FYI ... Important GDR2 Fixes

[sinime]

I hope GDR2 fixes the issue where text messages are not always read over Bluetooth in my car. Can anyone confirm if they had text read back issues before GDR2 and if they were fixed with GDR2?

I’m 99% sure it isn’t a compatibility issue can my old 900 used to read them flawlessly until an update last in Aug, 2012.

 

[GoodThings2Life]

I hope GDR2 fixes the issue where text messages are not always read over Bluetooth in my car. Can anyone confirm if they had text read back issues before GDR2 and if they were fixed with GDR2?

I?m 99% sure it isn?t a compatibility issue can my old 900 used to read them flawlessly until an update last in Aug, 2012.

Yes! All messages and alerts/ringtones are played properly!

 

[Dave Blake]

they are not going to post a comprehensive list of these embarrassing flaws that should have never existed.

How are you to say what should or should not exist. I didn't see you on the design team. There just might be reasons why somethings are not done. I am not apologizing for what Microsoft has not gotten done but I do see the logic in the path Microsoft is taking. Maybe you should read this article.

Microsoft focusing on increasing Windows Phone volume with GDR2; features coming later | Windows Phone Central

a) if Belfiore can tweet about those 'embarrassing' flaws, then MS can damn well also mention them in the release notes.

b) if MS can make weekly references to bug- and security fixes for their flagship product, Windows, then MS can damn well make quarterly references to such issues for WP.

It's not that MS are too embarrassed to talk about problems. It's that they have some idiots in management who don't understand that the only thing worse than occasional miscommunication, is having no communication at all. They are so scared of making mistakes, that they are frozen into complete inaction.

MS must grow a pair and openly and honestly discuss the state of WP. They must be able to admit mistakes, explain them and be transparent about forthcoming fixes. Frankly, their management's unprofessionalism is a lot more embarrassing than any mistake an engineer could make.

To what end? See how you react with no information. Imagine how you would act if you knew what you were talking about.

Since picking up my Lumia 1020 yesterday, I discovered the following WP8 glitches are fixed:

1. We can now play WAV files again, particularly the voicemail attachments from Exchange Unified Communications.
2. When on a call, incoming notifications will SOFTLY play the correct notification tone ONCE.
3. Notification/ringtone sounds will now play over Bluetooth/Headsets again instead of only through internal speaker.

I don't know about anyone else, but these were extremely irritating on the pre-GDR2 WP8 releases. They were driving me just shy of 90 shades of crazy.

Good stuff...noticed these things as well but hadn't had time to really realize the improvements. Lets keep the list going. It will be nice to create a list improvements.

From here on lets keep this thread about the improvement we find in GDR2. Any more off topic comments will be removed.

 

[MDak280]

Nice finds, OP! Thanks!

Do you know if Facebook messages have been fixed? I'm not sure if it's just me, but Facebook chat acts weird for me. I only get some messages, and some fail to make it onto the chat thread (despite appearing in the Facebook app). It's very annoying because some of my friends talk to me on Facebook and this causes me to miss some messages. I'm not sure if this is an OS problem of if it's just me.

 

[myokeeh]

Return of voicemail WAV playback is great news to me.

 

[GoodThings2Life]

Nice finds, OP! Thanks!

Do you know if Facebook messages have been fixed? I'm not sure if it's just me, but Facebook chat acts weird for me. I only get some messages, and some fail to make it onto the chat thread (despite appearing in the Facebook app). It's very annoying because some of my friends talk to me on Facebook and this causes me to miss some messages. I'm not sure if this is an OS problem of if it's just me.

I don't use it very often, but I'll give it a try tomorrow.

 

[AndreStudart]

Nice finds, OP! Thanks!

Do you know if Facebook messages have been fixed? I'm not sure if it's just me, but Facebook chat acts weird for me. I only get some messages, and some fail to make it onto the chat thread (despite appearing in the Facebook app). It's very annoying because some of my friends talk to me on Facebook and this causes me to miss some messages. I'm not sure if this is an OS problem of if it's just me.

that's strange.. I use facebook daily and this never happened to me, chat works flawless here.. altough I think that the facebook app could be a LOT faster than it is right now..

 

[MDak280]

that's strange.. I use facebook daily and this never happened to me, chat works flawless here.. altough I think that the facebook app could be a LOT faster than it is right now..

That is strange. I guess something is just wrong with my Facebook or something. Maybe I should remove my FB account and reconnect it (the only reason I don't want to do this is because then I'll have to relink all of my contacts and that would take a while).

But anyways, this thread is about GDR2 so nevermind about this.

 

[uopjo6]

Ugh. They need to support ALAC files for previous Apple users...They let you sync with iTunes but don't support ALAC. Wth is up with that.

 

[steppyhen]

It's not just you MDak280 - my Facebook frequently has issues and quite often I get the 'Can't connect to chat' message at the top of the screen! Syncing isn't great either, the full chat doesn't often show up on my phone when I am connected to Facebook too :/

 

[Nickkk101]

can someone briefly explain the issue with the 'WAV voicemail'? Its not a bug ive noticed personally (i dont think i have anyway) on my GDR1 L920.

 

[envio]

Since picking up my Lumia 1020 yesterday, I discovered the following WP8 glitches are fixed:

1. We can now play WAV files again, particularly the voicemail attachments from Exchange Unified Communications.
2. When on a call, incoming notifications will SOFTLY play the correct notification tone ONCE.
3. Notification/ringtone sounds will now play over Bluetooth/Headsets again instead of only through internal speaker.

I don't know about anyone else, but these were extremely irritating on the pre-GDR2 WP8 releases. They were driving me just shy of 90 shades of crazy.

Thanks, I was wondering what the "other improvements" actually meant although none of your discoveries affect me. I just wish Microsoft could be more transparent. Why NOT include a proper changelog like Windows does? It seems like they're trying to out-do Apple on simplicity for the sake of trying to out-do Apple on something. It's not only gone too far but it's actually starting to affect everything from lack of features in the OS to the lack of communications on future directions to the lack of detail on stuff they've shipped. It's almost like an excuse to be lazy and incompetent with no comeback.

 

[Martin Y]

I'm glad to hear that a bug affecting Bluetooth playing ringtones though other devices has a fix on the way.

In fact I'm doubly glad because when i asked elsewhere about why my car radio played some random alert tone instead while my phone played its ringtone in my pocket, I got the impression is was just something unique to my phone and radio combination and i'd just have to live with it.

This is why it would be better if Microsoft were a bit more upfront about known issues, about what's being worked on and what might or won't or can't be changed. Otherwise we get the rumourmill we're curently stuck with. Even now there's confusion and contradictory claims over, for example, which phones will or won't get FM radio with the update. Just yesterday I read someone's confident assertion that the 520 wouldn't as it lacked the right hardware.

 

[dakranii]

can someone briefly explain the issue with the 'WAV voicemail'? Its not a bug ive noticed personally (i dont think i have anyway) on my GDR1 L920.

A lot of systems for voicemail at work send the voicemail through email as a WAV file attachment. WP8 could not play WAV files, so users with this type of system could not get their voicemails on their phone. I am in this situation. When someone calls my work number and I don't answer, they leave a voicemail and it comes through my email inbox as a WAV file. I can't open them. I could on WP7.X, though, which is odd that the OS went backwards.

 

[GoodThings2Life]

Precisely. It's especially odd considering that you know Microsoft uses Exchange and Lync internally, so they broke their own functionality, lol.

 

[GoodThings2Life]

I updated the OP to reflect the news that the Me tile photos are high-res now... and I can confirm that contact photos are high-res as well.

 

[taymur]

any notable change in the people hub, meaning does facebook chat work? notifications? live tile update generally?

we all know that FM is coming and Data sense, tbh these things are not available (meaning I don't feel something is going wrong), I would like to know, are the features that are available working properly after the update?

 

[diktea]

i think the Facebook chat within the messaging app is still as usual sometimes coming most of the times delayed or missed (used gdr2 for two days now) and of course no complete sync of the fb messages and no option to sync

 

[freestaterocker]

I can confirm that they've fixed the media usage rights issue when you sync downloaded Xbox Music Pass content from your PC... Now, instead of the music being unplayable indefinitely as it was for me in the weeks leading up to the update, the first time you try to play content with un-synced usage rights, you will get a message saying to maintain a data connection for a few moments so your device can download the usage rights info. Provided you maintained said data connection, the content will play flawlessly the next time you try to listen to it. This one was HUGE for me....

 

[apinkel]

WP8 can play wav files. But a wav file is just a container file type. The audio stored in a wav file is encoded using various codecs and there are some important codecs missing from WP8.

Many pbx systems use telecom codecs like ADPCM, GSM, A-law/u-Law or G.729. Some of these have fairly extensive (or ambiguous) licensing requirements associated with them.

This is pure speculation but my guess is that when MS released WP8 there was a good deal of patent litigation going on and they played it safe about which codecs they included to avoid patent battles. It could also have just been a time to market thing since WP8 was rewritten using a new kernel and it's possible that they didn't have time to make the codecs fast enough or stable enough for all WP devices including entry level models with reduced memory or processing capabilities. I suppose they could have just forgotten this functionality, but I highly doubt it.

Regardless, I'm glad to hear they have added this in GDR2. It's important functionality to have if they want to serve the business sector.