"City ID" Crapware!

[6s1d9]

I've found 2 negatives to the dozens and dozens of positives with this phone right now. One is design-based, the other is software. Neither are showstoppers, but one is a pain in the butt for certain.

Number One: The notification LED on the front of the phone is both tiny and difficult to see. Poor design on the part of HTC with that one... I'd have preferred something far more noticeable so that I notice my notifications. (See! You noticed that!)

Number Two: "City ID"

W-T-F. Granted, it's software and I am sure someone somewhere will figure out how to get rid of it, but FOR CHRISTS SAKE - I FEEL LIKE I AM USING SOME NAGGING SHAREWARE whenever I am done with a call. (I guess that's because I am, much to my chagrin) NO, I do NOT want to subscribe to your &@^!, and to be honest, NO, I do NOT want to continue using a trial. I just want to get rid of the software. Make - it - go - away.

If anyone experiments with an uninstallation application that can kill this off, I'd appreciate to hear your results.

-Greg, a new Incredible owner.

Whats weird id I never once clicked on City ID however every now and then when I open Advanced Task Killer, It shows City as open?!! Why the hell is it running when not asked to???

 

[JustinD2473#IM]

City ID opens every time you make or receive a call.

 

[Jolokia]

I bought an incredible and so did my girlfriend. Is there a way to make it so that when I call my girlfriend she CAN'T see what City I am calling from? I'm annoyed with it on my phone.... but extremely annoyed that my location is going to be given out to every single person I call who has an Incredible.

I may be wrong here, but I don't think City ID shows what city you are actually in, I think it does a phone number lookup to see what city the phone number comes from.

 

[Cory Streater]

I may be wrong here, but I don't think City ID shows what city you are actually in, I think it does a phone number lookup to see what city the phone number comes from.

That's correct.

 

[nyc_rock]

I havent been prompted to do anything with City ID since I recieved the phone on Wed. How ever many calls later, I have never been bothered by it.

 

[mike pertz]

I havent been prompted to do anything with City ID since I recieved the phone on Wed. How ever many calls later, I have never been bothered by it.

I have not noticed anything with the feature either other than telling me where the call is from when getting one, and seeing the icon, other than that ive experienced 0 issues/notifications from it.

 

[simshaun]

I just got the popup today after a call ended.

It really pisses me off that I paid so much for the phone and cant even remove crap like this.

 

[Cory Streater]

If you guys go to settings > applications > manage applications > City ID and click on Clear Data, does the problem go away at least temporarily?

 

[sum spicy rice]

i've only seen City ID ONCE. and I've probably made 20+ calls since then.

When the City ID logo came up.. it gave me two options.. continue 30 day trial or to buy the app.. i think those were the 2 options.

anyways.. i didnt click on either one. i believe i just hit the back button or menu or home or something. maybe that's why i haven't seen it again since i never clicked on using the 30 day trial?

 

[TBolt]

I clicked on the 'continue trial' button. saw the pop-up one more time after that; then, never saw it again.

I think the CityID crApp knows to STHU after a couple of tries. lol.

 

[jared916]

Yeah it popped up once for me then never again thank god

 

[frunkiss]

I emailed Verizon about it and they referred me to HTC. HTC hasn't replied.

EMAIL TO VERIZON:
Hello, I recently purchased the new HTC Droid Incredible. Preinstalled was a software application named City ID. It includes a free trial period that I am currently still apparently still on, although I never accepted any trial or subscription with the service. Now I am receiving notices to subscribe or continue the free trial but I would prefer to opt out of the service completely before the trial has expired. I have two questions, ONE, will I continue to receive these messages after the trial period or is there a way to stop them completely?
TWO, is there a way to uninstall this application myself?
I have been told that this is a Verizon application preinstalled into the phone. I was wondering how I can have this application uninstalled. According to my HTC manual it states that no preinstalled applications can be removed. I wish to find a resolution in opting out of this service as soon as possible.
This has been a popular issue with the Android OS community since this was found on the new HTC phone.

VERIZON'S REPLY
I am sorry to report that because HTC has all of the control over the applications that come installed on the device, you must speak with HTC regarding any frustrations with the software. My name is Jason, my goal is to completely answer all of your questions.

You can visit HTC.com for support and assistance with your phone. I'm sorry for any confusion on this.

Charlie, to summarize our solutions, we have explained your options to get support for removing the City ID application. We appreciate your business, and thank you for using Verizon Wireless. Should you have additional questions or feel your concerns are not resolved, please reply to this e-mail.

HTC hasn't replied to my Forum post or my email.

 

[hakoreh]

can someone post a video to what this actually does? I am leaning towards an Incredible but you guys make it sound like it's impossible to take with this City ID thing. I'm already irritated by my Eris to perform when lots of apps are on and lots of things going on like it's inability to answer a call without a delay on 10 seconds once I press 'Answer' Sorry just ranting but yeah can someone?

 

[VZWBB]

Its odd. I accepted the cityid trial and I've yet to get one nagging popup. Maybe that comes at the end of the free trial, but I've also heard that at the end of the trial you have an option to remove it or turn it off or something..I dunno.

 

[krelvinaz]

See it running all the time but never been nagged by it. Never did the trial.

 

[anon(18935)]

it displays a city/state based on the area code/prefix on calls.

Barely an issue thus far...what WILL be an issue is if I can't uninstall or disable it completely when the trial runs out.

 

[CRKhead]

If you guys go to settings > applications > manage applications > City ID and click on Clear Data, does the problem go away at least temporarily?

If you clear the cache data, it will pop-up again as it "forgets" the last answer you pressed, which in most cases is "Continue Trial", therefore it asks again. I haven't cleared the cache data again since day 2 and the pop-up hasn't shown again.

Maybe it will allow a deinstall after the 15 day trial is up... Haven't had the phone long enough to say, though.

 

[CRKhead]

can someone post a video to what this actually does? I am leaning towards an Incredible but you guys make it sound like it's impossible to take with this City ID thing. I'm already irritated by my Eris to perform when lots of apps are on and lots of things going on like it's inability to answer a call without a delay on 10 seconds once I press 'Answer' Sorry just ranting but yeah can someone?

No video needed... When you get a phone call, you know how the number and contact name pops up while it's ringing? Well, add the City and State that the phone number is registered in to that screen, and that's what it does...

Do NOT let this little quirk lead you away from this phone. It's a minor annoyance during one call, but doesn't do much after that. No other apps were installed on the phone, that I can tell, like this, so crapware is at a very minimum...

 

[VZWBB]

I wonder...is that nag screen because you are avoiding the trial? Or because it wants you to buy the full version?

From some of the posts above, it seems like its nagging you to try it. That would explain why I don't get nagged. I wonder what nagging it does/doesn't do after the trial ends and you don't want to pay for it.

 

[CIMYA89]

Yeah same here i havent seen it since i got my phone on 4-28....i clicked the back button and it hasnt bothered me since