Vacation changes and old phone

Monday went well. A meeting got cancelled. I got two documentation libraries out the door for a release. I felt accomplished.

It's crazy to think that in less than two weeks, I will be on vacation for a couple of weeks. I had thought about doing three weeks of vacation. However, staying at home for such a long run is too long for my liking. Instead, I'll take a week off in January.

My old Google Pixel 2 XL no longer gets Android updates. It's sad, but I still love and use that phone at home daily. It's a nice phablet.

Troubleshooting is my forte

I have been using an app on my phone to upload photos and write about my experiences for a while. Earlier this week, I upgraded the app to the latest version. It caused the upload photos feature to die.

I used to work in technical support. I was good at it. I ended up in second-level support. I'm not bragging. I look back at who I was back then and I was great.

These days, I often do troubleshooting at work. I am good at it, too. I am proud that I have this knack.

I reported this app issue to the software company. The woman insisted that I use the e-mail address associated with my account with this app. I had to explain that my messages get forward to my current account and provided my actual e-mail address on file. It is never a requirement to log into the account and write from it, although it is helpful. Just ask me for the e-mail address that I have registered with would have been sufficient.

The woman asked for screenshots and steps on what was going on. I write for a living, so that was easy for me to put together. I also pointed out that I have a Google Pixel 2XL phone running Android 10.

As expected, support couldn't reproduce this issue. It went to the engineering department.

I fixed the issue by myself a couple of hours ago. I could strengthen this support department if they offered a job to me.

I basically removed the faulty app. I went and downloaded an old app version that was released in March. I then installed it.

I proceeded to upgrade the app to the current version. The upload photo functionality works again. Go, me!

I wrote back to support and said that I fixed the issue myself. I didn't bother thanking the woman, as I did all the work. I did end the message cordially, though.

Thank goodness I enjoy solving issues. Otherwise, this app would be useless on my phone without this functionality restore.

Android 9 Pie and my Pixel's dying battery

I wonder whether Google has been hearing about my current and probably only woe with my Google Pixel phone.

My phone is nearly two years old. These days, the battery doesn't hold a charge as well as it used to. A couple of days ago, my phone had 34% battery life and then it automatically shut itself off. I tried booting it up and it simply didn't have enough juice to stay on.

The good news is that whenever there is an Android update, Pixel phones tend to be the first to get it. This time, it's Android 9, also known as Pie, that is out.

I installed it. One of its biggest features is adaptive battery. The idea is that the operating system learns my phone usage patterns. It then direct power to apps that I need. It's essentially predicting my day-to-day battery usage. That's cool to me.

So far, I've noticed that my phone's battery drain at a slower pace. There is also a battery saver option. Nice!

The next Google Pixel phone gets revealed in early October. Chances are that I will upgrade to it. I love my phone. I am hoping that the new phone's battery is better. For now, I thank Pie for extending my battery's life for another couple of months, at least.

Android Oreo... sounds yummy!

I have had an Android phone for nearly a year now. I had been an iPhone user for five years. Before that, I was a BlackBerry user. I have been told that I am impartial when it comes to technology.

Yesterday, I installed the latest Android operating system, Oreo, on my phone. The good news is that nothing horrible happened during the upgrade. However, some odd things did occur:

• I have an app called SCENE, which tracks my points for free movies, snacks, and food. For some reason, after the installation, this app decided to automatically launch itself whenever it felt like it. I uninstalled it. I have a feeling that it isn't compatible with Oreo.
  
• Another app, iHeartRadio, decided to run in the background whether I wanted it to or not. I originally switched to this app because all radio stations in this network got removed from popular radio apps like TuneIn. I reinstalled TuneIn and the radio station that I enjoy listening to is back. Bye bye, iHeartRadio!

A while back, I installed System UI Tuner. It has a cool bunch of functions that are experimental on Android. I installed it because I wanted the battery percentage to appear in the upper right corner of my Pixel phone. Oddly, it isn't there by default like many phones.

Before Oreo, the percentage was right on the battery icon and it was difficult to read. With Oreo, it looks like what I was used to on my iPhone. You get a clear reading of the percentage next to the battery icon.

On the whole, Oreo seems a bit better performance-wise. I will given SCENE another try when a new version is available.

App development involving my getting a spanking

My guy and I are similar, which is one good reason why we get along and are a couple. We seem to be on the same wavelength these days when it comes to learning. We want to do something different to stimulate our brain cells.

For me, it's learning how to drive a stick shift car. I have one more lesson to go.

My guy told me the other day that he is learning how to create apps on Android. It doesn't surprise me that he is fiddling with this new learning experience, as he is nerdy like I am.

"Do you have any suggestions on what apps I should develop?" my guy asked me.
"How about a hot dog app for me?" I said, teasing him over my love for eating hot dogs.
"Um, no," he said, chuckling afterwards.
"How about a spanking app?" I suggested.
"Hey, I like that!" he said, with excitement.
"For the spanking sound effects, we can record your spanking my bare butt and use that in your app."
"See, you always have good ideas," he said, complimenting me.
"I hope that I get this app for free because I sleep with the developer," I said.
"Of course!"

It's good that I get a spanking and a spanking app for free.

Spanking - an Android game

I am a geeky girl. My guy calls me geeky gadget girl, among other fine nicknames. Personally, I like this one just as much as bad girl.

The other day, I came across an Android game called Spanking. Yep, it's exactly what you think. You can spank a naughty boy or girl right on your Android phone or tablet.

Courtesy: Androidgame365.com

Unfortunately, the graphics aren't stellar and the grammar is atrocious, at times. As an example, one screen states, "I tolerate you for a long time! I will spanking you!"

If my guy ever said that to me, I would burst out laughing, likely right to his face. Then again, if I did that, I would get quite a sound spanking session from him, which would be much better than the virtual version.