Janky

[seanubis]

G4 is on my shortlist for my next phone.

I keep hearing Phil use the term "janky software" when discussing the G4 in the AC podcast.

Can somebody enlighten me as to exactly what he's referring?

Is it...

• ...general lag?
• ...something weird about the way LG's software works?
• ...instability and crashes?
• ...something else?

 

[DamianP]

I think he meant more about their UI design elements and interfaces.(settings in tabs is horrible is a good example) It could definitely be lighter and be more intuitive if you like a more stock feel.
I never saw any general lag, never crash(I have both the ATT H810 and international H815).
I switched to Nova Prime and found that to be a better overall interface and allow for MUCH more customization.

 

[JayWill]

I think he meant more about their UI design elements and interfaces.(settings in tabs is horrible is a good example) It could definitely be lighter and be more intuitive if you like a more stock feel.
I never saw any general lag, never crash(I have both the ATT H810 and international H815).
I switched to Nova Prime and found that to be a better overall interface and allow for MUCH more customization.

This is the interpretation I got too. Phil's issues and use of the term "janky" had more to do with UI element design decisions more than anything else. This is a subjective thing though and different users will have varying opinions. I ran the G2 for almost 2 years and now have a G4 and I personally don't mind LG's software at all. It could be better but it's not terrible either.

From what I've gathered around the forums, the AT&T G4 seems to be the best of the US carrier branded variants, with less of the commonly reported issues of touch screen miss taps, heat, lag and adverse battery performance. Most of the reported touch screen issues seem to come from Verizon owners. This is likely due to variations in the carrier software. I don't just mean carrier bloat apps, but actual differences in the system software implemented by LG at the request of each carrier.

 

[KPMcClave]

Of course, where the settings tabs are concerned, you can change that setting to the list form (if I'm understanding that example correctly). So, giving LG too much of a hit for something like that seems a bit unfair. Of course, many of us who post here are not the normal phone user, who essentially takes the phone out of the box, activates it, and is off and running.

 

[seanubis]

This is the interpretation I got too. Phil's issues and use of the term "janky" had more to do with UI element design decisions more than anything else. This is a subjective thing though and different users will have varying opinions. I ran the G2 for almost 2 years and now have a G4 and I personally don't mind LG's software at all. It could be better but it's not terrible either.

From what I've gathered around the forums, the AT&T G4 seems to be the best of the US carrier branded variants, with less of the commonly reported issues of touch screen miss taps, heat, lag and adverse battery performance. Most of the reported touch screen issues seem to come from Verizon owners. This is likely due to variations in the carrier software. I don't just mean carrier bloat apps, but actual differences in the system software implemented by LG at the request of each carrier.

Yay, I'm on Verizon :\

Thanks for the info!

 

[metallifan33]

I have the G4 on ATT. I can't compare it to the Verizon G4 but will say this. The hardware of the phone is awesome. The camera is awesome. The software running it all is crap. "Janky" is a generous term in my opinion.
Does this make the phone unusable? No. I've decided to keep the phone and like it but I'm not going to make excuses for the software. The LG software is laggy, misses far too many screen taps, and is poorly optimized (this is and has been a downside of LG). Again, this doesn't make the phone unusable; you just have to get used to waiting a split second longer while doing things (especially when typing passwords as that's one case where the missed taps can hurt you).
In my experience, people that own the phone and plan on keeping it tend to be more forgiving of it (maybe subconsciously trying to justify the purchase) but in my case I can honestly say I like the phone but hate the software.
Some people (and you may be one of them) don't mind or don't notice lag as much as other people. In some ways it's a subjective thing. It's present in most android phones (some more than others). If you come from an HTC phone like me; my guess is you'll notice the "Jank" But another thing you'll notice is that the camera rocks.

BTW, I run Nova prime.

 

[JayWill]

Yay, I'm on Verizon :\

Thanks for the info!

Keep in mind that what I posted about the Verizon variant is all based on my general observations and not based on any factual evidence at all. There are probably tons of satisfied Verizon G4 owners, just as there may be unsatisfied AT&T owners.

The only way to know or sure whether it's the right device for you or not is to buy it, set it up with your typical apps, and run it with your typical usage pattern.

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[belodion]

I didn't know the meaning of the word. Looking it up, I see that it means Unresponsive or Sluggish, as a description of software. I think I'll stick with Unresponsive or Sluggish.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[ManiacJoe]

Yup. Looked it up. Not a word I would expect to find in a tech review.

 

[Anthony_NE]

I have the G4 on ATT. I can't compare it to the Verizon G4 but will say this. The hardware of the phone is awesome. The camera is awesome. The software running it all is crap. "Janky" is a generous term in my opinion.
Does this make the phone unusable? No. I've decided to keep the phone and like it but I'm not going to make excuses for the software. The LG software is laggy, misses far too many screen taps, and is poorly optimized (this is and has been a downside of LG). Again, this doesn't make the phone unusable; you just have to get used to waiting a split second longer while doing things (especially when typing passwords as that's one case where the missed taps can hurt you).
In my experience, people that own the phone and plan on keeping it tend to be more forgiving of it (maybe subconsciously trying to justify the purchase) but in my case I can honestly say I like the phone but hate the software.
Some people (and you may be one of them) don't mind or don't notice lag as much as other people. In some ways it's a subjective thing. It's present in most android phones (some more than others). If you come from an HTC phone like me; my guess is you'll notice the "Jank" But another thing you'll notice is that the camera rocks.

BTW, I run Nova prime.

Yes. All of this. And janky is the perfect word to describe the software experience on this phone. I have decided to ditch it and am looking forward to rejoining camp Motorola. This phone has an incredible camera, maybe even the best one out there, but it's jankyness is just too much.

 

[seanubis]

Thanks for the input, everybody!

I've been using a 2013 Moto X since they were first released, and stock Nexus & Cyanogenmod for a couple of years before that, so I'm mostly accustomed to a stock Android experience.

I was thinking about the G4 because, well, dat camera. But after hearing this stuff about LG's software, I'm not convinced the better camera is worth the tradeoff.

I'm just about settled on the Moto X Play at this point, just waiting on a few more reviews to drop, and hopefully some hands-on time, before I pull the trigger.

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[anon(8938849)]

Keeping in mind that this is all subjective, I have to say I don't understand why LGs software gets a bad rap. Besides all the love that vanilla gets, people tend to say HTC has the best non vanilla software. I couldn't disagree more. I just returned an M9 and picked up the G4 a few days ago. In my opinion HTC has the worst software. I won't get into it because this post isn't about that phone but my list of best software goes line this: LG, Touchwiz, then Sense. This is leaving out vanilla however which I'd put up top with LG.

Yes I think LGs got it right. Maybe not perfect but closer than Samsung and HTC. When you can not only apply themes but change each icon individually, even with your own images, on the stock launcher just for one...nobody else can do that period. And I'm not justifying my purchase either, if I wasn't completely happy I'd return it, just like I did with the M9.

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[sed51329]

I've had my G4 for about two months. I experience touch screen issues and lag (sometimes pretty extreme lag) daily.

I still like the phone though.

That's saying something.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[gendo667]

I have the G4 on ATT. I can't compare it to the Verizon G4 but will say this. The hardware of the phone is awesome. The camera is awesome. The software running it all is crap. "Janky" is a generous term in my opinion.
Does this make the phone unusable? No. I've decided to keep the phone and like it but I'm not going to make excuses for the software. The LG software is laggy, misses far too many screen taps, and is poorly optimized (this is and has been a downside of LG). Again, this doesn't make the phone unusable; you just have to get used to waiting a split second longer while doing things (especially when typing passwords as that's one case where the missed taps can hurt you).
In my experience, people that own the phone and plan on keeping it tend to be more forgiving of it (maybe subconsciously trying to justify the purchase) but in my case I can honestly say I like the phone but hate the software.
Some people (and you may be one of them) don't mind or don't notice lag as much as other people. In some ways it's a subjective thing. It's present in most android phones (some more than others). If you come from an HTC phone like me; my guess is you'll notice the "Jank" But another thing you'll notice is that the camera rocks.

BTW, I run Nova prime.

I agree, there is jank out of the box. I've said before, uninstall/disable what you don't use. Q Slide/dual window must go, very important. I also uninstalled Google Fit. Greenify is a must. And with the Google Now Launcher, I have a smooth stock Android experience. Also, I haven't had many touch screen issues.

And I'm on T Mobile by the way.

 

[caffeinated pants]

I agree, there is jank out of the box. I've said before, uninstall/disable what you don't use. Q Slide/dual window must go, very important. I also uninstalled Google Fit. Greenify is a must. And with the Google Now Launcher, I have a smooth stock Android experience. Also, I haven't had many touch screen issues.

And I'm on T Mobile by the way.

It's worth pointing out that the 'jankiness' seems to apply to various flavors of US carrier branded phones, and not to the unlocked international version of the G4.

The carrier versions seem to come with a boatload of pre-installed apps that are not present on the H815, and it seems to be the carrier bloatware that causes most of the lag.

I have had the H815 myself since the beginning of June and I do not have any lag issues.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[gendo667]

If my next phone isn't a Nexus, it's gonna be the international version of whatever I get. There was a guy on a M9 thread looking for advice as to what phone to get. I told him if he gets a G4, to go with the international variant. You've echoed many sentiments regarding the G4. The international version is great. No lag, responsive. It's sad that the US carriers are not concerned with the overall product experience.

 

[Allen Brandt]

My problem with many of the international versions is that they don't fully support the US networks. For example, on T-Mobile, if the phone doesn't support LTE band 12 and VoLTE, then it's doomed, as they are moving a lot of the network to that 700 Mhz band because of it's longer distance and the fact that there is better indoor coverage.

My advice is to look carefully before you buy