I just got a brand new FP5 from HQ and after factory resetting it, twice, taking onboard various updates (including this week’s), I’m now faced with the absurdity that is the Quickstep Launcher. Not because I think it’s not a bad launcher but, it completely screws itself by ever-locking that ludicrous Google Search Bar at the top. The top! (That’s where I want my At a Glance, as per Pixel.) Talking of which, when I long-press that Search Bar I get a ‘Preferences’ pop-up, tap it - and is simply disappears! End of story! I have also played with the At a Glance Google-supplied Widget and if the screen ‘display size’ is any more than 2 (on the scale of 5) then the widget is forced to 5x2, thereby taking up half the page! The Launcher is so badly implemented it has formed the worst part of the experience so far and has forced me into using the Octopi Launcher. The phone is really buggy, too, left, right and centre. I’m compiling a list!
do you want any help or just rant? Both is fine. Just to know before people spend time in trying to help, because we here are all user like you are…
Sorry - I’m new here as you can see. I’m used to reviewing phones (see my blog and podcast) so it’s more of a ‘reporting findings’ post really as I build to my review. If people have comments or suggestions of things that I might have missed, then great. Happy to learn and include in my process. One thing that I can’t seem to make work (which I can on almost all other phones - even those with LCD displays) is 3rd Party Always on Displays. I have a bank of 3 or 4 and they all don’t seem to play nicely with the FP5. So if anyone has advice on that, I’d be glad to hear it. In the meantime, I shall press on! Thanks
the AoD function was removed because of high battery consumption details can be found in the forum.
Yes, I understand that. Giving the user the choice on battery consumption instead of just removing it would have been helpful, but that’s another matter. As I said, with most other phones I have been able to add a 3rd Party one from the Play Store but the Fairphone seems to get confused when it comes to routing the user back to the homescreen. The lift to wake and face unlock doesn’t work, for example, double-tap is needed - but that may be badly-coded apps. Although, as I say, they work fine on other phones. The best I have working so far is Peek AOD by Dubiaz - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.notification.aod
while I missed the 3rd party part in your previous post, my apologies, the options were also discussed before when AoD was removed. Remind the FP5 isnt using a standard SOC.
Sure. I like the phone in many ways. I also intend to feed back the positive findings. Perhaps I should have started with that! The speakers are much better than I had feared they might be so thumbs-up for that! It doesn’t looks like an iPhone, so thumbs-up for that! The delivery from Holland to UK was really good - under 48-hours door-to-door. Great to have HDMI-Out (a main reason for choosing this over the FP6). So yes, good stuff too.
I dont mind how you start, your are just late to the party, so several things have been discussed before already, so we always appreciate when one is doing some search and add their findings to existing topics instead of starting a discussion from scratch. If your intention is to write a full blog it might be worth it to do this after doing all tests and reading a bit in the forum.
Yes, OK. I’ll stop reporting here and keep quiet until my review is done then post a link to it here. Sorry.
Aha - my last word, I promise - there was a further update and now the option to remove the Search Bar from the Home Screen, then reboot - now gone! Great. Sorry if everyone knows this already. I have tried to search this forum to be sure not to repeat things but it seems that for whatever reason I don’t find the clues/posts/info.