Signal Issue/Best Apps to shove into the phone.

[CrossClown]

So this thread has two parts. The first part is has anyone figured out why the phone's overall signal kinda stinks? My signal strength fluctuates between -137 dBm and -97 dBm at home which is super weird considering my area is smothered in cell towers because of the university down the street. I can still send texts and MMS but on occasion it will fail to send and I'll have almost no bars. My Razr had better signal strength than this. I'm thinking it has to do with some software issues.

2nd part is do you guys have any recommendations on some really great apps? Say for social media and just some really great apps to have. I've never really downloaded apps since my Razr's battery really limited me down to doing absolutely nothing but texting and the occasional web browsing for 10 minutes so I need to uhh catch up on the awesome apps that are out there.

 

[Sacha7905]

Most of the phones come set with "global" settings as standard. If you switch it to "lte/cdma" if you're on verizon or sprint it might help you get better reception. Apps that I like are action launcher pro, pie controls, and instagram since facebook has gone down the drain lol.

 

[garublador]

I can't help with 1, sorry.

For 2, if you like tinkering and customization then Tasker is the killer app for Android. Here's the best guide I've found:

Overview of Pocketables Tasker articles

There's all the obvious stuff like automatically silencing your phone or turning features on or off at a certain location or time of day, but with the plug-ins and customizable widget programs like Minimalistic Text or UCCW, there's a lot more you can do. For example, I have a widget on my phone that displays the battery level of my tablet and whether or not it's charging. It also gives me a persistent notification (one I can't swipe away) if the tablet battery is below 50% and not charging. It goes away if the tablet starts charging or goes above 50%. I can ask my phone using speech what the tablet is doing and it will tell me if it's not in use, or if it is in use what app is active. I also have it notify me of any Astrid tasks I have to do if I get to the appropriate location (e.g. it will give me a notification telling me my grocery list when I get to the grocery store). I can even send stuff from Chrome on a PC to the clipboard of my phone or have my phone automatically search on text I highlight in Chrome. I can send web pages from my phone to tablet, or vice versa, using the normal "share" buttons in Android, too.

 

[CrossClown]

humm I've been looking into Tasker, maybe I'll go and buy it. Are you running any antivirus software on your phone or do you think that they really aren't that needed?

As for the signal strength, switching from Global to LTE/CDMA didn't do a thing unfortunately

 

[Sacha7905]

humm I've been looking into Tasker, maybe I'll go and buy it.

As for the signal strength, switching from Global to LTE/CDMA didn't do a thing unfortunately

Although samsungs radio's are reportedly not as strong as motorolas you should still be able to make calls and send texts if you live in a good coverage area. 1. Make sure you have the latest update (Do NOT update if you want to root). 2. Go a verizon corporate store and ask for a new sim card(this may resolve your issue) 3. If the S4's in the Verizon store are all getting poor signal, it may just be a fault with samsungs radio design. I get 2-3 bars at my house and have never had a dropped call. However, if I go to the strip mall in my town, I have full signal there. It is also possible that the high population density of of the university means that there is an overcrowding of the cell tower leading you to get worse signal.

 

[CrossClown]

I've already tried the SIM Card thing (not really a new sim card but it's from my razr) and nothing happened but I'll give a new SIM a shot. I did notice, as weird as it sounds, that when I make a call, my signal strength just shoots up from 2 bars to 4 bars and stays at 4 bars until I end the call. So calling, I have no issues with. It's the sms and mms that go all freaky on me.

 

[Sacha7905]

I think that mms and possibly sms use a different radio than voice calls. Are you getting 4g service in your area?