Conundrum

[mitsubishiman]

Conundrum

Once again I am at an impasse, having an S3 which the phone in and of itself I enjoy all of the functions, the ability to manage files, photos, etc.
The only real issue I have ever had is reception, I am on my third phone as the first two were replaced by Samsung, the reception issues still remain, I have played the tech support game with both Samsung and US cellular, to no avail, they just keep blaming each other, I even had an engineer with Samsung blatantly tell me that the Galaxy S I gave up for the S3 had a superior antenna and was quite frankly a better phone in regards to reception, living in a rural area does have issues to begin with, however a co-worker has an S3 with Verizon and incredible reception.

So USC stated for those owners of S3s that are still experiencing reception issues, they will be able to get an S4 for $100.00 even if they are not eligible for an upgrade, the catch, because Sprint now owns USC, I have to sign a 2 year contract in order to get the upgrade.

Okay, first why would I take the risk with a two year contract with a phone that everyone in my area that has one with USC emphatically states is no different, then when I asked the salesperson that question, whom swears the reception is better that they will come to my house (45 miles away) to prove that their phone has excellent reception.

Okay, they almost had me up until two days ago, when I received the latest infamous 4.3 update,
First thing, all of my internet functions went down, even with 4bars and a 3G, no connection, basically without wi-fi no connectivity, then to my HORROR the first time I noticed text messages coming across the lock screen, okay I did change the settings so the preview was off, however I still get a gigantic notifications pop-up bar on the screen, and the same size one for missed calls.

And now I find out according to Samsung there is no way to turn off the pop up notifications and resume the previous tiny icon notifications only, only option is to disable all notifications, so this means I disable all, lock the screen, then when I do unlock it I have to enable notifications, which I won?t see any because while they were disabled they do not register, so I have to check my phone log, my message log and my email log to see if there is anything new.

So, let us discuss the purpose of a lock screen, I was under the mistaken impression it was for privacy, so that if my phone is actually viewed by someone else they would not have the ability to decipher any of my activity whatsoever, so apparently I was mistaken in the assumption that my ability to control all of the functions were my decision, for some apparent reason individuals determined that they would like to see all of their communications on the lock screen so they could then determine if it was important enough to unlock and answer.

Had it ever occurred to those individuals that they should just not utilize the lock screen function?

Had it ever occurred to Samsung that this should have been an option instead of a mandatory change.

So my question is, what OS exists that I have complete control over message notifications, and which phone is preferable to my choices, because I need to reconsider two affiliations in my life,

First ? Samsung, Second ? US Cellular.

 

[tasha_c]

Conundrum

First thing, all of my internet functions went down, even with 4bars and a 3G, no connection, basically without wi-fi no connectivity, then to my HORROR the first time I noticed text messages coming across the lock screen, okay I did change the settings so the preview was off, however I still get a gigantic notifications pop-up bar on the screen, and the same size one for missed calls.

And now I find out according to Samsung there is no way to turn off the pop up notifications and resume the previous tiny icon notifications only, only option is to disable all notifications, so this means I disable all, lock the screen, then when I do unlock it I have to enable notifications, which I won’t see any because while they were disabled they do not register, so I have to check my phone log, my message log and my email log to see if there is anything new.

So, let us discuss the purpose of a lock screen, I was under the mistaken impression it was for privacy, so that if my phone is actually viewed by someone else they would not have the ability to decipher any of my activity whatsoever, so apparently I was mistaken in the assumption that my ability to control all of the functions were my decision, for some apparent reason individuals determined that they would like to see all of their communications on the lock screen so they could then determine if it was important enough to unlock and answer.

Had it ever occurred to those individuals that they should just not utilize the lock screen function?

Had it ever occurred to Samsung that this should have been an option instead of a mandatory change.

So my question is, what OS exists that I have complete control over message notifications, and which phone is preferable to my choices, because I need to reconsider two affiliations in my life,

First – Samsung, Second – US Cellular.

I completely agree with you; I HATE the giant pop up notification on my lock screen and prefer the previous notification of just having the icon pop up informing me that there's a text.

If you find out how to revert back to the previous notification, please let me know as this has been driving me insane.

 

[jthead]

If you are in a rural area do not get the S4.

I had signal issues out of the box with my first S4. First let me say I LOVE the phone. The menu structure and camera are the best.

90% of my use of my phone use is in a rural area, so good signal strength is the most import thing.

Verizon has replaced my Galaxy S4 three times in the last 4 months in an attempt to get a phone with good reception. I have sat side by side with other Verizon customers who were using their phones(motorolas) for calls and for data, yet I had NO signal. I could not make a phone call, send a text or use any data. This has become a constant problem with the S4. It has been the exact same on all three S4 phones. Can anything be done to increase reception?

I am trying very hard not to knock the phone. I absolutely love the menu structure. The menu structure and the camera is why I chose the S4. They are the best out there! Unfortunately, I will not be able to use them and I will have to settle for less.

The last straw. I also have a Verizon MiFi hotspot. I was sitting with Verizon friends who were making calls, texting and surfing the internet (they each had 2 bars of signal strength showing). I had ZERO bars of anything. I turned on the MiFi and it had 4 bars of signal. I connected my S4 to the MiFi via wireless and made my calls using Skype & Magic Jack!! Since then I have noticed that my MiFi will have 4-5 bars when the S4 has 1 or none??

I tried real hard to stay with the S4, but its lack of reception forced me to a different manufacturer's device. I am now on my 4th phone in 5 months. I regretfully traded in my S4 for the Motorola Maxx. Now, I have signal in areas that I had none on the S4. I am able to use my phone now, but I do miss the S4 for its features. The menu, camera and just plain basic functionality on the Maxx is no where as nice as on the S4, but I can make calls where I could not with the S4. Besides being able to use the phone, the battery is the only thing the Maxx has the S4 beat at.

If there is nothing that can be done for an S4, it there a different model Samsung with great rural reception that has a similar menu structure and camera?

 

[mitsubishiman]

Unfortunately the S4 is my next phone, Samsung has admitted mine is one of the problem phones and they are replacing it free with an S4, so I will see what happens next, I am out nothing for the upgrade and if it does the same thing, I will consider an I-Phone.

 

[Fengshuistein]

Okay, they almost had me up until two days ago, when I received the latest infamous 4.3 update,
First thing, all of my internet functions went down, even with 4bars and a 3G, no connection, basically without wi-fi no connectivity, then to my HORROR the first time I noticed text messages coming across the lock screen, okay I did change the settings so the preview was off, however I still get a gigantic notifications pop-up bar on the screen, and the same size one for missed calls.

And now I find out according to Samsung there is no way to turn off the pop up notifications and resume the previous tiny icon notifications only, only option is to disable all notifications, so this means I disable all, lock the screen, then when I do unlock it I have to enable notifications, which I won?t see any because while they were disabled they do not register, so I have to check my phone log, my message log and my email log to see if there is anything new.

So, let us discuss the purpose of a lock screen, I was under the mistaken impression it was for privacy, so that if my phone is actually viewed by someone else they would not have the ability to decipher any of my activity whatsoever, so apparently I was mistaken in the assumption that my ability to control all of the functions were my decision, for some apparent reason individuals determined that they would like to see all of their communications on the lock screen so they could then determine if it was important enough to unlock and answer.

Had it ever occurred to those individuals that they should just not utilize the lock screen function?

Had it ever occurred to Samsung that this should have been an option instead of a mandatory change.

I have an S4 with 4.3, so I'm not sure if it's set up the same, but I *think* if you open up the Text / Messaging app, hit the soft menu key (to the left of the home button), select "Settings", then scroll down to "Preview Message" and un-check it, you should only receive a text message notification, but without any part of the actual message in it. It will just say "Messaging" and "New Message" - no name or any other info. Hope that helps...

-Phil

 

[mitsubishiman]

I did change that particular setting, but unfortunately it does not change the new notification, it is an incredibly large icon and annoying, and when there is a missed call it stills says who it was from, the purpose of a lock screen is privacy, that is now gone, I will be getting a new S4 next week as a replacement and I have determined the only option may be to turn off notifications altogether, however that means zero notifications even when the phone is unlocked.

This was a step backwards which is typical of Samsung, never forward only backward.