App, Alert, WiFi, MMS Issues

[slaterlillieb]

Hello! I upgraded to a Sony Xperia Z3v about a month and a half ago. Ever since I received the phone, I have had issues with it. At first they were minor ones, but now they are just piling up and it's extremely irritating! Here are the main issues:

1. My WiFi cuts in and out all the time. I can have perfect signal and yet the WiFi will continue to turn itself off and then back on.

2. My apps force close constantly. Sometimes I will be able to get on the app and mess around a bit before it freezes then boots me off while other times, it won't even open the app before displaying an error message.

3. My picture messaging is spotty. Sometimes I am able to send/receive picture messages, but most of the time it is a hassle and I have resorted to just sending them through Facebook Messenger. This happens even with perfect service.

4. My notification volume does not play as loud as it should. I can have the notification volume all the way up and it will be loud when I preview the tone, but as soon as a real notification comes through, it's so quiet! I miss it often. I have messed around with a few tones that are louder and the issue continues to be the same.

5. When I am in the middle of a call, a very loud alert beeps. It is not an alert that I have set for anything. It isn't an incoming call, it isn't a message, there are no alerts for lost service, it doesn't indicate the battery is getting low, or even the phone getting too hot. It just loudly plays and there is nothing with it. It's frustrating because it hurts my ear and it doesn't mean anything. Tonight it happened four or five times and two of the times were within a five minute span.

6. When I try to turn the phone off, my notification tone plays with the menu that pops up. I can't take a screenshot using the actual screenshot button, restart the phone, or turn it off without this happening.

I am becoming so angry with this phone. I love the screen size and the camera, but it's not enough to keep me happy when the phone has so many other issues. I have tried everything from deleting apps to even a factory reset with no back up. Nothing is helping. I have contacted the technical support center for Verizon and the only things they could tell me to do were to factory reset the device or turn it in to get a warranty replacement. I'm more than likely going to have to just get another phone through the warranty, but I would like to know if there are any ways to fix any of these issues beforehand. I would also like to know if these are common issues with Sony devices so that I can be prepared to possibly encounter any or all with the new device.

Thank you!

[slaterlillieb]

I knew it. I had a friend who tried to tell me otherwise as well. He was explaining that it isn't the carrier's responsibility to send out updates to phones. I didn't think that was correct. He was also trying to explain that I should understand why I can't use PC Companion because most companies won't allow that. I told him that every other Xperia device can be used with PC Companion. It is only Verizon that isn't allowing it. There was one issue that was resolved with the factory reset and that was my MMS not sending or receiving. Everything else is still continuing to go on. Once again last night, none of my apps would work. When I had initially called on Saturday night to report the issues, the second technical support person I talked to told me not to have the Vine app downloaded because that can mess with applications on phones. Clearly that isn't the issue because I haven't had Vine downloaded since the factory reset and the apps keep force closing all the time. Also, the WiFi has not been solved in the way they said it would either. I was told that whenever I have my mobile data on and my WiFi on at the same time, my mobile data will kick in whenever my WiFi signal isn't as strong as the mobile data signal. The way to fix this was to turn off my mobile data whenever I am on WiFi. I have done that and the WiFi continues to shut off and turn back on. I am not happy with the fact that no one at the carrier I bought the phone from can fix it. Their solution is to tell me to wipe it with a factory reset and if that doesn't work, they will continue sending me phones. "We can send you as many phones as we need to until we find one that works." as the warranty lady put it. That doesn't seem like a good way to resolve issues. I don't want to be stuck in an endless loop of getting a new phone sent to me when the one I currently have doesn't want to properly function. Does anyone know how warranties work by the way? Am I allowed one warranty replacement phone only and then after that, my insurance will have to replace the phone or will I just keep receiving phones through warranty as long as I have that and once my warranty is up, that's when my insurance kicks in?

[Uliwooly]

@slaterlillieb

http://www.verizonwireless.com/support/equipment-protection-faqs/

a perfect example will be the Xperia TL, exactly like the Xperia T but an AT&T variant, and guess what, you can use PCC

[stockyvillage]

Carriers have too much clout on Android and windows 8.1.Carriers have no say in IOS or Nexus Devices.Microsoft have just announced that carriers will have no say in Windows 10 phones when they come out.The carrier I use in UK 3 have unlocked all new phones and the apps they add to firmware can all be removed. That is only difference to customised UK firmware.But you still have to wait for them to approve updates to firmware.

[slaterlillieb]

Verizon should have just left the phone alone. I didn't ever have these issues with either my BlackBerry or my iPhone. I never really had any issues at all with my BlackBerry and I seriously considered getting one for my upgrade. The deciding factor was that there are some apps that I use daily that you can't get on BlackBerry. I had other issues with my iPhones, but they could usually be solved by either Verizon or Apple. This is the first time in years that I have had an Android device. I didn't go with a Samsung or Droid because I find them too confusing. I like Android phones that are simpler to understand. I also liked that this one can be synced to my PS4 since I use my PS4 quite a bit. Now I'm just angry I didn't choose a different phone which is sad because this is a good phone. It's just the fact that the software is malfunctioning and Verizon has messed with it so much that nothing can be done to repair it. I understand it's a marketing thing. They made a phone that is specific to their network which isn't uncommon. However, they have given us a phone that can be riddled with issues and they have not thought through any ways to take care of those issues. There are quite a few apps on this phone that cannot be removed due to Verizon not allowing it. The only thing I can do is disable them.