Can't Pair Band 2 w/ 950XL Anymore

[Corwin_Amber1]

I was quite agitated with the blunt response that, to me, seemed to show a 'I do not understand it, so how hard can it be' mentality. Believe it or not, my 950XL was quite fine from the beginning (and yes, I had it first day and also I payed what everybody in the US paid - in Euros). To me, it was always OK and has become better, since. Maybe I was just lucky...
They even stated on twitter that now was a good point in time to move to slow ring if somebody was not willing to cope with faster, more bug prone builds. But a person who says 'who cares about release notes' would never have gotten it, anyway. The Threshold builds are pretty sweet for some time now.

 

[beman39]

HELLOO! Do you not get that this is pre-release software? Did you not bother to read the release notes that tells you what's broken before installing it? Do you not read the disclaimer that things may not work as expected? Update or not, Microsoft probably has things in the new build that they want to test now but don't want to wait for every little thing to be fixed? It's ludicrous that you would expect pre-release software to function perfectly in every build. Regressions are a normal part of software development and when you're using a preview build, it's going to happen.



I really don't think you understand the concept of pre-release software or how software development works. Every build is not always an improvement. Even in production level software it happens that things that worked before get broken and it's going to be even worse in pre-release, preview software. Nature of the beast.

If you don't want things this broken, wait for the over-the-air updates. Then, when things don't work, complain all you like.

first off I understand completely what pre-release software is, but what your describing is when MS ACCIDENTLY breaks something because of incompetence or when sh!t happens... I understand all that, but to PURPOSELY release it with bugs knowing BEFORE HAND that the updates is rubbish? that's just stupid and all of you going along with this and making excuses for MS is just as dumb... sorry but that's the way I see it and no one will ever change my mind about that...

 

[jdballard]

JD, the problem is they shipped production software with the 950XL that was clearly not even close to being ready.

That's a completely different argument and I'm not disputing the initial production release was delivered incomplete/as good as it should have been.

So if you wanted more than 4 hours of batter life and any kind of stability, you had to jump on the windows insider program. Then they tease you with a visual voicemail fix (yes, it wasn't in the release code, WTF is up with that?) and you jump on the fast ring, but they don't say FYI this is an entire different branch and you are hosed from any production release fixes for performance.

So you're saying that when they announced the fast ring builds that they didn't make it clear that this was a Redstone build? Sorry, that's on the consumer - the info was out there (and while here they don't call it Redstone, the words "development branch" should make you stop and realize this isn't the production branch). As for the VVM fix: why wasn't it in the release code? Because as convenient as VVM is, it's easy to work around and live without. It's a convenience and nothing more. It probably wasn't feasible to get it done in time for the initial release.

All of this could be mitigated if a developer took 20 minutes and update the text label in the windows insider app with a little more information, as well as bug fix and known issues list. It's not hard to push out a toast notification of what the next release has, and do you want it.

Again, this info was out there: see this Windows Central article on 14283 about what's fixed and broken (there was one for 14267 as well) along with this one from MS - both of which contain the notes you ask for - both including info that it breaks band syncing and the workarounds.

I think its fair that people here wanted a $700 phone to function like a $700 phone. It's not like the OS was stable, and we all jumped on the insider ring. We are all trying to get a phone that isn't a POS. So stop blaming the consumer, when in fact we are all that MSFT probably has left on this platform. I would hate to see the 950XL sales numbers, they are probably less than 100k units.

It's absolutely fair to expect a $700 phone to work like one. And I agree the experience of lots of people hasn't been that of a $700 phone. I must be one of the lucky ones because my experience with the 950XL has been pretty good. Very few random reboots (probably 2-3 since mid-Dec.), very few freezes (probably 5-6 since mid-Dec.) That said, my battery life is below expectations and I'm glad for rapid charging.

As for blaming the consumer? I don't if you're running on a production release - and there have been issues with the production release. Whether it's the OS or hardware or some combo, my perception of the number of people with problems on the production release seems too high for me to believe it's a normal number (because there are always issues). The second you go to a development branch, though, I will blame the consumer because there are plenty of warnings out there.

And as for "MSFT has left on this platform", that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. Microsoft is making a phone because they absolutely need to have something in the mobile market for future plans, but they have absolutely ceded the market (at least in the U.S.) to Apple and Google for the short term. Long term will tell.

 

[jdballard]

first off I understand completely what pre-release software is, but what your describing is when MS ACCIDENTLY breaks something because of incompetence or when sh!t happens... I understand all that, but to PURPOSELY release it with bugs knowing BEFORE HAND that the updates is rubbish? that's just stupid and all of you going along with this and making excuses for MS is just as dumb... sorry but that's the way I see it and no one will ever change my mind about that...

The fact it's pre-release software means that it will ship with known issues. In their warning they even tell you might not be able to make phone calls on a smartphone. Heck, even production level software ships with known issues. There's probably hundreds (if not thousands) of open bugs (not feature requests) in the production version of Windows 10. At some point, software has to ship which you means you reach a level where you can live with the known issues. That standard is a lot higher than pre-release software. And, believe it or not, being able to sync with a MS Band or Band 2 probably isn't the highest priority issue on their list.

I haven't made excuses for what they've released to production. I still think battery life is inadequate and I know people are still having issues (freezes, random reboots) they shouldn't be seeing on production level software and I'm guessing it's in higher numbers than the average (although we'll never know). But I will excuse MS when people install pre-release software on their phones and then complain it doesn't work.

 

[Corwin_Amber1]

first off I understand completely what pre-release software is, but what your describing is when MS ACCIDENTLY breaks something because of incompetence or when sh!t happens... I understand all that, but to PURPOSELY release it with bugs knowing BEFORE HAND that the updates is rubbish? that's just stupid and all of you going along with this and making excuses for MS is just as dumb... sorry but that's the way I see it and no one will ever change my mind about that...

Please consider this: Did anybody force you to install the build? Or have you been properly and many times been warned about possible issues and even been given beforehand knowledge of this known issue? You even got the workaround. Did you then decide to ignore it but make a load of fuss about it here and call us dumb?

Seriously, I do not get what your problem is...

 

[pischk]

When you signed up for Windows Insider within Windows Update, it told you what to expect:

• Fast: Best for Insiders who enjoy being the first to identify issues, provide suggestions, and ideas to make Windows devices great.
• Slow: Best for Insiders who enjoy seeing preview builds with minimal risk to their devices, and still want to provide feedback.
• Release Preview: Best for Insiders who enjoy seeing early access to updates for the Current Branch, Microsoft applications, and drivers with minimal risk to their devices, and still want to provide feedback to make Windows devices great.

If you don't like the issues you are facing, choose a different Insider level or stop Insider Preview builds altogether and go back to regular Windows Updates. The choice is yours. And if you want quick restores, be sure to perform a full Backup via WiFi (not cell data) before hard resetting your device or using the Windows Device Recovery Tool. The backup will restore all your apps and Start screen, depending on the settings you choose.

Seriously though, to expect flawless Fast track updates is pretty insane. And like the others have pointed out, please read the release notes in the Insider Hub or Windows Insider Blog before updating. They plainly and clearly tell you what is new and what is not working.

 

[peashooter14]

Are the slow ring and fast ring both on Redstone? If they are not, then MSFT screwed up big time.

 

[andrewstuart]

Oh yes I did and I thought I was going crazy. I tried everything and the techs said it wasn't a band issue after I had successfully paired to an iPhone. I eventually went for factory reset which did the trick. I guess you roll the dice when your in the fast ring but wow I wish I had read the blogs first, lol.

 

[Corwin_Amber1]

Are the slow ring and fast ring both on Redstone? If they are not, then MSFT screwed up big time.

peashooter, Fast is RS, Slow and Preprod are pretty sweet TH builds.

 

[jroamr]

I was having the same issue with my L950, and was just going to wait until an update fixed it. After reading posts here, I changed my phone's language to United Kingdom English. It worked perfectly, and my Band 2 is back in sync.

 

[peashooter14]

pischk: your comments are incorrect and your statements about the various rings are flat out wrong. Did you read what they actually say in the insider application? Knowing that Fast Ring is Redstone(essentially Windows 10.1) and Slow and release are Threshold (essentially Windows 10), MSFT screwed the pooch.

Fast Ring: You'll get PRE-RELEASE builds of Windows 10 (Not 10.1, NOT Redstone) ahead of everyone else. This means you'll see new things sooner, but there may be fewer solutions available for issues.

Slow Ring: You'll get PRE-RELEASE (exact same wording as fast ring) builds of Windows 10 (not 10.1, Not Threshold no mention of branch), but you'll get them a LITTLE AFTER INSIDERS WHO SELECT TO RECEIVE FAST UPDATES.

This is the fundamental problem with the ***** developers at MSFT.. They forked the Fast Ring to Redstone and didn't update the windows insider text. How hard would have been to say Fast ring: Microsoft Windows 10 next MAJOR release (Redstone). This ring contains all the newest features in Windows 10 and is intended for users who want to Alpha test the latest and greatest... Slow Ring: Microsoft Windows 10 Current Release (Threshold), stay on this ring to get critical updates and performance fixes for the Windows 10 production

So now I have to WDRT AGAIN and take 5 hours rebuilding my phone. FYI a fresh windows 10 install on PC takes 30 minutes, but I DIGRESS!!!!!

 

[RyanAF]

I had to hard reset my phone within an hour of getting it on the day of release, but since then everything worked perfectly. I'll try the language change (will US English work if its usually UK?) otherwise I guess its down to another full reset followed by taking myself off the fast ring.

And to whoever said RTFM, if proper patch notifications were made readily available (i.e. a link clearly shown to the user to visit when choosing a time to reset for installation) then I would agree. As it currently stands, where we can end up getting over 3 updates within a week and the only way we realise is when we can't sign in with Hello in the morning or our Bands don't work, well, that's unacceptable. I guess it's my own fault for not coming off the fast track like I had intended when I've had a perfectly stable version (for what I use it for) previously.

 

[jdballard]

As a service for those who may not read release notes, build 14291 also breaks the ability to pair with your phone. See here. Strangely enough, it's an API failure - code that the band sync relies on changed right out from underneath it. It's almost like I suggested something along those lines a few posts back...

 

[etphoto]

first off I understand completely what pre-release software is, ...

Not sure you do. Maybe you need to get off beta.

 

[Glenn Ruysschaert]

The update is not rubbish, they wanted to see how well their new Bluetooth stack performs for the testers. Why would they add all the features to a new stack, if the core is flawed? What they did now is release the core version and the features that the Band requires to connect are not added. Once they know the core is stable they'll add the features required for the Band to connect. So they did not release it with bugs, they released a new version which simply does not have all the features yet. This is not incompetence, it's quality assurance, that's pretty much the whole point of the insider previews. They're not finished products, which is what you are expecting. They are not only updates but also rewrites which break things. If you had read the release notes, you would have known the Band wouldnt work on this build and you couldve just skipped the builds until it works again.

 

[DZimbrich]

Build 14291 has not fixed this issue. I just loaded it last night but Band 2 still won't connect...

 

[EliteMikes]

Elite, does your pre-release branch at work have user notes that say its the same as your production branch? The windows insider app, says the Fast Ring and Slow Ring are the same code line...One just gets it faster. That's the problem!

A. Our pre-release never reaches the public.
B. Our testers and developers expect pre-release to have issues.
C. Release notes??? no time for that.
D. Our RELEASES always have issues. We have a laundry list of new and existing problems that we sit down with the customer and talk about the severity of the bug. Many get shipped, some get worked off next release, others live on for a long time. Time is money

 

[rjhin]

The Slow Ring only gets a Fast Ring release after the fast ring people have provided a degree of acceptance testing. When the Slow Ring people get it they should know what they are in for and can avoid it. It will still be pre-release for sure.

 

[signal-2-noise]

I ended up selecting English (US) on my 950XL and the Band 2 successfully paired. This has been an entertaining "RTFM" thread nonetheless. Personally I think Microsoft are dropping the ball on these Insider Ring updates.

 

[rjhin]

I changed my language several times to several different languages and I keep getting the error, "Sorry, I can't find your band. Please ensure that it is nearby and paired to your phone". It is both nearby and paired to my phone yet not syncing

Did you do anything but change the language. Am I missing something?