I had the X and missed it terribly for the first week. This week I was slowly discovering new things that I can do with android and customized the phone to my liking. I must say I'd be crazy to go back. Besides missing imessage there is no reason for me to go back . Android has come a long way
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Samsung Galaxy S9
- Thread starter jamezr
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I wish Apple would make an iMessage and FaceTime app for android. I’d be glad to pay for it.
Me too but there is a plethora of apps out there to make up for it . I'm getting used being away from imessage. The only person that really had to adjust with my change was my wife . Were using WhatsApp
Have to disagree on FaceID though. For me it works flawlessly, even in dark.
I never understood why iMessage is such a deal breaker for some. I pretty much exclusively use WhatsApp to communicate by text with friends in the UK and those abroad. I even use it or Facebook messenger for video calls.
nviz22
Cancelled
I had to come back to write one final post:
Does anyone have touchscreen dead-zone issues on their S9/S9+? Samsung Direct has been atrociously unhelpful. I asked for an exchange after being on my 2nd S9+. I had to re-order the 2nd unit because the first one requires multiple taps to get texts to send out, open web browser links or tabs, etc.
They want me to take a refund, re-order it again, and wait about 7-10 business days to reissue a $100 promo code I used to get my S9+ on a deal. Or they want to have me wait 3-5 business days to see if an exchange could be granted on my behalf.
Not a single update to resolve the issue and no sense of urgency. At least Apple patched the cold temp issue with the iPhone X. I scoured the internet to find out if the Exynos model's march patch resolved the issue. People on Reddit, XDA, and other sites failed to chime in.
All I get is "exchange it out within your 14 day period." It's hard to do so when Samsung is uncooperative. I really want to keep this phone because I love the screen, dual speakers, Samsung Pay, build quality, FP sensor, etc.
I have till the 20th to request a refund. Battery life isn't stellar at all. I wouldn't be in this situation if OnePlus still offered the 5T or Google was a bit more price competitive with their Pixel 2 or 2 XL. HTC should hurry up and announce their U12+ and say the pricing so I can deviate from Samsung.
Sorry for the long and random rant, but it's frustrating. I want to enjoy a phone for multiple years in bliss and have little issue. It's been a rocky start with the S9+. I know I am being particular with requiring 3 taps to send texts or to surf on the stock web browser or to write on Reddit.
I'll pay attention to responses, but this will hopefully be the last time I have to write because I am willing to stick with a device. Just Samsung needs to do their share to ensure it can happen. Thanks for reading. Been a great ride from before. All the best to my fellow MR posters.
Does anyone have touchscreen dead-zone issues on their S9/S9+? Samsung Direct has been atrociously unhelpful. I asked for an exchange after being on my 2nd S9+. I had to re-order the 2nd unit because the first one requires multiple taps to get texts to send out, open web browser links or tabs, etc.
They want me to take a refund, re-order it again, and wait about 7-10 business days to reissue a $100 promo code I used to get my S9+ on a deal. Or they want to have me wait 3-5 business days to see if an exchange could be granted on my behalf.
Not a single update to resolve the issue and no sense of urgency. At least Apple patched the cold temp issue with the iPhone X. I scoured the internet to find out if the Exynos model's march patch resolved the issue. People on Reddit, XDA, and other sites failed to chime in.
All I get is "exchange it out within your 14 day period." It's hard to do so when Samsung is uncooperative. I really want to keep this phone because I love the screen, dual speakers, Samsung Pay, build quality, FP sensor, etc.
I have till the 20th to request a refund. Battery life isn't stellar at all. I wouldn't be in this situation if OnePlus still offered the 5T or Google was a bit more price competitive with their Pixel 2 or 2 XL. HTC should hurry up and announce their U12+ and say the pricing so I can deviate from Samsung.
Sorry for the long and random rant, but it's frustrating. I want to enjoy a phone for multiple years in bliss and have little issue. It's been a rocky start with the S9+. I know I am being particular with requiring 3 taps to send texts or to surf on the stock web browser or to write on Reddit.
I'll pay attention to responses, but this will hopefully be the last time I have to write because I am willing to stick with a device. Just Samsung needs to do their share to ensure it can happen. Thanks for reading. Been a great ride from before. All the best to my fellow MR posters.
Sevanw
Suspended
I honestly can't understand this undying devotion to imessage as well. There are so many other messaging apps that have a much bigger user base, and on top of that, they're cross platform. Whatsapp and messenger alone would have you covered for almost anyone. Are people so closed in their Apple bubble that they refuse to use anything else to message anyone without an iPhone? I myself am open to using any messaging app as my list of contacts grows. Currently I'm using whatsapp, messenger, Telegram, Allo, BBM, and Signal (from the original developers of Whatsapp.) When you have a communication device, you use it to its potential to communicate.
kkh786
macrumors 6502a
So.. I'm contemplating getting a Gear Sport to complement the S9.. any thoughts/advice?
I had a Gear S3 Frontier last year which was pleasant enough but didn't fulfil its potential as only used it with my Google Pixel.. eventually moved on to a Huawei Watch 2.
Nevertheless, feel a Samsung smartwatch (not the Gear S3 as it is two years old now) will fill the void I am experiencing from giving up my Apple Watch S3.. que the Gear Sport?!
I had a Gear S3 Frontier last year which was pleasant enough but didn't fulfil its potential as only used it with my Google Pixel.. eventually moved on to a Huawei Watch 2.
Nevertheless, feel a Samsung smartwatch (not the Gear S3 as it is two years old now) will fill the void I am experiencing from giving up my Apple Watch S3.. que the Gear Sport?!
Interesting that you mentioned it. I am currently trialing a Pixel 2 XL and played around with others phones in a store today. I was surprised that I some of my taps on the S9 didn't register. I occasionally had to tap twice while the Pixel always registersmy taps.
Yup I feel the same way. And even when I used iMessage heavy, my iPhone was always around me, so Mac and iPad integration wasn't hard to give up. Almost every iPhone user I know also has a 3rd party messenger app installed, so it's nothing to hit them on that.
It's also very easy to send WhatsApp messages using the chrome plug in. I use it at work and on my Mac at home.
I have used the built in Samsung messaging app when I had the S7. It will work with iMessage with a little effort. iMessage is still a pretty much perfect app, imo, that would be awesome cross platform.
Are you using a display protector of ANY kind? There have been reports of issues with them and I did have problems with the ones I was willing to try.
Right now, no, I have no problems. My daughter is the one dealing with what you're dealing with on her iPhone 7 Plus.
I have heard some people have the problems you're having. Best to return it.
[doublepost=1523231114][/doublepost]I had to jump away for a minute. We are on the road. Anyway my husband and I have noticed our cameras have slowed down a lot. Going from one mode to another is slow and plodding. Activating the camera in auto mode is definitely much less snappy than when we first got them. I haven't run across lag in my other apps yet.
But jeez, it's only been a couple of weeks!
As far as going off of iMessage, well it depends on how tech savvy your contacts are and if they are willing to keep track of notifications from more than one messaging app.
Facebook is on a lot of poop lists right now so now is not the time to be asking friends to use Messenger or WhatsApp. One of my contacts hates FB worse than I do and she's never even had an account. I did at least try them. I really don't want to feed that beast myself. I am doing okay with Textra and MMS. I exchange media now with Google Photos.
I just toss a link to a photo into an imessage text and my friends are getting used to that. I'm basically boiling frogs here. I'm gradually changing things to work around impediments that make texts coming from outside of imessages less desirable.
I've noticed some of my friends are now sharing things via Google Drive. Emoji aren't an impediment anymore. I can download iOS emoji into Textra. Samsung emoji are more compatible now, too.
I just don't know how to ask people to delete our old group texts so that my main number will not be excluded from group texts when I switch my sim to the S9+ if I do decide I want to do that.
And even I don't want to delete the old group texts. So I haven't made the leap off iMessage yet. It would probably just be easier to have everyone add in my Android number.
I keep thinking I am going to drop down to just one line and number but every time there is some crazy thing going on with two factor authentication I find having two lines is helpful. Our land line is all messed up so that is another convenience with having a second line always with me.
I don't know. Thinking too hard on all of this is giving me a headache. It does not help that this phone that I consider close to ideal is showing that dangblasted Samsung lag, at least on my camera.
Zaft
macrumors 601
First I believe it’s region specific. In the US iPhone usage is high and iMessage is built in. The great thing about iMessage is that it doesn’t matter who you message. If a person has android it defaults to SMS. You don’t have to even think about it.
Oh goodness I have come across something weird, at least for me being used to iOS more than Android. But I've never had this happen on Android before.
I'm trying to figure out why my camera now is lagging. So I remembered that I downloaded two new photo editing apps in the last few days. I uninstalled the art effects editor easily. I found it in my app drawer, no problem.
But there is another one I can't find. I have used the app search function. I have searched my very modestly stocked app drawer. And I have looked under Settings/Apps. It is simply not listed at all. It is not listed under the apps I own in the. Google Play Store, either, both the list for installed and uninstalled apps.
I know it is there only by going into my Samsung Gallery or my camera app and selecting Edit With Photo Editor Pro. Also I remember installing it and knowing I did not uninstall it.
So how on earth do I track this thing and uninstall it?
There are more than one apps named Photo Editor Pro in the Google Play store. I don't remember exactly which one it was but it had good ratings and reviews.
Edit update. I checked each app with that name in the app store and none of them show as installed.
I'm trying to figure out why my camera now is lagging. So I remembered that I downloaded two new photo editing apps in the last few days. I uninstalled the art effects editor easily. I found it in my app drawer, no problem.
But there is another one I can't find. I have used the app search function. I have searched my very modestly stocked app drawer. And I have looked under Settings/Apps. It is simply not listed at all. It is not listed under the apps I own in the. Google Play Store, either, both the list for installed and uninstalled apps.
I know it is there only by going into my Samsung Gallery or my camera app and selecting Edit With Photo Editor Pro. Also I remember installing it and knowing I did not uninstall it.
So how on earth do I track this thing and uninstall it?
There are more than one apps named Photo Editor Pro in the Google Play store. I don't remember exactly which one it was but it had good ratings and reviews.
Edit update. I checked each app with that name in the app store and none of them show as installed.
Camera slow down will happen after installing applications that install hooks (ie: photo filter, app like facebook, etc..)
To find a specific installed app.
From the phone:
you can open the Play store, My apps & games, select Installed.
From a computer:
https://play.google.com/apps , at the top change ALL APPLICATIONS for the name of your device. All your installed apps will be listed.
If you can still find it, there is a possibility you installed it from the Samsung store. So open Galaxy Apps, My apps, All. Apps that are installed doesn't have a download button.
You can also go the other way:
Settings, Apps , click the top right menu, choose APP Permission, Camera. You will see all apps with camera permissions.
Last edited:
I'll tell you exactly why. Because pictures and video is downgraded. While it may be easy to get your wife or your family or your close friends to use another app that doesn't downgrade quality I get a ton of messages from people who I can't ask to use some other app just for me. This would be co workers mainly who are sending important videos with great detail. I also have sent numerous people videos that need the detail to be sharp and again asking them to use some other app is not realistic. When I had my S7 Edge for about a year it was a nightmare for me when it came to videos and pictures.
Thank you for taking the time to list these all out. I've come up empty on every avenue except I don't have access to a full computer at the moment to check via that option. It's like the app is hiding as a built in system app. I could not isolate it looking in the Galaxy App category.
I was surprised to see that in my settings it was set to default to download unknown files through most avenues of accesibilty like email, message and NFC and Google keyboard. I had thought I'd micromanaged all my settings already. But I keep finding more.
I'm going to wipe the phone and start fresh after my husband takes a look at it.
Dave.UK
macrumors 65816
So.. I'm contemplating getting a Gear Sport to complement the S9.. any thoughts/advice?
I had a Gear S3 Frontier last year which was pleasant enough but didn't fulfil its potential as only used it with my Google Pixel.. eventually moved on to a Huawei Watch 2.
Nevertheless, feel a Samsung smartwatch (not the Gear S3 as it is two years old now) will fill the void I am experiencing from giving up my Apple Watch S3.. que the Gear Sport?!
I had the Gear Fit 2 and loved it. When it was launched I then bought the Gear Fit Sport and must say it really is a fantastic watch.
Looks much better then it does in pictures online and is a really good size.
nviz22
Cancelled
No screen protector at all. UBreakIFix is offering Samsung authorized in warranty repairs with a brand new screen and they say I can keep water resistance after the fact. Though a repair few days in is a ludicrous proposition because I have 14 days total to return the device and I am already on device #2. All I wanted was to enjoy a device in peace and not have to worry about phone news or marginal tech upgrades. But looks like I might need the OnePlus 6 or HTC U12+ to come out soon.
[doublepost=1523285937][/doublepost]
It's a widespread S9/S9+ issue and Samsung's customer service doesn't instill confidence to help me keep a product and be a long-time S9+ user.
I feel your pain. I remember how I felt dealing with the pink stain issue on my S8+ last year. I was within my return period but at the time it was impossible to get through to customer service for an RMA. And the chances of getting another pink stained device were super high as to make the option of a return for a new device seem pointless.
Meanwhile there was a fix being promised. But when I finally got it, which with At&T meant well after the return period had passed, I found out I would be stuck permanently using the Adaptive display setting, which I hate with the heat of a thousand suns.
I am super happy with my S9+ but would not wish what I felt about my S8+ experience on any forum friend. I don't know how widespread this dead zone issue is, but if you feel it's going to trap you into a bad situation or leaving you feeling salty for the life of your device, it may be better to cut ties with it now. I don't know. I just know I really resented Samsung and skipped the Note 8 over what happened with the S8+ so I totally empathize with what you are going through.
Honestly I'm in a state of massive chaotic frustration with all of these companies right now. Not over the phones I have right this minute, but in the boneheaded directions they are deciding on at large or the crap they can't seem to get right to save their lives.
I do think Samsung sincerely tries to make its customers happy these days. But their bureaucracy sucks and they still do manage to have some pretty funky qc issues.
So does Apple, but generally, in the USA and other locations with Apple Stores, it is easier to get a sensible remedy. Usually. 🙄
nviz22
Cancelled
Maybe Samsung thinks that just because their past success occurred without good customer service, they can get away with it.
I am really thinking about going for the repair option to see if it resolves it for me because I like the phone otherwise. It's just peace of mind goes away once I get a phone repaired because once a part goes, does that mean the device will go? Will I have problems with them saying I get water damage just because I take my phone in a pool on vacation for 5 minutes and submerge my phone in 2 ft of water for 5 minutes? I may have to also cut ties even though I like the software and hardware features.
HTC, OnePlus, Google, and Motorola are the only others I can consider because I lost my faith in Apple.
Samsung's deal with UBreakIFix guarantees warranty repairs with Samsung parts and Samsung certified tools.
To be perfectly blunt, your concerns hold true with any phone from any manufacturer because in the fine print most of them use water damage as an "out" no matter what their water ingress rating is or how they depict their device's water resistance in advertising. So you may as well choose the option that causes you the least disruption to your schedule.
I have heard nothing but horror stories lately about HTC repair service. You can peruse various forums and read that for yourself. But their phones are nice and in print, anyway, they have a generous warranty. I don't know much about Motorola. I find their phones extremely interesting, but not quite what I'm looking for right now.
I'm kind of interested in seeing what direction Essential goes in. But Sammy still dominates my interest because I'm still into wired earbuds and wired headphones and they kept the jack!
I am also astounded by how good the camera is. My husband and I are starting to slowly tinker with pro mode to capture scenes closer than ever before to how we see them in real life. The noise reduction is superb.
If you think you have enabled download unknown files, you could probably have activated instant Apps. This let you run app without installing them which could have lead you to think that you had it. To double check: Google play store, Settings, use app without installation, set to NONE if you don't want it .
In case you want to still follow the extending cleanup route:
It's not fun but a system wipe would probably be the 'easiest' path. I would also be worth a shot to clean the camera cache (Settings, Apps, Camera, Storage : clear data + clear cache). The final stage of the process would be to restart the phone. There are some background processes : Filter Provider, Shooting mode provider that are complicated to restart, so a phone reboot is a lot easier. When first launching back the camera app, it will probably ask a few questions and it will rebuild a cache.
On a side note
Google now have a new app for cleaning/removing junk stuff, it's called Google's Files Go. Unlike the playstore app, if you downloaded something from another location, it will be listed in the 'Installed apps'.
For added security:
- For the Google play store app, in the settings, you can enable fingerprint authentication.
- If you use Samsung's browser, you can also use biometric to unlock password for sites.
[doublepost=1523296106][/doublepost]
The camera app often over expose subjects in low light. The Pro mode helps a lot with that. For low light shots, for quick improvement, click to chose the focus area and also use the light slider that will appear. I could post shots (default,adjusted) that have big difference. The major annoyance in auto mode is that as soon as it re-focus on something it will bring back the exposition setting to what it think is appropriate. If you have a dark scene with lights, you need to adjust this.
Pro mode is great when you're ready to learn it. Make sure you adjust the speed with something your confortable. For low light shots try to use a slow setting. One that you can get a clear picture without motion blur. A faster setting will take a darker shot (but more precise). Adjust white balance as needed (makes a lot of difference for indoor shots), iso and focus.