I'm still using 4.3 stock that allows apps access and partial installation on external SD card.

Has 4.4 version fixed the access or has permanently limit access to SD card by the apps?

Do you mean the latest STOCK OTA update has already fixed that?

Wonder should I upgrade from the stable 4.3 to latest stock OTA update. Not going to do factory reset. Too many important customized apps installed.

This post has been edited by Cavino: Aug 28 2014, 10:38 AM

I've waited long before decided to update from 4.2 jb to 4.4 kitkat. Already frustrated with the long problematic widget freeze requiring reboot frequently. Been like that for over a year. Factory reset is out of question for me, too many apps config and data there and if factory reset is the only option, may as well upgrade to S6 edge and start anew.

When the SD card detection error begins a couple of months ago, grrr....then recently touchwiz home error appear requiring reboot to use the phone....then then most of time appear again to a stage I cannot use the phone when it appear, until I'm thinking of upgrade to S6 edge.

Then decision comes to upgrade to Kitkat. So move all my apps that are partially stored in SD card back to base memory (heard Kitkat does not allow partial storage anymore). Upgrade OTA a few times (with multiple updates).....and turns out I've upgraded on the DAY they release Lollipop on S4. So upgraded to Lollipop without realising it until completed.

It SOLVED my widget freezing problem. However Touchwiz Home error still appear and I can't do anything except keep reboot.

R&D and tried the 2nd last resort...although Nova Launcher works, still prefer the original touchwiz (used to it). Use the notification (luckily still works) and clear all the home icons and widget from screen by going into touchwiz easy and then back to Home thus resetting the home screen . Put back all my icons and widget back on screen. Problem solved. Seems like a new breath of life seeing all my widget working again...all the time.

So, Lollipop is my S4 life saver and with this in now, everything seems smooth except for quite frequent apps suddenly hit 99% cpu usage (detected using Watchdog Lite). Lots of base app hit that including helium, google+, video, and many more. It does not stay at 99% thus no heating issue (thus not sure how much batt they consume when hitting it). Anyone had that problem?

Other than that, I'm scrapping the plan to get S6 edge for now (too expensive and 32GB is quite limited for my usage since my S4 is having 32base and 32sd data). S4 is now working fine for now with the smooth speed I can live with comfortably.

So thank you, Lollipop, now can wait for S7 to upgrade if S4 does not fail before that.

Have you tried watchdog lite? When heated up like that, normally watchdog will detect which app is causing the problem. Probably should uninstall and if needed, reinstall that particular app again.

Yep, accidentally install it when I do multiple OTA update from 4.2 to 4.4....and the last one turned out to be 5.0

Lollipop seems to be consuming way more battery juice than my earlier 4.3 jb.

Had to ready a powerbank for recharge if use slightly more extensively while previously can still last a day or near a day with the same amount of usage. The battery also quite degraded already.

However the improvement to my widgets, touchwiz hang and other earlier problems are worth it. Speed seems to be almost similar or even slightly smoother. Probably moving all my apps from partial SD card storage to the base memory during the upgrade helps.

This post has been edited by Cavino: May 18 2015, 11:47 AM

"Nevertheless, instances of excessive battery drain have been reported with the system monitor fingering gpsd as the culprit, especially on the Samsung Galaxy SIII. In some cases this happens when the onboard GPS is powered off. In every case I’ve found through Googling for “Android gpsd”, the actual bad guy is an app that is both requesting Detailed Location and running in background; if you deinstall the app, the battery drain goes away. (On the Galaxy SIII, the ‘app’ may actually be the “Remote Location Service” in the vendor firmware; you can’t remove it, but you can disable it through Settings.)"

Try to check one of the apps that might be activating GPS or detailed location in the background.

Install battery apps such as Gsam Battery monitor to check which apps whack the most batt when draining occur. If it gets warms while idle and draining occur, can also use apps like Watchdog Lite to check which apps whacking CPU and battery when the warm/hot/draining occur.

This post has been edited by Cavino: May 26 2015, 07:37 PM

I've moved all my partially stored apps (allowed before KitKat), from SD card to my base memory storage. Luckily its a 32GB phone. It sort of solved all my SD card issue JUST before I upgraded to Kitkat and turned out to be Lollipop. Now my SD just activately used for photos storage directly from the stock camera app and archiving docs, older mp3, movies while all other active files, such as ttpod mp3, current ebooks are stored directly in the base memory storage. Still got 12GB of base memory there, so no worries for me.

Thinking with current 32GB S6 and above, without SD Card, my current usage already hitting 30GB combination of base and sd-card storage, really not enuf for longer term photos storage.

This post has been edited by Cavino: May 27 2015, 10:42 AM

Backup my data into PC periodically. In meantime, uses OneDrive Cloud as photo secondary backup.

My phone is the main storage as I can view those pics at anytime. If phone got lost, my PC has the archive except for lastest photos where the OneDrive Cloud should have a copy.

That's assuming u have internet connection all the time (ie....there are lots of blind spot and weak or no signal areas). No to mentioned requiring tons of data if wifi is not available. Try previewing tons of photos and albums thru Cloud outside.

This post has been edited by Cavino: May 27 2015, 02:30 PM

Getting new battery doesn't improve too much. Since the new lollipop keeps running down my batt, got an original batt (but already almost 1 year old based on manufacturing date), only slight improvement.

The new OS likes to hike up apps' processor usage to 99% randomly thus running down the batt faster. Still with the new batt, I can at least use the phone via my normal usage, almost 3/4 of a day (old batt, half day kaput). Thus a powerbank is still necessary to get me thru a day with some gaming (no gaming, can last a day).

The new OS do give my phone a new lease of life that I, like some ppl here almost give up on the phone random errors that require restart to continue usage. So far, besides the random apps processor hike (thus hot and battery runs out faster), it is almost error free and no all widget hang just like a new phone to me. Occassional widget still hang but unlike before where it freeze all widgets, it just pop up a message on widget, click, then it will reload that particular widget (main culprit is google calendar widget).

I guess I will wait to see what S7 will be in store for me next year.

Can live with the widget occasional hang issue coz it can reset the widget immediately unlike before lollipop update where it has to be rebooted. Been living with main screen where all widget permanently freeze for almost a year. To see all my widgets running again after the update is already a major improvement. Happy with my phone now. Forgoing the S6 edge for now.