# App problem or Fire HD problem?



## khrunner (Mar 16, 2009)

I have the new 7" Fire HD, and I generally love it. It's in a Marware case (purple!) that folds to the left in portrait mode and that I hold in my left hand so I can use the Marware hand loop. When I turn it completely off and turn it back on, the first page with the KindleFire logo is upside down, but the home page opens in the correct orientation. I have two apps with orientation problems though. The opening screen of one remains stubbornly upside down, although the subsequent screens open in the correct orientation. In the other app, all the screens but one are correct. That one remains frozen in one position. I should also note that the frozen screens don't move, no matter how I hold the Fire. I wasn't ready to tackle Amazon Kindle Support on the weekend after the launch, but it might have quieted down enough on a weekday morning to call if I need to. BTW, both of these apps are ones that I had on my original Fire where they worked fine. They are also on my Android phone where they are working well too. All you experts out there? Any ideas?

BTW also, I bought the ad opt-out hoping to get rid of the suggestions line on the home page. Didn't work, and I'm kinda sorry I spent the $15. It's done though, and I always did like the Fire screen savers. I've ordered a matte screen protector, but I don't know if I'm going to use it after all. The new screen is so clear and pretty that I hate to muddy it up. I'll have the matte finish in case eyestrain gets the better of me.

Thanks for any help out there. I don't post much, but I read regularly.

KathleenH in Colorado


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## TraceyC/FL (Mar 23, 2011)

I would say that it is an app problem related to the sensor. Except that they rotate on the old one. Have you emailed the developer about it? 

I would also try a reboot, remove the app, reboot and reinstall it just to make sure it goes on clean. Then email the developer - and depending on that answer call support. 

I just try to NOT call unless I have to too! LOL!!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Where is the on/off switch and volume buttons?

The 'normal' up position is in portrait orientation with those on the top or landscape orientation with those on the right -- the camera on the top.

When you first turn on the Fire from completely off, the 'kindlefire' logo will show as though in 'normal' portrait orientation, no matter how you're actually holding the thing.  Then, once you get to the lock screen, it will be oriented according to how it's oriented in space.

If you had the Fire 'locked' in some particular orientation, when you turn it on from completely off, it will go to that orientation once it gets itself booted.

Some apps are designed to work in some specific orientation and even locking the screen will not affect them.


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## khrunner (Mar 16, 2009)

Tracey - I did the reboot/reinstall thing multiple times with one of them. Didn't do anything other than mess up my account, which is another whole issue. Haven't tried it with the second one. Maybe I should. I had considered emailing the developer, but hadn't gotten around to it yet. Good suggestion - thanks!

Anne - the power and volume buttons are on the bottom (portrait) and the right (landscape) in this case. The case has a molded base for the Kindle, and that's the only way it fits. The camera is on top in landscape. That would explain the initial question. I've never knowingly locked the screen in any particular orientation, but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened. After doing a bit more research, I think the problem with one of the apps is that there is a newer version out and Amazon doesn't have it and may never get it. No worries - I'll just turn it around when I need to use that screen. The other one - Out of Milk - has a couple of issues going on, and I may end up emailing the developer. The Amazon case - when it finally gets here - might be a different orientation. 

Thanks for your help! I'm glad I don't need to contact Amazon support right now. I know they are great, but they are bound to be very BUSY! KB is the BEST!!


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## TraceyC/FL (Mar 23, 2011)

*Most* developers I have dealt with have been very responsive (especially on smaller apps) and prefer you to contact them instead of trying to deal with issues left in reviews. Other than one app I've mailed on - and it was an "app farm" type of place (they bulk wrote garbage for a lot of people, not that all of it was garbage, but well, this place wasn't turning out top 20 apps! LOL!!) - I've had good results and even if it wasn't going to be an easy/quick fix, they let me know and the human touch helped.

Hopefully the apps get updated relatively "quick", and that the SDK for the new devices lets them get it all done in one swoop and easily.


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## khrunner (Mar 16, 2009)

I've only contacted app developers a couple of times, and I've been very pleasantly surprised to hear very quickly from the developer himself on both occasions. I did email the Out of Milk support, and the developer straightened out my account issues very quickly. Turned out to be my own fault when I looked into it a little further. Wouldn't you know it!  That will teach me to mess with things late at night! The screen issue is going to take a little time, I suspect, but they are looking into it. I have a feeling that the Fire HD caused a few unanticipated problems here and there. Perhaps they were anticipated, but they didn't quite know how to head them off. Anyway...the second program, Guitar Tips and Tools, definitely has a newer version out that Amazon doesn't have. I can work with what I have there. I bought it originally for my Android phone, where it works beautifully, and I couldn't even download it to the original Fire. Guess I shouldn't be surprised it has a few issues with the new Fire HD. I wasn't expecting to be able to use it at all. I'm not ready to start side-loading things at this point.

Thanks for the good advice!


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## TraceyC/FL (Mar 23, 2011)

HA. 

BTDT with the "personal problem" aspect!  

I'd still email the Guitar one just to let them know you are eagerly awaiting an update to use it on you new Fire HD and hope they are working on it. That way, they know there is interest.

I expect that with the new new HD versions and the bigger size more apps will start appearing in the Amazon store.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

khrunner said:


> Anyway...the second program, Guitar Tips and Tools, definitely has a newer version out that Amazon doesn't have. I can work with what I have there. I bought it originally for my Android phone, where it works beautifully, and I couldn't even download it to the original Fire. Guess I shouldn't be surprised it has a few issues with the new Fire HD. I wasn't expecting to be able to use it at all. I'm not ready to start side-loading things at this point.
> 
> Thanks for the good advice!


I don't know the app you mention, but I have one called Ultimate Guitar Tabs and Tools. It was a Free app of the Day at one point. . . . .it has Tabulature for a lot of songs -- actually not a great presentation on that -- but mainly I got it for the 'Tools' part -- the Metronome, Tuner, and Chord Library.* It's available at Amazon and works just fine on the Fire. There are other such apps in the Amazon store as well.

Alternately, you could see if someplace like 1Mobile has the specific app you're looking for. Of course, you wouldn't want to buy it again, but if it was a free one and they have it, you can get it to your Fire pretty easily. First, go to More and Device, and enable apps from unknown sources. Then go to www.1moble.com on the Fire. . .find the link to download the 'market' apk, install it, and then use it to shop for apps. Caveat: if it's not in the app store and marked as working with the Fire or FireHD, there's no guarantee that it will. . . . .so be cautious in actually paying for something.

*edit to clarify: I got it free. . .it's regularly $7.99 to buy and I probably wouldn't pay that for it.


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## khrunner (Mar 16, 2009)

Anne, it's the Ultimate Guitar Tabs and Tools that I'm talking about. I forgot to put Ultimate in the title. I got it free too. I couldn't download for my original Fire (wasn't allowed), so I bought Ultimate Guitar Tabs for it. I checked the Ultimate Guitar website yesterday, and they no longer list the Tabs and Tools app. They've broken it down into two separate apps - Ultimate Guitar Tabs and Ultimate Guitar Tools. They want $2.99 each for them. UGTT works great until I open the Tools page. Then it is stuck in the upside down position. It won't turn to landscape either. I have a login to Ultimate Guitar, and I can synch favorites between my phone and my Fire. I don't use the tuner - I have a good tuner - but I like the chord library and the tabs, particularly for quick look-ups of songs on the fly. If yours is working on the Fire HD, maybe it's the orientation in my cover? We already figured out that it's upside down the way I hold it. BTW, Amazon doesn't have the Ultimate Guitar Tools, but they still list Tabs and Tools.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Did you get it from Amazon? Because I have it at this instant on my Fire HD. Full version. I note that it doesn't list as compatible on my original Fire. But it does work on the HD.

Here's the link on Amazon:



If you click that it should indicate if you have it already and, if so, you should have it available on the Fire HD. Go to Apps and be sure you have Cloud highlighted (orange). Sort by Title under U and it should be there.


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## khrunner (Mar 16, 2009)

Anne, 
That's the whole problem. I did get the full version from Amazon when it was free and put it on my phone. It wasn't listed as compatible for the original Fire when the Fire came out, so I bought the newer version  - Ultimate Guitar Tabs - which was the only one you could put on the original Fire. Ultimate Guitar Tabs and Tools was in my list on the Cloud on the HD. I checked it on the Amazon website, and it was definitely listed as being compatible with the HD. I downloaded it onto my Fire HD, which leads me back to my original question/problem. It works fine on everything but the Tools page, which insists on remaining upside down as I hold the HD. It won't shift to landscape or turn around in portrait. I just once again deleted it, rebooted and reloaded it. Nothing changed. 

Is there some way that I might have locked that page in that orientation and not realized it at the time? 

Easiest answer is just to hold the Fire so everything opens right side up. I can live with that even though I lose the use of the hand loop on the back of the cover. The Tools page still won't go into landscape orientation, but I don't suppose that is necessary. It's obviously the answer for Out of Milk too. OoM works great that way. The OoM developer may figure something out and get back to me, but I'm not going to stress over either one. I have an Amazon cover on order, so I'll see how that works when it gets here. 

I'm still unhappy about paying to lose the ads and having to put up with the "customers also bought" line, but that's something to take up with Amazon unless you have a solution that I don't know about.  Thanks very much for all your help. As I said earlier, I don't post much, but I do check KB every day. I really appreciate all the work that you, Harvey, and the rest of the group put in to help out the rest of us. I recommend you often to others as the best folks out there!


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## gadgetgirl003 (Mar 22, 2009)

khrunner,
That app must only work in portrait mode. Per Ann's post


Ann in Arlington said:


> Where is the on/off switch and volume buttons?
> 
> The 'normal' up position is in portrait orientation with those on the *top* or landscape orientation with those on the right -- the camera on the top.
> 
> ...


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## khrunner (Mar 16, 2009)

Everything else but that one screen changes like it's supposed to, but it's not worth worrying about anymore. I got my main question answered - did my Fire HD have a problem. It doesn't, so I'm leaving this here with appreciation for everyone's suggestions.


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