S7 indicator icons too small. Also signal strength?

[DaveGrohl]

Hi guys. I'm currently trialling a S7 for a few days. There's lots about it I like but one of my biggest problems with it is the size of the indicator icons at the top of the screen. These show stuff like network, signal strength, message notifications, wifi, battery, time, etc. I find the S7's icons pitifully small. My eyes aren't bad but I've never had a phone with such tiny icons. The rest of the icons on the phone are sufficiently sized so why are these particular ones sooooo small? More importantly, how do I make them bigger?

Also what are people's views on the phone's reception? I live in the country in a sandstone house so am well used to very poor reception. My most recent phone is a Moto G 1st gen which I've totally admired, the only thing wrong with it is the camera is poor quality hence the upgrade. I seem to be getting poorer signal strength with the S7. I've switched my SIM card from the S7 into an X Play for a couple of days this morning that I'm also trialling and the signal strength in that is instantly better sat in the same seat in my kitchen. Is the S7 not a great phone for reception?

Thanks in advance.

 

[zerospace-net]

Well, you're comparing a Motorola (from prior to the Lenovo purchase) to a Samsung. Moto always had the best radio/antennas -- that's what they did best. I never had a dropped call on my first gen Moto X (2013). Couldn't say the same for the 2014 model, but it was still better than most. Samsung phones have never come close as far as signal strength, and I'm seeing the same phenomenon with my S7 vs my old Moto X 2014. My signal quality at home always stinks, but the Moto could handle it well enough with only the occasional dropped call. The S7, not so much -- I've had the same call drop multiple times over the course of a 30 minute conversation with the S7. It's actually starting to get on my nerves. A lot. I'm hoping AT&T will roll out Wi-Fi calling to more phones, because that will probably be the only thing that makes most phones usable where I live (to be fair, Sammy isn't the only manufacturer I've had this issue with -- I've seen it with LG [nexus 5] and Sony [xperia zl], too).

So, it isn't just you. The Motorola has the better reception, for sure. It's just a question of how much does that matter to you ...

 

[Javier P]

Hi Dave, welcome to the forums. I had a Moto G 1st as well and now my daily driver is the X Play. I spend a lot of time in places with very weak signal and these two phones usually work better that any other ones from family and friends, specially the X Play. Not sure if you're going to get better reception with any other device.

About the status bar. I've read a few complaints about the icons size on the S7. If you decide to keep it you could try an app like Zooper Widgets and make your own widgets displaying the system information that you need from the bar. The free version is more than enough for a start.

https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...s/details?id=org.zooper.zwfree&token=YOc4hwb9

 

[DaveGrohl]

Thanks for the comments. I've tried to get on with the X Play but just can't, it's just too damn big and awkward in the hand in spite of being a better version of what I had (Moto G ver1). So it looks like I'm having to change to the S7 as it ticks more of the boxes than anything else for my admittedly exacting requirements. I'm crossing my fingers that O2 are FINALLY gonna do proper wifi calling in a couple of months time. My gf's just got a Vodafone sure signal and it's totally transformed her phone in our house. Need similar for mine.

I'll try the Zooper thing but it doesn't quite look at first glance to do what I want for the top icons. All this would be accademic of course if Moto were to just do the logical thing and go back to the G1 and just give it a better camera instead of constantly increasing the size of the thing. WTF's THAT all about???? Why can't they understand people buy a phone of a certain size BECAUSE THAT'S THE SIZE THEY WANT?

 

[zerospace-net]

All this would be accademic of course if Moto were to just do the logical thing and go back to the G1 and just give it a better camera instead of constantly increasing the size of the thing. WTF's THAT all about???? Why can't they understand people buy a phone of a certain size BECAUSE THAT'S THE SIZE THEY WANT?

I hear you on the size thing. It's a big part of why I chose the S7, too. I looked at the Nexus 5X, but there's a lot about that phone I don't like. I went with the Moto X 2014 a couple of months after it came out, and that thing was my absolute size limit at 5.2 inches. I can't do a 5.5 inch phone. I tried holding an S7 Edge at the store and just couldn't choose it when the smaller S7 felt so much better in my small hands. I do miss the call quality of the 2014 Moto X over my S7, though. The dropped calls are maddening.

Even with the superior radios and antennas, Moto lost me when they went with bigger is better and the gimmick crap (this year's Moto Z). Lenovo's got to do a lot of re-thinking before I ever return to their phones. Right now, I'm hoping for Wi-Fi calling or a new nexus phone later this year that ticks more of those boxes for me (and has a better radio than the S7). Til then, I'm just sticking with the S7, which all around otherwise, is a great phone. I just wish it would quit dropping my calls...

 

[DaveGrohl]

OK, so it turns out you CAN alter the size of the indicator icons after all. Somehow mine had been set to condensed whilst I was fiddling around in the first couple of days I had the phone. If you go into Display then Display Settings, you can have standard or condensed. Mystery over. My gf's just got a S7 to have a go with today and I couldn't weigh up why her indicator icons were bigger. Narrowed it down eventually.

 

[1812dave]

OK, so it turns out you CAN alter the size of the indicator icons after all. Somehow mine had been set to condensed whilst I was fiddling around in the first couple of days I had the phone. If you go into Display then Display Settings, you can have standard or condensed. Mystery over. My gf's just got a S7 to have a go with today and I couldn't weigh up why her indicator icons were bigger. Narrowed it down eventually.

I see no such setting under Display & Wallpaper. I see size settings for Fonts.

 

[chanchan05]

OK, so it turns out you CAN alter the size of the indicator icons after all. Somehow mine had been set to condensed whilst I was fiddling around in the first couple of days I had the phone. If you go into Display then Display Settings, you can have standard or condensed. Mystery over. My gf's just got a S7 to have a go with today and I couldn't weigh up why her indicator icons were bigger. Narrowed it down eventually.

Oh. Just tested it. Never tried using it before. Didn't know what it was for. Lol.

I see no such setting under "Display & Wallpaper". I see size settings for Fonts.

Do you have a carrier altered version? I have it in my international S7 Edge Duos.

 

[1812dave]

Verizon

 

[DaveGrohl]

Sorry, it's Display then Display scaling.