New to Droid Maxx. Few questions

[jpan8456]

Hey everyone,

I just got a new Droid Maxx after being an iPhone 4s for two years. I just wanted to switch it up and have a few questions. If there is a thread that is basically the same as this please redirect me to it, as I'm also new to the forum.

1) I've heard rave reviews on the batterly life, but to me it's not all that different than the iPhone. I went from 8:30a-7p yesterday and was at 50%, which like I said is on par with the iPhone. Are there certain things I could tweak to prolong this? The only apps I really use are twitter and facebook, and that is only on occasion when I'm bored. The display turns off after a minute of non-use.

2) When I get a text, is there an option to see the phone light up and display who it's from, rather than just the vibrate/tone?

3) Is there an app in the phone for reminders? I couldn't find one and the ones I have gotten from the amazon app store have been disappointing.

4) Any other advice and tips are welcomed for a new user/someone making the transition from apple.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Ry]

Hey everyone,

I just got a new Droid Maxx after being an iPhone 4s for two years. I just wanted to switch it up and have a few questions. If there is a thread that is basically the same as this please redirect me to it, as I'm also new to the forum.

1) I've heard rave reviews on the batterly life, but to me it's not all that different than the iPhone. I went from 8:30a-7p yesterday and was at 50%, which like I said is on par with the iPhone. Are there certain things I could tweak to prolong this? The only apps I really use are twitter and facebook, and that is only on occasion when I'm bored. The display turns off after a minute of non-use.

2) When I get a text, is there an option to see the phone light up and display who it's from, rather than just the vibrate/tone?

3) Is there an app in the phone for reminders? I couldn't find one and the ones I have gotten from the amazon app store have been disappointing.

4) Any other advice and tips are welcomed for a new user/someone making the transition from apple.

Thanks in advance.

1) How long have you had the phone? What conditions are you in? Always on LTE?

2) Have you turned Active Display on? Settings > Active Display

3) I use Google Keep and Google Now for reminders.

4) Best tip: Issues with texts after moving to Android from iPhone? Here's an easy fix! | Android Central

 

[doogald]

I just got a new Droid Maxx after being an iPhone 4s for two years. I just wanted to switch it up and have a few questions. If there is a thread that is basically the same as this please redirect me to it, as I'm also new to the forum.

1) I've heard rave reviews on the batterly life, but to me it's not all that different than the iPhone. I went from 8:30a-7p yesterday and was at 50%, which like I said is on par with the iPhone. Are there certain things I could tweak to prolong this? The only apps I really use are twitter and facebook, and that is only on occasion when I'm bored. The display turns off after a minute of non-use.

Check the notification settings for Facebook and make them longer, if you have them shorter. Everybody is deifferent, but I generally get down to 50% after about 15 to 18 hours, and that's with at least an hour listening to podcasts. Battery life tends to take a few days to shake out.

2) When I get a text, is there an option to see the phone light up and display who it's from, rather than just the vibrate/tone?

Settings->Active display. Turn it on. This will show, on a periodic basis, any notifications that you have set up to show in active display (the default is all apps). Touch the circle in the center of the display and it shows more detail about the notification. But, if you are talking about iPhone style display when texts come in: there is nothing on the phone stock software that replicates that. I have no desire for that, but there may be a third party app in the play store that replicates it. Maybe not.

3) Is there an app in the phone for reminders? I couldn't find one and the ones I have gotten from the amazon app store have been disappointing.

Google Keep is a good app for notes/reminders,

Timed based reminders?You can do that from the Google search bar. Either tap the microphone and say "Remind me to turn on the oven in 15 minutes" and it will ask if you want a reminder set. You can type that in the Google search bar, too, to do the same. Or you can turn on settings->touchless controls, train the phone, and say it without touching the phone by saying "OK Google Now", wait for the phone to show the touchless control screen, and speak the same command.

4) Any other advice and tips are welcomed for a new user/someone making the transition from apple.

Take some time to browse the threads here. Maybe start from the oldest thread. There is a lot of good info here.

 

[Ry]

Google Keep is a good app for notes/reminders,

Timed based reminders?You can do that from the Google search bar. Either tap the microphone and say "Remind me to turn on the oven in 15 minutes" and it will ask if you want a reminder set. You can type that in the Google search bar, too, to do the same. Or you can turn on settings->touchless controls, train the phone, and say it without touching the phone by saying "OK Google Now", wait for the phone to show the touchless control screen, and speak the same command.

You can do time-based reminders in Google Keep too (I think it's the exact same system powering things on the backend). I set reminders on the desktop so I can be reminded on my phone: https://drive.google.com/keep/

 

[jpan8456]

1) How long have you had the phone? What conditions are you in? Always on LTE?

2) Have you turned Active Display on? Settings > Active Display

3) I use Google Keep and Google Now for reminders.

4) Best tip: Issues with texts after moving to Android from iPhone? Here's an easy fix! | Android Central

1) I've had the phone for two days now. I'm on wifi when possible. One thing the iPhone allowed me to do was disable "background app refresh" so twitter and facebook wouldn't be updating when I wasn't viewing them. Is that possible to do?

2) I'm glad you mentioned that. I had turned off active display because it seemed to be lighting up every two seconds, so I went back in and noticed you can pick and choose what you want it to display. Thank you.

3) Not seeing google keep or google now.

Thanks for the help! I'll be sure to check out the link.

 

[JY91]

I too came from a 4S so I know how it can be. It was pretty easy transfer from iPhone to Android.

1. Try disabling apps you don't use ie verizon's bs like navigator and stuff. I can get the better part of 36+ hours with about 6-7 hours of on-screen time with listening to music, checking facebook/espn throughout the day. I turn off Wi-Fi if I'm not connected and data if I have no reception. Look around youtube along with other forum sites to see what others do.

2. Active Display should be on so it will show that you have a notification(s) and when the icon in the center of the screen is on either from moving it or the "breathing" notification (reminder you have a notification) put your finger on it and it should display a small preview the notification(s) at the top of the screen.

3. For me the calendar app does justice for setting up reminders. I'm sure theres a better one but it works well enough for me and I am too lazy to look for another.

4. If you used your iPhone for music google music player is pretty solid for transferring music from iTunes and you download Android File Transfer https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/1101500?hl=en allowing you to drag and drop music onto your maxx.

 

[Ry]

1) I've had the phone for two days now. I'm on wifi when possible. One thing the iPhone allowed me to do was disable "background app refresh" so twitter and facebook wouldn't be updating when I wasn't viewing them. Is that possible to do?

2) I'm glad you mentioned that. I had turned off active display because it seemed to be lighting up every two seconds, so I went back in and noticed you can pick and choose what you want it to display. Thank you.

3) Not seeing google keep or google now.

Thanks for the help! I'll be sure to check out the link.

Google Keep should be in the Play Store. Google Now is just the Google Search app.

 

[Ry]

Another tip, if you sit at a desk all day - use Motorola Connect.

Desktop Chrome extension: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/motorola-connect/kigmoblgooahdmdibodmcnffgnejlndh?hl=en

Play Store app: https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...com.motorola.targetnotif&hl=en&token=Ksj7TACo

It'll let you send and receive SMS message (no MMS support yet) as well as receive call notifications from your computer, which in turn could help preserve battery life since you're not pulling your phone out of your pocket to reply back.

 

[Ry]

1. Try disabling apps you don't use ie verizon's bs like navigator and stuff. I can get the better part of 36+ hours with about 6-7 hours of on-screen time with listening to music, checking facebook/espn throughout the day. I turn off Wi-Fi if I'm not connected and data if I have no reception. Look around youtube along with other forum sites to see what others do.

Here are the apps I've disabled on my Moto X. The MAXX has more bloat though.

http://forums.androidcentral.com/moto-x/325195-verizon-moto-x-apps-youve-disabled.html

 

[Masheen]

And here is the one for the Droid Maxx

Verizon Droid Maxx: Disabled Apps for Speed and Battery Life

 

[jpan8456]

Thanks all for the help! Much appreciated.

 

[doogald]

3) Not seeing google keep or google now.

You can also get into Google Now by putting your finger on home and sliding up. This should expose an arc with a circle that says "Google" - if you slide until your finger is in that circle and then lift your finger, this will open Google Now.

Google Keep is here: https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...ils?id=com.google.android.keep&token=GRU-qZxd

You can open that in a PC browser. If you are logged in to the same Google account as you used on the phone, you can install apps to your phone from the PC browser.

 

[anon(8312128)]

Another tip, if you sit at a desk all day - use Motorola Connect.

Desktop Chrome extension: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/motorola-connect/kigmoblgooahdmdibodmcnffgnejlndh?hl=en

Play Store app: https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...com.motorola.targetnotif&hl=en&token=jn3BPH5s

It'll let you send and receive SMS message (no MMS support yet) as well as receive call notifications from your computer, which in turn could help preserve battery life since you're not pulling your phone out of your pocket to reply back.

This is a great tip. I forgot all about Motorola Connect until I read your post here. Makes perfect sense if you happen to be sitting in front of a computer and doing a lot of texting.

 

[Ry]

This is a great tip. I forgot all about Motorola Connect until I read your post here. Makes perfect sense if you happen to be sitting in front of a computer and doing a lot of texting.

Motorola Connect is such an underrated feature.

 

[phathands]

Thanks all for the help! Much appreciated.

You can try Motorola connect, but I really dig mighty text. SMS and MMS from computer web browsers and tablets.

if you can read this, you're standing too close

 

[Moo Cow]

1) I've heard rave reviews on the batterly life, but to me it's not all that different than the iPhone. I went from 8:30a-7p yesterday and was at 50%, which like I said is on par with the iPhone. Are there certain things I could tweak to prolong this? The only apps I really use are twitter and facebook, and that is only on occasion when I'm bored. The display turns off after a minute of non-use.

There is a lot of good info in this thread and I hope it can help you. Masheen's guide for disabling apps is awesome and a must-read. It is arguably a top-three thread in the Droid Maxx forum, period.

Another thing to keep in mind about your battery drain: It's a new phone. You're likely going to mess with it a heck of a lot more and thus drain more battery than normal. Once the "new toy" aspect wears off, you will find battery life improving. I know this to be true as I was once in your shoes and had the same thing said to me.

Also, make sure to adjust your screen brightness and the amount of time your screen is idle before shutting off. These are two tips for any phone, but believe it or not it's simple tweaking that saves juice. I have my screen set to a 30-second auto shutoff, as 15 seconds is just too short for me, especially when considering my average reading/scrolling times on a website. But 60 seconds and up is just too long. As for screen brightness, my brightness slider in settings is roughly at the 1/4th full mark (this is what the "half sun" is on the stock Power Control widget I use.) You can use the auto-brightness setting, but for my tastes, it always dims at the wrong time and annoys me. I prefer a consistent brightness, but not one that is too bright. You will set both of these to what works for you, but obviously, the lower they are, the less battery drain.