Unihertz Titan Slim

[jakfish 121]

Ah, understood. So I can understand further: are you having wifi trouble with both Pocket and Slim?

[EskeRahn 5,350]

18 minutes ago, jakfish said:

Ah, understood. So I can understand further: are you having wifi trouble with both Pocket and Slim?

I have rarely used the pocket, but as they are so close to identical, I would expect that most pros&cons would be the same function-wise. The difference being the lacking 3.5mm port and the extended display. I can see in my mailbox that I got a letter from kickstarter on 20220922, about the system-update. So could make good sense that they then for the pocket, did the small adjustments, and released it stamped a few days later.

[Rob. S. 1,617]

The Slim arrived today. That was fast! Unfortunately it seems I have similar WiFi issues as @EskeRahn. Every couple of seconds, the WiFi connection breaks down. After switching WiFi off and on again it works again for another minute or two. Other than for the Pro1X' mobile data issues, I see no workaround whatsoever for a WiFi connection that is not stable... 

Looks like the 2.4 GHz isn't quite as problematic as 5 GHz, though, and I've read (maybe I should've read more before I ordered it...) that disabling Bluetooth would help, too. I'm testing a few other things like disabling "WiFi scan throttling" in the developer settings (didn't seem to make a difference) and also turning of WiFi and Bluetooth scanning. 

Oh, and I've also read that both the Titan Slim and the Titan Pocket were equally affected by the issue.

Edited September 21, 2023 by Rob. S.

[Hook 2,834]

1 hour ago, Rob. S. said:

The Slim arrived today. That was fast! Unfortunately it seems I have similar WiFi issues as @EskeRahn. Every couple of seconds, the WiFi connection breaks down. After switching WiFi off and on again it works again for another minute or two. Other than for the Pro1X' mobile data issues, I see no workaround whatsoever for a WiFi connection that is not stable... 

Looks like the 2.4 GHz isn't quite as problematic as 5 GHz, though, and I've read (maybe I should've read more before I ordered it...) that disabling Bluetooth would help, too. I'm testing a few other things like disabling "WiFi scan throttling" in the developer settings (didn't seem to make a difference) and also turning of WiFi and Bluetooth scanning. 

Oh, and I've also read that both the Titan Slim and the Titan Pocket were equally affected by the issue.

If you haven't. you might try the folks in the Unihertz Discord... they are a very civil, helpful bunch.  Over there, there was a discussion that Wifi problems are due to wpa3, that wpa2 works fine.  I don't know since I don't have my Slim yet. 

[jakfish 121]

I'm sure my phone will blow up right after typing this, but I have yet to find this wifi issue on my Pocket. Anecdotally, my system update seems fresher--Titan_pocket_20220928--than others'. But I don't know the exact date of the latest Slim update.

I'm so sorry to hear this. Yes, do take @Hook's advice; there are some real pros over at Discord Titan, starting with the ROM developer. A place just as friendly as here.

Edited September 21, 2023 by jakfish

[Hook 2,834]

6 hours ago, Rob. S. said:

The Slim arrived today. That was fast! Unfortunately it seems I have similar WiFi issues as @EskeRahn. Every couple of seconds, the WiFi connection breaks down. After switching WiFi off and on again it works again for another minute or two. Other than for the Pro1X' mobile data issues, I see no workaround whatsoever for a WiFi connection that is not stable... 

Looks like the 2.4 GHz isn't quite as problematic as 5 GHz, though, and I've read (maybe I should've read more before I ordered it...) that disabling Bluetooth would help, too. I'm testing a few other things like disabling "WiFi scan throttling" in the developer settings (didn't seem to make a difference) and also turning of WiFi and Bluetooth scanning. 

Oh, and I've also read that both the Titan Slim and the Titan Pocket were equally affected by the issue.

Well, my Slim arrived... of course I have appointments all day and won't get to it until tonight.  But I turned it on, put my account on it and then connected to wifi.  I am detecting no challenges.  Signal seems fine and stable. 

For the record, it says it is up-to-date with build date of 20220812 and kernel date of OCT 14, 2022.

I quickly tried the keyboard and without any comments on the key layout/assignments, I find it nicely usable.  The keys are small, but they are very clicky with good feedback. Lots more after tonight, but I just wanted to test the wifi.  My wifi is 5 GHz by the way, and I am using default settings on the phone.

Maybe  I just live in this weird alternate dimension where things just work.  Lol.

[jakfish 121]

It would appear so :)

[Rob. S. 1,617]

@Hook @jakfish  Thanks for your comments! Just for the record, my build is Titan_Slim_EEA_20220810 and the updater says it's up to date. From my short foray into some forums like 'crackberry' I know there are two variants, an "EEA" and a "non EEA" variant, depending on the device. Perhaps the "EEA" is what we get here in Europe? 

(@EskeRahn?)

@Hook, I've checked and my WiFi mesh is limited to (WPA and) WPA2, anyway. 

It also seems that Unihertz already has internal firmware updates (which they have given out to some that have contacted them) for an issue that may or may not be related; in some cases the phone seems to struggle switching between the satellites in a WiFi mesh. And some have received a dial code to enable some 'engineering mode', which, for them, seemed to have worked against the frequent WiFi drops.

Whatever it is, and now that's the good news here: For me, disabling Bluetooth and turning off both WiFi scanning and Bluetooth scanning already seems to have done the trick; WiFi now seems to work reliably enough in both 2.4 and 5 GHz bands in my home mesh. 

The plan is use the weekend to test this out a bit more and possibly make the switch to the Slim for daily driver, shelving the Pro1X for the time being, before it breaks completely. 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Rob. S.

[Hook 2,834]

6 minutes ago, Rob. S. said:

@Hook @jakfish  Thanks for your comments! Just for the record, my build is Titan_Slim_EEA_20220810 and the updater says it's up to date. From my short foray into some forums like 'crackberry' I know there are two variants, an "EEA" and a "non EEA" variant, depending on the device. Perhaps the "EEA" is what we get here in Europe? 

It also seems that Unihertz already has internal firmware updates (which they have given out to some that have contacted them) for an issue that may or may not be related; in some cases the phone seems to struggle switching between the satellites in a WiFi mesh. And some have received a dial code to enable some 'engineering mode', which, for them, seemed to have worked.

Whatever it is, and now that's the good news here: For me, disabling Bluetooth and and turning off both WiFi scanning and Bluetooth scanning already did the trick; WiFi now works reliably enough in both 2.4 and 5 GHz WiFi in my home mesh. 

The plan is use the weekend to move to the Slim for daily driver, shelving the Pro1X for the time being, before it breaks completely. 

Glad to hear you worked it out.  I am very happy with my Slim for the use case I have for it.  My muled Verizon Sim works great, including data (I tested without Wifi).  It curiously says in settings that it is Sprint, lol, but has the correct access point for Verizon and says Verizon wireless when it starts up and on the notification shade. Also, made one of the smoothest pairings I've ever had  with Android Auto,

If I am going to do really extensive writing or editing on a phone, it's going to be my Pro1x everytime, but for texting and even small writing/editing touch-ups while I am out, this is a good phone.

[raymo 161]

I'm happy with my Titan Pocket.

If I compare with my old Pro1, Wifi and GPS rocks.
Using Gargoyle GSI so far with ruuno Keyboard (who's in developpement but quite usable at least for me), this keyboard implement a Ctrl key who allow to use Cut Paste Copy shortcut and also a Tab - Right - Left key on the task bar.
When you press sym key you will access a symbol screen and all keys are accessible with physical keyboard, especially $ ~ { [ ] } for command line.

It needs a little work to learn how it works but with a little time of pratice it comes quite easy.

Don't misunderstand here, the Pro1s keyboard is far far better but for a small screen on a small phone solid like a rock it's not bad. In my case it's a redefine on my personnal phone use, the Titan pocket allow a perfect wifi hotspot for my umpc.

What I do and what I don't do on a phone, that is the question.

[Rob. S. 1,617]

This is strange – after a factory reset and a fresh new setup, this time choosing to migrate everything from the Pro1X, the WiFi issues on the Slim seem to have completely disappeared, even with Bluetooth active!

@raymo That 'ruuno' keyboard you mention sounds interesting; is it available for stock Android, too, and where would I find it? (I'll stay with stock for starters, as to not break things like the identity token app for the home office connection to my employer.)

[raymo 161]

@Rob. S.You should try the Unihertz discord, people are really friendly and helpful.

For Titan Runo Keyboard I'm not sure for stock as I use LOS here, but I believe some guys are using old blackberry keyboards apps or so, also in discord you could directly contact runoono, and you can find a link with old good blackberrys apk here :

https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/folders/1dTgOPrUKRcouXNhCbGlLQjQPUKnI1eHV

...welcome back in 2000's...

edit : if you want to give it a try seems to be ok for stock, and not dangerous for your phone integrity. You will probably have to reboot once installed.

https://github.com/runoono/softKeyboard/releases/tag/0.85

 

Edited September 22, 2023 by raymo

[jakfish 121]

@Rob. S. Great news. You know, I had done the same thing, simply installed my Pro1x stock backup onto the Pocket. I wonder if that prevented wifi troubles on my device. But why would that be?

@raymo I too am content with the Pocket. Sometimes the small screen gets in its own way when browsing, but most of my go-to sites render well. And thanks for posting the Drive link; nice to have it in this thread.

I find the panel very small, font and icon-wise, and use Status Bar Mini Pro for time, date, and battery percentage.

It's a lot of hit-or-miss setting up width and placement of the vitals, so I'm happy to send on my .config to anyone interested. Since then, I've also disabled Gestures, which loses the line at the screen's bottom, lending a little more real estate.

[EskeRahn 5,350]

@Rob. S.

"EEA" here.

I have noticed that using Netguard (that is a software VPN) helps a lot, though no silver bullet.

[Hook 2,834]

My build number is Titan_Slim_20220812, so I assume mine is the non-EEA version.

I am fabulously happy with this phone and am so glad I didn't go for the pocket (even though I have no idea if I would be fabulously happy with that one or not).  Again, keep in mind my iuse case.  It is my phone and text appliance, which means it is my 10% device.  But it does what I really need--phone, contacts. texting, messaging, Android Auto-- extremely well.  It gives me a quite usable keyboard for anything I might need on the go.  I CAN use it for anything else, but only if I am running around and so not worth it to bring my Pro1X, which is my 90% pocket computer.

I'm thrilled that Verizon worked without a hiccup using the muled sim from my old Moto.  I really worried that I would have to fiddle.

The TPU case they provide was a nice surprise.  It is very solid with a nice textured back and gives the Slim nice weight and heft while not making it all that much bulkier.  Without it, I'd have a lot more touch screen accidents.

The finger print sensor works nicely and I registered my left thumb so I could pick the phone up and land on the home page one-handed.

Having no problems with any signals, wifi, mobile data and BT all working.

I am glad I settled for this keyboard in order to get the more portrait screen.  It makes a big difference., using the smallest screen setting and Nova homescreen and dock settings.

All in all, I am wondering why it took me so long to ditch my Moto for this.  My prejudice against small potrait keyboards blinded me to the fact that, for my 10% phone, that wasn't a big deal.

[EskeRahn 5,350]

On 9/21/2023 at 7:08 PM, Hook said:

For the record, it says it is up-to-date with build date of 20220812 and kernel date of OCT 14, 2022.

Are you sure on "OCT"?

Mine says
4.14.186.gd5b54dace-dirty
#25 Wed Sep 14 14:02:09 CST 2022

(And yes, no n, so no dirty dance...)

And the build number is

Titan_Slim:EEA_20220810

(indicating a month earlier

[Hook 2,834]

1 hour ago, EskeRahn said:

Are you sure on "OCT"?

Mine says
4.14.186.gd5b54dace-dirty
#25 Wed Sep 14 14:02:09 CST 2022

(And yes, no n, so no dirty dance...)

And the build number is

Titan_Slim:EEA_20220810

(indicating a month earlier

Yes, the kernel is:

4.14.186-gd5b54dace-dirty

#24 Fri Oct 14 16:37:38 CST 2022

Build number is:

Titan_Slim_20220812 

[EskeRahn 5,350]

Ah and BTW i restored from a Pro1 too, so that in it self is not a fix.
A had turned off both Wifi and BT scanning from apps. But overlooked the "Notify for public networks" (under Wi-Fi preferences), so just turned that off). That would certainly indicate some scanning.

My hunch is that it is when doing something like updating apps it fails, that is not continuous download, but paused by the installs, and it then fails to use it again.

[Rob. S. 1,617]

22 hours ago, raymo said:

You should try the Unihertz discord, people are really friendly and helpful.

Yes, thanks! Just joined.

21 hours ago, jakfish said:

I had done the same thing, simply installed my Pro1x stock backup onto the Pocket. I wonder if that prevented wifi troubles on my device. But why would that be?

Good question 😄 

19 hours ago, Hook said:

The TPU case they provide was a nice surprise.  It is very solid with a nice textured back and gives the Slim nice weight and heft while not making it all that much bulkier.  Without it, I'd have a lot more touch screen accidents.

The finger print sensor works nicely and I registered my left thumb so I could pick the phone up and land on the home page one-handed. [...]

I am glad I settled for this keyboard in order to get the more portrait screen.  It makes a big difference., using the smallest screen setting and Nova homescreen and dock settings.

Exactly the same here.

14 hours ago, EskeRahn said:

i restored from a Pro1 too, so that in it self is not a fix.

Maybe Pro1 vs. Pro1X makes a difference? But I suppose now were getting into esoteric territory 😉 

14 hours ago, EskeRahn said:

when doing something like updating apps it fails, that is not continuous download, but paused by the installs, and it then fails to use it again.

Yes, that's exactly what I was noticing before I re-initialized the phone with the Pro1X backup. Since then, app updates through WiFi are completely smooth.

There's just one thing that keeps bugging me, and at first I thought connectivity was the problem again, as I didn't receive e-mail or Whatsapp/Signal messages on time, sometimes they got delayed by hours. Eventually I found that the reason seems to be that the Android on my Titan effectively kills, not just hides, apps when I close them and they disappear from the open apps view. Other apps with notifications are affected, too. Have to go a bit more into that, but for now I'll just keep the apps open from which I frequently want to see notifications...

[jakfish 121]

@Rob. S. I believe your Whatsapp issues are from the Titan's overzealous App Blocker. I kept wondering why Status Bar Mini Pro had to keep being restarted. In App Blocker, you can exclude apps from AB's monitoring, which worked with Status Bar, but I eventually disabled App Blocker completely--these devices already give plenty of battery life.

[Hook 2,834]

3 hours ago, Rob. S. said:

There's just one thing that keeps bugging me, and at first I thought connectivity was the problem again, as I didn't receive e-mail or Whatsapp/Signal messages on time, sometimes they got delayed by hours. Eventually I found that the reason seems to be that the Android on my Titan effectively kills, not just hides, apps when I close them and they disappear from the open apps view. Other apps with notifications are affected, too. Have to go a bit more into that, but for now I'll just keep the apps open from which I frequently want to see notifications...

I don't allow a lot of notifications, so I hadn't noticed this... my philosophy in retirement is that email is asynchronous communication and therefore I'll get around to it when I feel like it.  But I now noticed that my email isn't waiting for me if Aquamail is closed, it has to update after I open it.  Also, my weather widget only updated without my tapping the update arrow if Accuweather was open. So, yes, the Slim seems aggressive about closing apps. 

11 minutes ago, jakfish said:

@Rob. S. I believe your Whatsapp issues are from the Titan's overzealous App Blocker. I kept wondering why Status Bar Mini Pro had to keep being restarted. In App Blocker, you can exclude apps from AB's monitoring, which worked with Status Bar, but I eventually disabled App Blocker completely--these devices already give plenty of battery life.

Nice find.  I've now turned that off too.  If they want to help protect us, give us damn security updates.

[jakfish 121]

The security angle hadn't occurred to me; I thought App Blocker was more of a battery-saving issue, though I didn't spend much time researching it before disabling everything.

[EskeRahn 5,350]

8 hours ago, Rob. S. said:

Eventually I found that the reason seems to be that the Android on my Titan effectively kills, not just hides, apps when I close them and they disappear from the open apps view.

Note that the Titan comes with a nice little app called app blocker, that maybe its settings you need to adjust to your needs.

I see I was a little late there, sorry...

[zundappchef 92]

does anyone here have a custom android 13 bluetooth driver ?
i have my titan slim running a custrom rom of android 13 but i cant get the bluetooth to work 
 

[Rob. S. 1,617]

Time flies... And here's the bottom line after five months of using the Slim as my daily driver.

At this point, both my existing Pro1 and Pro1X are shelved; the Pro1 because of defective buttons and fingerprint reader [comparably minor issues] and a defective orientation switch [major issue], the Pro1X because of a broken screen that I didn't yet venture to replace with the one Aliexpress spare I still have, plus the ubiquitous connectivity issues that forced me to carry a mobile wifi router wherever I went just to be able to use it at all. One Pro1X, dating back to my Sept 2019 Pro1 order, is still pending shipment...

I love what Unihertz is doing there, especially for the low price, and if it would have been a landscape-orientation slider like the one we all met for in this forum, I would be quite happy with it and I'd probably continue to use it for a long time to come. But it isn't, and sadly I have to say I can't.

Generally, every smartphone thing I expect from a smartphone works decently enough – mobile internet, voice, messaging, WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC and all the necessary apps including banking and contactless payment are all working well enough after a few initial hiccups. Performance of the device is decent enough, too – it feels a tiny little bit slower than the Pro1X, which again is a tiny little bit slower than the Pro1, but nothing I couldn't still be happy with for quite some time to come.

It's just two things that make me not like it after all – the keyboard, which I thought I'd get used to over time but just don't get to grips with, and the small screen, especially in combination with the keyboard in portrait mode. 

I don't even find the keyboard to be as halfway usable as the BlackBerry PRIV's (which I used to have as a daily driver for some time until I bought that Moto Z in hope for the Pro1's ancestor device, the Livermorium Keyboard Mod that never made it into batch production).

Dim as the chances now are of getting my remaining and overdue Pro1X, and even if I would, of its connectivity working as it should without having to disassemble it to fix the antenna connectors, which, for me, would carry the imminent danger of breaking other things, I guess I'll shortly bite the bullet and try to find the money for the Honor Magic V2 that @Slion says he's happy with, like @zundappchef is with a Samsung Fold 5. Am looking out for a pre-owned or otherwise somewhat reduced opportunity now. 

At least, as a co-benefit, the Honor will more than replace my dead old Amazon Fire HD 8 Tablet, which might have been one of the last ones which could still be rooted and flashed with LineageOS, but I couldn't enjoy it for long.

The only reservations (with Fxtec's notoriously failing USB sockets in mind) I'm having with the Honor specs-wise is that it doesn't do wireless charging. Maybe I should take care to get a warrantied one from a EU dealer...

However, I will miss the excellent handling of the Pro1/Pro1X with its really good keyboard, and I am curious to see how well the folding phone can replace it.

Edited March 2 by Rob. S.