Undo latest update for Samsung Galaxy Tab A?

[Android Central Question]

I've been living with a Galaxy S4 tablet (not a phone). Last month, my husband bought me the Galaxy Tab A at Sam's Club. Again, not a phone. I don't know much about anything tech-wise but simply use for FB, Gmail, reading, etc.

Two-three days ago, I was asked to update the device (something I had never been asked to do with my S4). I went ahead and did it--but I hate it. As an older person, I hate how menus/buttons have all gone so minimalistic (like when YouTube changed and we had to simply guess what the buttons now meant). Well what was already minimalistic has gone even moreso. And there's more white--don't know how else to explain--but notices are harder to read. And suddenly it's harder to sign in and out of WiFi which is something I do all the time, not wanting to use WiFi when I don't need it. The entire Settings section is completely different--and I already found it hard to understand as it was.

Sorry to ramble, but do you get the idea? I'm not happy. Any way to go back to whatever I had before? I had barely started understanding this new tablet as it was and now everything's different.

Aside from the update: what I REALLY hate in the difference between the old tablet and this new one is that the sound adjustment is not all in the same place as it used to be. When I clicked on sound on the old one, I could access Notifications, Media, and System. Now there's only one adjustment which seems to be notifications--but that makes me liable to wake up my husband accidentally in the middle of the night when some media plays that I didn't want to. Anyone know a way around this? Am I missing something?

Thanks--and sorry for sounding crabby. But I actually am right now. ;-)

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! You can't easily roll back system updates. On Samsung devices, it's possible to flash the previous firmware using Odin: http://forums.androidcentral.com/am...w-flash-stock-rom-via-odin-new-interface.html

When you press the Volume button and you see the volume slider appear at the top of the screen, do you see a little down arrow on the right of the slider? If so, tap that -- it should expand the volume slider to show the 3 separate volume controls.

 

[HLGi]

Hi....i have the same issue with my new Tab A...took back the Tab S2 because I hated the look (like the redo of my S6), and couldn't deal with it visually on a 9.7 inch basis. The Tab A 8 was what I could deal with visually. So, the latest update yesterday sent me into a complete tizzy and I'm relieved Im not the only one. I HATE IT!!!!!!!! :'(

So, can the OP and I just go bact to factory reset.....start over? Am I able to completely ignore those types of updates? My husband's Tab A has not received this update, although his is 2 years old.

H

 

[Rukbat]

No, a factory reset removes any changes you've made to the phone, but not updates. (It shouldn't be called "factory update", it should be called "user update" or "remove any changes I've made since this device was new".) You have to flash the older version of the ROM for that device, for that country, for that carrier. Flashing the wrong ROM could cause the device to stop working.)

To the original poster:
As another "old person" (75), I understand your feelings - which is why I'm still running a pretty old version of Android. But some things update anyway, and some of them were updated to the point that they were ruined. (Google Maps used to be a much better app than it is now.) Aside from reflashing the tablet to the older ROM, you have to learn to live with the changes. (And unless you root the tablet and remove or freeze [using Link2SD] the Update app, the tablet will update again. [I guess Google doesn't want to have to support older versions which, as a software developer, I can understand and agree with - for everyone else. For me, I'll decide which version I run.])

So flash the older version. I know - not being "tech-wise", it seems like a daunting task. It probably will be the first time, but Samsungs are easy to reflash, and the worst part of it is the boredom, so do it just before there's going to be something good on TV, then go watch the show for half an hour. (The update after reflashing takes 10 minutes or more.) The actual reflashing, once you've downloaded the older version, should take a few minutes of your time, but unless you like watching paint dry, or you're curious the first time, have something else to do.

As far as not being connected to wifi unless you need it, there's no reason for that. It doesn't cost battery (the hardware is there and drawing power whether you're connected or not) and it doesn't cost money to be connected. It's not like something is going to jump off the internet, into your phone and ruin something. The internet doesn't work like that.

So good luck, don't get bored, and don't be afraid to reflash the ROM. Just make sure you get the right ROM (your tablet, your country and your carrier).

And if you had KitKat before, and have Lollipop now, you have my sympathy. I'm still on KitKat on my 4 year old Note 3. 5.0.1 has been out for it for a couple of years (KitKat is 4.4.2 or 4.4.4), but I don't like bright white on a Samsung phone (it uses more battery) and it just doesn't look "right".

If you've installed any apps, you can install them again from the Google Play Store. If you have texts, use SMS Backup & Restore to back them up before you reflash the ROM, then to restore them afterwards. (Or just go through Backing up an Android Device to see how to back up what you need. (If you have contacts in there, they're probably "Phone" or "Device" contacts, so be sure to back them up and, when you restore them, to restore them as Google contacts, so you don't have to go through that again. (Only Google contacts are automatically backed up and restored.)

 

[HLGi]

One important question....does one have to download Odin? Or can it be done without? I may have to just accept the change since it will continue anyway....so next question, why would there just be reading and adaptive in screen mode? I have basic on my phone which I tolerate. Is there any way to get that? I don't understand updates that make the visual experience painful.
I totally agree with OP that the minimalistic icons that are difficult to see are frustrating.

One more thing...how can I make the icons on home pages bigger. They're smaller than on my phone.

H

 

[Rukbat]

One important question....does one have to download Odin? Or can it be done without?

There's an app that can supposedly install ROMs. (I say supposedly, because it doesn't work properly on all devices, and since I don't have a Tab A, I can't guarantee that it will work. (And if it fails in the middle, you'll have to download Odin anyway.) I don't see why you don't want to download it, though. It's the tool that Samsung uses themselves (they wrote it). I've used it at least a few dozen times, and it's always worked.

I may have to just accept the change since it will continue anyway....so next question, why would there just be reading and adaptive in screen mode? I have basic on my phone which I tolerate. Is there any way to get that?

Not without changing the ROM, if there's one written for the Tab A that has basic or something else on it.

I don't understand updates that make the visual experience painful.

Young kids write software, and evidently it's not painful to them.

One more thing...how can I make the icons on home pages bigger. They're smaller than on my phone.

You can't with the TouchWiz launcher (the one Samsung uses). But you can with Nova Launcher - that's one of the first things I install on any new device. Then you can take a week just learning all the changes you can make. Different home page setups, different app drawer setups, almost everything done in a launcher. (And the free version works well, you just don't get badging [the numbers on the icons showing how many emails, texts, etc., you have waiting] - as far as I know. I seem to recall something about that being an "Android itself" feature from Oreo on (which hasn't been released yet, but we'll both probably live to see [and hate] it.)

 

[HLGi]

Lots to think about.....especially since I just got my tablet a week ago, lol.
Let alone the new tech vocabulary........Thanks so much for your help.

H

 

[CJ Mac]

Rukbat, thanks for your help. I DID think that having WiFi on all the time used the battery faster. You've made me recall that the article I read several years ago said the sound and brightness on high were what used it faster, not WiFi.

As far as Lollipop and KitKat: I just found the online description from Sam's Club--bought it there a month ago--and it says it has Android 5 Lollipop. What is it? An operating system?

Oh, and I don't have a carrier for this tablet. Will that matter? My husband and I don't have Smartphones and simply use WiFi wherever we can pick it up. So far we've been okay. (I know, we might as well be cavemen.)

I'm for returning the tablet, but since it was so inexpensive my husband wants to keep it if only as source for him to read news and sports, etc.

 

[B. Diddy]

As far as Lollipop and KitKat: I just found the online description from Sam's Club--bought it there a month ago--and it says it has Android 5 Lollipop. What is it? An operating system?

Android 5.0 is Lollipop. Android version numbers have different nicknames based on sweet treats, in alphabetical order. Before Lollipop, there was KitKat, Jellybean, and others. After Lollipop came Marshmallow, Nougat, and now Oreo.

Oh, and I don't have a carrier for this tablet. Will that matter?

The tablet could only make use of a carrier if it was LTE-enabled, and therefore had a SIM slot. Most tablets are wi-fi only -- the ones that are LTE-enabled are typically purchased directly from a carrier. But even if you had one, you don't need to be on a carrier in order to use the tablet as a wi-fi-only device.

 

[Jjacicaron]

Latest update for Samsung Galaxy Tab A is bad?

This update is bad Samsung needs to update back to where it was, made it impossible to get out of one at a time screens says I have to close all at once. Bad idea for sure several other errors noted by many others. Tab A was a great little tablet but not now,

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! What do you mean by "one at a time screens"?