yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] AWFRONT:
As much as I was excited to install the KitKat Update, I am slightly disappointed with a number of issues I experienced compared to the previous 4.3 FW or the GPe ROM that I use now instead;

--The Initial Settngs Wizard is not smooth as Power OFF now either appears long after ROM is setup at random times or it is never there. Sometimes certain options during initial setup appear whilst you are setting up another option causing accidental presses etc....I think you know what I mean.

--Battery Drains much faster than any other ROM-with GPe ROM my battery lasted much more than a day but now I would be lucky to get it last until the evening,

--Some Apps are unresponsive or crash,

--Dialer gets stuck occasionally after ending a call and does not terminate the call until the person on the other hand hangs up too,

--SD card restrictions appear to be more strict,

-->>>>>Where are all the features we need to make the camera better, still no decent options to enhance image quality in low light. It is still a disappointment. A very outstanding product by SONY ruined so poorly by the lack of a flash and/or decent camera features.

Here is my solution; Keep using the GPe ROM until a decent KitKat experience ROM or FW is launched. I have my GPe ROM Tweaked by myself further to remove the apps I don't need and now on boot up it loads my preferred apps that I have now integrated into it. It is the smoothest KitKat experience but would have been nice to have been able to integrate some of the KitKat apps from Sony on the latest FW but sadly none of them work on boot up. I am no technical guy but I have managed to remove all the relevant folders from the Stock Sony KitKat FW to play around with making my own hybrid Rom but no success so would like to see if someone could integrate all the Sony apps and UI elements, and better bluetooth handling from the KitKat FW into the GPe Rom.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] stopa10:
Well, I really know how much everybody was excited about this KK update, but the more we go on, the more I get the impression that there is no strong reason to upgrade from .136. Some of the nice features of KK, like Tap2wake, are not there; for the rest, most of the goodies are available anyway on 4.3 with Xposed. And even more important, performance - which was supposed to be the real focus of KK - is hardly improved: the new version does feel more laggy. So, why bother? The GPE rom has been there for a while and seems like a more practical way to go...
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Saikyo_San:
wth, I'm losing pacience LOL the damn lockscreen wallpaper will not change, it's stuck on the default one!!! -_-

seems like it's time to reset to factory settings or full wipe >_<
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] hansip87:
After staying with Kitkat for a day, i think there's a reason to stay with Kitkat (681) such as:

1. My bluetooth keyboard problem (keep disconnecting in JB) goes away in KK. Tradeoff was that the Bluetooth will keep device awake (but with stamina mode, it's not bad actually). But the guideline is still the same, turn off bluetooth when not needed.

2. Battery life on par with 136. Getting 1:50 hour of screen time before reaching 70% (with bluetooth wakelock in the beginning), which if extrapolated, might go near 6 hour of screen time.

3. Screen do look larger with no semi transparent status bar and navbar (at least on launcher) but a bit bland i admit, not even a battery green color on the status bar, blegh..

4. Immersive mode with gaming is really cool but i guess people with rooted phone might not appreciate it since the solution has been available long time ago, but still, at least it's official now :)

5. Close All Button is positioned great in KK, just below the list of apps. Loving it.

6. Ahh those crispy tap sound is back ;)

7. Long press to go to toggle button advanced setting is there so at last!

Some complaint though:

1. Tap tab to toggle is not really needed, 4.3 solution is much better, especially with big ass screen like this

2. Status bar color really needs to stay, i can't live monochromatic life.. :)) even the toggle buttons are not using a theme color blegh..

3. Buggy audio picker by Sony, but the one from Google works fine.

4. Sony live wallpaper is a bit laggy in some area whereas in Jelly Bean, although not laggy but consume battery. So I'd say turn off that Live wallpaper and you'll be fine. It's not recommended anyway to use Live wallpaper if you want to conserve battery.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Thiolo:
Now after 2 full discharge of my phone i can really say that battery under KK is fast draining,. Like taxi meter lolol..
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] hansip87:
Are you rooted? Some say GravityBox is the culprit.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] avetny:
I don't like performance on 4.4....I don't know how people close their eyes to it.

If you can't see, or you don't feel that drop down of performance you not advanced user
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] arlmsk:
From last nigt until now, using kitkat : browsing laggy a bit
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] ronald_loulan:
Life is hard without good working Gravitybox...

Miss the volume wake n long press home to sleep....

Any other xposed module that work???
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] hansip87:
Does anyone know how to add lock screen widget in KitKat? seems like it's gone?

EDIT: Yeah found the checkbox lol. No worries.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] me7710:
Issues found.

If you use 2-way security of Gmail, you can't received confirm SMS from Google in The first setup.

QuickBoot mode in DeveloperOption did not work ( after selected, press PowerButton, power off >>>> nothing happen)

Wait the fix from Sony
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] hansip87:
About the failed SMS notification, Well it has been like that with 4.3 IIRC.

About QuickBoot, I'm not sure but it supposed to be like an instant restart i guess? I.e. No shutdown as described.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Unreal988:
today i downgraded from kk to jb...

i'm very very very happy... on jb haven't any lag!
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] ronald_loulan:
Anyone encounter speaker issue?

My notification sound will switch to earpiece speaker sometime...

Need to reboot to fix it...

Any solution??
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] hansip87:
I have experienced such problem. But lately the issue doesn't happen anymore. I have suspicion that it relates to sound enhancement module. The last one that I'd turn off is the synamic normalizer and so far so good.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] cfbruck:
So, just got the ultra, should I get this update or not? Im on 134 now....
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] tsiros:
sometimes, after adjusting the ringtone volume from the slider in settings (not with the sidebuttons) the ringtone sound will continue playing. forever.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Do you really want KitKat and be able to live with the bugs (for now)? Sure.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] TheSmokey76:
Not all of us have bugs!! :)
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
No, but you're a wizard, Harry. That's why you're bugfree.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] cfbruck:
Upgraded to kikat. Using nova launcher. Don't know about bugs, but it's extreeeemely smooth.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] topshadow:
Sony is bad....
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] seijimaddog:
So far I had no issues. My phone is not rooted, I waited and updated to 4.4 when it became available (pretty late, since I have a 6802 from Taiwan). Everything running smooth, didn't notice any change to my battery life, no issues when browsing, so far no issues with audio, nothing unusual to report. From 4.2 to 4.3 I had to factory reset since I had an issue with the audio management FC every time, but surprisingly I didn't had to do anything from 4.3 to 4.4. Have been using it for a few days, besides the new SD card policy from KK, nothing to complain.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Wybo:
I have also no real isues. The only thing i have to figure is why the drain is around 3% while the screen is off while it was around 1% with JB. But i did not do a factory reset, so it is possible it is an app that does not work as i want it :)

But besides that it is smooth and works perfect.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
It's probably the camera bug in KK that's draining your battery. It will get fixed in 4.4.3.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] me7710:
Today I decided to back to 4.3 because general performance seem worse than 4.3.

Wait for fix version(may be 4.4.3)
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Yeah, i'm back on 290 now since i'm going to send my Ultra in for repairs tomorrow, any boy is it way snappier! Everything is just a lot quicker and smoother.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Wybo:
Thanks for this post, i removed skype (did not use that at all) now testing if it will be better :)

If that's the key for me KK is perfect.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Alright, so PPC told me that 4.4 was officially available in my country, and since I flashed a german FTF last time I thought; why the hell not. Maybe I'm luckier this time around, and the repair center will update it either way.

Aaaand yes I am. It's still not as fast as 4.3, but it's not that bad. It's much better than it was.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] manigma:
Which country are you from? Please upload FTF as torrent or dev-host!!
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Norway. I have actually never done it before, so a few short notes on how to do it will be appreciated.

(How I find or make the FTF, that is)
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] manigma:
Oh c'mon!! Search the threads carefully you noob :p

PS: Just saw you are on C6833. I have C6802 so don't need it.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Sartre1314:
Long press of the power off option will lead to safe mode reboot instead
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] mariomaxx:
I updated to 4.4.2 with monxDIFIED ROM and my back camera stopped working, it opens, but when i try to take a photo it stops. Has it happend to any of you guys?
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] tsiros:
sometimes it tries to play music from the phonecall speaker wtf o_O
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] hansip87:
there has been a fix from Z1 forum:

1. Open Settings->Sound->Volumes

2. Slide the second slider all the way to the right

3. While the Volume slider dialog still open and the sound preview still playing, retract the Notification Bar from top to bottom (as if you are going to check any notification/toggling a quick toggle button)

4. The Playback sound will go to the main speaker, after that, restart the phone and voila it is fixed!
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Wybo:
I did some more research on my phone, it is not the camerabug, but it seems that BT-pebble is using a lot of battery. I have a Pebble smartwatch and when i have no connection it use much less battery when the screen is off. So that case is solved too ;)
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] joulukas:
So have used the 4.4 for some time now, cant pinpoint exactly when it hit my region. Using international C6833 version.

Overall experience is good, the "design" enhancements have made it more to my liking and overall smoothness is nice, might even say, that not missing 4.3.

Even tho I wont be back at 4.3, cause my hands will start iching, when I have lower than latest firmaware, I have to get usedto some of the bugs:

1. Ultra constantly hoes to "headphone" mode, so the sound is coming through "Ghost headset" - restart helps, but it can be annoying

2. ocational redraws of swithing between apps, like brower etc., not too freaquent to be annoying, but noticable.

3. well had few app crashes on 4.3, some more on 4.4, but atm below "accepted" level.

4. must agree on the camera side, 75% of the time works nicely, but then is dead slow and is really thinking about world peace or smth. Luckily im not really a picture taking kind, so fact that its slow or lacks flash, is as important as not having a dancing drunken monkey in the package. Might change in future, when sphere photos are in better situation.

Luckily havent had and random reboots, but since it seems not all are geting same bugs, nor are they present all the time, might escape them in general.

Even tho I am happy that KiKat is there and phone looks nice with transparent stuff - I hope that bug fix is on the way and will be here very very soon.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Pannam:
After two complete charge and discharge my phone has almost perfectly adapted to kitkat. Personally everything is coming back to its place. Battery life is good no lag, no issues big enough to make me revert back to 4.3

I love kitkat.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] FranchiseJuan:
Maybe it is time for me to give KK another try. The first time the battery life was so bad I could not make it through a morning. Does it get better after a few cycles?

On 4.3, if I use stamina mode I can get though a whole day (about 2 hours screen time) and have 65% battery left at the end of the day. 34% without the stamina mode. Is it reasonable for me to expect anything close to that with the current KK build from Sony?
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
I want to say no, but it looks like some people get horrible battery life, while others get good battery life. Update through PCC if you can, since that seems like the best way to get a smooth running KK build.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] FranchiseJuan:
I have tried both updating through PCC and also though ftf using flash tool. Both produced the same bad battery results. When I first updated through PCC, I did a factory reset and rebuilt the phone, and battery life was really bad, so then I tried a fresh flash using a ftf image. Battery life was a little better, but still not great. I am reluctant to try it again, as it takes an hour to rebuild my phone, and I don't have the spare time to keep doing it.

The biggest issue with not having KK on a device that has no hardware buttons is that in games (eg Real Racing 3) the menu buttons are on the side of the screen (not in full screen mode like in KK), and I keep bumping them accidentally. I guess I am just too sued to gaming on my Nexus 7.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Pannam:
Hi,

Are u using the correct firmware for ur particular model? When I flashed it the bechmark and everything were on the lower side. Did a factory reset, clear cach, delvik wipe and all that ritual.. Now the phone is fine. Real good battery life. Yup the device will get better after a complete battery cycle.

However there is a little over heating issue. I would suggest stay on Kk.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] FranchiseJuan:
Yeah I think I was on the correct firmware for my model. I is there a way for you to get the wrong one if you do the update from PCC? Benchmarking results were pretty much the same as what I get out of 4.3. It did not get all that hot to the touch. I think I may wait for Sony to do a newer version before I try KK again.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
No, not unless you've changed your CDA to a different country or region. PCC checks the CDA, and then downloads the correct version.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] hansip87:
I'm not sure if this can be categorized as the speaker sound fix but i have noticed that it goes back to the ear piece when i type with my on screen keyboard too fast (of course with sound option is checked) and when it got occured, all i have to do is to switch off screen and on again. Now my suspicion is that on screen sound volume might be too small. So maybe there are two kind of fixes for it:

1. Max the keyboard typing volume or

2. Turn off sound on keyboard option.

Just my two cent
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
“Sony Mobile Communications would like to provide an update in response to reports around abnormal audio functionality and quality; that some users may be experiencing on their Xperia Z1, Xperia Z Ultra and Xperia Z1 Compact devices after upgrading to Android 4.4 KitKat. We have identified this issue on some units of these models, and measures have been taken to swiftly deliver a solution for our users. A fix for the issues will be included in a new software release that will start rolling out from next week (w/c 7/04), with exact availability and timing varying by operator and market.”
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] rezadentevil:
Hi

As i know the z ultra haveTriluminos display and it have to support any pen or pencil. But i updated to kitkat last night and no pen working on it. How can i activate it again?

Is some one have problem like me?
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] tsiros:
It lost the wifi connection.

It displayed the access point in the list. I touch it, says "signal strength excellent". I tap 'connect'. It does not connect. I turn wifi off and back on. It connected to the access point immediately.

**** you sony.

due to this, i lost all my 500MB LTE allowance, because when it "lost" wifi, it switched to LTE. Thank god i had set a limit. Otherwise it would have cost me an insane amout.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] phanthanh2k4:
"Throw" feature didn't work

Can not find my sony hx 925 (first firmware worked ok)

Grr...
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] halifage:
haven't tried throw but wifi direct also doesn't work :(:crying:
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] halifage:
battery drain

Anyone else experiencing awful battery?

Mine drains at about 10-15% an hour.

Any solution to this?

Thanks
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] CILLER:
I have the same with the stock rom. It doesn't focus either :(
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] kanej2006:
So far I'm getting 3 rather annoying glitches with KitKat. These are:

1 - When opening Sony Walkman and listening to songs, I'm not able to close/exit or even go back to the menu/homescreen. The only way is to reboot.

2 - Sometimes when adjusting the volume, the tone continues to play. A reboot is required to stop the tone/song.

3 - The sound occasionally comes out of the earpiece rather than the loudspeaker. It regularly does this when watching movies or playing music.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] hansip87:
Check on your battery stats what wakelocks your phone. Plus a full discharge cycle is recommended after every new major update. Mine goes for 5 hour on screen time.

PS: Where's the Firmware Update for Kitkat? :( tempted to go back to 4.3 v.136 actually but not much reason other than the sound bug.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] halifage:
Thanks.

I did all that.

I use GSAM but doesn't tell much about wakelocks or perhaps i don't know how to read the information.

Is there any apps known to drain battery?

I installed the "kill all recents" apk if that makes any difference.camera is disabled along with most google bloatware apps.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] CILLER:
My issue is resolved by resetting the phone using the sony software.

After repairing and re-downloading my camera works fine :D
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Okay.. so i've been using an HTC Desire HD for about a week now, and i got my Ultra back today with KitKat installed, and let me just tell you that this is the fastest thing i've ever used, compared to the Desire HD. It was "slow" and "laggy" last week, but let me tell you something; it's not close to being as bad as some people around here (including me from last week) says it is. I'm in freaking heaven! We're a bunch of spoiled people :p
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Been using 757 for a couple of hours now, and it is definitely smoother and faster than 681.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] herogjan:
Can't wait to update, everything ready, charging the battery atm:good:
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Bonus: I just rooted it using Jackie's 681 kernel.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] herogjan:
Interessting:laugh:

You saved me a lot of reading, thanks:good:
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] halifage:
random reboots

Just had a random reboot. anyone else experience that?
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] shafiq_riser:
Anyone else having an issue where you would click the shutter button (rear facing camera) and the whole thing just hangs? The navigation buttons disappear so i cant escape it. The only way to solve it is to restart my phone. Does anyone else have this problem or is it just my phone?

Note: I updated my phone through my phone update center, no pc companion or flashtool used.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
No issues with the camera here. Front and back works fine.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Narvarr:
Same issue here. Did the OTA update as well.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] pipatl:
My device is too hot and high temperature after upgrade to 14.3.A.0.7

My device is too hot and high temperature (over than 42C) after upgrade to 14.3.A.0.757, how to make it cooler? It cause the screen goes off and can't on screen by pressing the power button if I don't make to cooler. Is there any bug to fix?
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] hansip87:
Just dip it into water for rapid cooling. For the problem, try to pop out the SD card or factory reset the device.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] oriontattoo:
I have problem with screen mirroring and throw function. Before update i can connect to my LG smart TV for second screen function (mirroring) and display object or videos in the TV (throw). But now with the KitKat that features not working anymore....
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] FatherD:
I have a Z Ultra just updated to KK .757 for me with slightly dodgy ageing eyes! .. The notification bar, elements of the UI and plenty of apps now have way too small text compared to JB. I have ramped the text up to extra large but the notification bar and certain apps are a constant source of frustration - how small is the text!!??

I don't want to go through the whole process of winding back to JB, stuck with a bloody great big phone with the smallest notification bar out of 3 devices - the Z Ultra, LG G2 and Nexus 4. Very annoying!
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Crank the DPI up to 400.

Edit: Here's how it looks on 400.

Sent fra min C6833 via Tapatalk
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] halifage:
Does anyone also experience connection drops on both wifi and mobile data? It's pretty annoying especially when you paying online games.

Is it kitkat related or is it a bug with this device on kitkat?
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Never experienced any issues with the connection, so it could be a bug or not. Hard to tell.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] halifage:
Maybe i did something wrong during the upgrade.

@ LordManhattan Could you kindly point to what you did exactly so i can follow?

So far this "bug" is really ruining my kitkat experience :crying:

Also the fact that downloads fail when the screen turns off (even with Stamina mode disabled!!!)

Any fix or pointers would be appreciated :o:good:

Thanks
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] joulukas:
I have that with cellular signal, sometimes drops and no call can come in or go out. Happens lets say ... 3-5 times a week. Not enough to start special actions, but enough to be noticed.

Havent had that with wifi tho, so might also be ISB issues.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
I simply flashed it with a full wipe, and that's pretty much all. It could be a ROM bug, or it could be an issue with your carrier, and it's pretty much impossible for me to tell what's wrong. I would re-flash and take it from there. If it keeps doing it, then put your SIM in a different phone for awhile and see if it happens there too. If it does, then it's your carrier. If it doesn't, it's probably your Ultra.

Also note that there's no point in having LTE activated if there's poor LTE reception in your area. It'll switch between LTE and the next best thing on the list, which is probably 3G since that's wildly available, and that can take a couple of seconds, depending on different things.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] skylinestan:
Is anyone having a camera issue here?can't seem to take picture with camera..
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Narvarr:
I had an issue with mine after the OTA update. I had to do a phone repair with PC companion. It's working great now.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Jecmenn:
I have problem with media apps updates. To this day i have not recieved update for Movies app which was announced a while ago. Before i updated to KitKat i recieved updates normaly.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Yeah, I noticed that too. I got the updated media apps on 290 as soon as they got released, but I didn't get them on 757, so I updated them manually.

Sent from my Z Ultra

---------- Post added at 03:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:20 PM ----------

Firmware 761 is certified now, which means that Sony is preparing yet another bugfixer, so I guess we'll see something being released soon-ish.

Sent from my Z Ultra
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] ronald_loulan:
Really happy with Sony... :)