updates late. Why do you think the iPhone has no carrier logo, no carrier apps, and all updates are through iTunes? Apple knows that carriers are slow as **** and mess up everything they touch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I totally agree. Having firmware that toggles between stock and custom sounds like it will take even longer to release that the custom firmwares of today. The only way it could work is. If Samsung release them separately. Stock would be released first. They can then take as much time as they need to release their custom variant. That would be best of both worlds. Having said that I still think i'll be using home brew roms from xda as it will be tonnes better than what samsung produce.
Android should have a central repository like Ubuntu so it's always up to date on every device. Google made a mistake not doing something like that in the beginning. Now it's probably too late.
"An LG spokesperson." Yeah, dunno if I would actually believe this person. It's like asking a retail salesman at the store when the release date is for the new phone.
Also, do you guys really want to loose Touchwiz? Besides the rfs file system which is still yet unknown, I wouldn't mind Touchwiz if it includes all the codecs. The Vibrant was a beast of a media player right off the bat and if I get a tablet, I would want it to play anything from the get go. Although, the other topic posted a video saying the Touchwiz update would be optional so who knows.
DKYang said:
"An LG spokesperson." Yeah, dunno if I would actually believe this person. It's like asking a retail salesman at the store when the release date is for the new phone.
Also, do you guys really want to loose Touchwiz? Besides the rfs file system which is still yet unknown, I wouldn't mind Touchwiz if it includes all the codecs. The Vibrant was a beast of a media player right off the bat and if I get a tablet, I would want it to play anything from the get go. Although, the other topic posted a video saying the Touchwiz update would be optional so who knows.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a good point about the codec support. What's involved with Samsung adding codec support? Is it a case of just having the codec files added to the Android OS or does it require native modules to be installed within the Android OS? I guess it's the UI elements I have the most issues with TouchWiz. Non-UI elements that enhance the phone such as additional codecs are a welcome benefit. They probably add hardly any extra time to incorporate into a stock Android OS release.
Techno79 said:
That's a good point about the codec support. What's involved with Samsung adding codec support? Is it a case of just having the codec files added to the Android OS or does it require native modules to be installed within the Android OS? I guess it's the UI elements I have the most issues with TouchWiz. Non-UI elements that enhance the phone such as additional codecs are a welcome benefit. They probably add hardly any extra time to incorporate into a stock Android OS release.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think he's just saying that Samsung has more incentive to add in the codec support if they're going to customize with TouchWiz4.0.
Although I'd like to see them add the codec support either way considering they could use it as a huge selling point.

Annoying Market Problem

Just wondering if anyone knows details on how market listings work. I know there are some apps that show or not to certain phones, but is that just a version issue, a special exception google makes?
At any rate, it's moot, because if google has a solution, they aren't making it very clear to lots of people.
Anyway, the problem:
As android ages, the phones age, and the apps mature. There are lots of apps that won't adequately run on older phones, but as far as I can tell, the only recourse devs have is to put a note in the description, which stops no one from actually downloading it, then clogging the reviews with 1 star "does not work on the ___" reviews.
While this was always a problem, now that we've reached the point in time where this is starting to happen to Droid 1 users, it's less an annoyance, and more a serious issue. Ratings almost mean nothing on those apps, and it's hard to use the reviews to see if there are actually any real issues.
(There are 10 billion droid users, and because it was true for quite a while they seem particularly locked in to the "I have one of the better phones out there" mentality )
Ok, rant over. Not sure anyone else even notices this.
Also, I'm not sure the solution is to restrict access, but an official way to list the phones that work or don't work needs to be in place, and then maybe another dev option to still allow access*
Then, if your phone isn't compatible, but the dev okays downloading anyway, you are given an extra screen to dismiss, explaining the app probably wont work for you, and you aren't allowed to leave reviews.
*Not all phones are equal, a stock phone, and a tricked out custom kerneled OC'd version, are very different, so a user might opt to give it a whirl anyway.
I have several apps on the market. In the manifest for the app you declare the minimum version of Android required for the app, and it's my understanding that phones that do not have at least that version of Android will not see the app.
Now, just because an app doesn't work on one person's phone, and they write a nasty review saying "doesn't work on the Epic!" doesn't actually mean that it doesn't work on the Epic, it just means that one person couldn't get it to work. Also, the developer may have made some hardcoding choices (like directories, etc.) that are not universal, and that may lead to incompatibilities that were un-anticipated. But, other than version of Android, I'm not sure what else is available to a developer to restrict access.
Yeah, I figured you could set the version. It's too bad there's no way to control it a bit finer.
I also realize that it's entirely possible someone is just being an idiot, but the fact remains we're past the days where you could necessarily infer anything about the phones from the version, or NEED the latest API version to do something useful/cool.
There are apps that legitimately don't run on some phones, and I feel like google needs to offer an official solution, rather than rely on dev comments that no one reads.
Obviously there are lots of ways to fake what your phone is, and whatnot, so nothing is going to be perfect, but there needs to be some way to officially denote "This app only requires 2.2, but your phone can't be one that shipped with Cupcake"
Edit: perhaps an easier approach is to have a market setting that only factors ratings/reviews of people that have the same phone.
I also don't mean to sound like I install every 5 star app, and wont even think about installing a 3 star app, no matter what I've heard. I've just noticed this in apps I was installing for one reason or another, and felt bad for the devs. It also gives a little less incentive to provide new/cool things for those of us with better phones.
I also suppose there's no "official" guidelines on what these stars are supposed to mean, but to me 1 starring an ap that says "this won't work for you" when it doesn't work for you is like telling people your dentist sucks because he wouldn't change your oil or make you a burger.
Hey guys, remember when the carriers blocked wireless tethering apps from the market for 'their phones'? I don't believe they ever REMOVED the apps from the market, just tagged them in such a way that they are not visible to any of the phones they provide service for. Just a thought, maybe devs could do the same kind of 'blacklisting' based on model number...
Sent from my pocket rocket

Stuck with Samsung software...

Just speculating but my guess is to get a full and true experience with this device (edge screen) we'll most likely need to stick with Samsung's software. I can't imagine Google will build in edge possibilities with say Gmail, Calendar, Keep etc. I hope I'm wrong but I just can't see it.
I'm sure the brilliant minds here will help the situation out though.
I think that may be totally possible and buying it thinking that there will be a ton of 3rd party dev would be slightly delusional
Sent via the Samsung Galaxy NoteĀ® Edge, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone
opensourcefan said:
Just speculating but my guess is to get a full and true experience with this device (edge screen) we'll most likely need to stick with Samsung's software. I can't imagine Google will build in edge possibilities with say Gmail, Calendar, Keep etc. I hope I'm wrong but I just can't see it.
I'm sure the brilliant minds here will help the situation out though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3rd party will kick in but I bet it will take a while. That a small market of people who have the phone.
Google has a few things but very small. They have to do list, Gmail icon etc.. nothing big.
I'd like to see :
Ebay panel for ending soon item live update.
Smart remote panel for top 5 frav. channels and while on that panel the volume keys should work for the tv.
Facebook panel for status from selected people scrolling.
And probably some more stuff I can't think of right now. Lol. One can dream can't they.
But I bet we will start to see some more panels once more people start to get the phone.

Best Reason for buying your S8

We might have seen what S8 now is / will be...
Let us discuss here, what is the most compelling feature/reason for you to buy a S8.
Hi Moderator,
can you move this thread to News & Discussion from Q&A section as this has been posted incorrectly and also poll list Bigger screen size into Moderate Screen Size (compare to S8+) and another poll entry with "Soft Key Navigation"
Revealed today.
There really is not enough new to warrant changing my 8 months old S7E.
Bring on the Note 8 or S9.
I just pre-order my S8+ !! Can't wait to get it the 22 april !!
The reasons I WON'T be getting the S8:
Facial Recognition (intrusive)
IRIS Scanner (intrusive)
Fingerprint Scanner (intrusive)
Bixby (Hal, Oblivion)
No IR Blaster (DSLR)
No SPen (Note user NECESSITY)
Enclosed Battery
What are the Pro's, then?
Screen
360
Processor
Camera
Water Resistance
The Phone Company said:
The reasons I WON'T be getting any phone:
Enclosed Battery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck getting any future phone with a removable battery.
I am thinking of tracking down another Note Edge.... I feel like I am losing a number of useful features by buying an S8+ as a replacement for my old Note Edge.
MSK1 said:
I am thinking of tracking down another Note Edge.... I feel like I am losing a number of useful features by buying an S8+ as a replacement for my old Note Edge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, existing Note 4 user here, still going strong. Was a pre-ordered Note 7 customer and now look where we are today...
The live 'unboxing' presentation just made me nauseous. "Partnered with Google" "Working alongside Microsoft"
I see where this is going. I am done. Back to Nature.
Actual Reality > Virtual Reality all. day. long.
I voted the ones more important. But I'll tell you the ones that I absolutely do not find interesting: Bixby and Samsung Connect.
I have my own DDNS service running, so I do not need any cloud service from Samsung to get the status of my home smart devices. Bixby is replicating Google Assistant functionality, so it's more bloat added to the system and more companies with my life's metadata and data. As it wasn't hard enough to block such information leaks.
Dex, IP68, accessores, IRIS scanner and face recognition are cool.
All of the above items, but the S8+ 6.2 Screen is number one!
I am looking forward to Bluetooth 5.0 and better security logon. I hate the fingerprint reader. Whenever I golf, it can't read my fingerprint for a few days. Especially when I re-grip my clubs!!
Filiprino said:
I voted the ones more important. But I'll tell you the ones that I absolutely do not find interesting: Bixby and Samsung Connect.
I have my own DDNS service running, so I do not need any cloud service from Samsung to get the status of my home smart devices. Bixby is replicating Google Assistant functionality, so it's more bloat added to the system and more companies with my life's metadata and data. As it wasn't hard enough to block such information leaks.
Dex, IP68, accessores, IRIS scanner and face recognition are cool.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's actually the complete opposite of Google Assistant. It's embedded deep into the core functionality of the phone. Assistant is mainly for providing you information, with a few basic control features on top while Bixby allows much control over the device hardware and software via voice commands. It's a new feature that will need time to develop, Samsung wants to give you the option to do everything on your phone without having to touch it. One day you might not have to.
It's not for everyone though, you won't have to use it.
Highspeed123 said:
It's actually the complete opposite of Google Assistant. It's embedded deep into the core functionality of the phone. Assistant is mainly for providing you information, with a few basic control features on top while Bixby allows much control over the device hardware and software via voice commands. It's a new feature that will need time to develop, Samsung wants to give you the option to do everything on your phone without having to touch it. One day you might not have to.
It's not for everyone though, you won't have to use it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see how it can be completely the opposite. It has more control over your device to provide information.
the curve screen and the new specks
Highspeed123 said:
It's actually the complete opposite of Google Assistant. It's embedded deep into the core functionality of the phone. Assistant is mainly for providing you information, with a few basic control features on top while Bixby allows much control over the device hardware and software via voice commands. It's a new feature that will need time to develop, Samsung wants to give you the option to do everything on your phone without having to touch it. One day you might not have to.
It's not for everyone though, you won't have to use it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the world really need another assistant? Fragmentation is already bad enough on Android. So expecting from app developers to implement voice commands for other assistants besides Googles own doesn't seem like a smart move.
not much improvement over the S7/S7Edge.. high price for a little bit extra. Fingerprint on the back, really?
Going for the HTC U (Ocean, SD835) or wait for Note 8
paranoid2007 said:
Does the world really need another assistant? Fragmentation is already bad enough on Android. So expecting from app developers to implement voice commands for other assistants besides Googles own doesn't seem like a smart move.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do see your point and you are right about the fragmentation. That's the problem with open source. Companies want to go their own separate ways with it. AI is the next logical step in technology though. In the far future I don't imagine people still tapping away on screens, we will have Robotics and very advanced AI systems providing us with all the information we need.
Googles Assistant is a great bit of software and I use it a fair bit. It just can't integrate deep enough with every device, because of the fragmentation you mention. If we only had Google devices it would become a lot more useful.
I won't have that much need for Bixby but Samsung saw the need in the Mass market, or else they would not have bothered. There will be many that do actually want it. Especially disabled people and for use while driving. Samsung can hook it deep into the core functionality and allow control over every aspect of the device...one day.
Apple can do what they want as they have full control over their software and hardware. Samsung are trying to do the same thing. As they are one of the only Android phone makers that actually make a profit, they might make a success of it. Who knows.
I think we will see some rival OS in the future, they come and go. I can't see Android and iOS lasting forever. Samsung will go their own way one day.
---------- Post added at 10:35 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:16 AM ----------
Filiprino said:
I don't see how it can be completely the opposite. It has more control over your device to provide information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe I exaggerated some what lol. What I meant is that Bixby is Samsung's attempt at allowing hands free control over their phones. It's the start, so I expect it to get better with time and allow for almost total control. It won't just be for information. You will be able to control the camera, edit photos via voice commands, turn things on and off and do most of the things you have to touch the screen for. Handy if you're disabled or unable to hold your phone at the time.
I doubt I'll be using it much but it's still nice to gain new features. There will always be those that do have a use for it. Hopefully those that don't, will have the option to disregard it entirely.
Screen and camera are my main reasons. Plus after about 9 years with HTC phones, since the fuze, it's time for a change. And 64gb internal is a nice bonus.
Sent from my SM-T520 using Tapatalk
if it came whit unlockable bootloader im in
altvolt74 said:
if it came whit unlockable bootloader im in
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a bad bet...

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