So what are the first few things to do with the GS3 after you get it?

[saintforlife]

I am new to the Galaxy line. So any tips on getting the new phone set up right for optimal battery life, removing/hiding bloatware, removing the 'nature' and/or 'water ripple' effect, setting up S-Voice, etc. will be appreciated. Is there a toggle to turn off LTE when you don't use it? And should emails be set up for push or fetch (how often?) or manual so that I don't kill the battery? Finally should the brightness be set to automatic?

 

[s14tat]

Aren't you that HTC fan boy? If you are, then congrats. The phone out of the box stock would give you great battery life. You disable the sound effects in the sound menu in settings. The auto brightness is ocd so just leave it on max brightness, even there are very very small number of people complaining about screen burn in, as long as your not using the phone as a desk clock you should be okay. There is no toggle to turn off lte. Also you should disable s voice all together to speed up the transition from app draw or app to home screen. You do that by going to app manager and going to s voice than select disable. S voice is crap anyway.

 

[saintforlife]

Aren't you that HTC fan boy? If you are, then congrats.

Guilty as charged. Sorry that was a trollish post. I didn't think the thread would take off like it did. I really didn't have a dog in the fight at that time. But after months of research, I've come to the conclusion that the GS3 is the right phone for me.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[s14tat]

Hmmmm. I was expecting more replies from people wanting to help. I guess you burned those bridges down too early huh?

 

[saintforlife]

Frankly I don't think anyone remembers that post. It was a long time ago and I believed the thread was moved to the HOX forum. I am surprised you remember it. Also if that burnt my bridges, so be it. Some people take this stuff too seriously. It is just a stupid phone and it was one person's opinion at the time.

You gave me some tips in your first post and I got a detailed PM for the initial setup from jontalk (thanks Jon!).. That should keep me going for a while. The worst part is the wait. I just want to get my hands on it and start playing with it. Can't wait!

 

[cgardnervt]

1) Download a better SMS/MMS app! (I like GO SMS Pro)

2) Download Swiftkey! Stock keyboard is god awful. (You can try it for free for 30 days. Its worth EVERY penny IMO.)

3) Update the software on the phone if its not done already.

4) Setup any security settings on the phone. (Pins and what not.)

5) Play round with the lock screen. I know it may sound silly but it has SO MANY features! Not even kidding.

6) Enable any gestures that you may want to use.

7) Disable any junk apps that you do not need. You can find a list on the forums.

This is just a small list! hope it helps out.

4)

 

[tsells]

Definitely install a new keyboard-either Swiftkey3 (from the PlayStore) or Swype beta (directly from their web site). I prefer Swype beta, as I am a one finger typer, but Swiftkey3 is excellent too.

I am not a fan of TouchWiz, so you might want to consider Nova Launcher.

Aquamail is my preferred e-mail app (instead of stock). It works great for multiple e-mail accounts or if you do not use GMail.

Go to options>Developer Options>Window Animation Scale and also Transition Animation Scale>Set them both to 0.5. Your phone will run better and you won't notice anything different.

 

[jontalk]

Juice Defender is a definite addition right away along with Swiftkey 3. Also make sure ATT sets up your visual voicemail and you'll need to install the app. When you call 611 for the VVM set up they will probably text you a code that you'll enter into the app. Once it confirms it, you're all set. I would also disable ATT Messages since it really sucks and interferes with other apps. I like the stock messaging app myself, though the stock email app while nice, doesn't support HTML format viewing which is ridiculous.. Big error on Sammy's part but they may fix it with the JB release.. time will tell. I also like most of the Google apps like Goggles, Sky, etc. along with Foursquare, Pinterest, Twitter, etc.. Up to you about all that stuff.. And don't forget Angry Birds is free on Andriod too.

 

[greentwo]

For a more responsive home button, turn off the setting to launch S-Voice by double pressing the home button.

 

[bpsanborn]

+1 on the AT&T Visual Voice app. I'm not a fan of carrier bloatware but this works great and meets or exceeds the iPhone visual voice function. Thanks for the tip

 

[zinedine]

Still can't get my att visual voice mail app to work.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Android Central Forums

 

[saintforlife]

So finally I got the phone today. I was able to set up visual voice mail without any hiccups. I just downloaded the app and followed the onscreen instructions. I didn't even have to call AT&T.

I also disabled the following apps:
AllShare Controller
AllShare Play
AT&T Messages
AT&T Navigator
ChatOn
S Suggest
YPMobile

I was unable to disable AllShare Cast and AllShare Service as the disable button is grayed out for some reason. Any tips to get around this will be appreciated.

Over all I am very impressed with the phone. The screen is amazing. The large size is easy to get used to. Both the phone and AT&T's LTE is blazing fast. No regrets whatsoever. Thanks everyone for your tips.

 

[BelindaR]

I have yet to root my S3 and I've noticed it has better battery life than my rooted Skyrocket where I removed all that bloatware :-\ Go figure.

 

[brkaras]

If you are looking for a way to disable LTE, add a second APN "wap.cingular" to your Access Point Names under settings> mobile networks. Despite some of the girls that have argued with me over this...it does work I confirmed the APN with AT&T and it's an old one that does not support LTE that's why your phone is set to the "pta" APN. To be honest this method will work on any phone with Android OS.

Apple Hater for Life!

 

[Dumb1]

You are on the right track as far as disabling apps. I would install tasker if you haven't yet, great customization app. Also get a spare battery not because the S3 eats batteries but because you will find yourself using the phone all the time! Lastly throw a 32 or better yet a 64gb card in it. Enjoy the phone, this is my first android phone and I love it will never go back to Apple.

 

[scottietek2]

What line do u add. Wap. Cingular to turn off lte?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Android Central Forums

 

[nelonez]

Root it and install MIUI ROM.....

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

 

[equinelover]

How did you disable all those apps? Thanks for the help.

 

[saintforlife]

How did you disable all those apps? Thanks for the help.

Go to settings->application manager. Then open each app and click on disable. Just make sure you don't disable anything that you don't recognize or don't know what it does. If you stick to my list above, you should be fine.