Recent content by mark7914

We moved to Italy a year ago but I still have my UK mobile with a UK contract SIM. That contract ends shortly and I was planning to cancel it, replacing the SIM in the mobile with an Italian one. The cost of equivalent plans in Italy is about a third of what they cost in the UK. I have the...

That's a bit disappointing. I know with Apple that I can (or used to be able to) block Apple at a network level at home, so it can't update itself (also disables the Apple messaging but I can live with that and just use SMS) but it then downloads updates over 4G/5G when out and about which have...

I will need to replace my Samsung S8. It's the best phone I've ever had for one main reason: it never gets any updates. That's because, early on, I installed a package blocker to kill the "Software Update" package and some Samsung bloatware and spyware and the thing functions just as perfectly...

Thanks. I feared as much. I can prevent updates by never turning on WiFi or 4G but then WhatsApp won't work :( Maybe I should get a cheap or second-hand Samsung instead, perhaps another S8 like the one I have now, so I know I can prevent updates. Will look into it.

Hi I have a Samsung mobile which, at an early stage, I prevented from ever downloading any updates, and it has been a joy to own. It works as beautifully as the day it came out of the factory. We live in Italy now and everyone here uses WhatsApp. So as I didn't want that having access to my...

That was it.. All of the apps which misbehave were in that list. If I remove them from it, the problem goes away, but the battery life drops like a stone. The feature doesn't work as I had thought it did - I had imagined that the apps are closed so they do not use processor cycles thus...

Hmm.. it's not that. The problem remains. It must be something that I've installed or changed that's causing this, but what it is, is a mystery. As is the fact that it only ever happens in the evening, generally after around 10PM. Even if there's, say, 75% battery remaining. It's as if it's...

At "Installing System Update" I got a large yellow triangle screen with "No Command" written underneath before it progressed to the menu, maybe because there is no system update to install, I have that package disabled so the phone never detects or downloads them. Phone booted normally after...

I have a problem with apps losing state on my S8. This began to be most noticeable with Firefox. An example: I can be logged into a site. I put the phone down. I pick it up again 10 minutes later and flip into Firefox. The web page reloads, and I'm logged out. If I then go to log in, it...

Believe the "Nine" email app syncs tasks - do check before buying.

Aha: https://community.ee.co.uk/t5/4G-and-mobile-data/VOIP-not-working-on-EE-4g/td-p/737171 It's either the use of CGNAT or a network block both of which are fixed with the VPN.

Have installed "Zoiper". Recognises and auto-configures for the provider and "just works". Amazing. Battery drain seems minimal so far. Or at least it "just works" on our home network but won't work over 4G. I am guessing the carrier (EE in the UK) blocks that. It requires that I connect to our...

I had mine done by a local shop in town (UK). Cost was £70. He handed me the SIM and SD cards to keep while he did the work and then put the tray back in for me before I left. AccuBattery is slowly recognising this and the "Battery Health" is climbing back up from the 83% it had sunk to with...

Hi, I use a VOIP account from Sipgate for my work/office number. This is managed by the modem in the office which has the SIP account configured on it and there is a standard phone socket on the back into which I plug the desk phone. I'm going to be out of the country for a month and wanted to...

I've just had the battery replaced in my S8 and also had a new case and screen protector fitted. It didn't have one of those before. Sadly this has rendered parts of the screen useless especially the lower-right where the keys now need a very heavy push to activate so I don't have much choice...