# Fire HDX Q&A



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

When I first started my Fire HDX, I was delighted to see the time and the % charged on the lockscreen.  However, both of those features have disappeared.  I suspect there's a problem with my unit, as my SOs have also disappeared, but I think the time and % disappeared first.  I reset the device to try to get the time and % back, and that's when the SOs disappeared.  I'm going to use Mayday   but before I do, I wanted to check to see if others have the time and the % on their lock screens.  Anyone?

Betsy


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I do not have time or battery on the lock screen . . . Still show SOs. Pretty sure I never did. It would be good to have that there. Stock android does. 


Sent from my KFTHWI using Tapatalk HD


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I had it there until I registered, I thought it was a great feature.  I was taking notes as I set it up; the % charged was in the top left; the time was in the lower left.   Anyone have one without SOs?

Of course, I also had a Spanish dictionary for some reason in addition to the two US dictionaries.  And then my SOs spontaneously stopped working.


----------



## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

I got an app for the time that showed on the locked screen & top left on Home, on my HD.


----------



## LauraElizabeth (Mar 19, 2010)

I have the time and % both on the locked screen. I had to change a setting to get the %. I will go now and try to find where I did that. I do not have Special Offers.


----------



## LauraElizabeth (Mar 19, 2010)

Scroll from the top to find settings wheel, tap
Scroll down to find device, tap
Second in the list is something like "show battery %......." slide to on.


----------



## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Don't tell her anything, I want to see her use Mayday. I want to hear from someone in reality that used it. And I want to know if she gets Amy.


----------



## LauraElizabeth (Mar 19, 2010)

Atunah said:


> Don't tell her anything, I want to see her use Mayday. I want to hear from someone in reality that used it. And I want to know if she gets Amy.


LOL


----------



## mistyd107 (May 22, 2009)

Atunah said:


> Don't tell her anything, I want to see her use Mayday. I want to hear from someone in reality that used it. And I want to know if she gets Amy.


Lol thanks for the laugh I really needed it


----------



## Seamonkey (Dec 2, 2008)

I think Amy is busy popping up on the screen of that guy in the ad...  but Betsy got Opie


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

LauraElizabeth said:


> Scroll from the top to find settings wheel, tap
> Scroll down to find device, tap
> Second in the list is something like "show battery %......." slide to on.


That sets the percentage in the info bar when you're on the home screen. But Betsy apparently briefly had that information as well as the time on the LOCK screen. So when you open the cover or press the button, you see the image and also see the time and battery charge. It would be a really good thing to have there.

As I said, I do NOT, and don't think I did even before it started showing the SO's, but I admit to not remembering for sure. I know I had the generic lock screen pictures at first until I connected it, but don't remember if the time or battery charge was there.


----------



## SheilaJ (Apr 10, 2011)

So aggravating when you get a long anticipated new toy and it doesn't work right -- errr.  If Betsy can't figure out I would say we are all doomed.


----------



## LauraElizabeth (Mar 19, 2010)

Ann in Arlington said:


> That sets the percentage in the info bar when you're on the home screen.


I'm sorry I misunderstood. I do not have time or percentage on my lock screen.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Atunah said:


> Don't tell her anything, I want to see her use Mayday. I want to hear from someone in reality that used it. And I want to know if she gets Amy.


I mentioned it in the Mayday thread. I contacted Mayday three times, not about the lock screen per se, but because the Special Offers disappeared. The first time I got Opie.  The next two were Elizabeth. My contact with Elizabeth I crashed. Elizabeth II wasn't able to help and referred me to Kindle CS who resolved the problem by resetting the SOs on their end and then having me deregister and register.

Betsy


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

SheilaJ said:


> So aggravating when you get a long anticipated new toy and it doesn't work right -- errr. If Betsy can't figure out I would say we are all doomed.


 

It was some kind of aberration. All is well in the world now.

As for Mayday, it's hard to remember they can't see you....they keep looking at their computer screen and then looking at the camera. They probably get a lot of training to do that. Elizabeth II had to put me on hold at one point.

Betsy


----------



## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> ...
> As for Mayday, it's hard to remember they can't see you....they keep looking at their computer screen and then looking at the camera. They probably get a lot of training to do that. Elizabeth II had to put me on hold at one point.
> 
> Betsy


I suspect they have a picture at the camera to look at as a reminder.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Toby said:


> I got an app for the time that showed on the locked screen & top left on Home, on my HD.


Thanks, which app, Toby?

I have one that puts the battery percentage on the locked screen that I used on my HD8.9. I was so pleased that I wouldn't have to add an app to get that functionality... 

Betsy


----------



## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

I can't remember the name, but I remembered that it cost a dollar. It's a circle with 75 in the middle. I tried it on the HDX, & I could not get it to work. Nothing showed up & I could not get the square version, only the circle when inputting the information in the app. Works great on my HD.

It's GSam Battery Monitor (icon pack).


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Toby said:


> I can't remember the name, but I remembered that it cost a dollar. It's a circle with 75 in the middle. I tried it on the HDX, & I could not get it to work. Nothing showed up & I could not get the square version, only the circle when inputting the information in the app. Works great on my HD.
> 
> It's GSam Battery Monitor (icon pack).


Yes, that's the one I used on my old Fire...oh, well...

Betsy


----------



## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

Tonight, what I did was to download the other GSam App. Deleted the icon 1. Then downloaded the icon again. I could not change the design of it from a circle to a square, but I did see it show up when I swiped down from the top. That means it still isn't working, but I will check again. I deleted some books from devices to free up the license, so I could put on the HDX some worked, some didn't. Maybe calling home - amazon, needs more time to work. Who knows! Oh, I could ask Mayday.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

OK. I'm still disappointed that the lovely % charge and time overlay on the lock screen that I saw when I first turned on the device didn't stay around, but I'll have to live with it. 

Good news is the apps I used in the past still worked.

Toby, I played with this some tonight.

Anyone who doesn't already have the apps, here's what you need:

 
GSAM Battery Monitor (Kindle Tablet Edition) $1.99

There is also a GSAM Battery Monitor (free) but I don't believe you can add the overlay.


GSAM Battery Monitor - Icon Pack $0.99

The icon pack not only provides additional icons for the battery charge indicator but it allows it to be visible over the lock screen.

First, install the GSAM Battery Monitor itself. Tap on the menu icon in the upper right hand corner (three stacked little boxes) and select Preferences.

Tap on Battery Icon Themes. From the popup that appears, select "Get More Themes" at the bottom.

Next popup, Get More Themes will ask if it should search for more themes and download them. (And that you can create your own themes.) Tap OK.

It may ask you where to go to get the. If it does, select the Amazon Appstore. It'll go to the Appstore and show the $0.99 GSam Battery Monitor - Icon Pack. Don't worry, if you've already bought it, you shouldn't have to pay again. Tap on it.

If you've already paid for it, it will appear with the DOWNLOAD button; otherwise you'll be asked to purchase it. Download it to your Fire. It'll install. Tap on OPEN.

The icon looks that are available will be visible across the top. Tap on "Launch GSAM Battery Monitor" which will open GSAM again and then go back to Preferences and select Overlay Standard Battery Icon. It's check box will be checked. You can change the icon that you want by going to Battery Icon Theme and selecting the theme you want.

You can configure the overlay by tapping on Configure Overlay Icon. This will allow you to change the size of the icon, the background color and the alignment, including adding padding to move the icon away from the selected corner. I recommend selecting "Background is Circle (for circle icons) to prevent the circle from having a black square around it.

Tap OK.

Press the power button to put the Fire to sleep, then wake it up to test what it looks like on the lock screen.

Betsy

Install the Battery


----------



## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

Mine still does not work. Do I need to purchase the 1.99 top one & then use the same icon one app that I had before, to get this to work? I think I got the top app when it was free. Let me know if this works. I really miss seeing the battery % on the locked screen & on Home.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

No, I just tested and the free one does work.

Go to Preferences in the app you have and make sure Overlay Standard Battery Icon is checked.  Then look at the Configure Overlay Icon page (you may need to scroll down on it) and check to see if any settings need to be changed.

If it still doesn't work, delete the apps, restart your device and reinstall both apps and try again.

Betsy


----------



## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

Thanks! I will try that. Wish me luck. I did what you said & it worked.     
I decided to try Mayday today. First, I basically asked why my cheap earbuds & my expensive headphones do not work when listening to music or TTS in a book. I could only hear from 1 ear/ earbud. She checked my device, & had me reboot/ restart. Only the earbuds worked. She said if it does not work, then she would replace my device. I lost contact with her after the reboot. Tonight, I tried using my earbuds while watching a TV show that I downloaded. The earplugs don't work! Even the show wasn't working right until I plugged in the earbuds. There was no pause thing. Now it's showing up. I really do not want to replace my device, but I might have to. Any suggestions are  called Mayday again. This time the CS could not hear me. 

Update: I rebooted again, & I know hear the sound in 1 ear as I did earlier, on my earbuds. Not both ears. I ordered more earbuds, so I will check to see if it's the device or these earbuds. I do not have it on mono, so that is not why. I went back & forth between the mono & the other one & nothing changed.

I called Mayday again, earlier today. I asked if they were able to increase the font size of my email. She had me look in accessibility & I already the large font on. She could not help me. I told her to report this to amazon.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Toby said:


> Thanks! I will try that. Wish me luck. I did what you said & it worked.
> 
> ...
> 
> I called Mayday again, earlier today. I asked if they were able to increase the font size of my email. She had me look in accessibility & I already the large font on. She could not help me. I told her to report this to amazon.


Toby,

sorry you are having trouble with the sound! It does sound like perhaps you need a new device...

As for the font size, did you get the font size larger, I'm not sure from what you've written?

Betsy


----------



## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

Thanks, I decided today to try different earbuds. Didn't work. Called Mayday. They had me try different things & then I had to try the earbuds on any other device, so I tried them on my Fire HD. They worked. No surprise there. So the really nice Mayday guy said that he did not have the tools to replace mine, so he had me click on contact me from my HDX (How cool was that!) Another CS man called me back. Told me that he will send me a replacement. I did all this late morning today. He said the replacement will come in 2 days on Thurs. I keep checking. It says "shipping now", but there is no tracking info. yet. He wants me to send back my defective one to specialist who will test it out. I asked him to please let me return my device through USPS, since that is near me. He said that he would try, but was not sure of that, since they deal with UPS. So, if not, he said that I can place my device outside the door for pickup. (What if someone steals it, Although it's not likely, it's possible, right?)Then, he said that I have to be home for the pickup. Amazon will email me & call me up to arrange this. So you were right about my having to replace it. I have a perfect screen on this Fire. I just hope my replacement doesn't have any of the blue/purple problems that are bugging lots of people.  

About my email - sorry about any confusion. I was typing from the Fire HD 8.9". It's a bit of different experience in typing from my iPad., both good & bad. It's just what you are used to thing.
Mayday CS said that there is no way to make it larger than what I already did, through the mail app & accessibility. I have my email come in larger on my IPad Mini which is close in size to the 7" HDX. Occasionally, I get a few that come in tiny like the HDX. I told CS to report this to amazon, so that they have this on record. The main problem comes in posting. While typing, I can't make the font large enough, so it's hard to see what I am typing. The zooming out/ taping on it does not work. At least I can do it on my email, but it does make reading my email a much longer process.


----------



## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

The specialist amazon CS called me today. My Fire HDX has to be returned to their testing facilities in 48 Hours, so tomorrow it will be picked up tomorrow by UPS. Tomorrow, my replacement HDX arrives. The CS lady told me not to restore it. I can deregister it myself or they will do it.   So, I said that I will deregister it. What if it got lost or stolen, then someone might get into my amazon account!   I deleted everthing that was mine - books, apps, etc, & figured out how to delete my email server/provider - whatever it's called. Go to settings amazon's mail app. Hold down on the email name, just like a book or app, & the pop-up will have the word, delete listed. I then deregestered it. Then, I turned wifi off. I was asked to put it in a bag, before putting the Fire in the Fire box that it came in, but the bag did not fit, so I put it in the plastic sleeve thing that covered my new HDX sleeve that I got today for half price. I was told not to put a copy of my Fire receipt in the box, like I usually do when retrning things. I asked about the cable & power adapter. She said no, I keep those, but in the email today that she sent, she only mentioned the power adapter. I kept both, figuring it was an oversight. I had remembered reading here at KBoards that someone said that you amazon was not interested getting back the accessories. I was very lucky that I had ordered some earbuds & earbuds cases, that also came today, because the amazon box was perfect for putting the Fire in it's Fire cardboard box with paper sleeve in. 
I did notice something interesting. The amazon box had a wide paper tape on it that said Prime Shipping on it.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Keep us posted!

Betsy


----------



## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

Yesterday, I had arranged the UPS to pick up myfire between 12 PM & 1 PM. I kept lookiing out & hearing every delivery truck out there. Every car door shutting. I was also expecting my replacement. Finally, after hearing another car door, I decided to open the door, just stand there & wait. No truck. Finally, still not seeing a truck out front, I saw the UPS man at 1 PM. He handed me my replacement. Then he scanned in my box, but I was not going to get a receipt or tracking #.  He said that it should arrive today in California at the lab. Also, I am supposed to receive $70! I guess this was supposed to make up for sending it back within 24 or 48 hours. I'm supposed to get an email 1st then a promotional credit tomorrow. This is to be used for digital & items sold at amazon. No 3'rd parties. How cool is that! 

Yesterday, I had no time to play with the device, because of Halloween. Today, I did. I have it set up & putting a few things on it. I did not have to download any updates. I did have a few glitches. 1, being the battery. As I was setting up my mail, a pop up said battery stopped. I had around 45% left. I ignored it. It popped up again. Went away. I got it down to around 25%. Stopped playing with it to plug it in to charge. When I lifted the Fire up, it felt very warm/hot, no not burning hot, so I hope this is normal. I don't remember my previous Fire feeling this warm, but who knows. 

As for the sound problem. Same thing with this replacement. Bummer, I can only hear in 1 earbud, not both. I tried it out with a song & TTS in a book. I give up. I did use the same ear buds that I used on my Fire HD, & the sound on both earbuds worked. I'm not sending this back, unless I have another persistant problem. I'm wondering if anyone else has this sound problem?


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Toby said:


> As for the sound problem. Same thing with this replacement. Bummer, I can only hear in 1 earbud, not both. I tried it out with a song & TTS in a book. I give up. I did use the same ear buds that I used on my Fire HD, & the sound on both earbuds worked. I'm not sending this back, unless I have another persistant problem. I'm wondering if anyone else has this sound problem?


So...I have no problem with my Apple OEM earbuds that came with one of my iThingies. Sound out of both of them when playing a game and hearing a sample naration in a book.

Have you tried a different set of earbuds with the Fire? I've had earbuds that worked with some devices and not others because they wouldn't go in far enough to the device. If you're getting mono, it sounds like it's not making full connection to me.

Betsy


----------



## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

That could be. I tried on the Fire that I returned. both my apple & i Luv earbuds. My Bose earphones didn't work either. I only tried the i Luv earbuds on my current Fire. I'll try again.


----------



## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

Yippie! Betsy, you were right. I got the sound to work. I pushed very hard & got the apple buds in. Then, I pushed so hard but the I Luv's did not go in. I pulled it out, & pushed hard again, then it worked. It's not the normal pressure that I've used before on any device. Now, it seems easier. Maybe, it needed to be broken in, or maybe it plugs in at an angle. Don't know. Whatever you said was magic.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Yay, Toby!!!

Glad you got it working...

Betsy


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

It may be that it goes in at an angle. . .the charger definitely does because of the design of the device.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

It does go in at an angle; slightly less of an angle than the mini USB connection, but a definite angle.

Betsy


----------



## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

Thanks again! Maybe, it was the angle that made it harder for me to plug in.


----------

