First thoughts on X4 Pie

[sleze]

So I was curious what people thought after they got their Pie updates? (I'm still waiting)

-Is it faster/slower?
-Any change in battery life?
-Thoughts on Google gestures?
-Any other thoughts?

 

[Jizzylax]

So I was curious what people thought after they got their Pie updates? (I'm still waiting)

-Is it faster/slower?
-Any change in battery life?
-Thoughts on Google gestures?
-Any other thoughts?

Same speed for me.
Battery seems the same.
Gestures are worthless.

 

[jtnc]

So I was curious what people thought after they got their Pie updates? (I'm still waiting)

-Is it faster/slower?
-Any change in battery life?
-Thoughts on Google gestures?
-Any other thoughts?

Seems about the same speed/battery life for me.

The recent apps view is a big step backwards to me, the side scrolling cards is not as easy nor helpful as the vertical view was. I still think Samsung's multiwindow mode is better than Google's and I do not think 9.0 improved it.

Adding a dark theme is nice, but implementation is inconsistent. I am surprised basic things like the settings pages do not use it. But it is nice for the keyboard, messages, and phone.

I'd agree the new pill gesture setup isn't great. The motorola fingerprint gestures is nicer.

The tiny settings icon in the notification drop-down is annoying enough I've given up on it.

Other than some other gui changes (icons and the like), it isn't that different from 8.1.

 

[sleze]

That's kind of the impression I have been getting for a while. Our phones already have great battery life and moto actions.

I am losing excitement for this update...

 

[nykola5]

It was faster, the battery runs faster than 8.1, I do not like gestures, even though I feel that applications still need to be polished for Pie.

Return to 8.1 for these last two dimensions.

 

[jb2112]

Just installed the update tonight. Performance-wise, it feels the same. Don't know yet about the battery life, since I just got it about an hour ago.
I also found that the pill gesture setup was not up to par. It doesn't add anything extra to the original setup. It still occupies the same bottom screen space.
Dark mode is nice, but I wish it was implemented system wide instead of just by individual app. But probably this depends more on the app developers. But even system apps such as settings don't always have the dark mode.
Lastly, to access the gear settings icon, now you have to pull the notifications bar twice. Correct me if I'm wrong, wasn't it used to be just once?

 

[sleze]

Lastly, to access the gear settings icon, now you have to pull the notifications bar twice. Correct me if I'm wrong, wasn't it used to be just once?

Yes. I noticed this too. The gear was accessible from the notification bar.

I pretty much agree with what others have said so far. Based either on actual speed improvements, tweaks to the animations, or the update placebo effect, 9.0 does feel a bit snappier switching between apps than 8.1.

The only thing I don't like is that the update seems to have made SwiftKey fonts bigger which is mildly annoying.

 

[cpthornman]

Pretty disappointed with this version of Android. The recent apps is now destroyed. It's a worse way to interact with your recent apps. Don't even bother with the gestures. Totally half baked. One button nav is superior in every way. The notification pull down is just hideous. The clock is on the wrong side and no way to change it. Why there's no way to change it is beyond stupid. The dark theme option is extremely inconsistent. Won't even darken the settings window for instance. You now have to pull the notification share down twice to access settings versus only one with Oreo. Seems that we've lost a lot of functionality and are being told it's a feature. Perfect example are the volume controls. What a joke.
The whole thing just looks like an iPhone rip off. And the general graphic style sucks. Material design is dead.

Performance and battery seem to stay the same. Overall a poor effort from Google on this. Going to have to root this thing so I can deal with some of the idiotic things they decided to go with. Worst Android update since I can remember. Can't wait to go back to Oreo.

 

[jb2112]

A couple more observations. The volume bar is now on the right side of the screen, next to the volume buttons. It also allows direct access to sound settings. I don't mind this as it feels more intuitive to me. If you long press the power button, now there's an option to take screenshot. I like this since I don't have to fumble again with two hands to take screenshot.
A big change is split screen. Previously, you can just long press the overview button to use split screen. Now you have to tap the overview button (or swipe up from the pill, if you use that), then long press on the icon on top of the app, then select split screen. If you use split screen a lot, this change is annoying to say the least.

 

[jb2112]

The clock is on the wrong side and no way to change it.

That change throws me off. I keep looking for the clock on the right side. And I agree with you; Google copied some of iOS UI while kept some of their own, making it an inconsistent experience.

 

[mandarip]

Fingerprint Lock

I can no longer lock my phone using the fingerprint sensor. I think this is a bug because it is selected in the "Lock Screen Preferences" settings but it does not lock the phone. This may seem like a small thing but it completely disrupts how I'm used to using the phone. I'm using the Google Fi Android One version.

 

[jhedfors]

I can no longer lock my phone using the fingerprint sensor. I think this is a bug because it is selected in the "Lock Screen Preferences" settings but it does not lock the phone. This may seem like a small thing but it completely disrupts how I'm used to using the phone. I'm using the Google Fi Android One version.

I am on the same version, and it works ok for me.

Edit: I am using One Button Nav

 

[mandarip]

I am on the same version, and it works ok for me.

Edit: I am using One Button Nav

I don't seem to have the one button nav option. Unless I'm not looking in the right place - Moto Actions?

 

[jb2112]

I don't seem to have the one button nav option. Unless I'm not looking in the right place - Moto Actions?

If you have the Android One variant, one button nav is disabled on it.

 

[mandarip]

If you have the Android One variant, one button nav is disabled on it.

Yes, that's what I suspected and I suppose that could be the reason the fingerprint lock does not work after the update as well.

 

[jhedfors]

I don't seem to have the one button nav option. Unless I'm not looking in the right place - Moto Actions?

It is disabled in A1 version. You can get the option enabled by removing the following prop:

ro.mot.android_one

If you are using Magisk, there is a module that you can use for this:

MagiskHide Props Config

Confirmed that this works on Oreo and Pie.

Edit: updated 12/27

 

[Jizzylax]

Yes, that's what I suspected and I suppose that could be the reason the fingerprint lock does not work after the update as well.

Fingerprint lock works on my Android One model without one button nav. Have you tried removing and adding your fingerprints again?

 

[jb2112]

Yes, that's what I suspected and I suppose that could be the reason the fingerprint lock does not work after the update as well.

Fingerprint lock still works for me though. I also have A1 variant.

 

[funkymonkey_01]

This update is underwhelming for me little changes that are just seemingly random and pointless. I'm especially disappointed that the update broke Google pay , prior to pie I've been taking ota's fine with no impact on gpay.

 

[mandarip]

Fingerprint lock works on my Android One model without one button nav. Have you tried removing and adding your fingerprints again?

Yep tried that. It's weird because I can unlock the phone with my fingerprint but I can't lock it again. It's obviously recognizing the fingerprint but not for locking purposes.

It is disabled in A1 version. You can get the option by removing the following prop:

ro.mot.android_one

I toggled it off and the fingerprint lock works. I would be curious to hear from others...

I haven't rooted this phone yet, but this will be the first thing I do if I go that route.