While I was quite happy with the HTC One M8 when I got it almost a year ago, I haven’t remained as content with it over time.
Just before I received the Lollipop update, I was having both serious battery life issues, lagging and crashing apps. The app crashing was so bad that Google Sheets crashed every time I opened it, sometimes multiple times. Since I use Sheets to track my business mileage, it’s an app I use several times a day, and I finally got so irritated that I started tracking in Sheets on my iPad instead. Which meant I had to haul my iPad with me to every meeting. *grumble*
Post-Lollipop update, the app crashing problem abated, but the lag and battery life didn’t. As I mentioned in my camping without power post, I had been concerned my phone would need every external battery I owned to keep it charged for a week. The difference in battery life between my fairly new phone and my husband’s aging iPhone 5 was huge. His phone sips power while mine was gulping it. It was so bad I was routinely carrying an external battery when I left the house for meetings, and I have never had to do that before.
Fortunately, a couple of weeks ago, the battery situation sorted itself out. My best guess is that an app hadn’t been playing nicely under Lollipop and the developer finally fixed the problem. My battery is behaving fairly well now.
The lag, however, hasn’t improved much. A few weeks ago, I was trying to create a grocery list in Evernote, and the phone just crawled. We waited. And waited. Later I realized it would have been faster to have gone upstairs, gotten my iPad, created the list on it and synced it to my phone while we drove to the store. That’s the worst I’ve ever seen it, but lagging has just become something I’ve learned to deal with. None of my other devices lag, though…
I know. Operating system updates can mess with iPhones too. And it’s not like iPhones are never prone to battery or lag issues. However, there’s another reason I’m considering going back to Apple.
Carrier bloatware.
Yes, Apple has it’s own version of bloatware. I’m not going to be thrilled to have an Apple Watch app, which I will never use, on my phone. However, I can live with those because the baked-in Apple apps usually only update when the operating system updates.
Not so with my HTC. First, there’s all the manufacturer apps, which all want to update (it seems) several times a week. Seriously, can’t they get HTC Dot View to just work? I never use it, and it updates all the time. Then there’s the carrier bloatware. I was accepting of it until the day I went to approve updates (I never have to approve updates on my iPad–they just happen), and I noticed the Uber app wanted to update. Huh? I never installed the Uber app! Where did that come from, and can I remove it? Nope. I can’t remove it.
That kinda pissed me off. And it continues to piss me off because it’s another app which seems to want to update every week or so.
You never know what’s going to be the last straw until you hit it. Honestly, I don’t even know why the Uber app was it, but that was my last straw. I was annoyed by but handling the battery thing. Every device lags some time, so okay, I could live with that. But when the Uber app showed up, I was done.
What about the things I loved about Android? Will I miss them? Some of them, yes. I do really like the way Lollipop handles lock screen notifications, but iOS has them too, and I don’t mind the way they handle them. I’ll miss some of my widgets, but I’ve discovered that, once I got over my widget geekery, I don’t use them that much. I can live with the Apple version of widgets, and I don’t even notice their lack on my Fire tablet.
I’m still going to say that HTC makes good phones. I suspect most of my problems have been operating system and app-related, not hardware-related. Android has some advantages over iOS, and I’m not going to suddenly turn into an Android hater. I just don’t think it’s for me. So in February, when my AT&T Next period is over, I think I’m going back to iOS. My big choice will be iPhone 6 or 6+, and yes, I’m seriously considering the 6+. That big screen is going to be great for Scribd.
I have just stopped updating any Android apps at all. I updated a bunch a month or so ago, and they slowed the phone down so much (or simply didn’t work) that I went and uninstalled all the same updates and returned those apps to the factory installed versions. And then I went through and turned off all bloatware apps as well. I don’t know if your phone has this, but mine (a Droid 4) has a battery-saver “smart action” and that has helped immensely. But I’m still also thinking of an iPhone 6+ next time.
I’m given to understand that Apple has actually come out with an Android app to help people switch to iOS. If you do switch, maybe you could review how that app works? 🙂
One thing you might try is completely factory resetting your phone. I know, it’s a big hassle having to put everything back on it and all, but I was having big old lag and battery use issues, I factory reset, and once I got all my apps set back up, suddenly everything works fine again.
@Chris, I noticed that app, and I was planning to use and review it. 🙂 Yeah, I know about the factory reset, and when I get a fairly open weekend, I plan to try that. Still doesn’t fix the bloatware problem, though.
Why don’t you try rooting the M8 and use something like “Titanium Backup” to freeze the Apps you don’t want (could delete them too, but that’s not always a good idea…). HTC is very good about unlocking bootloaders and rooting is not all that difficult.
@Robert Barnett, my experience with rooting has not been that great in the past, and I’m hesitant to go that route, but I’ll check out my options. Thanks!
I am also thinking about going to the 6+. My ipad is quite old and then I wouldn’t have to update it too. My excuse to update is that I can pass my 5S to my daughter.
@Amy, great excuse! I’m not quite sure an iPad 6+ would meet all my needs, but I’m thinking it might be worth the experiment.