S5 Gripes

[BlurryEyed]

I need to vent about the S5. I miss certain aspects of my iPhone 5, but enjoy some of the liberties of the S5. I thought I'd start a thread detailing gripes and nuisances about the S5 (Verizon) having owned it since October 2014.

• Lollipop update made the phone worse requiring a factory data reset
• Slow camera access
• Camera shots are often out of focus
• Updated apps that were on the SD card have to be moved back to the SD card after updating
• If an app has had its notifications disabled, they need to be disabled again after an update
• Have to clear cached data periodically because on-board storage space consumption
• Unremoveable Bloatware
• Fingerprint reader is awkward and has never worked reliably for me
• Battery life - it's just average
• GPS seems to require calibration often
• Being a former iPhone user, I am still not receiving all text messages, even after disabling iMessage for my Apple ID/number.
• MMS is awful when sharing media with iPhone users. The data cap of 2MB with my carrier is the bottleneck there.
• Horrific speaker phone clarity
• Contant reminder that excess volume can cause hearing damage
• Bluetooth toggle opens bluetooth profiles; should just turn BT on/off; 3rd Party Gadget fixed that
• "Battery is fully charged unplug charger " warning
• Wallpaper reverts to stock periodically

This is not to say its a bad phone (I've had worse) and there are many aspects of the phone that I enjoy, but it's just not the escape from an iPhone I was looking for. I may consider a Nexus 5 or LG G4 next. I won't go back to Apple unless they learn that asking $100 for 16GB of additional storage space is unreasonable and unethical. :-$

What are some of your gripes?

 

[UKgalaxy]

I made the jump from the iPhone 5 to the S5 10 months ago and to be fair I'm fairly happy. I did find the iPhone/ios easier and simpler to use but I think that iphones in general are targeted at those who are not that tech savvy. I just find that I sometimes get lost in the OS of the S5 when trying to change something but that's the trade off between having a phone that can do so much.

I've not missed my iPhone at all really and really had my eyes opened to how customisable android is and how open it is as well. I big plus of android is that you can pretty much have the same OS across a huge variety of handsets as well. So if you don't like your S5 you can go to HTC, LG etc but keep the same operating system. With apple you have what your given and if you don't like it tough!!

I can't see me going back to a iPhone anytime soon.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[ironass]

The 2 previous posts illustrate exactly the difference between the worldwide international model, G900F, which is running Samsung firmware and is regularly updated and the Verizon model, G900V, that is on the oldest Lollipop firmware worldwide and is 7 months out of date on its clone version.

See #1.3 and #1.6 of 40 Galaxy S5 models - Dummies Guide

Also, post #1 of Lollipop, new, even BIGGER, update!!!

This accounts for the disproportionate number of posts from Verizon owners when compared to the 300+ Lollipop firmwares that have been released and updated by Samsung worldwide so far. See, S5 Lollipop (Android 5) latest releases

"Think that everyone's Samsung Galaxy S5 is the same as yours...
Think again! "

 

[BlurryEyed]

The 2 previous posts illustrate exactly the difference between the worldwide international model, G900F, which is running Samsung firmware and is regularly updated and the Verizon model, G900V, that is on the oldest Lollipop firmware worldwide and is 7 months out of date on its clone version.

See #1.3 and #1.6 of 40 Galaxy S5 models - Dummies Guide

Also, post #1 of Lollipop, new, even BIGGER, update!!!

This accounts for the disproportionate number of posts from Verizon owners when compared to the 300+ Lollipop firmwares that have been released and updated by Samsung worldwide so far. See, S5 Lollipop (Android 5) latest releases

"Think that everyone's Samsung Galaxy S5 is the same as yours...
Think again! "

Hence my reasoning for moving to a Nexus 5...

 

[BlurryEyed]

I suppose I could install the Stock firmware from Samsung..but my phone is still under warranty.

 

[ironass]

I suppose I could install the Stock firmware from Samsung..but my phone is still under warranty.

I'm afraid you can't install the stock Samsung firmware for the international model, G900F, on to the Verizon carrier minority variant, G900V, it wouldn't work and could brick your phone.

 

[BlurryEyed]

I'm afraid you can't install the stock Samsung firmware for the international model, G900F, on to the Verizon carrier minority variant, G900V, it wouldn't work and could brick your phone.

Darn...well...I guess I'll wait to upgrade to a better device

 

[ironass]

Darn...well...I guess I'll wait to upgrade to a better device

IMHO, the device is great. The problem is Verizon's clone firmware!

 

[thecomicbookandme]

What are some of your gripes?

I would add the fact that it is necessary to reset the "recommended apps" feature in the notification panel (for headset use) frequently.
It never seems to stick.
AT&T
Fixed with update to 5.1.1

 

[BlurryEyed]

I would add the fact that it is necessary to reset the "recommended apps" feature in the notification panel (for headset use) frequently.
It never seems to stick. ������
AT&T

You just reminded me of another gripe - constant reminders that listening to media at high volumes can cause hearing damage.

 

[KJ78]

The "battery is fully charged unplug charger " warning is annoying too.

Full battery and headset volume warnings should be 1 time and done, or at least provide that option.

 

[ironass]

The "battery is fully charged unplug charger " warning is annoying too.

This was fixed by Samsung in the OB7 build, dated 13th Feb; with changelist #4209230

Full battery and headset volume warnings should be 1 time and done, or at least provide that option.

The warning is a legal requirement in the European Union and several other countries worldwide.

 

[BadAsDad]

My battery life on this Verizon version really stinks. I'm lucky if I get 12 hours. Alot of issues the original poster wrote I see also. This phone is not as good as I expected. VERY BAD BATTERY LIFE.
Samsung Galaxy S5 since July 2014. There is better out there.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[AXEL314]

I love this phone. Little powerhouse with the Carl Zeiss VR one, have shot amazing videos and splice footage together with samsung's video editor and Google's Photos app, and runs buttery smooth on a slick interface with Nova.

I do heartedly agree with the annoying warning pop ups and bloatware, but that's the beauty of a rooted device. I got rid all my carriers crap, disabled all those pesky warnings, got rid of that emergency dialer from my lockscreen, customized my carrier name, have viper4android fx.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[BlurryEyed]

I love this phone. Little powerhouse with the Carl Zeiss VR one, have shot amazing videos and splice footage together with samsung's video editor and Google's Photos app, and runs buttery smooth on a slick interface with Nova.

I do heartedly agree with the annoying warning pop ups and bloatware, but that's the beauty of a rooted device. I got rid all my carriers crap, disabled all those pesky warnings, got rid of that emergency dialer from my lockscreen, customized my carrier name, have viper4android fx.

Posted via the Android Central App

What ROM did you go with?

 

[AXEL314]

I'm actually running stock rom. The customization with Nova and wanam xposed have really gotten me where I'd like my phone. I'm still on 4.4.2

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Mojave]

I'm also on Verizon and have been with them for 20 years or so. My S5 is running fine with Lollipop. I did prefer KitKat 4.4 on my S5 and I am not a huge fan of Lollipop. So many issues for so many. I do HATE all the white color in Lollipop and that dumb white banner of battery fully charged! I just disabled the bloatware on my S5. I am not rooted and don't want to do so for fear of bricking my phone and also for not fully understanding the rooting thing.

I am not having all those issues as you are. I did a clear cache partition after my S5 rebooted after the install of Lollipop. I have not done a factory reset since the cache partition did the trick. My battery is great....phone is not getting hot.....camera a-ok...etc.

My gripe with Verizon is that they are not updating their firmware for Lollipop and it's soooooooo outdated!!!! I feel that alot of these S5 issues (Verizon) can be fixed if they get their a$$ in gear and stop messing with the firmware that Samsung is releasing to the carriers.

A BIG THANK YOU to Ironass for posting all these firmware/changelist information. :-* I feel much more informed as to what is going on with this Lollipop crap.

Overall.....very happy with my S5. I have had it for over 1 year now and I plan on keeping it for a while.

 

[scrondar]

My S5 is on T-Mobile (SM-G900T), and they had the good sense to install only two apps, both of which are not too shabby. Great phone, all around. On Lollipop, I get all-day battery and nearly every other major aspect of the device is wonderful. The hi-res JPEGs are good enough to print and display, and everything just works. T-Mo is dragging their feet on Marshmallow, but I really don't mind. If they update, fine. If not, it's all good. With a 64GB SD card and replaceable battery, I'm hard pressed to see why I would replace this little wonder. The S6 is a lovely looking device, but having access to the innards of my S5 has spoiled me. It's a keeper.

 

[BlurryEyed]

This phone blows. Ready to move on from the Verizon S5.

Went snowboarding today. Started at 100% at 9am. By 3pm my phone was dead after 3 text messages and 1 Facebook post. All options turned off except LTE.

My buddies iPhone 6 was at 70% left at the end of today with more activity than I had. Not going back to iPhone, but it sure ticked me off.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[GingerSnapsBack]

I just can't stand the bloatware or the fact that I still haven't gotten Marshmallow or the newest emojis.