Lumia 900 Help Thread

Thuleman

Supreme [H]ardness
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I figured that we may as well start a central thread for all Lumia 900 issues now that it is released.

Is there a way to set different ringtones for individual users? I have looked though the docs and Google and it doesn't look like it is possible which would make me a sad panda.
 
The windows phone help on Microsoft's site is pretty cool and complete. My previous google searches were just flooded with other results before the MS site actually showed up.

Next question is how to give different tiles on the home screen different colors. Like I want my phone tile to be orange while the rest of them stays blue?
 
I sadly only know how to change the theme and not individual tile colors. There is apparently a bug with the Lumia 900 right now that they are going to fix really soon and even give people credit for: http://www.wpcentral.com/nokia-ackn...lumia-900s-giving-everyone-100-their-troubles

If from what I saw is right, this issue is from the AT&T 900's that came from the Mexican plant? So far my Rogers 900 from Korea is pulling data fine thru cellular and wifi.

Another site for Winphone info is Paul Thurrott's Windows Super Site but his articles for anything not recent are buried so you have to go looking but he recently got a 900 as well so going forward he will use this phone.
 
Hrm. Something I got an issue with that I cannot find in the wild of Google.

I tested the camera this morning at work, took a couple pics of my cubicle. I then deleted the pics out of Camera Roll in pictures and went back to the camera... except now everything is dark grey and the screen is black. It sits like this for a few seconds before going back to the app list screen.

Any ideas?
 
I have not see that one, but have you tried to go to Settings (swipe left when at your home screen) > swipe left again to go to Applications > Select Pictures + Camera > scroll to the bottom and click reset camera?
 
The windows phone help on Microsoft's site is pretty cool and complete. My previous google searches were just flooded with other results before the MS site actually showed up.

Next question is how to give different tiles on the home screen different colors. Like I want my phone tile to be orange while the rest of them stays blue?

You can't change individual tile colors without doing some hacking ala XDA. There are some apps though that get around this:

http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/apps/54397d90-7f29-46b3-81b9-f78c3fd3b779
 
Click the People Hub > click the person you want > click Edit (pencil icon) and then click the + next to ringtone.

If you want to want include custom ringtones then look at the top half of this short article: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/howto/wp7/start/create-ringtones.aspx

It's almost easier to just download the app Free Ringtones unless you want something very specific.

http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/apps/46a064d2-1375-4052-94f6-80da09f76c86

You can install the apps from the website like Android.
 
I have not see that one, but have you tried to go to Settings (swipe left when at your home screen) > swipe left again to go to Applications > Select Pictures + Camera > scroll to the bottom and click reset camera?

No, but last night I dared fate and did a hard reset (off then on again) and the camera was displaying again. I also accidentally took a picture of my hand yet again.
 
If from what I saw is right, this issue is from the AT&T 900's that came from the Mexican plant? So far my Rogers 900 from Korea is pulling data fine thru cellular and wifi.

I also have a Korean model and don't seem to have any issues. It does seem to be sucking up the battery a lot faster than it did the first few days. It must be the other email account I added.
 
I believe there's an app to add shortcuts to your data connection toggle as well as wifi, so you can enable/disable them as needed to save on battery.
 
I also have a Korean model and don't seem to have any issues. It does seem to be sucking up the battery a lot faster than it did the first few days. It must be the other email account I added.
Same here, got the first one that was Korean and then picked another one up for the second line and it too is Korean made, no problems with data. Hope I still get the $100 discount ofc.

I believe there's an app to add shortcuts to your data connection toggle as well as wifi, so you can enable/disable them as needed to save on battery.
It's called ConnectivityShortcuts -> http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/apps/430cf007-731f-4357-af7b-b897bff25a2c
 
Same here, got the first one that was Korean and then picked another one up for the second line and it too is Korean made, no problems with data. Hope I still get the $100 discount ofc.


It's called ConnectivityShortcuts -> http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/apps/430cf007-731f-4357-af7b-b897bff25a2c


As long as you have AT&T service and a Lumia 900, you'll get the $100.. no worries there.

It will be an automatic credit to your bill. I've heard it isn't until you're in the second month of ownership.. so you can't just return the phone and still get the credit.

I've had data go out on me twice this week.. but rebooting the phone fixed it. I'm confident that Nokia's update will fix it when they roll it out next week.
 
My phone has had a few data issues but whats more annoying is about once per day, I haven't been able to wake the phone from sleep, also a Korean model. I'm don't want to return it yet because for some reason I am just convinced it's a firmware problem.
 
My phone has had a few data issues but whats more annoying is about once per day, I haven't been able to wake the phone from sleep, also a Korean model. I'm don't want to return it yet because for some reason I am just convinced it's a firmware problem.

I haven't had any trouble waking mine up from sleep. (Mine is also a korean model)

Supposedly fixed (updated) models are already appearing in AT&T stores.. I'd go to one and talk to them about it.
 
Just picked up my 900 tonight. Overall this is hell of phone, especially for free. For a first time smart phone buyer that's just looking for mainstream smart phone capabilities and not vested in some ecosystem, this is a great device since it's free. I've got the Koren model, I did loose my LTE connection about 10 minutes after I left the store but rebooted the phone and no problems since. The LTE on this sucker flies and the tethering works great, unfortunately only 5GB per month which is a bummer. I was thinking about canceling my Verizon 4G LTE modem but 5 GB would be cutting it way to close for my phone and laptop/tablet use.

The only persistent issue I'm having thus far is that I cannot get Gmail to connect and it looks like that it's a pretty widespread spread problem, I'll look into that more tomorrow. On the hardware side, it really is lovely, and just so damn solid. I do wish the edges weren't as sharp, They are really sharp but just a tad more rounding on them and the thing would be perfect from a hardware aspect.

I do think that too many tech pundits have too much time on there hands when it comes to the screen resolution, This really is beautiful and sharp and has very good outdoor readability. And the blacks just set it off. I've been web surfing on it a good bit to test out the LTE and everything looks perfectly sharp to me. The whole resolution issue just isn't going to be one for 95% of people, it's just a spec thing for pundits by in large. And that goes for the single core CPU. Just isn't an issue unless 1080P recording is you bag, the speed of this thing is great, indeed even people that weren't favorable in their reviews seem to harp on the single core CPU yet admit that the performance of the phone is great overall.

The I've not played a lot with the cameras but again they'll be fine for most people, picutres overall seem to be as good as my mid-range point and shoot camera from about 5 years ago. The front camera seems to be very nice though I've not made any Skype calls with it yet.

For a free phone, very, very good. This is a respectable return for Nokia to the US but yeah, a lot more is needed for the wow but I really think Microsoft has a track and if Windows 8 can produce the synergy on the desktop, laptop, tablet and phone that it was meant to, Microsoft and Nokia should have a decent future in mobile. Probably never dominant but definitely major.
 
Thanks. I already have Gmail setup on my HTC Arrive and never had a problem with it on that device but I'll take a look at the link you provided.
 
Just picked up my 900 tonight. Overall this is hell of phone, especially for free. For a first time smart phone buyer that's just looking for mainstream smart phone capabilities and not vested in some ecosystem, this is a great device since it's free. I've got the Koren model, I did loose my LTE connection about 10 minutes after I left the store but rebooted the phone and no problems since....

I had the same issue with Gmail. I tried using m.google.com and mail.google.com as server addresses. I wasn't able to get in with either, and at first I thought maybe it was a Google issue but google mobile was definitely up. This morning my mail just all of a sudden started flowing.

I picked up my phone last night and I'm enjoying the hell out of it. I've been a BB user for years, and while I enjoy iOS on my iPad I didn't want another device in the same ecosystem. I'm not big on Android but so far I'm loving WP.

My biggest fear is with such low hardware specs I feel that we could potentially be left out of the loop when WP8 is released and/or things start making better use of Multi-Core once MS allows it. We shall see but I had all my iPhone/Android friends ogling over it.
 
Well the Gmail issue seems to have corrected itself, it just started working around lunchtime without me doing anything to my knowledge.

I'd really be shocked if the 900 doesn't get an update to WP 8, Microsoft seems to be doing a decent job of updating devices and the 900 does have a lot riding on it to the point of literally giving it away though I guess that could also be a bad sign as far as getting an update. Maybe Nokia and Microsoft figure that people won't be too upset if their free phone isn't updatable, though that's probably wishful thinking.

But I think phone geeks are loosing their minds over specs these days. There's plenty of Android phones that have lesser specs than the 900 and the truth of the matter is that Microsoft simply is taking efficiency far more seriously these days, my guess that WP 8's baseline functionality will run fine on devices like the 900.

This phone flies for the most part. Geeks used to appreciate efficiency, especially the Linux crowd, now many of those same people seem to just want to throw hardware at the problem. It's pretty clear that part of Microsoft's strategy with Windows Phone is to provide a great user experience with less hardware than Android and I don't see them changing that strategy with WP 8.
 
Well the Gmail issue seems to have corrected itself, it just started working around lunchtime without me doing anything to my knowledge.

I'd really be shocked if the 900 doesn't get an update to WP 8, Microsoft seems to be doing a decent job of updating devices and the 900 does have a lot riding on it to the point of literally giving it away though I guess that could also be a bad sign as far as getting an update. Maybe Nokia and Microsoft figure that people won't be too upset if their free phone isn't updatable, though that's probably wishful thinking.

But I think phone geeks are loosing their minds over specs these days. There's plenty of Android phones that have lesser specs than the 900 and the truth of the matter is that Microsoft simply is taking efficiency far more seriously these days, my guess that WP 8's baseline functionality will run fine on devices like the 900.

This phone flies for the most part. Geeks used to appreciate efficiency, especially the Linux crowd, now many of those same people seem to just want to throw hardware at the problem. It's pretty clear that part of Microsoft's strategy with Windows Phone is to provide a great user experience with less hardware than Android and I don't see them changing that strategy with WP 8.

I agree with you. Most of my friends have Android Halo Phones or have had in the past I've never been impressed with the UI. It feels sluggish and slow when it's running on a single core, on a dual core or even a quad core. The little bit I did play with ICS, impressed me but I still think the way to go over the next 6-12 months is iOS or Windows.
 
By the way, the data connectivity fix is now available for download.
 
By the way, the data connectivity fix is now available for download.

Yep, just plug it into your PC and download it though the Zune software. I just updated mine. I heard this update would improve the battery life as well. I guess we'll see.
 
By the way, the data connectivity fix is now available for download.

Nice. Thanks for the heads up! Hopefully it improves battery life as I was pretty underwhelmed. When I picked it up I let what at little charge was left almost deplete, charged it back-up to 100% and ended up getting about 18 hours out of it, I was down to 3% by the end of my work today. 7a - 5p today, I'm used to my BB going on like 6 days without a charge.
 
Nice. Thanks for the heads up! Hopefully it improves battery life as I was pretty underwhelmed. When I picked it up I let what at little charge was left almost deplete, charged it back-up to 100% and ended up getting about 18 hours out of it, I was down to 3% by the end of my work today. 7a - 5p today, I'm used to my BB going on like 6 days without a charge.
I don't have the same issues, I do plug it in every night but that's just habit, I probably have like 00+ % battery life left at the end of the day though I don't use it for calls much.

Check out http://www.nokia.com/us-en/support/troubleshooting/?action=singleFAQ&caseid=FA136400_en_US to see whether any of those settings will make a difference though my phone is stock.

The only thing I can think of is that your phone is constantly scanning for WiFi? When I get to work I connect to WiFi there and that's that.
 
I don't have the same issues, I do plug it in every night but that's just habit, I probably have like 00+ % battery life left at the end of the day though I don't use it for calls much.

Check out http://www.nokia.com/us-en/support/troubleshooting/?action=singleFAQ&caseid=FA136400_en_US to see whether any of those settings will make a difference though my phone is stock.

The only thing I can think of is that your phone is constantly scanning for WiFi? When I get to work I connect to WiFi there and that's that.

Same thing, and the Meraki setup we use automatically meshes so I dont even lose service traveling around campus it connects me to whatever the strongest nearby AP is. So as long as I'm in the district I've got wireless, the only time I'd be consistently scanning is my drive from my house in the morning till work.

I'm thinking maybe I have a defective battery, it took like 5-6 hours to fully charge. Seems kind of high, I'm gonna screw with it over the next couple of days and see how it fares.
 
I'm thinking maybe I have a defective battery, it took like 5-6 hours to fully charge. Seems kind of high, I'm gonna screw with it over the next couple of days and see how it fares.

Yeah that doesn't seem right. I used my phone for about 2 hours today as tether and that got me down to 50% from a full charge, but that was a full two hours of surfing and a little video. The phone seems to change pretty quickly when connected to an outlet, about 3 hours when idle so 5 to 6 hours seems slow from an outlet. From a USB computer connection though that may not be far off if the phone is very active.

If you dial ##634# you can download the Nokia Diagnostic tool and see how fast the phone is charging.

Did the update and I don't see any differences. Just got the phone yesterday and just had an issue with LTE about 30 minutes after I walked out of the store and I was using LTE all day with tethering and it worked like charm.
 
Did the update and I don't see any differences...

Really? I did the update last night, and it did take a long while to recharge the phone after that, but when I got up this morning (8 hours later) my battery was at 92%, where the previous morning it was at 55%. So while sitting idle I am getting 5 times the battery life. I never did have any connectivity issues. If anyone has this phone and hasn't done the update I highly recommend it.
 
Really? I did the update last night, and it did take a long while to recharge the phone after that, but when I got up this morning (8 hours later) my battery was at 92%, where the previous morning it was at 55%. So while sitting idle I am getting 5 times the battery life. I never did have any connectivity issues. If anyone has this phone and hasn't done the update I highly recommend it.

Sweet, I only got the phone Thursday so I really didn't have it long enough to see the battery do it's thing. I'll test it out today and see how it looks. There were a number of people complaining of battery issues but like the data connection issue some aren't seeing a problem.
 
Sweet, I only got the phone Thursday so I really didn't have it long enough to see the battery do it's thing. I'll test it out today and see how it looks. There were a number of people complaining of battery issues but like the data connection issue some aren't seeing a problem.

The data issue is kind of random.. I had it 2-3 times during the last week, but rebooting the phone cleared it up each time.

Now that the fix is in place, I don't expect to see it again.
 
Sweet, I only got the phone Thursday...

That's what is interesting. I got mine 8 days ago and I didn't have any battery problems for the first 4 days. After that it started draining it like mad. I was having to charge it twice a day, at least. After the update last night, I have not charged it since before midnight. Going on 15 hours and still at 83%, and that's with some light usage. The definitely fixed the issue (I hope, for now it does anyway), though I wonder why it took 4 days to show up to begin with. In any case I am back to being very happy with this phone.
 
That's what is interesting. I got mine 8 days ago and I didn't have any battery problems for the first 4 days. After that it started draining it like mad. I was having to charge it twice a day, at least. After the update last night, I have not charged it since before midnight. Going on 15 hours and still at 83%, and that's with some light usage. The definitely fixed the issue (I hope, for now it does anyway), though I wonder why it took 4 days to show up to begin with. In any case I am back to being very happy with this phone.

I think that some apps sit in the background and start to kill the battery. Doesn't get fixed until the phone reboots or you kill the app causing the issue.
 
I'm with Rogers and still waiting for the firmware update to push out. Tried rebooting the phone a few times with no luck. Mind you the fact I can reboot a few times without losing data isn't bad either...

I tried the Skype beta app and had a problem with it that it can't call out to phones, says I have no credit yet I have a pail subscription. I think it's a known bug but the Skype dev team hasn't said anything about an update to fix it yet.

My battery has been better after my first reboot but it varies I've noticed, not as good as my old jailbroken 3GS I was using but still good.
 
I think that some apps sit in the background and start to kill the battery. Doesn't get fixed until the phone reboots or you kill the app causing the issue.
You can see everything that is allowed to run in the background here:

Settings > Applications > Background Tasks

You can force-disable them from there too, but I haven't found that applications running in the background have much effect on battery life (the background services manager only lets them run once every 30 minutes)
 
I haven't applied the update yet but today I charged the phone overnight, unplugged it at 7am, and the battery now shows nearly empty after a total of less than 20 minutes of talk time with WiFi on but no data transfer other than email. Bizarre.

EDIT I just checked and it says time since last charge is 2 days and 6 hours. I guess it wasn't plugged in right. 26% remaining charge so that is fine.
 
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My battery has been better after my first reboot but it varies I've noticed, not as good as my old jailbroken 3GS I was using but still good.

I think this is the biggest reason they keep the iPhone screen at 3.5 inches, so they can boast great battery life. It's like duh you have less screen to power. A LOT less compared to these days and even the last two years. People whine about the screen resolution of the 900 but I'd take that any day over a tiny screen.
 
Does anyone use LastPass? I can't get LastPass bookmarklets to work in mobile IE9.

Strong enough my Google-fu is not.
 
Anyone else notice an issue with the proximity sensor while using the 900? When I'm in a phone call, if I try to run another app the proximity sensor won't turn off and I get kicked back into the phone app.
 
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