throwing up my hands

[ldragon76]

I was looking forward to this update. But after the last couple of days I wish I never had it.

I honestly didn't even know about the usb thing until I just read about it, that is icing on the cake.

Let me elaborate a bit...

Ever since the update pushed 2 days ago my connectivity has been "wonky." I am on wifi 95% of the time. Phone has been running like a top since purchase until this update. After the update I tried to access Facebook for Android app repeatedly and was unable to because of a 'connection error.' Previously I had no issues with the app, despite the numerous bad reviews on Google Play. I removed and reinstalled the app, removed and re added my wifi connection settings, and finally just gave up and removed the app entirely.

Thought that would fix things, but apparently not, because unless I use Opera Mini the facebook mobile website also hangs and stalls when I use the default browser. I cleared cache hoping that would fix it, but it did not. THEN, I downloaded and installed firefox, and for whatever reason that browser seems to pull up the site fairly fast. And then (because I'm weird and like to try every possible scenerio) I dowloaded Dolphin, and that browser won't pull up the website AT ALL. It pulls up others just fine though. The other odd thing is that tweetdeck was also having issues connecting to my facebook account, as when I would do an update it would take forever to pull up facebook posts, and they would be missing pictures. Finally I just changed it so it wouldn't pull facebook data anymore..and tweetdeck is just as fast as it was before. I've been googling my issue in the hopes of seeing similar issues with others, in case the mobile website was down or sluggish for everyone..but I have not been able to find anything current.

I just can't figure any of this stuff out. I was hoping someone here would notice something in this information that might be obvious to someone with a more "techie" background. After reading about this usb thing I fear I might just have to do a factory reset. I am just afraid to do it because I'm not sure how it all works. I had turned off the data backup to google option awhile ago because I was uncomfortable with how much data the phone was sipping when I wasn't even doing anything on it. I turned the option back on soon after this system update. How long does it take for the phone to have everything backed up to the cloud? Is the restore process simple afterwards by just signing into the google account?

Sorry if I have too many questions. I have been browsing this forum alot but have not had the need to post until now.

 

[ldragon76]

Ok...ended up doing a factory reset anyway. Spent a bunch of time getting everything back in; and things seemed to be fixed.

But then the same issue started all over again this morning. And this time the connection dropped when I was sitting within feet of my router and had a full wifi signal.

I did a bit of googling and discovered this issue continuing to persist in 2.3.6 for at least half a year. This link seems to explain what is happening I think: wi fi - WiFi Signal drops out every 3 minutes - Android Enthusiasts

Only thing is I don't know how to fix it. What is mentioned is the lease renewal, but I checked my router settings (linksys) and it is set to "0" which is 1 day. So it's not at "forever." I don't know what to do at this point.

 

[acejavelin]

Change it... set the lease time to 8 hours (480 minutes) or 12 hours (720 minutes) and restarting the router and your phone. Also try locking the channel on the router (do not use Auto). Download WiFi Analyzer from the Play Store to find a clear channel for you router to use in your installation.

Also, since most Linksys routers are fairly basic to setup, try defaulting the router to factory settings and try it without any changes that are not needed to connect to the network to see if there is something in your WiFi security settings or something that is causing an issue.

 

[ldragon76]

Channel was already locked at 6 apparently. I downloaded that app (interesting little thing) and am showing a few other networks around me (I live in an apartment building) but they are on different channels.

Changed the DHCP leasing I will advise if it works out.

If this doesn't work I guess I need a new router..yes? I know mine is old but it's frustrating that everything was working a-ok before the update.

It's not impossible that my security settings are wonky. I know little about networking, but followed a guide to keep the wireless router locked up pretty good when we got an xbox 360 (didn't want other apartment dwellers using it).

If the leasing was set at a day..and my connection to the wifi is dropping after a few minutes, could this still be the problem? Or could it be my "group key renewel" in the wireless security settings? Group Key Renewal is by default set for 3600 seconds, I did not change it when I set up the key, and had no reason to because none of our other wireless devices have any trouble connecting to our network. For reference those devices are: PS3, XBOX 360, Kindle, Nintendo DS. The two computers also on our home network are hard wired into the router.

If any of what I wrote doesn't make sense I apologize...like I said before I know little about networking. The "3600" just popped out at me.

 

[acejavelin]

What Linksys router do you have? There are lots of third party firmwares out there (the most popular being DD-WRT or Tomato-based) for almost all of the Linksys routers. I still recommend them and use one at home (WRT54GL with Tomato firmware) and never had any connection issues with any device. My son has a E1000 with DD-WRT, same thing, works perfectly with all devices we have ever used.

 

[ldragon76]

Its a WRT54G. I'll be honest, I'm not even sure it's the wifi anymore. The phone in general just seems "off," "slow," what not. I got hardly any sleep the night before having been up all night trying to figure things out, so I'd say my brain is a bit fried over the whole thing. I'll try to summarize the best I can.

The connection, be it wifi, or mobile data just goes slow after awhile, and some sites take forever to load (i.e. facebook). Now, restarting the phone has ALWAYS FIXED IT so far. But, in a an hour or a few hours (seems to depend on how often I use the phone), it's like some magical switch is flipped in my phone and it just starts running like crap. I don't know how else to put it. It's not even gradual. It's like at some point it says, "o snap, she's looked at facebook 5.65 times, better slow 'er down!" And all of a sudden when I try to either: update tweetdeck (only slow if I have it checking facebook), or browse on an browser that ISN'T Opera Mini, I may as well click the link I want to see and go watch TV for a few minutes while it loads the page I want. And so it continues unless or until I restart my phone and everything is smooth as buttah again.

On top of that my voice signal seems to be crap alot of the time now. I live in a pretty well covered area, not that it matters; I remember what I was getting for a signal before the update, and it was good, just like it should be. Yesterday evening, I spent most of the evening sitting at one bar. I turned on then off airplane mode, and it went up to full; but then after about a half hour it went down to 1 bar again and stayed there. I pulled the battery at this point, but that didn't seem to do anything but bump me up to 2 bars..so I gave up and went to bed. Throughout today..it's been jumping around ALOT, from 1 bar to full.

The phone was also getting pretty damn warm, almost uncomfortable to hold, and while I know some warmth in normal this was much more than I had experienced with this handset at all since purchase. And my battery...is lasting maybe half as long as it used to.

So all in all....yea..not sure what to do right now. I communicated briefly with Verizon and got the typical "form" questions, for things I had already tried, and the conversation felt pretty useless so I haven't contacted them again just yet. I just don't know what to do about this, because technically my phone "works" it just doesn't work as well as it did. Doesn't make me feel like I got any less screwed.

*I forgot to add, I did also do a factory reset. I stayed up for hours in the night getting things just back the way I wanted them, when my phone seemed pretty fast I was rather excited. Pretty much a let down since though, a few hours later all this trouble just happened all over again.

 

[acejavelin]

Not sure what to say from here... possibly reflash the stock firmware? EDIT: Nevermind, can't with this one

The only thing that bugs me is that it is fine after a reboot, then gets slower over time, which to a minor degree is normal, but not so much to have any real effect on using the device. Makes me thing that something is not behaving properly, either a misbehaving app or corruption in the firmware.

It should still be under warranty with VZW, replacement maybe?

 

[ldragon76]

I was trying to find out online what verizon's policy is but I was unable to, though I'm going to make a few assumptions and figure it's probably 30 days (too late for me). With Samsung I have longer. Although; it's not really possible for me to send my phone to them and be without it for any length of time. This is my only phone, no landline. Its my only point of contact with my child's elementary school. I cannot be unreachable in the event something happens.

In any case...I reached out to Samsung anyway, sent the form in and we'll see what happens. Not having alot of hope though. I'm afraid I would be just trading one problem for another.

 

[jrh4054]

I too have issues with the system update. I get an error when either selecting the USB settngs or charging my phone with my laptop. The error says, "process.com. android.settings stopped unexpectedly. Try again." VZW CS says the only thing to do with this is a factory reset, which I really don't want to do. The other issue I'm having is everytime I open an app I get a reminder asking if I want to connect using Wi-Fi. I haven't checked either the 'notify me or auto-connect options in the Wi-Fi settings. The last issue since the update is I'm getting a call back number with every txt I receive. Does anyone know how to deal with any of these problems?

 

[acejavelin]

I was trying to find out online what verizon's policy is but I was unable to, though I'm going to make a few assumptions and figure it's probably 30 days (too late for me). With Samsung I have longer. Although; it's not really possible for me to send my phone to them and be without it for any length of time. This is my only phone, no landline. Its my only point of contact with my child's elementary school. I cannot be unreachable in the event something happens.

In any case...I reached out to Samsung anyway, sent the form in and we'll see what happens. Not having alot of hope though. I'm afraid I would be just trading one problem for another.

Verizon will honor Samsung's warranty (typically 1 year) and send you a replacement, call their tech support and go through the steps with them and if it is not fixed they will send you a CLNR unit. Best bet is to factory default at least twice and verify the problem exists before loading any non-essential apps, it will seriously cut down on your wasted time with tech support.

I too have issues with the system update. I get an error when either selecting the USB settngs or charging my phone with my laptop. The error says, "process.com. android.settings stopped unexpectedly. Try again." VZW CS says the only thing to do with this is a factory reset, which I really don't want to do. The other issue I'm having is everytime I open an app I get a reminder asking if I want to connect using Wi-Fi. I haven't checked either the 'notify me or auto-connect options in the Wi-Fi settings. The last issue since the update is I'm getting a call back number with every txt I receive. Does anyone know how to deal with any of these problems?

Ahhhh... Factory Reset first, I know it's a pain but there is a reason that everyone tells people to do this as one of the first trouble shooting steps, it lets you know quickly if the problem is with the phone itself, or some app/conflict that is installed. Especially after any system firmware upgrade, a factory reset is a good idea even if you don't see any immediate issues.

 

[Dave-in-Decatur]

I too have issues with the system update. I get an error when either selecting the USB settngs or charging my phone with my laptop. The error says, "process.com. android.settings stopped unexpectedly. Try again." VZW CS says the only thing to do with this is a factory reset, which I really don't want to do.

Does the error condition actually prevent you from doing anything? I know the darn thing is annoying, but I found that I could still actually connect my phone to my PC and manage files, despite the error message.

The other issue I'm having is everytime I open an app I get a reminder asking if I want to connect using Wi-Fi. I haven't checked either the 'notify me or auto-connect options in the Wi-Fi settings.

Don't know what to do about this one. Many people have reported being unable to connect with WiFi (or having very slow WiFi connections) since the update, but I haven't heard about this.

The last issue since the update is I'm getting a call back number with every txt I receive. Does anyone know how to deal with any of these problems?

You can prevent your phone from adding your callback number to texts you send by going into the Messaging app, then Menu > Settings, then scroll to "Callback" and uncheck "Callback Enabled." But there's no way to prevent your phone from displaying other people's callback numbers, other than asking people who text you to turn the option off on their phones.

There's an attempt at a comprehensive look at problems with the update on the Verizon user forums: https://community.verizonwireless.com/thread/783651. I don't think you have to join the forum just to view it.

 

[jrh4054]

You should avoid the factory reset at all costs. It puts your phone back to where it was when you got it. You can save your downloaded apps on the Google website, but everything else is gone. You can backup your contacts, etc. using the VZW Backup Assistant and Backup Assistant Plus, but you still have to reset your home pages, etc. It is pain, but sometimes it's the only way to fix major issues. If you have problems with connecting using WiFi, why not use the VZW network? From the get-go, there have been some connectivity issues with the Strat. I experienced the USB problem, but because I don't connect my phone with a PC, it's a nonissue and certainly not worth doing a reset to fix. Good luck!!

 

[ldragon76]

Jr was that reply for me?

Sent from my SCH-I405 using Tapatalk 2

 

[acejavelin]

You should avoid the factory reset at all costs. It puts your phone back to where it was when you got it. You can save your downloaded apps on the Google website, but everything else is gone. You can backup your contacts, etc. using the VZW Backup Assistant and Backup Assistant Plus, but you still have to reset your home pages, etc. It is pain, but sometimes it's the only way to fix major issues. If you have problems with connecting using WiFi, why not use the VZW network? From the get-go, there have been some connectivity issues with the Strat. I experienced the USB problem, but because I don't connect my phone with a PC, it's a nonissue and certainly not worth doing a reset to fix. Good luck!!

This is a Google phone... why not use all the free services Google has that it was intended for?

I store NOTHING with VZW's services, they are terrible and corrupt easily... I used to use them on my previous non-smartphones and lost all my contacts that were supposedly backed up TWICE... Now everything is Google. When I make a contact, it's a Google contact, all Calendar events are Google or Exchange (corporate email), use Google Drive to maintain all your pictures, videos, downloads, ect. in the cloud all the time. In newer Android loads, Google can even backup the apps and settings automatically, then restore them automatically!

A Factory Reset should be a simple procedure, I can do one and be back up to 95% of what I was previously in under 30 minutes depending on how long it takes for the apps to push out and install... including taking time to backup the stuff manually like SMS messages and restore them and re-link Facebook contacts (about 150).

This goes back to one of the things I have said for a long time, but most people don't like to hear it, and I think the carriers are at fault for making people think that things should just work and there is nothing they need to do, it will all be just fine and taken care of... People should have training on their smartphones, to know how to do stuff with them since, for most people that aren't real techy, these things seems to just be automatic and they are not but they don't realize it until it is too late.

A smartphone should be treated like a car, it takes regular maintenance and a knowledge of how to do some stuff for yourself... after all, most people can't just jump in a car for the first time and parallel park, it takes practice and some instruction, so why should they be expected to take a smartphone and just know how to backup their data, move pictures to the cloud, or convert VZW contacts to Google contacts? They can't, not because they are stupid or don't want too for the most part, they just need to be taught how to do it and the importance of knowing that information. And just like a car, if you don't maintain it properly, it will fail... but instead of being stranded beside the road for not keeping oil in it, you might lose those precious pictures, or maybe something just as mundane as being unsatisfied with your device.

Now, I am not saying people should be required to take a class to buy a smartphone, but they should at least have some GOOD instruction available to them if they need it, and a clearer understanding that it is not all fine, good, and automatic if you just ignore it for the next two years.

And as far as a factory reset goes, it is NEVER a bad thing to do one, it clears out all the junk that your phone has collected in the cache, dalvik cache, old apps that don't erase themselves completely, corrupt settings, etc. etc... A Factory Reset is a good thing, it puts your phone back to a known good operational state.

I could go on and on, but I hope I have said enough to get the point across.

 

[Dave-in-Decatur]

With regard to the USB issue specifically (getting the message "Sorry! Process com.android.settings stopped unexpectedly. Try again" when trying to access USB settings or connect to a computer via USB cable): a procedure has been discovered by a user that seems to fix it. Basically, it consists of clearing the data in the Settings app itself. Wish I could take credit for this brilliant insight, but no, it was another Dave (but of course ... it was a Dave! ). For the details, see: https://community.verizonwireless.com/thread/784197.

 

[marybeth1024]

The phone was also getting pretty damn warm, almost uncomfortable to hold, and while I know some warmth in normal this was much more than I had experienced with this handset at all since purchase. And my battery...is lasting maybe half as long as it used to.

That is exactly what is happening to me. I noticed the phone has been getting warm, if not hot but I thought it was because it seems like the battery is always going on me and I'm charging it again. I wish I didn't get a smartphone - I'm not smart enough to figure out what's wrong with it. :-[

 

[myherojack24]

Hi, I have been so aggravated with my phone since the update I could have thrown it off of a very tall building, well building, bridge, Shaquille O'Neal, any tall structure.

Anywho...I broke down and did a factory reset and that definitely helped with some of the "bugginess", however, wifi issues stayed the same. Ugh...

Well believe it or not, I simply turned off mobile data and my wifi connection is suddenly faster than ever. Granted it's only been a matter of hours but the improvement was amazing and is still holding up.

I re-enabled mobile data a couple of times to test it and sure enough, after anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour it started hanging up again. I disabled it yet again and although there wasn't an immediate improvement, I turned airplane mode on and back off and voila, super speedy wifi again and it did this both times so there seems to be a definite connection (lol, connection, see what I did there?).

So, hopefully it holds up, it's been a few hours and it's still going strong. I'm totally ok with turning mobile data on and off when I'm not in a wifi spot.

Fingers are crossed and hopefully this helps someone else.

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