The "L": Your feedback on likes and dislikes (for those using it)

[pc747]

​

The NFL may be afraid of the "L" but Google isn't.

We have been talking about the "L" (aka Google L) ever since google dared release a preview version to be flashed by developers/ enthusiasts. For those of us with Nexus devices (particularly hammerhead and razor) it has been like 3 weeks of Christmas going from 4.4.3 to 4.4.4 and now the "L". As you can imagine developers are all over this and it is a matter of time before someone cooks it up for other devices. For those of us running the "L" we get a hands on experience for ourselves of what people have been talking about so we can form our own opinions about likes and dislikes. I personally plan on playing with this for a few days and writing my opinions but for those running the "L" let us know what you would like to see changed or improved on as well as some of the things you feel like Google has nailed. Again, for those checking this thread out, this is a developer preview and will have issues such as bugs or apps that may not work properly so please be mindful before complaining about what works or do not work. For those who love to root we do have root for it but there is very little you can do with it until developers catch up as one of the purposes of a developer preview is to allow developers early access to prepare apps and provide some feedback to Google. So I think this thread can help serve as a good place to provide feedback if any one at Google is paying attention. So flash away (for those of you comfortable with adb) and let us hear what you have to say. Personally I will be providing my feedback as well and I expect some of my views to change as I continue to use my device.

 

[dr_jpeg]

WTF is L???

 

[mountainbikermark]

L is the yet unnamed next rendition of Android that will begin with the letter L.
Hopefully it won't be a Lemon of an update

Sent from my LG-D801 using Tapatalk

 

[dr_jpeg]

Oh, Lollipop. Chainfire says that it broke Super SU but how does he know that if it hasn't been released???

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[pc747]

WTF is L???

^"L", I had to find a work around since l no longer has a gallery app.

 

[tgyberg]

^"l", i had to find a work around since l no longer has a gallery app.

"L" ftw!

 

[pc747]

Here are a list of app that do not work on Google L Apps That Do Not Work with Android "L&q… | Google Nexus 5 | xda-developers

^please see that thread op for updates as the ones I am listed are current as of the time I post this post and are subject to change.

Google Calendar (Go to App Settings and Clear Data. Should resolve issue)
Engadget
Firefox
Wordbase
Baconreader
Twitter (Here is a known working beta twitter.android )
HBO Go
Signal Check (causes phone to reboot)
Facebook (Posting Comments section is messed up) [Although if you go from the Notification Menu to post a Comment then it isn't messed up]
DropBox (Not working for some)
Photoshop Touch for Phone
Hangouts MMS (Using ChompSMS off of WiFi sends and receives pictures just fine)
Netflix (streaming issues for some)
Hulu+ (streaming issues)
Plex (streaming issues) Plexpass is said to be working
Vonage
Wunderlist
Helium (causes phone to restart)
Neutron Music Player
Square
Light Flow (Light Manager Works and is a good Alternate)
VLC Player
Vine
Flashfox
Dolphin
Docs and Sheets (refuse to install error -112)
Slack
DicePlayer
NBA Jam
OpenVpn Connect
Skype (Issue with voice)
AIMP
MusicID
Sygic
Watch_Dogs ctOS
iHeartRadio (TuneIn Radio said to be working)
MX Player
WeChat
Spotify (Has UI issues similar to Facebook)
Vinwow
Jump Remote Desktop
Call Confirm
Viber
Fifa 14
Dots
Wave Wave
Viral Pro Player
FCR Comic Reader
Office Mobile
OneNote
Astra File Manager
Nissan LEAF
Media5 fone
Solitaire+ by Branium Studios

 

[pc747]

US Bank app is not working for me as well. Posting this info so if any of the apps above is a must have and you do not have another device then you may want to hold off flashing until some of these apps get updated and fixed.

 

[pc747]

Playing with this thing the past few days and I like many of the changes Google has made. The do not disturb mode is a welcomed edition and I hope Google expand it to where it is not just nights but you can set it for certain days and times specifically.

The dialer is also a nice addition I really like the colors they used as well as the modifications they made as far as repositioning the buttons (will post screen shots later). And a thumbs up to adding a dialer button as a lock screen button.

Before I get to my dislikes I would like to say that I will not be pointing out what works or do not work because it is obvious a preview and will contain bugs and issues as stated by Google and multiple sources. My dislikes will be strictly based on the overall design. With that said lets get to them.


I do not know how I feel about the setting menu as it sort of have this UPS theme going on. Nice to see a change from the standard grey but hopefully they make that a bit more colorful. Again this is minor especially since I spend 3% of my time in the settings menu

Task menu: Hopefully they add a button or have a way you can clear all the tasks at once. I know they did not have it in 4.4.4 and below but it is time they catch up with Samsung and HTC in this area.

Buttons: Triangle, Circle, Square add an x and we will have us a playstation controller. Personally I still haven't made up my mind on the look yet I am still trying to get over the "newness" of it but right now I would not complain if it was on my phone but I just wonder where they got the idea for the buttons.. or maybe one of the developers were playing the playstation pretty hard and decided to make than an addition to the software.


Overall: I really feel like Google is on the right track with this one and can not wait to see the finished product. For this to be a preview the "under the hood" performance is awesome. And I do not mind the theme they chose for this. I mean the complaints I had are minor and do no effect my overall feel of the software. For those with a Nexus 5 or Nexus 7 2013 and want to personally see where Google is doing try this out for a day or two (provided you know how to use adb, understand that it is a preview build with bugs and some apps have not been updated to work with it yet, and you know how to back up your data as you will lose it during flashing) and I think you will feel confident in the direction Google is going with Android. Where Jelly Bean finally gave us the performance to compete with iOS, i feel like we are on the verge of seeing Google's best overall build and designed software for Android yet.

 

[pc747]

Back on 4.4.4 mainly because of stability reasons, but during my time with Google L I was really impressed what Google has done with the software. It is one thing to see it another to experience it for yourself and I have to say that the improvements were noticeable and that is a good thing. I can not wait to get L and am thankful I own a nexus. This will conclude my experience with the software until later when Google releases a finished version to the public.