SFOS shortcomings & workarounds for Xperia 10 II

[robang74]

SYSTEM

The hardware description and SFOS version are listed here below.

• Xperia X10 II dual SIM, model XQ-AU52
• Sailfish OS Jolla-4.5.0.19 qau52-1.0.0.19
• AOSP Android 10.0 kernel 4.14 seine
• Jolla license

Default installation procedure has been followed.

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Shortcoming

The GPS should be kept always on because its cold start takes minutes to fix the satellites despite the native MLS packages and several GSM/Wifi position backend services has been installed and running.

Workaroud

Configure the A-GPS as described here:

• Quick start guide v1.3.5 - #6 by robang74

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Shortcoming

Sometimes when after a reboot or after an airplane mode one of the two SIM or both, but usually one, has problem in finding the network and into the native Setting → Mobile network, the related Network field remain in searching. In this case degrade the network mode to 2G only. After the network will be found, switch to prefer 3G and then after the network will be found again, switch to prefer 4G. This seems a slower approach but in fact, it works around the problem⁰

Workaroud

The Settings:System → Info:Utilities → Restart Network Subsystem is the key-workaround and probably it would be better to have an option for each SIM to do it automatically when the airplane mode is switched off.

Solution

Choose the 4G protocol but restrict your SIM and modem to operate over IPv4 and ignore the IPv6:

• Quick start guide v1.3.5 - #17 by robang74

After that Select network automatically should work.

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Shortcoming

Sometimes switching on/off/on from 4G and Wifi or viceversa, the Android apps cannot see the internet connection. In such a case, switch to airplan mode and then back to restore the full connectivity.

Workaroud

The Settings:System → Info:Utilities → Restart Network Subsystem is the key-workaround

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Shortcoming

The phone calls with wired headphones have the audio volume too high even when it is at the minimum.

Workaroud

Using a good bluetooth buds pair will solve the problem and free yourself from the wire.

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NOTES

⁰ this strategy could be implemented in SFOS automatically as default strategy to avoid the issue.

¹ GitHub - mer-hybris/pulseaudio-modules-droid: multimedia-pulseaudio-modules-droid

² Understanding audio routing and volume control on SFOS

[attah]

No; i’m serious. Stop spamming your thread all over the place.

Crossposting is considered bad behavior since the beginning of the Internet, and nobody else is behaving this way.

And if that does not speak to you, here are the rules:

@https://forum.sailfishos.org/faq

Keep It Tidy

[…]

• Don’t cross-post the same thing in multiple topics.

[robang74]

@attah

Crossposting is considered bad behavior since the beginning of the Internet

I think you have misunderstood the idea of crossposting with linking the same post to multiple posts which are related to that topic.

@attah

nobody else is behaving this way.

I am pretty educated about the We’ve Always Done It This Way bias.

• Crossposting was an issue at the beginning of Internet when the network and storage resources were very scarce but nowadays that limits are cleary obsolete.

• Unfortunately, some Internet users do not updated their bias with the current state of art of Internet, thus a good practice became a bias.

• Nowadays, crossposting is still an issue everytime replicating the same document in multiple places create the necessity to kep it updated in multiple places.

• Sharing a link in multiple topic-relevant threads does not have anyone of those shortcoming above listed for which crossposting was historically forbidden by the netiquette¹

Moreover, linking the same post in multiple relevant threads is a good practice to inform all the possible user interested in, quickly.

Quickly means shrinking the bottle neck of diffusing/testing a solution/workaround relieving the users from the need of periodically searching about the same issue.

When others people will learn the difference between crossposting and keep other posts/people updated, then much problably they would do the same.

JUST IN CASE

Just in case for other people that might dislike crosslinking. Are you annoyed by receiving multiple notifications because you are following many topics?

I am annoyed about bottlenecks and moreover your feeling is personal, my attitude is pragmatic.

NOTE

¹ Since the beginning, there was an exception about crossposting, at least. In fact, reading the Crossposting in Usenet on Wikipedia, we learn that a special trick was used to store data in a single copy and share among multiple newsgroups. This should not surprise us, because expecially at the beginning of Internet era almost all the people involved were deeply counsciuos about what was a problem and what was not. And crosslinking never was a problem as far as it is not spamming.

[attah]

@robang74

Crossposting was an issue at the beginning of Internet when the network and storage resources were very scarce but nowadays that limits are cleary obsolete.

No, it was only ever really about people not wanting to read the same stuff over and over again. Storage space is an excuse used for people that won’t hear normal reasons.

Speaking of bias; you are bound to be biased to think that your advice is universal and of the highest quality. (And thus deserves cross-linking despite conventions). I disagree - i find it quite banal. But i was not going to complain, i was going to just let it be forgotten. (Note the glaring absence of likes!)

People are perfectly capable of searching and finding information themselves. Don’t belittle people.
IF it turns out your topic is the bees knees; others will link to it for you from relevant, active, places as needed.

[robang74]

@attah

No, it was only ever really about people not wanting to read the same stuff over and over again.

I appreciate neurodiversity but not up to such a point. Unless a person needs a specialistic assistence care, s/he should learn to not being upset about nothig like skip something s/he just read elsewhere.

Moreover, the Internet was ARPA before being Internet. These means that they were almost all scientists. In fact, Internet was initially used to connected scientifc departments, then universities, then…

Thank for having me forced to remember such old gold days. However, we gone far away from the track. Please, feel free to join the group of those in the previous post just in case section was refering.

[robang74]

@robang74

Workaround : sometimes when after a reboot or after an airplane mode one of the two SIM or both, but usually one, has problem in finding the network and into the native Setting → Mobile network , the related Network field remain in searching . In this case degrade the network mode to 2G only. After the network will be found, switch to prefer 3G and then after the network will be found again, switch to prefer 4G . This seems a slower approach but in fact, it works around the problem⁰

• State : under investigation because new installation of Carriers Services, and its configuration might solve the problem.

After some tests that produced a great variaty of results, this is the best conclusion that I found.

@robang74

The big difference is about restarting the SFOS network applications stack.

• Apps -> Settings -> Info:Utilities -> Restart Network Subsystem

This worst case can be solved adding the Uitlities to the TopMenu and in that case the workaround procedure would be

• Airplane mode off, Utilities → Restart

PROPOSED MITIGATION

The Restart Network Subsystem is the key-workaround and probably it would be better to have an option for each SIM to do it automatically when the airplane mode is switched off.

This approch is working also for the issues derived from switching 4G with WiFi connections or viceversa.

@robang74

Workaround : sometimes switching on/off/on from 4G and Wifi or viceversa, the Android apps cannot see the internet connection. In such a case, switch to airplan mode and then back to restore the full connectivity.

• State : under investigation because new installation of Carriers Services, and its configuration might solve the problem.

The “airplane mode” workaround can lead to more problems rather than the one is pretending to solve. Thus restarting the SFOS networking subsystem should be added in some place from which users can access quickly and easily. Because in this specific case a netwrok reset added as automatic default in switching seems a counter productive idea that slowdown a frequent and common operation.

[robang74]

@robang74

Workaround : the GPS should be kept always on because its cold start takes minutes to fix the satellites despite the native MLS packages and several GSM/Wifi position backend services has been installed and running.

• State : under investigation because new installation of Google Play Services, and its configuration might solve the problem.

ALMOST A SOLUTION

GPS problems have two different sources:

• GPS signal very bad - #45 by robang74 - it is possible that your smartphone arrived with Android 12 pre-installed and yous *“should”" downgrade to Androd 11 before installing SFOS. The instructions are in the reply reported here. In this case, it would not work at all.

• Installing microG on Sailfish OS - #13 by lkraav - the bad signal and long time to fix satellites is related to the MicroG version like explained in this reply reported here. It is a 2 weeks ago fix and that version is still in preview state. Those install from MicroG website download page are suggested toward the stable one, instead. Fortunately but erroneusly, F-Droid market consider the preview as a stable version and proposes the upgrade.

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KNOWN ISSUE

I have entitled as “almost a solution” the previous section because it is pretty clear using GPSinfo that fixing satellite in a house is still a problem. I am living in an appartment under a plain roof above many others building and no any one of my previous Android smartphones nor this one with Android 12 shows this issue.

You might argue that the GPS is useless in an apartment because we just know where we are. Unfortunately, some apps like ToGoodToGo require a precise geolocalisation in order to give the available PoS/offers within walking range. Using the GSM triangulation by MPL services the accuracy is 9000m (9km). In this specific case, it is fine because adding an address will fix the problem. In some others cases can be quite annoying.

Moreover, it is supposed that the smartphone hardware can work as well with SFOS as much with Android or even better. Otherwise, the competition will be impaired as much as the performances are not going to meet the users expectations. By the way the Xperia 10 III seems not be affected by this issue:

@vige

Xperia 10 III, indoors: instant accurate fix.

WORKAROUD

Bring the smartphone near the glass from which a portion of the sky is visible and it will fix some satellites. In my case: 3 of 34, giving a position with an accuracy of 30-40m.

Warning: keep close the windows to avoid the risk of let your smartphone flying away!