Some annoyances with the XZ1 compact (mostly software related)

[Minty_Mark]

I've recently bought the Xperia XZ1, and I have to say to build quality and performance is top notch.

That being said, there are a couple of things that deeply annoy me and I wish to share these with Sony and the community, hoping the developers will fix these issues with software updates.

Auto brightness.

The screen brightness is constantly shifting when the device is in a low light environment when auto brightness is enabled: darker, lighter, darker, lighter, etc. within seconds. Transitions should be smoother than they are now because they are very noticeable, wich is annoying to the user.

Blinking red notification LED (low battery)

There is no option to disable the blinking red notification LED light when battery is below 15%. The led blinks every few seconds which is extremely annoying, and there's no way to disable this right now. Android already shows a message to notify the user of low battery, no need to tell me again every second using such an extreme measure!

Redundant notifications

- The user receives a notification every time mobile data is switched off. My question is: why? I clicked the "mobile data" button myself to switch it off, no need to tell me every time! In addition, Android already tells the user that mobile data is switched off in a way that is much more subtle, by showing an 'x' with the mobile data icon (in the top right corner). The notification of which I speak is thus completely redundant.

- Whenever I turn on "Do not disturb" mode there appears a persistent notification in the drop down menu. Again, there is no need for this since Android already reminds the user this mode is enabled when pressing the volume buttons. Sadly, this notification cannot be swiped away, it can only be muted for 2 hours maximum. Since I like to have "priority only" mode switched on permanently, not being able to hide this message is quite maddening.

Data arrows

There is no need to show the 'arrows' when mobile data/wifi is enabled. Please remove this 'feature' because it is very distracting.

Afterthought

Since all issues are software related, I sincerely hope that Sony will fix these issues with software updates in the nearby future. I like the hardware, but so far the Sony software experience is quite a letdown. Some features added to the vanilla Android ROM have proven to be helpful (for instance, I like super stamina mode), but others are quite irksome!

If anyone else has the same experience as me: please, speak up!

[Jelmerf]

I agree with practically all your points; especially the data arrows are madenning to me (they shift the icons to the left of them, constantly drawing your attention to the statusbar).

With regard to the persistent dnd notification: because I really hate the way this device vibrates I was looking for a way to prevent the vibrate on notifications when I'm looking at the screen anyway, and also ended up with setting my device to dnd when the screen is on (using Tasker).

Now, by swiping the resulting dnd notification a little to the right you can go to advanced notification settings, allowing you to set the priority of it to the lowest setting, resulting in it at least always showing collapsed at the bottom of your notification shade.

Btw, I'm guessing this might be an actual Oreo specific thing and not something Sony has modified.

[MMeter]

i also have just a few Software Issues.

- Can't Disable Charging LED

- Can't Disable Fingerprint

- Intensity of the vibration can't be changed.

[ElvPo]

Yes, please fix the Data arrows! This is my biggest issue with this fantastic phone.

When reading txt my eyes are constantly drawn to the arrows and the moving icons left of it. Isn't there an option to turn off the arrows?

[Profyler1]

My message here got deleted and i dont know why. I write it again

Auto brightness flickering: Switch it on and of a few times and play with the brightness. Then try a reboot also. I had this and i dont have it anymore...its actually very smooth now

Arrow on data/wifi: THis is probably a bug. XZP does not have this as the arrows stays on top of the signal. I agree its very distractfull... Can some MOD here ask Sony if its intended to be like itis today? it definetely sounds like a bug... 

[donnyjoe]

I disagree 100% about the do not disturb notification and the low battery LED. Maybe there could be settings toggles to disable them, but there are times when these notifications are useful to some of us. There are times when I forget that I have DND enabled and have no reason to hit the volume buttons to find out, meaning I could unintentionally end up missing calls/texts/etc. There are also times when my phone might be sitting on a table or something and I don't realize how low the battery is. This makes the difference between me realizing I need to plug it in vs just grabbing it and heading out the door an hour later, only to realize the next time I look at it that it's almost dead.

The data arrows are nice to have too, though it sounds like they are currently implemented poorly and need to be reworked. Certainly the auto-brightness shouldn't be behaving so oddly unless you're in a weird spot where light keeps hitting it intermittently (or you're covering the sensor with your hand).

Anyway, I think it's important to distinguish between actual problems and personal preferences, which at most would require a simple settings toggle.

[Profyler1]

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@donnyjoe wrote:

I disagree 100% about the do not disturb notification and the low battery LED. Maybe there could be settings toggles to disable them, but there are times when these notifications are useful to some of us. There are times when I forget that I have DND enabled and have no reason to hit the volume buttons to find out, meaning I could unintentionally end up missing calls/texts/etc. There are also times when my phone might be sitting on a table or something and I don't realize how low the battery is. This makes the difference between me realizing I need to plug it in vs just grabbing it and heading out the door an hour later, only to realize the next time I look at it that it's almost dead.

The data arrows are nice to have too, though it sounds like they are currently implemented poorly and need to be reworked. Certainly the auto-brightness shouldn't be behaving so oddly unless you're in a weird spot where light keeps hitting it intermittently (or you're covering the sensor with your hand).

Anyway, I think it's important to distinguish between actual problems and personal preferences, which at most would require a simple settings toggle.

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The arrows are probably a bad implemented work. The same with the brightness. We might say its a bug.

I agree with you that the others are personal preference. 

[KiwiNL]

What annoys me the most is the loud notification when the 'do not disturb'-function starts. It starts automatically on the time I want to go to sleep. When I'm already asleep It wakes me up.

Did any of you already find out how to stop this notification?

[najodleglejszy]

@KiwiNLthat's weird. can you check if the same thing happens in safe mode? because I'm fairly sure the DND notification shouldn't be making any sound.

[KiwiNL]

I tested it and it also happens in safe mode. As soon as the dnd-sign appears in the left corner of my screen the notification sounds. It doesn't matter of the screen is on or off, and even the safe mode doesn't make any difference.

(excuse me for my bad English)