But I don't WANNA set a default! How can I avoid this?

[leviathan0999]

But I don't WANNA set a default!!!!!

So I picked up my Galaxy S7 Edge yesterday, and I'm generally very pleased with it... But there is one annoyance.

On my previous phone, the S5 (I skipped the 6es because no MicroSD support) I felt that Samsung had KNOCKED the always-vexing issue of setting defaults. When I'd select something that would need to open an app to process, it would display a selection of compatible apps, and provide me two buttons: "Always" or "Just Once." This way, stuff I knew I'd always want to handle the same way (Phone calls, say) would be assigned a default app, and stuff that is better served by choosing the app on a per-use basis (Web Browsers, for instance, when different pages render better in different mobile browsers, or videos, which I might choose to watch in different players based on content or file type) gives me the option every time.

Samsung has taken a giant step backwards in the S7 Edge (and, I guess, the S7,) by making whatever app you choose to process such a link as the default automatically. So every time I, say, click a link in an e-mail to open a web page, I have to go into Settings | Applications | Default Applications | Set Defaults, find the web browser that's been selected as default,open it, and Clear Defaults.

I called Sprint Tech Support, and spoke to a first-level "knucklehead stuff' gunky, and was passed on to real techsupport, who transferred me to Samsung, where the rep insisted that I do, I do have "Always" and "Just Once" buttons, until I let her try it herself via remote access. Once she understood that it happened every time, she spent ten minutes teaching me what I already know about the 7-step process to clear defaults, and told me what a wonderful new feature this is to make life easier for me, and how I really just have to get used to my new phone. Uh... No.

This isn't a deal-breaker for me, but it's a HUGE annoyance, and I DEFINITELY need to see Samsung take steps to fix it.

In the meantime, anybody got a better workaround than that eternally-repeated 7-step trek into the settings?

 

[dpham00]

Re: But I don't WANNA set a default!!!!!

It is not a new feature.... It is there in my note 5 too in both lollipop and marshmallow.

You can use better open with from the play store to use similar to "just once" functionality. I actually prefer better open with over the old just once option personally.


Note that I don't have my s7 edge yet, but it works on my note 5 on marshmallow so it most likely works on the S7 too.

 

[matchtrader2000]

Re: But I don't WANNA set a default!!!!!

This was a problem that I think was introduced with the Note 5. I use an app called "Better open with" but there are other solutions. None are as elegant as the native way of handling this in Andoid, but they do serve the fix the break introduced by TouchWiz. For the life of me, I can't understand why Samsung did this in the first place.

 

[MartinMPL]

Re: But I don't WANNA set a default!!!!!

I noticed this, it seems a crazy thing for Samsung to take out. It's harder to seek out default apps and change them than it is to select "just once" for the odd time you don't want a default.

 

[Golfdriver97]

Re: But I don't WANNA set a default!!!!!

On an AT&T Galaxy Note 5, I don't have an option to select Just Once/Always. I find it annoying. Being a Moderator an Ambassador on AC there are links to the forums thrown around a lot around the Teams. Most of the time, opening a link in the Forums app is fine. But there are times where I need to open a link in Chrome because the action I need to do is easier there than on the Forums app.

One of the other Mods suggested this app: https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...outmycode.betteropenwith&hl=en&token=-p10dHeF
Once you pick that it becomes the default, but it is an app that allows you to constantly choose apps to launch that action with. I think a default can be set within Better Open with, but I am not sure, offhand.

 

[leviathan0999]

Re: But I don't WANNA set a default!!!!!

It is not a new feature.....

It's not a feature at all -- it's a bug! But it's newer than the previous, vastly superior way they did it.

That said, it looks like "Better Open With" is a more-or-less acceptable workaround.

 

[Golfdriver97]

Re: But I don't WANNA set a default!!!!!

That said, it looks like "Better Open With" is a more-or-less acceptable workaround.

It's a pretty good app; my only issue is remembering to click that as my option. Sometimes, out of force of habit, I click what I want by mistake first.

 

[jschu22]

Re: But I don't WANNA set a default!!!!!

While an understandable annoyance, the vast majority of users will appreciate this new "feature", if they even notice the difference at all.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[leviathan0999]

Re: But I don't WANNA set a default!!!!!

While an understandable annoyance, the vast majority of users will appreciate this new "feature", if they even notice the difference at all.

Nah, I'll buy that most won't notice it, but not that anything like a majority that does will be pleased.

 

[jschu22]

Re: But I don't WANNA set a default!!!!!

Nah, I'll buy that most won't notice it, but not that anything like a majority that does will be pleased.

You really think that the average phone user, which is easily 90%+ of the owners, at the very least won't appreciate one less click?

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[leviathan0999]

Re: But I don't WANNA set a default!!!!!

You really think that the average phone user, which is easily 90%+ of the owners, at the very least won't appreciate one less click?

Well, since they get a notification that the default has been set, and instructions how to change it, which they have to click an acknowledgment of, they're not getting one less click. They're getting one different click. No, the average phone user won't care the lease little bit about it. The average phone user, in fact, as you quite rightly pointed out, won't even notice.

Of those who do, I believe a clear majority will be more irritated to have an option taken away from them than pleased it's being done for them.

That said, why not make it an option you turn on in the Settings | Applications | Default Applications menu: a check-box labeled "Make setting of default applications optional?" Unchecked by default. Now your hypothetical average user never even knows it's possible, and the rest of us can find and activate the mode we want.

 

[jschu22]

Re: But I don't WANNA set a default!!!!!

Well, since they get a notification that the default has been set, and instructions how to change it, which they have to click an acknowledgment of, they're not getting one less click. They're getting one different click. No, the average phone user won't care the lease little bit about it. The average phone user, in fact, as you quite rightly pointed out, won't even notice.

Of those who do, I believe a clear majority will be more irritated to have an option taken away from them than pleased it's being done for them.

That said, why not make it an option you turn on in the Settings | Applications | Default Applications menu: a check-box labeled "Make setting of default applications optional?" Unchecked by default. Now your hypothetical average user never even knows it's possible, and the rest of us can find and activate the mode we want.

Reasonable request but suspect it won't happen because there are far too few that care. Don't bother asking me to prove it because I can't, but I'd certainly be willing to bet on it.

Now as far as them doing anything about changing this "feature", well I wouldn't hold my breath.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[leviathan0999]

Re: But I don't WANNA set a default!!!!!

Reasonable request but suspect it won't happen because there are far too few that care.

On this, I don't necessarily disagree, but, what the hell. I made the request when speaking with the support rep. I suspect if more of us made the same request, it might make enough impact that something is done. (Oh, probably not, but it definitely won't if we don't try!)

 

[milehigherik]

Re: But I don't WANNA set a default!!!!!

Don't bother asking me to prove it because I can't, but I'd certainly be willing to bet on it.


Posted via the Android Central App

How do you win a bet on something that you can't prove? I just thought this was funny. Busting your balls.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Cakefish]

Re: But I don't WANNA set a default!!!!!

Doesn't it have to do with the way Marshmallow now handles default apps vs Lollipop? I think this is a Google thing, not Samsung.

 

[dpham00]

Re: But I don't WANNA set a default!!!!!

Doesn't it have to do with the way Marshmallow now handles default apps vs Lollipop? I think this is a Google thing, not Samsung.

No because it is different on my Nexus 6 on lollipop and marshmallow

 

[Golfdriver97]

Re: But I don't WANNA set a default!!!!!

I can still choose once or always on my N5X on MM.

 

[jonmasters]

I'm getting the same problem. Some videos on my device work better with a specific app, other videos with another app, so I like to be able to choose between two apps for opening a file. My Galaxy S7 with Android Marshmallow has removed that option, and it's extremely irritating, not to mention time consuming, to have to go in a manually clear the default app.

Maybe Google should include a function where if you long-press on a file, one of your selections will be "Open with ..." like on Windows.

I did find a decent option called "App Picker Classic," which I've come to really like.

 

[Golfdriver97]

I'm getting the same problem. Some videos on my device work better with a specific app, other videos with another app, so I like to be able to choose between two apps for opening a file. My Galaxy S7 with Android Marshmallow has removed that option, and it's extremely irritating, not to mention time consuming, to have to go in a manually clear the default app.

Maybe Google should include a function where if you long-press on a file, one of your selections will be "Open with ..." like on Windows.

I did find a decent option called "App Picker Classic," which I've come to really like.

The just once or always option still exists in Nexus devices. Samsung removed it from their version of Android.

 

[leviathan0999]

I find the app "Better Open With," available in the Play Store for free, is a decent workaround.