Calling All Android Gurus -Long- HELP!

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Let me start by saying that while I am only 25, I am "old school" when it comes to technology. But I'm not helpless either. Don't laugh at me.

I have an old hand-me-down phone, a Samsung Galaxy Express. No plans to "get with the times" unless there is no choice. This is running Android version 4.1.2.

My problems started about 2 months ago. Lots of random problems and crashing, play store didn't work at all. So after getting to the point of being totally infuriated, I factory reset my phone. It worked great for a few days. But since then (about a month now) I have had the same annoying problem - excessive crashing. It varies from every 2 minutes to every 1/2 hour. It is only noticed when browsing, HOWEVER, I am on my 3rd browser this month. The problem persists. I was using the "Browser" (I know, I just learned about it's flaws this week), then I went to Firefox, now Chrome. I do notice that after crashing, my home screen is VERY slow to load (only 1 page, and all of my apps fit on it, lol). I clear my browser data at least once every two weeks (cookies, cache, etc). Also, idk if this is related or not, but my keyboard won't show up or is very delayed sometimes.

I do not have a million apps installed (again, old school), and I try to keep my RAM at least 25% free (currently 639MB used / 173 MB free). FWIW, when this phone was in its prime, it never had more than ~35% of its RAM free. Also my storage is not real heavy either (4.26 of 4.94GB of data is available on the phone storage, and 2.87 of 7.40GB is available on my SD card).

What do you think? Am I doing something wrong? I feel I'm doing things right
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Also is there any way to (without rooting) get rid of this @#$& Google bloatware? 8 of their services are CONSTANTLY running, none of which I want.

Huge thanks in advance!
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Your standards are too high for a phone that's way too old

Time for an upgrade

If the budget is an issue, Moto G/E can be had for a very reasonable price these days
 
Not being critical, I'm genuinely asking.

Am I asking too much of this phone after a factory reset to just work the way it should and not crash every 5 minutes?
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I just feel something is "wrong" and it's not the phone's old age.

I do appreciate the help.

Budget is not an issue, it's just the BITOGer coming out in me ("this phone should go at least 300,000 miles"
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Originally Posted By: tony1679
I just feel something is "wrong" and it's not the phone's old age.

It's not the "old age" of the phone, but the "new age" of everything the phone is running.

All the stuff you have loaded is meant to run on -- and take advantage of the features of -- NEW phones, not old ones.
 
The OS probably got upgraded to a recent version that the hardware does not handle very well. If you can get the original version of Android installed with patches for bugs it probably works quite well. For that you need to visit all sorts of Android forums and have lots of time on your hands.

Unlike Windows computers where newer stuff works better even on old hardware. Android stuff chokes as does iOs. Optimizing for old tech with new Android OS does not make a lot of sense on a consumable/throwaway like a smartphone.
 
Originally Posted By: Tegger
It's not the "old age" of the phone, but the "new age" of everything the phone is running.

This is likely the #1 problem. I suspect the #2 cause of sudden problems is degradation of the on board storage device in the phone.
 
Originally Posted By: tony1679


Also is there any way to (without rooting) get rid of this @#$& Google bloatware? 8 of their services are CONSTANTLY running, none of which I want.

Huge thanks in advance!
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You can't get rid of the bloatware on the phone that comes with the particular ROM that you're running (without rooting of course). However, you can disable apps and prevent them from running in the background, which is a great way to keep an older phone running "okay" (assuming there are no underlying hardware issues).

I'm on Android Lollipop right now, so this will be from memory (as I don't have an older Android device to give you exact instructions with).

In the main Android Settings app, find the Applications (or Apps) category. Once inside, you will have a number of screens that you can swipe through. Swipe all the way to the right most screen (swipe right to left) until you can see "ALL" installed apps.

Go through the list, and any apps that you recognize, but do not ever use, you can click on them, Force Close, and Disable them.

Some apps cannot be disabled (you'll see that by the greyed out disable button), and others can be completely uninstalled. Some apps will require you to "uninstall updates" first before being able to disable it.

Also, I recommend hitting the clear cache and clear data buttons prior to disabling any apps, just so you can reclaim any lost storage space from them (if you're not going to be using them).

I've done this on older phones before (and newer ones too) and it has almost always improved performance. Also, uninstall two of those browsers that you don't need! Leave the one that performs the best in the end after disabling apps and powering off / powering on the phone.
 
It sounds like you have some type of hardware failure, the phone probably got wet or dropped a little too hard at some point in it's life. As a last resort, you can try recovery mode which is a bit deeper of a reset than the one you select through the menu. On most Samsungs, you enter the BIOS by taking the battery out, while reinserting it press and hold volume up, power button and home button at the same time.

Release all buttons when the screen flickers and in a few seconds the recovery screen will appear. Volume up/down will let you navigate the choices and the power button selects them.
 
Originally Posted By: il_signore97
Originally Posted By: tony1679
Also is there any way to (without rooting) get rid of this @#$& Google bloatware? 8 of their services are CONSTANTLY running, none of which I want.

Huge thanks in advance!
thumbsup2.gif

You can't get rid of the bloatware on the phone that comes with the particular ROM that you're running (without rooting of course). However, you can disable apps and prevent them from running in the background, which is a great way to keep an older phone running "okay" (assuming there are no underlying hardware issues).

I'm on Android Lollipop right now, so this will be from memory (as I don't have an older Android device to give you exact instructions with).

In the main Android Settings app, find the Applications (or Apps) category. Once inside, you will have a number of screens that you can swipe through. Swipe all the way to the right most screen (swipe right to left) until you can see "ALL" installed apps.

Go through the list, and any apps that you recognize, but do not ever use, you can click on them, Force Close, and Disable them.

Some apps cannot be disabled (you'll see that by the greyed out disable button), and others can be completely uninstalled. Some apps will require you to "uninstall updates" first before being able to disable it.

Also, I recommend hitting the clear cache and clear data buttons prior to disabling any apps, just so you can reclaim any lost storage space from them (if you're not going to be using them).

I've done this on older phones before (and newer ones too) and it has almost always improved performance. Also, uninstall two of those browsers that you don't need! Leave the one that performs the best in the end after disabling apps and powering off / powering on the phone.

+1 I was given a Nexus tablet, running Android by someone who couldn't figure it out. Being new to Android, but familiar with Google's invasiveness, I sat down, went into settings, and began turning off everything I didn't want: Location, bluetooth, google this & that. Disable it, then remove it if possible. Now it's usable, battery life is greatly extended and it's more responsive.
 
I am thinking of picking up LG Optimus Exceed 2 to use as a standalone WiFi android (kitkat) device (aka NOT a phone). I will add 32GB microSD to it. It is cheap enough but would it have similar issues that OP is having?
 
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