Unable to move widgets

[font1975]

Hi guys

This has only happened a few times.. The launcher gets into a weird state where if I try to move a widget or icon, it just snaps back to its original place. I can delete it and re-add it, but the new widget appears in the same spot and still can't be moved.

My work around is to go into the Running apps list and Force Close the launcher.

Curious if anyone has seen this or knows what it might be? Haven't ruled out that it's something I'm doing or running, but I don't rearrange the screen that often, so it's hard to correlate it to anything.

(Running stock Launcher)

Thanks
Mark

 

[DroidXcon]

Hi guys

This has only happened a few times.. The launcher gets into a weird state where if I try to move a widget or icon, it just snaps back to its original place. I can delete it and re-add it, but the new widget appears in the same spot and still can't be moved.

My work around is to go into the Running apps list and Force Close the launcher.

Curious if anyone has seen this or knows what it might be? Haven't ruled out that it's something I'm doing or running, but I don't rearrange the screen that often, so it's hard to correlate it to anything.

(Running stock Launcher)

Thanks
Mark

This happens when there is not enough room in the screen or area you want to move the widget to. or if you are trying to switch screens if you dont move it far enough to the edge and hold for a second. is it possible that these could be factors or do you believe you are experienceing something completely different?

 

[font1975]

No it's something different, but that's exactly how it acts. As though there were something in the way. However, the screen is empty, and just to move the News and Weather widget from the top to the middle, for example, won't work. It snaps back to the top. Force Closing the Launcher straightens it up and things go back to normal.

It is a bizarre. I was curious to see if it's been seen by anyone else.

 

[font1975]

OK I think I found how to recreate it.

First I should say that this is a Nexus S.

What I've found is if I install an app and stay in the market until the download and install are complete, then press home, the launcher will "restart" and the problem of not being able to move icons or Widgets occurs.

If I exit back to the home screen before the install everything's OK.

Weird but I'm curious if anyone can duplicate this?

Thanks
Mark

 

[Smokexz]

Nothing like that on mine.

Sent from my Nexus S

 

[NEST600]

I was able to replicate this with the Twidroyd large widget. That's the only one though and then Launcher FCed and all was back to normal. Hrmm. -Pk

 

[font1975]

Thanks guys. I'm going to try with the wife's "S" when I catch up with her tomorrow.

The issue actually appears to be with using folders. The following steps reproduced the little bug reliably for me:

1. Create a folder on the desktop
2. Copy the Market icon into it
3. Launch Market and install an app. Stay in Market until app is installed
4. Press home key and try to move the folder to a differnt spot

If I close any open folders before installing an app, no issue. I only stumbled upon this because I kept the Market app in a "Most Used" folder. Easy enough fix for me is to not have a folder open when installing an app.

Perhaps the update that's begun rolling out will fix it?

Anyway, thanks again & happy holidays!
_Mark

 

[rzlq]

i can confirm similar behavior on my ns.

seems it really is related to the market and folders as i'd used both shortly before i encountered this problem.
moreover, after discovering this while installing a widget, i was testing the issue (ie. the inability to move basically anything on my desktop) further with just an app shortcut (no widget), and it either didn't move or disappeared straight away completely. then i found it in one of my app folders on another desktop screen .

 

[cporier91]

Do you have any folders on your screen? there is a small bug with the folder, i had this problem with my N1, it woud not let me move widgets or would delete them off the scree automatically. same with icons and shortcuts (meaning that when i attempted to move said shortcut it would put it in the folder i had set on the screen.) so i deleted the folder and restarted my phone and had no more issues. i'm guessing that the bug was still not fixed on the 2.3.3 update. I have a NS and do not use the folders, they cause instability. hope this helps.

 

[rzlq]

yes, i have two folders. although they're not on the same screen where i first discovered the problem. but that probably isn't significant, as the problem kept occuring on any of the screens later on.
so yeah, the steps suggested by the OP possibly don't necessarily involve Market at all. or at least not Market in a folder...

 

[font1975]

I had actuallly forgotten all about this.
rzlq is correct, the Market in a folder doesn't matter. And different things seem to create this "unable to move objects on the home screen" problem.

I've found just leaving a folder open on the home screen when installing an app seems to trigger this. My steps above about copying the Market into the folder was just a way to ensure you left the folder open prior to installing a new app.

I also found having Beautiful Widgets update the weather each time you wake up the phone would trigger this, too, though it was somewhat random.

Either Force Closing the launcher or restarting the phone was the only way to get things to normal. And yes, sometimes icons would then show up in weird places.

I suppose this is just one of those "endearing" quirks with the NS and Gingerbread

 

[rzlq]

confirmed. installing an app with a desktop folder left open reliably reproduces this glitch.

let's see if this is a known issue already...

 

[rzlq]

oh, i see font1975 ain't just idling away

/me adding a star @ code.google

(Issue 13434 - android - Disappearing Home Screen Icons - Android - An Open Handset Alliance Project - Google Project Hosting)