Is there more help somewhere?

About the L5:
I need some one to help figure how to regulate the tap/swipe so it doesn’t take 1 to 35 taps to get a response and these are tapped slowly, fast, very slow same with swipe.
Had this issue and more, like resetting the 4 camera setting to their highest before taking picture, most screens run off the side of the screen. These, and more since the phone arrived. Warranty expired but unfortunately the issues didn’t.

Thanks,
~s

Yes, the software has a long way to go :frowning_face: BUT, it is a worthy cause to have a device controlled by its owner. To (hopefully) help in your efforts, here are a few tips that help me sometimes. I have a pinephone, so it is different hardware, but I use a lot of the same software:

I try to only have one application open at a time (maybe two), to save resources and improve responsiveness. After you are finished using an application, you can go to the home screen and swipe up on the app showing in the “app switcher” to close the application before opening another one.

Also, using terminal apps instead of GUI apps can help save resources. For example, I use – all in the terminal – mpv as my media player, nano as my text editor, and wget to download larger files. If you want more explanation or help with using any of those apps, just let me know.

Switching between portrait and landscape modes can help to see more of an application. Maybe you can see enough of the app in one or the other for the app to be useful.

Also, using apps that work better for mobile screens can help. For example, I have found angelfish to be a much more “mobile friendly” browser than any of the others I have tried.

Another option which may help is adjusting the display scaling. You could go to settings and search for scaling. I would recommend not adjusting it drastically, as that might make it more difficult to change the setting back.

I cannot offer any input on the camera because my pinephone’s camera is not working at all right now :sweat_smile:

@dcz, @dos, @Kyle_Rankin, @joao.azevedo

Is reflashing the phone not advised in a situation like @Sharon’s?

I can’t seem to be able to make the link to post, but the answer is above the post link below.


Might help in deciding.
Reconnecting everything to replacement Hoyoki hub.
:warning: Can’t get help from them, they seem to be out of business.

~s

I would not recommend reflashing to people who might get discouraged partway through, and those who have data they can’t back up.

I don’t follow this particular situation though.

1 Like

Now I see where the confusion lies. They’re talking about downloading and replacing the modem firmware.

I’m talking about reflashing the device image. An analog would be, for example, re-installing the OS on a computer. If you’ve ever installed a GNU Linux distribution, such as Ubuntu or PureOS, then the operation should not be drastically unfamiliar to you.

In this case, you connect the L5 by cable to your computer, then on the computer download the latest L5 image (i.e. “OS”), and then “burn” it to the L5. [EDIT: Actually, there’s a certain order you have to observe in performing those steps.] Everything will be refreshed, and all data wiped, so if there are any files on the L5 that you created previously, and that you want to save, you would first move those to, e.g., your microSD card.

I think you do need to be running either PureOS, or a recent version of Ubuntu, to do this, so if you’ve only got MS Windows, you would need first to download the Linux distro, on to a live USB, for instance.

I completely understand and sympathize. I’m a sysadmin and I sometimes forget how the user experience feels to lovely normal users. To me everything is perfect because I understand what is happening under the hood.

I want to echo what others have said here before, Android is ultra optimized for power savings and applications are HEAVILY restricted in terms of performance and how they behave in the background. The other thing Android devices benefit from is that manufacturers can use the latest and greatest graphics accelerator hardware because they don’t care about violating user rights by using closed source drivers for the hardware.

We as a community have to build power management tools that would allow users to maybe do things like prioritize focused applications and either freeze or kill all background apps.

Not quite. I brought it up not long after it was evident that the camera, screen overshot, psycho tap/swipe. There was a post that suggested I wait for the next update for camera. I waited. The only thing I remember seeing change was the size and location of slider for the 4 camera settings. Slider Size was better but, it takes many attempts to get them to slide or jump to the tap position.

If you ever had to use this psycho tap/swipe, you’d soon be pretty POed. Even typing is a bad trip.

Now, reflashing, reinstalling image something, does sound daunting. But I have installed, Pure/OS, PopOS, Ubuntu, Wine, and Windoze 10 - on one HP Z400 w/ 5 2Tb HDDs not including what I am about to do. But it was amarok, Gavaudan, irvinewade, dcz, dean and sorry for not digging deeper, but a few others that gave up their time to help.

As long as the tap/swipe, camera and screen overruns, keep it up, it’s no use as it is. So I asked where to find process for refund. Too late, I shouldn’t have waited. Then I bought the hub hoping I could access the device using keyboard, mouse and monitor. I’m still trying.

Too, since it was possible that the hub was faulty, the replacement arrived today. It won’t fix the L5, but at least I don’t have sit a tap constantly until I get a response. IMO - The L5, THIS L5, is possessed.

Ergo, the plan to start again. Format/exorcise and rebuild from start is where I might find Freddy waiting for me :slight_smile:
I’ll read some more novels and put together the process.

Thanks
~f

That actually does sound like an issue with the device. Nothing there sounds even remotely close to my experience. I just got my L5 and none of it has behaved in any way that you described. I was assuming you might have apps running in the background using up resources.

Warranty cannot assist?

Reflashing the phone might solve most, if not all of those things.

I don’t think that update has rolled out yet.


(I didn’t know about that, either.)

Some apps fit the screen, some don’t yet. Which apps overrun the screen for you?

Clearly. See my first point.

That’s my recommendation.

Yes. That was a concern but checking ‘usage’ helped eliminate that. But, some programs are triggered and aren’t seen - housekeeping perhaps.

Yes. They let me know warranty was up. I was told they might help. I sent them a list. I don’t know if they received the emails unless they respond. Heading down the :rabbit: :hole:
I want to get to use it before such devices are obsolete and replaced by implants.
~f

I think it was near end of February that I processed a update that the sliders went from underneath the 4 settings. Now they’re at the bottom of screen, much larger but bitten by the finiky tap/swipe or drag.

Looks like he posted that March 2022 so maybe it’s released? Something changed Feb.

There is Firefox of course., Tootle, Htop, Geary (when viewing email content), & Advanced Network.
At the moment, I can’t remember another one that requires a “Submit” but only the corner of the button is visible. Web 4.02 when entering a URL, and history shows up with 1st letter typed into URL box, when scrolling up, it cuts everything below off and clears the list and waits for next character. Most annoying.

I’d much rather send it back and have it done there. Alas too late.
Lots of how-to reading to do this weekend.

Thanks.

I don’t have extra of anything I need to keep.
If you don’t:

recommend re-flashing to people who might get discouraged

What would you recommend?
~f

Most of those you listed are already known to not fit perfectly yet, so you’re not unique there. If you install phosh Mobile Settings (an additional app to the regular Settings app), you can force any app to fit (although you might then need a magnifying glass to read what’s in the app after that).

With Firefox, you should install the Firefox mobile config package, and you might also want to install its Mobile View Switcher extension. See this forum comment.

Here’s the actual information about product warranty.

I don’t think there should be a problem sending it back for repair, at least.

Yes, there have been multiple updates along the way.

Yeap…

On 3/27/2023, 12:57 PM I requested a link to start the process.

On 3/27/2023, 1:10 PM I received

Hello Sharon,
The return window is 30 days, and from what I can see your order has been delivered in January so we can’t accept a return for refund, but if you’re experiencing an issue, please let me know so we can assist, thank you.

Yes, that is about returning it. But, wait for it :slight_smile:
On 3/27/2023, 3:16 PM
On 3/27/2023, 3:16 PM and
On 3/28/2023, 1:07 PM I sent a list of the issues. Why two sends, was due to unknown reasons of the first one being bounced back. On the next day, I sent the email again which culminated in two.

I realize he may be very busy and it’s only been about 4 days. So while waiting, I will prepare for critical surgery Re-Flash! I also received the exchange Hoyoki and re-try so I can use the monitor, keyboard/mouse via hub

As for warranty, I read it. Standard denial of any responsibility. My bad. I should have realized, but didn’t, that this forum is not related to support@puri.sm and wouldn’t know about anyone’s issue unless made known to ‘support’ within the 30 days.

No one need to post what the rules are and what I should have read - I got it. Caveat emptor.
Raise your hands how many read the the warranty before buying the L5?

Warranty:
Date Ordered: 12/27/2018 (almost 5 years i the making)
Date of Invoice: 1/20/2023
Date received: Wed Jan 25 at 10:08
Date posted issues: Jan. 30, 2023

~s

If I remember correctly, you took over someone else’s order. I am not sure how refunds would have worked in that case, and because you did not go through the standard purchasing process, it would be easier to miss the details. But practically everyone skips over the fine print anyway. I would hope that people purchasing this product understood the novelty of this product and the risks associated with not building on a mature phone hardware or phone software platform and that not every non-basic software feature would be available when received. I think that Purism’s target consumers understand that, but I guess some word of mouth is bringing in a few people who are not in that group.

If the touch screen jitteriness is not from local RF issues or something with capacitive qualities on the glass, then support should have been involved sooner. It could be a hardware defect. Reflashing might work if it is software related or it causes the calibration to reset. You did get this order at a discount, so if it is fixed or repaired before Purism catches up with their backlog, you could sell it on eBay for about what you paid for it, even if it is slightly used.

I have found support@puri.sm to be prompt and helpful with ordering issues. Fortunately, I have not needed them for hardware or software support.

For some reason, some companies like to put a link to their community forum under the support website navigation. The community supporting each other is a thing, but it is not support proper. Ideally, a link to the forums would be under some other category, but that would probably upset the aesthetic sensibility of the web designer.

Guilty for not finding and reading the fine print. Good one. Caveat emptor.

I did not get a discount. If John Doe wanted to sell it cheaper than he paid, that’s his business, not Puri’s. No discount is noted on the invoice sent to me from Puri inside the L5 delivery.

If there was a discount by Puri and John passed it on to me, that’s also his/my business and should have no bearing on how the tap/swipe is in need of severe intervention.
I wonder how much better it would have been had I paid the full price… But, Puri didn’t give out any discount to me. Nadda. As a matter of fact, the “free shipping” cost me another $150.00. No matter, ‘John Doe’ paid you, then I paid him.
Date Ordered 12/27/2018
Pay Date: 12/27/2018
Inv. Date: 1/20/2023.

Five years later and John Doe charged me whatever he wanted.

I get it, have for a while now, that the L5 is a “work in progress” and not to expect it to do much.
OK, I moved on from that. Buy let’s, at the very least, fix that Tap/Swipe madness and mayhem from 666. I wish you/Puri could have it for a day and see how long it takes for you/them to envision bouncing if off a brick wall.

I imagine the delay in a response from Support, if they got the email, is not a delay, you are the answer? Here’s the hammer - there’s the sand?

If the (IMO far-reaching) RF interference bit is the culprit , it would be kilometres wide because it follows me more and further than Google does.
I can show you how painful it is to deal with a psychotic screen. I’ll hold my camera while my friend, who is cuffed to his Samsung phone, and use to tapping and swiping. I know - it’s not the same thing , but I’m not comparing, just showing how different the L5 CAN be. Not saying they’re all like this, just this one. But it looks like it’s too late to prove it.

Since it’s been made clear that

  1. it is assumed that I didn’t read any detail and

  2. assumed I was given a discount (not!) that reduces level of support and

  3. I get the feeling that I must live with it or sell it on eBay then…

I gather no one is going to

  • repair the screen/tap/swipe.

  • the camera will never be up to par with most other phones, be they smart, clever or dumb.

  • some programs will run off-screen

  • it is like other non-Puri devices in that 1 phone 1 battery, one dies, both are buried. Means I can only use it as long as the battery will last.

Ergo, I see my options are:

  1. Not worth it to proceed via lawyers.

  2. Sell it on eBay for whatever I can get.

  3. Use it as a game device (came with 2048)

  4. Frame it and hang it on the wall. ( It might fetch $ in 30 years as collector item)

  5. make it work with keyboard/mouse/monitor hub (not w/ the Hoyoki puri sells too.)

  6. throw more money out there and use the LapDock for typing instead of psycho-tap. Problem, for me, it’s $538.79 plus taxes, duty, plus what ever free shipping is - today. Tomorrow, markets open and that will go up. Or, I could forget about Puri warranty and Support and buy it for a $100.00 less elsewhere.

So, I guess it’s ‘case closed’ then? Not what I would expect of any reputable company but no sense wasting another 2 months if there is so much evidence against me.

I should have spent the money on a smart phone since I would have saved a lot of money and have the latest technology and works - right out of the box. I have learned the hard way - thank you. My bad. But I was buying it fo someone else. Good thing they didn’t accept it, or my picture might be on the side of a milk carton. :slight_smile:

Puri reputation is embedded in the posts here. I read the complaints. I knew the risks of ever expecting a refund. But I did expect to find something better than 2048. Now I know why James laughed when I offered it to him. I am not blaming Puri. I should have known better, and trusted my feelings, instincts, experience and the negative posts here.

I get it already - have for a week or more. The L5 is a hobbyists delight.
Now, I just want the glass screen to get off whatever drugs it’s on and stop being so random. I can at least use it for a phone - maybe.
EXAMPLE: Puri is expecting me to swallow the idea that I don’t know how to Tap or Swipe properly. :cow: :poop:
The Tap, and Swipe fail to operate in a reasonable manner and fails to recognize taps/swipes unless tapped, or swiped a dozen times or more. Out of all the problems, the tap/swipe demon ias the most serious since without tap/swipe, can’t dial.

Make it clear in the sales pitches that the pitch is loaded with misleading bling, glamour.and many obsolete Docs, FAQ’s and Devs pages.
Don’t fret. I’m over that too.

I now accept that it was my responsibility to read the fine print everywhere here, on top of the other novels I’ve read here. My responsibility to test and present issues to Support and require it be fixed before 30 days was up - that’s 30 days less delivery time? From time it was shipped, or time it was made? Too, it’s my responsibility to learn the Linux language, PureO/S and more about light and it’s various wave lengths so I won’t be upset when the camera is like those released in 2008.
I am over that too as there is no camera for it yet. Well, not one that is usable for much at all.

I’m getting the message that your response is telling me why I should not expect help/support or a fix for the tap/swipe monsters.

Still confused, still POed, still have too much teeth grinding, and cussing going on and hate, with a great passion, picking up the device and tapping the password. Doesn’t matter how many people know it, it is/was 123456. Type 1 2 3, resets to start again. Type 1, resets, tap 1 2 3 4 5 reset, start again, 1, reset, tap 123456 - checking (ah, only 5 taps were registered even though the tap highlight 6 taps) start again. Eventually, I get logged in. Basing taps being registered with the background highlight doesn’t matter. I can get logged in whether the key highlights or not - eventually. I’d not want to need it to dial 911 -

This ‘device’ is a train wreck. Simple as that and no DoS can change that.

If Puri Support, wherever they are, don’t want to cooperate, they should just say so.
In their defense, they did say they might be able to help, and that’s, I think, when I sent the list.

Lastly, is your post here a response from Support - like, are you part of the THE support team?
I ask because it seems that I’m being told the faults are mine and not to expect help/support - message from Them, or? Maybe they changed their minds?

~s

This is the community forum for community members not official support. You can view users profiles and see if they disclose that they are purism staff, however staff are here as moderators and volunteer their time and input in an unofficial capacity.

Official support is through email. support@puri.sm

1 Like

Hi and thanks OpojOJirYAlG,
Yes , I learned all that a while ago. I recognized the matt2 handle and was wondering if matt2 is one of the The Support team. Not in his bio, I checked. Still I just had to ask 2b sure…

I mentioned in post #18 The Support made contact and is where I found out about the 30 days (end issue before it expires). I was wrong in thinking that is a issue is received on say day 1, and is still a issue after day 31, it was till under warranty. I guess not. I’m not hep, on how all that works since I’ve never had such a problem with warranty before.
I wouldn’t want to send it back now any way. Not after all I’ve read.
Too, I think I made it clear that I accept the blame for missing out on a exchange or refund.

Thanks again for your input, it is appreciated,
~f

1 Like