yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] sirxdroid:
Just got this tablet. Impressive for the cost ($135 + tax). It's my first non-Nexus Android device. First things I did to it: encrypt and root. Any word on running stock Android on it? I suppose I could simply run the stock Google launcher instead (if it works) or something like Nova and remove the Lenovo apps, but I'm curious if you've heard of anyone working on ROMs for this device.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] shahzads:
screen goes off please help

I have a smart cover on this tablet the cover turns the screen on and off every time without any issues.

But when the screen comes on and I lift the tablet up in my hands the screen goes off and if I tilt the tablet it come on but sometimes I have to press the power button.

The screen goes off on some other occasions which I can’t understand why please help
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] sirxdroid:
There's an app "User Experience" that keeps asking for root access (SuperSU prompt). Any ideas what it is and why it wants root access? It seems to be part of the stock ROM so it's kinda suspicious that it detects su is installed and it wants to use it. Hopefully it's not trying to unroot it. I've been denying it root access so far.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] scarbutt11:
Just got the tablet a few days ago myself. As far as I can tell there is no word on Roms yet. First thing we need is the boot loader unlocked.

But I rooted mine, froze a bunch of lenovos apps, and installed Google Now Launcher. Its pretty snappy and mostly stock looking at this point besides a few icons and the settings menu. Hopefully lenovo will send out lollipop soon for this thing.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] KainXSS:
I picked up one , rooted it and did a cwm(temp session) backup first thing and then started disabling the junk, but did anyone else notice the folder custom-app in system that appears to be 240MB of wasted apps that are not even installed.

Also has anyone found out a way to disable security hd, it has the same problem as it does on the Yoga Tab 2, you can disable it and it will re-enable next boot, I tried to delete the apk and odex(safecenter) in priv-app, the app came back for me 3 times.

I'm hoping the venue tools work on this tab so we can get a non temp cwm and insecure boot with init.d though but liking the tablet so far, after checking the temp, even under stress mine does not hit over 52C which is pretty nice, it does not throttle either under stress(CPU ONLY, NOT GPU).

I also took a look inside expecting to see some kind of graphite or copper pads cooling it and nothing, pretty surprising considering how well they run, also noticed the battery is the same as the one used in the A8-50 so replacement batteries should not be hard to find.

pic if someone needs to know the model number later

only gripe I have with it is the headphone audio quality is so so but Viper4android works on this device so thats worth trying
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] scarbutt11:
[MENTION=3576981]KainXSS[/MENTION] I've got Security HD frozen with titanium backup. Haven't tried to delete it but it has not unfrozen itself yet after multiple reboots
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] KainXSS:
Gonna try titanium then thanks
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] shahzads:
GravityBox status bar doesn’t change

I have installed GravityBox but it doesn’t work on the status bar (battery indicator or date doesn’t change) is the status bar not stock or something.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] jared hyder:
Kernel for S8-50

Does anyone know if ElementalX or other AOSP kernels would work on this tab using the PC/ TWRP recovery from the Russian forum site?
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] lilhaiti:
A kernel would need to be made for our device, they are not universal, also we would need to unlock the bootloader to flash kernels
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] sirxdroid:
Any problems with battery life on these? Mine seems pretty poor compared to the Nexus 7. Maybe the Intel Atom is not as efficient compared to the ARM CPUs.

I also noticed that it gets pretty hot when the kids are playing Need For Speed and the battery lasts about half the time the N7 lasts playing the same game.

I guess it's cheap for a reason, now I'm starting to see where Lenovo cut corners :)
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] harryw66:
I am quite disappointed with the battery life on the S8. I previously owned an A8-50 and the battery life on that was incredible. I typically watch around 5-6 hours of HD video a week on my daily commute and with the A8, I would still have around 30% battery life left at the end of the week. However, with the S8 I have to recharge by Wednesday evening.

I half regret selling the A8 now - think I should have stuck with the lower resolution and slightly bulkier build in return for the awesome battery life.

My previous tablet (before the A8) was a 2012 Nexus 7 and for me that was just as bad as the S8 - would need recharging by Wednesday. Worse still, it would just discharge randomly overnight - some nights it would only drop a few % - other nights it would drop 20%!
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] jbird5047:
Same here with battery life.. I have a Nexus 7 FHD and an LG GPad 8.3 as well as a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 that all outlast this Lenovo s8-50. Still for $149 I guess It's an OK option for some.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] harryw66:
Hi,

Can you approximate how much longer the LG and Samsung last compared to the S8?

Thanks!
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] jbird5047:
My best estimate is 25 - 30 % more battery life by both the LG and Samsung. They both hibernate better as well. The Samsung will sleep for days on end without much battery drain at all.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] harryw66:
That sounds more like the A8 - that would also go for days if I did not use it with minimal drain.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] sirxdroid:
I wonder whether it's the Intel CPU or something else in the ROM that keeps it awake. Time to install BBS and/or GSam to get a feel for it.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] harryw66:
I installed the Xposed DeepSleep module and set it to SlumberMode - ie always sleep when screen is off and it has not made that much difference to the battery life - maybe uses less when on but not being used. However, still drains quicker than the A8 when watching a video.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ESO.Rimmer1:
I have 4% battery drain per 24h when i don't use tablet. I think it is good. What is your battery drain?
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] lilhaiti:
Some tips that have helped my battery life:

Disable or freeze unused bloatware and system apps

Root and install Greenify, hibernate all games and anything that doesn't need to run all the time.

Dim the screen when in dim light, you have to control your own brightness

If rooted, use ROM Toolbox or similar to disable autostart on apps that do not need to autostart.

Uninstall unneeded apps

(Works for me) Raise you min frequency, it'll finish tasks then sleep sooner, this has worked an my phones and this tablet, your mileage may vary

I know this tab doesn't have great battery life but it is far from useless.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] icanttinkofaname:
Hey everyone.

I have found that the official lenovo folio case is listed on the lenovo (UK) site for sale, but it totals a hefty £30! Does anyone have the case? Is it good? What are the stand positions like? I can find little to no information on this case, even on the lenovo website.

Has anyone found another retailer that sells them for cheaper, and is it worth it? I have done some searching and I'm afraid the 3rd party ones will be cheap and fall apart with some use.

Hope someone out there can help/point me in the direction of something useful.

Thanks.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] harryw66:
It is £12 on http://www.alzashop.com/search.htm?exps=s8+50+folio+case+and+film But the postage is £8 - so still cheaper than Lenovo UK.

I was tempted but did not want to spend £20 for a case in case (no pun intended) I decide to sell the S8 soon.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] icanttinkofaname:
Thanks. I had a look and it definitely looks decent. Shame that they don't have grey. But I could live with Blue. The only thing I'd be concerned about is the lack of folding positions. It only has one crease in the back, which I can guess is only good for a 30-45 degree landscape style. but all the 3rd party ones are the same, so no real benefit there.

Thanks again!
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] harryw66:
If this case is similar to the A8 case, then one benefit would be that it could be much slimmer than cheaper 3rd party cases. I checked 2 other 3rd party cases and they were much bulkier than the official A8 case. The A8 case was very slim but still offered reasonable protection. I was able to still fit the tablet in my suit's outer pocket - perfect for my commute which involves changes. The 3rd party cases would not fit in my pocket.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] arian29:
Bought the S8.. and i am hating the Lenovo Launcher HD. It bad its slow and yes i miss the appdrawer. Maybe i am too used to the stock android style interface.. Can one suggest best and faster replacement to the stock lenovo launcher? Something similar to the stock android one with an appdrawer.. simple and FAST please.. And yes Root support would be awesome ;)
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] jbird5047:
I too was not keen on the Lenovo launcher. I rooted and am running gel xposed with much better results.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] arian29:
[MENTION=3637132]jbird5047[/MENTION] can you please provide the link to the complete rooting for this device. Gel Exposed.. it gets you an appdrawer ?
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] jbird5047:
I followed the link from Pg 2 on this forum. It's a simple process actually. Good luck.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] spenzalii:
I installed the Google Now launcher 3 minutes after I did the initial setup. Its now as close to stock as you can get (and free). If you were used to the stock Nexus 7 (kit kat) this is your best bet
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] morda23:
Google Now Launcher

I'm having an issue installing Google Now Launcher. After downloading it from the Play Store I try to open it and a message pops up stating Lenovo is my default launcher and to try Google Now Launcher I have to go to Settings tap Clear Defaults and then click Home. When I click Settings from the pop-up it takes me to the Lenovo Launcher App but the Clear defaults button is grayed out and nothing really happens when I hit the Home botton. My Lenovo S8-50 F is rooted and everything else works well just want to switch the launcher.

I've disabled/ froze a bunch of the unnecessary apps not sure if something particular needs to be working in the background for this to work.

Any help/instructions will be greatly appreciated.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] tonepinballwiz2:
I'm using nova launcher prime, and it asked at the beginning if I want it as my default launcher so I stated yes. You can access both launchers from Settings>Home (under Device). Not sure why your launcher doesn't work:confused:....maybe try reinstalling or try a different launcher. I have a rooted tablet also, but that shouldn't make a difference. gl
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] morda23:
Thanks. I had tried Nova and that one looked like it was working fine, which made it even more odd to me. Also I don't see Home (under Device) within Setting for some reason. Is there a setting I'm missing or something?
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] FlyBri:
Had a random question about the S8-50 tablet. For the one I purchased, it seems like it's a crazy fingerprint magnet. It's obvious that touchscreen devices will get dirty, but it gets dirty almost immediately and the fingerprints and smudges are EXTREMELY noticeable, even with content on the screen many times (the issue significantly worse compared to my Galaxy Note 3, for example). It seems there is no oleophobic coating on the screen at all. Just wondering if others have the same issue or if I just happen to get a bad unit. Thanks everyone!
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] harryw66:
I just installed Google Now Launcher and the first time I ran it, Android asked me to choose between Lenovo and Google for the Home Page app. I chose Google and clicked Always. Job Done!

Perhaps try uninstalling and re-installing Google and see if you get that choice.

---------- Post added at 10:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:53 PM ----------

No worse than previous tablets I have owned. I would say the Asus Transformer I had was the worse.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] FlyBri:
Thanks for the input. Sounds like something is up with my unit; looks like I'm going to have to exchange it for another.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] KainXSS:
Yep the battery life on these could definitely be better and I keep getting a bug with the screen brightness, it randomly resets to about medium, the update did not help.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] r3yfin:
Seems like a lot of people are having that ambient brightness problem.

Questions concerning this issue:

1. Is this screen blinking a firmware or hardware problem? Have all firmwares done this?

2. Has anyone tried disabling the auto ambient sensor using debugging/developer mode? Does this work?

Any solutions?

Thanks all :D
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] icanttinkofaname:
I've had the issue too. Only on the lowest brightness setting though. The device doesn't have an ambient light sensor. There is no auto brightness setting. There is also no proximity sensor either that I'm aware of.

This does raise a question for me though. If you tilt your device in the light, you'll see an area where light/proximity sensors would be normally placed. Its to the left of the front facing camera, as you look at it. What is housed in this part of the screen? Is the hardware missing entirely or is it just not activated by Lenovo/Intel kernel? If there's no hardware, why have this patch for sensors? If the hardware is present, can they be turned on?
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] skarpass:
How can be like that if brightness changing automatically on my tablet? sensor then working I understand
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ThisDude78:
I don't know whether the lack of an ambient light sensor is on the hardware or software side on this tablet. However, I have been using Lux Lite to handle auto brightness. According to the description in the Play store, it uses the front facing camera to check light levels and adjusts the screen accordingly. I have it set to check on wake, and it seems to have improved my battery life a bit. The real benefit is not having to constantly change this setting manually!
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] skarpass:
Hi, do you experiencing any screen flickering? very nice device just hate this flicker
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ThisDude78:
I haven't had any problems with the screen. Is it all the time, or is it limited to certain activities? I found that I had to disable Intel's video enhancement to get Google Play movies to work.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] skarpass:
When I open apps first time it very quick screen flicker
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] tonepinballwiz2:
Yes maybe nova prime added Home setting so I can choose between the 2 launchers any time I want.

For other posters: things I noticed

-my screen smudges like crazy too, just keep a microfiber cloth next to you all the time; I went through 3 tablets, all of them smudged like crazy. One of them manufactured in OCT came with a thin coat of anti smudge screen, but quickly wore away after a couple of cleanings and smudged just as bad.

-I also noticed a slight random flicker very few times during this week using it, and sometimes a slow auto dimming and slow auto increasing brightness; but only happens once or twice in the 2 weeks I've had this...hope this isn't a sign of anything since the tablet works great!

-It also gets very hot during 15+minutes during gfx intensive games, right under the back camera side.

-And my battery lasts 3-4 hrs (screen time) before using battery saving app; and now lasts 4-5 hrs(screen time) after battery saving app. It lasts much longer up to 6-7 hrs in airplane mode.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] harryw66:
Had mine now for around 6 weeks - dont notice any flicker.

I use my around 2hrs every weekday - and sometimes a bit on the weekends.

Running the latest firmware, rooted and the props hacked for the dpi setting.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] jbird5047:
What DPI setting did you settle on?
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] harryw66:
set it back to 240.

I thing to note is that I have the brightness fairly low anyway and the screen timeout to 15secs - so perhaps that is why I dont see any flicker or auto dimming?

Also, when not watching videos, I probably don't use the tablet for more than a few mins at a time. How often the does the flicker occur - how long are you using before it occurs?
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] jbird5047:
I have no flicker at all on my tablet. Was just curious about dpi settings as I may play around with that soon.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] skarpass:
yes if brightness low no flicker why price is cheap :(
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] harryw66:
Ok - but I watch my HD videos at full brightness and definitely don't see any flicker etc.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] skarpass:
videos no problem for me as well, only in apps looks like tablet refresh it self
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] harryw66:
I can try and check this out this weekend - any particular apps I should check out?
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] skarpass:
just play with all when you have time thanks
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ESO.Rimmer1:
What application are you using?
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Phartus_Maximus:
Wow just received this tablet in the post. About 5 minutes into using it I noticed how crazy the dimming and random full brightness occurs. It goes from full brightness to a very dim brightness and back to full brightness then back to dim...it's crazy. It's so annoying. I knew there was no light sensor but I didn't expect these stupid random dimming. It should stay on the brightness you set it to across all apps not going from full brightness to dim then back to full brightness and then to dim again...it keeps cycling through the brightness. It is updated now and the fault still exists! What the hell are Lenovo playing at?!!
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] tonepinballwiz2:
The auto brightness is worse on a few tablets than others (but most should be good); I exchanged mine for another and all was good. I would change it out if you are within your return period or completely return it if the exchanged item does the same thing. Most of us keeping the tablet are lucky to have one without serious auto brightness issues. I thought it was something to do with the update, but others said the update is very good, so it may be hardware related. I just hope it doesn't develop this problem later on, or else our warranty will have to cover us.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Phartus_Maximus:
There should be no auto brightness. Why have they implemented this? It looks like a software orientated auto brightness feature since there is no light sensor. It shouldn't even be in there. Randomly cycles through all the brightness levels in every app. It was doing this before the update and after the update. Yes, still under warranty since I only received it today and no I do not want to waste my time and energy sending an item back and forward if they can fix this with an update. It is software by the looks of it. Some sort of battery saving feature gone wrong. A quick Google reveals many people with the same issue. Lenovo...sent two emails, two tweets, two Facebook posts...no reply. I've also sent Intel an email and Facebook post and awaiting reply. If this persists I will return for a full refund, argue for compensation for wasting my time and will never purchase another Lenovo product again. Furious.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] lilhaiti:
I've been looking into this flickering issue. I have only noticed it a lower brightness level and when there is a lot of white on the screen. Checking the web, I found that this issue has also plagued the Yoga and a couple of other Lenovo tablets. I am sure they are looking into it (I hope).

You can try using your tab at 50% brightness and the flicker is either less pronounced or gone.

I read in a Yoga forum somewhere that disabling HW Overlays in Developer Options stopped it (Haven't tried that yet)

Folks might want to troll the Yoga forums to see if there are any other tips to getting rid of the flicker, the Yoga has more community support and what works for the Yoga may just work for the S8.

I wouldn't waste time exchanging for another S8 as I believe this is a software issue.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Phartus_Maximus:
Alright after playing around with it more I've noticed it is definitely some sort of battery/performance related issue. When the battery is below 50% the random brightness cycling is more evident. When the battery is full and close to full it doesn't happen as much but it still does happen in apps like Chrome browser, YouTube and a few others. It is definitely software from what I can see and I hope they can look into it. I have a long warranty so I will give them some time to sort it out if not as previously said I will return it for a full refund and compensation since I'm pretty good when it comes to arguing with sales reps lol. I've still not got a reply either off Lenovo on their Facebook, Twitter and support pages. After acquiring Motorola I'm hoping they push updates out quicker.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] lilhaiti:
OK, preliminary but I think it may be worth a try.

I installed Power Toggle from the play store (link below) and set the brightness to auto. Although we do not have access to a sensor it seems to set the brightness to a somewhat low setting and I have not noticed the flicker anymore. Try it and share your thoughts. Other toggles may work but I've only tried this one.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.painless.pc&hl=en
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Phartus_Maximus:
I've tried a number of brightness apps and keepscreen apps but all have failed to do anything. The only reason I'm so annoyed with this brightness cycling issue is because when I'm watching something on XBMC the video just dims suddenly which is annoying. I was just watching a 1080p copy of Guardians Of The Galaxy on XBMC and when it dims down on me it's like WTF?!! I've played around with all the settings, turning off Intel Video etc and still the problem exists. I can't even read BBC News without it suddenly dimming down. I think a custom rom would fix this but I've not seen any yet. I don't want to start rooting and putting on custom roms just yet for the sake of the warranty even though I know you can flash the stock rom back on but you know...playing it safe just for the sake of my money lol.

One of the biggest reason I purchased this was because it didn't have a light sensor which I find annoying. I'm always adjusting brightness manually so I'm used to it. Next time I'll think twice before opting for what seems a bargain. Come on Lenovo give us a solution!