Very frustrated with my S9+.....

[Android Central Question]

I've had an HTC One M8 for rather a long time and guess not only had I got used to its ways, but it seemed to have a lot of (basic) stuff built in that has to be obtained thru Play Store with Samsung... For example in HTC it comes with the ability to create widgets built in - I'm really missing my going to work by train journey widget which was a shortcut to Google Maps for the train journey to work with the exact stations pre-selected so I could get an up to date view of if the train was delayed (and especially on these winter mornings, I could stay in the car as long as possible so that I didn't have to stand on a freezing train platform!). Now I have to install something which will allow me to create custom widgets and that whole thing just looks REALLY complicated and I've already altogether spent hours and hours going round in circles with just very basic stuff.

For examplewhat appears on the lock screen changes - about an hour ago I set a picture to show (which then knocked out the clock - I was trying to set an image from my gallery as a lock screen wallpaper but clearly failed miserably with that) - now, the clock only is back on the lock screen. I have KWGT widget maker installed and whilst scrolling through the options of which phone widget to use on the lock screen would ex[ect to see KWGT listed so I can pick the phone widget that I just set up in there - but I don't seem to be able to see it.

In Always on Display Alerts in Settings I can (apparently) only select 'Reminder' to be shown alerts for - I don't use Reminder, I use To Do app so why can't other apps be selected here?

There there is the way the home screen icon double tap to open behaves - great during the day but at night doesn't always work and trying to use the power button when the phone's sitting precariously on a charging stand when you're bleary-eyed at 2 in the morning doesn't fill me with joy. That I can't use my KWGT date time and clock for the always on display clock is a pain as I cannot see the Samsung clock it's so blasted small and again, at 2 in the morning, it's a pain in the *** as I can't see what time it is. Of course, I also can't see what time it is because the clock seems to turn itself off being always on display at some point in the night whereupon I haven't got a clue what the time is!

I've got it set to show badge counters and notifications set to on (say for Gmail) yet when I get emails there's no badge counter coming up.

I also used to be able

I thought I'd be able to do more with this phone, but at the moment I can do less, nothing's intuitive, it's all really hard work and yet my expectation (rightly or wrongly) was that I'd be able to do absolutely loads of much more advanced stuff than I could have done on my HTC but to be honest, at the moment, I'm missing that little old phone a great deal.

I also seem to hear multiple multiple da-da da da-da notifications all the time and have NO idea what they are for and thus, how to get rid of them.

I used to have a very strong and loud notification for my Ring doorbell app, now I barely hear the virtual doorbell when it goes off - is there any way to make certain notifications louder??

I used to have shortcut widgets for my son and daughter so if I wanted to message them in an SMS app, I just tapped whoever's widget and it took me straight to them, plus I had individual personalised notifications attached which said "Peter calling" (names have been changed to protect the innocent) and I know I'd want to read that text whilst I wouldn't care for others coming in from Asda or the Very catalogue.

And at the end of all that tome of woe, I've got a very poor understanding of which things need sorting in the Samsung settings, in KWGT, or which I should be utilising Bixby for (which I've not even gotten into that yet).

Don't know how to get over the hump really!

 

[belodion]

That’s a big post.

Would you like me to move it to the S9+ forum?

 

[halesowenmum]

Yes please

 

[belodion]

Okay.

Welcome as a new member.

 

[waqqas31]

I've had an HTC One M8 for rather a long time and guess not only had I got used to its ways, but it seemed to have a lot of (basic) stuff built in that has to be obtained thru Play Store with Samsung... For example in HTC it comes with the ability to create widgets built in - I'm really missing my going to work by train journey widget which was a shortcut to Google Maps for the train journey to work with the exact stations pre-selected so I could get an up to date view of if the train was delayed (and especially on these winter mornings, I could stay in the car as long as possible so that I didn't have to stand on a freezing train platform!). Now I have to install something which will allow me to create custom widgets and that whole thing just looks REALLY complicated and I've already altogether spent hours and hours going round in circles with just very basic stuff.

For examplewhat appears on the lock screen changes - about an hour ago I set a picture to show (which then knocked out the clock - I was trying to set an image from my gallery as a lock screen wallpaper but clearly failed miserably with that) - now, the clock only is back on the lock screen. I have KWGT widget maker installed and whilst scrolling through the options of which phone widget to use on the lock screen would ex[ect to see KWGT listed so I can pick the phone widget that I just set up in there - but I don't seem to be able to see it.

In Always on Display Alerts in Settings I can (apparently) only select 'Reminder' to be shown alerts for - I don't use Reminder, I use To Do app so why can't other apps be selected here?

There there is the way the home screen icon double tap to open behaves - great during the day but at night doesn't always work and trying to use the power button when the phone's sitting precariously on a charging stand when you're bleary-eyed at 2 in the morning doesn't fill me with joy. That I can't use my KWGT date time and clock for the always on display clock is a pain as I cannot see the Samsung clock it's so blasted small and again, at 2 in the morning, it's a pain in the *** as I can't see what time it is. Of course, I also can't see what time it is because the clock seems to turn itself off being always on display at some point in the night whereupon I haven't got a clue what the time is!

I've got it set to show badge counters and notifications set to on (say for Gmail) yet when I get emails there's no badge counter coming up.

I also used to be able

I thought I'd be able to do more with this phone, but at the moment I can do less, nothing's intuitive, it's all really hard work and yet my expectation (rightly or wrongly) was that I'd be able to do absolutely loads of much more advanced stuff than I could have done on my HTC but to be honest, at the moment, I'm missing that little old phone a great deal.

I also seem to hear multiple multiple da-da da da-da notifications all the time and have NO idea what they are for and thus, how to get rid of them.

I used to have a very strong and loud notification for my Ring doorbell app, now I barely hear the virtual doorbell when it goes off - is there any way to make certain notifications louder??

I used to have shortcut widgets for my son and daughter so if I wanted to message them in an SMS app, I just tapped whoever's widget and it took me straight to them, plus I had individual personalised notifications attached which said "Peter calling" (names have been changed to protect the innocent) and I know I'd want to read that text whilst I wouldn't care for others coming in from Asda or the Very catalogue.

And at the end of all that tome of woe, I've got a very poor understanding of which things need sorting in the Samsung settings, in KWGT, or which I should be utilising Bixby for (which I've not even gotten into that yet).

Don't know how to get over the hump really!

I will try and address some concerns:

1. I'm assuming you tried setting up your commute route on Google Maps and then doing the "Add to Homescreen" option from the ... menu?

2. Samsung doesn't allow lock screen widgets. They started doing it somewhat with a project called Good Lock that came to life and died with the S6 (or will die with it.)

3. Always on display, by default, turns on during certain hours only. I've changed mine to remain on 24/7.

4. Badge counters on TouchWiz are not so reliable, so you are not alone. I use Nova Launcher Prime with Tesla Unread plugin and it's very consistent.

5. For the SMS shortcut, you can configure the "People Edge" edge panel, and the first time you select a contact using it, you can select default numbers for one tap calling and one tap texting. Not as quick as what you want, but not too cumbersome, hopefully. But my gut tells me there is definitely something just like what you are looking for already built-in.

Lastly, do not throw in the towel just yet. I've had mine for a week and despite the learning curve, I knew after one hour that there was no going back.

 

[waqqas31]

Yes please

Found it:

Go to the Add Widgets screen and under the Contacts app you will find Direct Call and Direct Message. As One-touch as it gets