RANT: A Cautionary Tale of the Galaxy S5 (and future Samsung phones)

[Feldon]

I want to drive a truck over my AT&T Samsung Galaxy S5. After 1 year I am SICK of it.

• Automatic screen brightness has NEVER worked right. Not ever. I tried a 3rd party program but it was buggy. Blinding at night, too dim to read to even see the PIN unlock during the day. So I have to adjust it manually all day long.

• Google Photos app took up all my storage space. It now constantly prompts me to delete some photos. Before that, the ASOP Gallery app lacked features but at least it didn't eat up half the internal storage.

• Google Photos is CONSTANTLY accessing the internet to download thumbnails or full screen versions of photos STORED ON THE PHONE. If I am on a slow connection, I literally cannot show photos to people that are ON THE PHONE.

• ASOP Gallery app cannot handle the 1,200 photos on my phone and crashes when trying to display one, so I'm forced to use Google Photos.

• Every SMS message I send has a 50% chance of success. The other 50% of the time I am told Message sending failed and I have to click like 4 times to try again. Depending what direction I hold the phone, it increases the chances of success.

• Starting last week, I cannot send MMS anymore. Period. "Unable to attach file". Tried clearing space with All-in-one-Toolbox. Tried going to the Photo and then sending via Messenger instead of clicking the paperclip in Messenger. Tried installing Textra and sending that way. MMS is just broken.

• P!ss poor usage of SD card.

• Have to constantly move apps back to the SD card after updates.

• Several apps lost their icon and now have a stupid android icon with "SD" under it.

• Cannot delete photos using Google Photos because my photo gallery is on the SD card and Google Photos apparently does not have permission to write to the SD card. Every time I want to rotate, crop, delete, etc. an image, I have to switch from Google Photos to Gallery and back.

• Even with the Swipe-to-Camera feature on the unlock screen, time to unlock and take a picture averages 5-8 seconds. I have missed so many photos because of this.

• Having to press ENTER after entering my 4 digit PIN. Why? No other phone OS requires this.

• By the way, why do I have the PIN unlock set to run so often? Because the phone's proximity detector and spurious input detection is a joke. After having several OneNote documents scrambled while the phone was in my pocket and bizarre random text messages sent to people, I had to increase the frequency of the locking to 3 minutes.

• Swiping a Notification on the Homescreen often doesn't go to the app in question or to the page/message in question.

• AT&T Samsung S5 received Lollipop (5.0) in like April of this year. And because I accepted the update, I will now never be able to root my phone and put the version of Android I want. Good job to Google for hiring Geohot. I guess as nobody else seems to have the cojones to release a root for Android.

• AT&T Samsung S5 JUST received 5.1.1 in the last few weeks. Wow 9 months after everyone else! And it requires 6.5GB of space and it eats up another .5 GB of space for unremovable AT&T and Samsung crapware.

• I paid $600 for this?

Comments like "shoulda got a Nexus or LG" or "quit whining" cheerfully ignored. Samsung S5 was represented to me on this forum and other places as a "flagship phone". Instead it is a piece of crap that has all kinds of problems my iPhone 3GS, 4, and 5 never had. I was tired of watching Apple only slightly increment the features on their phones yet charge a premium and had heard that Android was amazing and an "open source platform" so I wanted to see how the other half lives. Did Nexus have a flagship last year?

At this point I'm feeling pretty screwed. I can drop $750 on an iPhone 6 with enough storage to actually use it. I tried a Microsoft Lumia 950XL for 2 days and while the hardware is lovely and the camera is a beauty, the App support is as bad as you expect. Now I'm considering a Nexus 6P but is it going to be full of compromises too? How much of my problems are intrinsic to Android bull vs. Samsung in particular?

I've thought of backing up the phone, wiping it, and restoring it, but can I trust that? My housemate ran Kies before 5.0 update, got a full backup, did a full reset, installed 5.0, then tried to restore Kies backup and it says "Sorry, restore failed" when it's trying to restore text messages. So too bad so sad he lost everything that wasn't in Google Cloud.

 

[ironass]

OH dear! I hope that you don't think that the rest of the world has to put up with Galaxy S5's like your AT&T cloneware phone.

Perhaps you should read #1.6 of... 41 Galaxy S5 models - Dummies Guide which starts with...

"Think that everyone's Samsung Galaxy S5 is the same as yours...
Think again! "

 

[Aquila]

Google Photos app took up all my storage space. It now constantly prompts me to delete some photos. Before that, the ASOP Gallery app lacked features but at least it didn't eat up half the internal storage.

Eating up space with what?

Poor usage of SD card.


Have to constantly move apps back to the SD card after updates.


Several apps lost their icon and now have a stupid android icon with "SD" under it.


Cannot delete photos using Google Photos because my photo gallery is on the SD card and Google Photos apparently does not have permission to write to the SD card. Every time I want to rotate, crop, delete, etc. an image, I have to switch from Google Photos to Gallery and back.

Until you get MM, SD isn't meant to be used for apps. Internal storage is. I'm not sure what's wrong with your Google Photos setup - check settings for install location and verify permissions are set up correctly.

Having to press ENTER after entering my 4 digit PIN. Why? No other phone OS requires this.

LG does require enter. I haven't tried the pin on anything, I tend to use pattern (no enter button required) or just to use the FPS on my Nexus 6P.

Swiping a Notification on the Homescreen often doesn't go to the app in question or to the page/message in question.

Try tapping the notification instead of swiping it.

AT&T Samsung S5 received Lollipop (5.0) in like April of this year. And because I accepted the update, I will now never be able to root my phone and put the version of Android I want. Good job to Google for hiring Geohot. I guess as nobody else seems to have the cojones to release a root for Android.


AT&T Samsung S5 JUST received 5.1.1 in the last few weeks. Wow 9 months after everyone else! And it requires 6.5GB of space and it eats up another .5 GB of space for unremovable AT&T and Samsung crapware.

If we're not allowed to say don't buy the crap that Samsung sells, are we allowed to say don't buy carrier phones and/or to choose between being reliant on carrier updates or to accept the software that originally comes on the device?

I paid $600 for this?

I'm sorry. I wouldn't have. I'm sorry you did. Hopefully your next phone is better!

Now I'm considering a Nexus 6P but is it going to be full of compromises too? How much of my problems are intrinsic to Android bull vs. Samsung in particular?

Exactly 0 of the issues that you quoted exist on the 6P. Mostly because Photos isn't a third party app and there are no SD cards and the fingerprint scanner is way better than using a pin.

Did Nexus have a flagship last year?

Yes, the Nexus 6 by Motorola. Your S5 has a better screen and camera, the Nexus 6 was 6" big, had better just about everything else - but the 6P is MUCH better than the Nexus 6. I still use both today.

 

[itguyjax8430]

Do a factory data reset. Plug your phone in to your computer. Move your photos to your computer or upload them to the cloud. Why you have 1200 photos on your phone is beyond me but I guess that's that you want.

Download this for your call logs. https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...iteshsahu.CallLogBackupRestore&token=Y34omCf5

This for your text. https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...om.riteshsahu.SMSBackupRestore&token=BUgMwR_m

Drag whatever else you need to your computer desktop. Along with the backups you made of your call log and text. I usually just upload them to Dropbox for easy access. Do a factory data reset. Download all your apps fresh from the play store and see what that does. Super simple to me.

 

[ironass]

With the AT&T and Verizon models, I recommend a FULL WIPE+FACTORY DATA RESET as per #2.3, #2.4 and #2.5 of S5 Lollipop Update Problems - Dummies Guide, after first backing up as much as you can as per #2.1 of the guide. Whilst this may seem a lot of work, it has cured a lot of issues with the 5.0 and 5.1.1 updates.

 

[Feldon]

Eating up space with what?

I don't know but the moment Google Photos installed, it started suggesting I delete a bunch of photos to free up space.

If we're not allowed to say don't buy the crap that Samsung sells, are we allowed to say don't buy carrier phones and/or to choose between being reliant on carrier updates or to accept the software that originally comes on the device?

If I'd been smart, I'd have immediately rooted the AT&T S5 and then I'd be running Marshmallow right now (maybe). Instead I stupidly believed that the carrier updates wouldn't be 9 months late and full of bloat. What I get for thinking.

Yes, the Nexus 6 by Motorola. Your S5 has a better screen and camera, the Nexus 6 was 6" big, had better just about everything else - but the 6P is MUCH better than the Nexus 6. I still use both today.

I think it was the Nexus 6's camera that scared me away. I use my phone as a camera far too often. Frankly I should just get a cheapy Nexus and a pocket camera and then I'm not reliant on one device being "everything".

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Feldon]

Why you have 1200 photos on your phone is beyond me but I guess that's that you want.

I just like being able to show people past photos. My dog. BBQ pictures. etc. But yeah I guess these phones can't handle 4GB of photos so I will go ahead and move most of it to my PC and then just copy a few back in specific Albums. Thank you for the backup/restore advice. Too bad there's not one really good backup program that gets everything like there is on Microsoft and Apple worlds.

 

[ironass]

I am afraid that AT&T are rolling out their own versions of their firmware and mega locked down and unrootable bootloader to other manfacturers and models and not even the Nexus 6 is immune from their bloatware. See, here.

 

[itguyjax8430]

I just like being able to show people past photos. My dog. BBQ pictures. etc. But yeah I guess these phones can't handle 4GB of photos so I will go ahead and move most of it to my PC and then just copy a few back in specific Albums. Thank you for the backup/restore advice. Too bad there's not one really good backup program that gets everything like there is on Microsoft and Apple worlds.

I personally just back up all my photos to Google Photos. I never really have any photos on any of my phones. They are all in the cloud and when I say all i mean like 15 years of photos on Google photos. I backed up my entire PC collection. Now i can access any photo I want wherever I want.

Just some insight into what I do with photos.

Text messages I can care less about myself.

 

[Feldon]

not even the Nexus 6 is immune from their bloatware. See, here.

As AT&T no longer subsidizes (eats) the cost of phones, I'll probably order mine directly from Google.com.

 

[thecomicbookandme]

I just like being able to show people past photos. My dog. BBQ pictures. etc. But yeah I guess these phones can't handle 4GB of photos

Just install a quality SD card. All your photos and videos can be stored automatically on a 64 gb card.

Yea, heavy and a bottle of bread.

 

[itguyjax8430]

BTW I am using an Nexus 6P on Cricket myself and can say it is a pretty great phone. You might want to look in to switching over to Cricket if your contract is up and you are not still on unlimited data. Might save you a few bucks and its the same networks. Speeds are tone down on this side but its enough to stream what you want when you want.

 

[Feldon]

Just install a quality SD card. All your photos and videos can be stored automatically on a 64 gb card.

Yea, heavy and a bottle of bread.

I've got a 64GB microSD card, but storing photos and/or apps on an SD card under Android is fraught with problems. Lollipop (5.0) was actually a significant regression over Kitkat in this regard. I've heard Marshmallow is better.

And I understand that FAT32 (the de facto standard partition for SD cards) has no permissions system whatsoever and that Google doesn't want Android apps to have carte blanche to modify each other. I get that, but isn't the solution simple? Maintain a partition map for the SD card on the internal storage and then emulate the permissions of ext3 or NTFS as long as that SD card is inside the phone. Also I would pre-define "pools" of storage on the SD card that ALL apps can write to, like Music, Photos, Downloads, Videos, Documents, etc. Then you're still maintaining the security of apps not overwriting each other, but they can still write to standardized areas.

 

[prediscover]

I have a Galaxy S5 Stock Lollipop 5.1 on At&T and things have been running quite smoothly for me.
Kitkat was probably the 2nd most stable, with 5.0 being least stable, and 5.1 being the most stable. The only thing I dislike about 5.1 is the white themes everywhere, but only the settings screen bothers me.

Now, to help you out,

Automatic screen brightness has NEVER worked right. Not ever. I tried a 3rd party program but it was buggy. Blinding at night, too dim to read to even see the PIN unlock during the day. So I have to adjust it manually all day long.

I don't know where you live, but in San Francisco, the Autobrightness gets plenty bright in the day time. I will agree that at night it might be a bit bright, but if you install something like Screen Filter and only turn it on during the night time, your eyes will thank you. Also CF.Lumen is a good one too, that auto adjusts based on time/location (if you're lazy).

Google Photos app took up all my storage space. It now constantly prompts me to delete some photos. Before that, the ASOP Gallery app lacked features but at least it didn't eat up half the internal storage.

Google Photos is CONSTANTLY accessing the internet to download thumbnails or full screen versions of photos STORED ON THE PHONE. If I am on a slow connection, I literally cannot show photos to people that are ON THE PHONE.

ASOP Gallery app cannot handle the 1,200 photos on my phone and crashes when trying to display one, so I'm forced to use Google Photos.

Google Photos does cache a lot of photos for a smooth experience in the app, but if it's already backing up your photos, you wouldn't need to keep all 1,200 photos locally on your phone! You can try clearing cache for the Google Photos app to initially free up some space.
As for the stock gallery, I have about 800 photos across my 64 GB SD card and internal storage, and it handles it just fine.

Every SMS message I send has a 50% chance of success. The other 50% of the time I am told Message sending failed and I have to click like 4 times to try again. Depending what direction I hold the phone, it increases the chances of success.

Starting last week, I cannot send MMS anymore. Period. "Unable to attach file". Tried clearing space with All-in-one-Toolbox. Tried going to the Photo and then sending via Messenger instead of clicking the paperclip in Messenger. Tried installing Textra and sending that way. MMS is just broken.

What SMS App are you using? I dislike the stock messages app, I'm flipping between AwSMS and Google Messenger. HOWEVER I will recommend Textra to you because it is overall the most stable texting app available. Check/ reset your APN settings to see if that clears up the mms issues.

P!ss poor usage of SD card.
Have to constantly move apps back to the SD card after updates.
Several apps lost their icon and now have a stupid android icon with "SD" under it.

I will agree with the poster above me, the SD card is meant for storing files and not apps.
The Android icon with SD under it means that you probably removed the SD card without ejecting it first and reinserted it. I would suggest to keep all apps to internal storage.

Cannot delete photos using Google Photos because my photo gallery is on the SD card and Google Photos apparently does not have permission to write to the SD card. Every time I want to rotate, crop, delete, etc. an image, I have to switch from Google Photos to Gallery and back.

If I'm not mistaken, Google Photos has been updated to be able to delete photos from the SD card.

Swiping a Notification on the Homescreen often doesn't go to the app in question or to the page/message in question.

Not sure what you mean by this.If you swipe a notification, it clears it. To go to the app in question, you tap on it. This is basic Android !

AT&T Samsung S5 received Lollipop (5.0) in like April of this year. And because I accepted the update, I will now never be able to root my phone and put the version of Android I want. Good job to Google for hiring Geohot. I guess as nobody else seems to have the cojones to release a root for Android.

This is something that you can't blame on the phone or the carrier, but only yourself because you accepted the update. It's common knowledge that AT&T locks down their phones nowadays

AT&T Samsung S5 JUST received 5.1.1 in the last few weeks. Wow 9 months after everyone else! And it requires 6.5GB of space and it eats up another .5 GB of space for unremovable AT&T and Samsung crapware.

The storage requirement is kind of sucky if you're trying to upgrade. However, if you do a clean install of 5.1 this will be no issue, plus your phone will not have problems lingering from previous versions of android. To be honest, not that many phone of this generation have had 5.1, and as for removable bloat, you can use Package Disabler Pro to freeze all bloatware from running. It won't remove it but it will disable it completely.

I paid $600 for this?

This is on you because you decided to buy the phone! If you got it on contract it wouldn't be $600 anyways, it would be less than $200 because AT&T subsidizes phones. SO you didn't pay $600!! (Unless you got it unlocked which you didn't)

It sounds like you want a tinker-free experience. Then you're better off with an iPhone, like you said in your own post. I mean to be honest, it sounds like a good bit of what's going on here can't be blamed on anybody but yourself

 

[Feldon]

What SMS App are you using? I dislike the stock messages app, I'm flipping between AwSMS and Google Messenger. HOWEVER I will recommend Textra to you because it is overall the most stable texting app available. Check/ reset your APN settings to see if that clears up the mms issues.

I use the standard. The failure to send has been the last few months. The failure to send a picture is the last week. I tried Textra and it had the same problem so maybe it's the APN settings you mentioned.

I will agree with the poster above me, the SD card is meant for storing files and not apps.
The Android icon with SD under it means that you probably removed the SD card without ejecting it first and reinserted it. I would suggest to keep all apps to internal storage.

I did remove the card and reinsert it when switching sim cards on the day I tried out a Lumia 950XL. Brought it back the next day because as great a phone and camera it is, the app support needs a ton of work. So that mighe the issue.

If I'm not mistaken, Google Photos has been updated to be able to delete photos from the SD card.

All my apps are set to automatically update every night. Just tried it now and get...
"Can't delete item
Photos doesn't have access to delete item on your SD card. Go to the Gallery app to continue deleting."

Not sure what you mean by this.If you swipe a notification, it clears it. To go to the app in question, you tap on it. This is basic Android !

Yes sorry, some notifications I tap on the lock screen, enter the PIN, and it takes me to the app but not the specific event I was notified about.

This is something that you can't blame on the phone or the carrier, but only yourself because you accepted the update. It's common knowledge that AT&T locks down their phones nowadays

I blame it on Geohot for wanting to make 6 figures at Google rather than help us peons.

The storage requirement is kind of sucky if you're trying to upgrade. However, if you do a clean install of 5.1 this will be no issue, plus your phone will not have problems lingering from previous versions of android. To be honest, not that many phone of this generation have had 5.1, and as for removable bloat, you can use Package Disabler Pro to freeze all bloatware from running. It won't remove it but it will disable it completely.

I will be doing a full backup with 2-3 different programs, then full reset, APN settings reset, clean install of 5.1.1, and then try PDP to stop the bloatware from running. Maybe it will feel like a new phone!

This is on you because you decided to buy the phone! If you got it on contract it wouldn't be $600 anyways, it would be less than $200 because AT&T subsidizes phones. SO you didn't pay $600!! (Unless you got it unlocked which you didn't)

AT&T does not subsidize phones anymore. Whether you get the 2 year contract or the AT&T Next 12 (really 16) or AT&T Next 18 (really 24), you will pay a monthly fee commensurate with the full ticket price of the phone divided by the number of months. 3 days after I got the phone, I got a text message that my bill would increase $26/month until the phone was paid off. I called AT&T and screamed bloody murder to no avail.

It sounds like you want a tinker-free experience. Then you're better off with an iPhone, like you said in your own post. I mean to be honest, it sounds like a good bit of what's going on here can't be blamed on anybody but yourself

I want a suck-free experience. I am not doing extreme, unexpected, fringe user tasks. I am doing day-to-day stuff and the phone is falling over constantly. I know this is AndroidCentral but come on.

 

[Aquila]

I want a suck-free experience. I am not doing extreme, unexpected, fringe user tasks. I am doing day-to-day stuff and the phone is falling over constantly. I know this is AndroidCentral but come on.

I'd revert back to my recommendation for the Nexus. None of the issues you're having stuff with and no ties to the carrier.

 

[Tadrift]

This is less of a Cautionary Tale for the S5, as much as one for all Carrier Locked Phones.

You are running head first into AT&T's brick wall. You are stuck on 5.0x, when stock 5.1.1 and 6.0.0 would likely solve a lot of problems, but because AT&T and Samsung worked together on this phone you are stuck. And now it is locked down to make matters worse. That is the number one problem here.

Beyond that, you don't want to take any responsibility for picking a phone that doesn't work for you. And perhaps even an OS (Android) which you are not comfortable or willing to work through. You NEVER trust a phone to hold your only copy of all your data. You always backup personal data in generic form to either a computer, thumb drive, or the cloud.

I am not saying that you are 100% to blame, but ranting about a lot of things you could of avoided AND/OR taken some time to work around makes you kind of seem like you are just angry and want what you want, end of story. No working through things, looking for better solutions, just ranting about it.

Backup your data the best you can, wipe the phone, sell it. Research a phone that meets your needs and buy it. You sound like the perfect iPhone user.

As a side note, I had an LG G3 with some of the problems you are mentioning. It was a carrier version by AT&T. I bought it discounted and knowing that it's 5.0.1 might be frustrating to me. That became very true. What I didn't know is that the last update for AT&T locked my phone down. You know what, I attacked it, put some time in to find a way to Root it. I am now running CM12.1 and couldn't be happier. But I didn't rant about what a piece of crap it was. I was realistic and knew it going in and I was prepared to possibly dump the phone if I had too for something else to fit my needs.

 

[Feldon]

you don't want to take any responsibility for picking a phone that doesn't work for you

There was no unlocked carrier-free flagship Android phone with a great camera in fall 2014.

I was unaware I could buy a Samsung Galaxy S5 unlocked and carrier-free.

You NEVER trust a phone to hold your only copy of all your data. You always backup personal data in generic form to either a computer, thumb drive, or the cloud.

Congrats on reading fail. I never said I've lost any data due to not backing up. I did say that my roommate lost data despite making a complete backup using the software everyone was holding up as the second coming of Christ -- Kies. The problem with Kies is, if it chokes on any part of the restore, it fails to restore ANYTHING because the entire backup is a single impenetrable blob. The fact that threads like this list no less than 8 different backup solutions, each with caveats, just confirms what anyone who can be honestly critical of the Android platform will tell you -- backup on Android is half a loaf and there is no one solution that "just works". You'll need to use 3-4 different aftermarket programs to backup everything. Maybe they'll fix Backup in Android 7.

I am not saying that you are 100% to blame, but ranting about a lot of things you could of avoided AND/OR taken some time to work around makes you kind of seem like you are just angry and want what you want, end of story. No working through things, looking for better solutions, just ranting about it.

I wanted to clear and restore the phone, but I never found a single reliable backup solution. As posted above by very helpful posters, you have to use 3-4 backup programs to make sure you get everything. Now that I have this information, I will be doing this tonight.

Backup your data the best you can, wipe the phone, sell it. Research a phone that meets your needs and buy it. You sound like the perfect iPhone user.

I had an iPhone 3GS, 4, and 5. I had an open mind in 2014 and after being repeatedly told that the grass was greener on Android, and being tired of watching Apple's sluggish pace of innovation, while Android was at the forefront of phone tech, I decided to take a chance. Now I'm getting "You ***** -- you shouldn't have listened to Android users".

As a side note, I had an LG G3 with some of the problems you are mentioning. It was a carrier version by AT&T. I bought it discounted and knowing that it's 5.0.1 might be frustrating to me. That became very true. What I didn't know is that the last update for AT&T locked my phone down. You know what, I attacked it, put some time in to find a way to Root it. I am now running CM12.1 and couldn't be happier.

Want to know how many people told me I was a fool for buying the Samsung Galaxy S5 because of Samsung's history and that if I'd gotten the LG G3, I'd be on easy street right now? Sounds like if I'd gone down your road, I'd have been burned just the same and now be walking away from a $600 phone after 1 year. Sorry I'm not made of money.

But I didn't rant about what a piece of crap it was. I was realistic and knew it going in and I was prepared to possibly dump the phone if I had too for something else to fit my needs.

Your "You're just refusing to work around and do acrobatics to get your phone to work" is my "How low can you set your expectations on a $600 piece of hardware?"

A lot of the feedback here is great and constructive.

A lof of the feedback here is "Android is a car that needs extensive maintenance, aftermarket parts, and lots of gotchas that you have to constantly watch for, and you have to be willing to walk away and lose your investment if the manufacturer abandons it".

Tonight I will be doing the full "backup, wipe, virgin 5.1.1, restore" tonight. If the phone works better, I'll stick with it. Otherwise I'll probably go with the Nexus 6P.

 

[Aquila]

(A lot of the feedback here is great and constructive.

A lof of the feedback here is "Android is a car that needs extensive maintenance, aftermarket parts, and lots of gotchas that you have to constantly watch for, and you have to be willing to walk away and lose your investment if the manufacturer abandons it". )

For carrier Samsung devices, if the desire is to always be on the best software, this can absolutely be the case. Since switching to Nexus in 2011 and having a few Motos in between, software has become increasingly important to me and now that moto and Nexus have caught up with and/or passed the oems on hardware offering, it's pretty easy to get a great phone now. The Nexus 6 was the only 2014 phone worth buying (IMO) although I did get a moto x 2014 - it was good, completely reliable and has a superb software experience, the Nexus 6 just was too much better. In 2015 there are more options and none of them require much, I'd any, tweaking out of the box to have a fantastic experience - that was definitely not the case last year and the year before.

 

[Feldon]

In some ways, I was just in the market for a new phone at the worst possible time and bought on the wrong cycle.