EPIC FAIL: Text selection BROKEN DroidX 2.3.3.

[MrMikeM513]

Basic text selection is broken in the new Gingerbread update.

According to the stock Android 2.3.3 manual,:

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Select text

You select text that you want to cut, copy, delete, or replace.

1 Touch & hold the text or word you want to select.

2 Touch Select word or Select all in the menu that opens.The selected text is highlighted in orange, with a tab at each end of the selection. [emphasis mine]

3 Drag either selection tab to expand or reduce the range of selected text.If you change your mind, you can unselect the text by touching unselected text inthe same or in another text field, or press the Back button.

====

In the DROID X Gingerbread update, pressing on a word highlights the word, but the tabs NEVER appear at each end of the word. Instead, the phone prompts me to copy, cut or paste. This happens in every app, including the Google search bar, Gmail, Docs to Go, Note Everything, or any other program with a text entry field.

This is a stock device, never rooted nor hacked in any way. I have factory reset my phone and tried this with both the multi-touch keyboard and swype. The results are identical.

The so-called Help Center app on the phone does not address this issue.

Selecting more than one word of  text is therefore impossible. Without flexible text selection, the Droid X is little more than a tinker toy. I may as well be editing my documents with a t9 numeric keyboard on a flip phone.

After SIX MONTHS of Motorola altering this otherwise working OS - and Verizon approving it - I'm reduced to asking what appears to be the most common question of both companies: When will Motorola/Verizon issue a fix?

Michael R. Marano

Extremely dissatisfied customer

[Cody21 · Accepted solution]

I actually had this working as you expected after the GB update.  I had the Blue marker with a slideable Left & Right Tab - allowing me to expand over a specific word.  was working great Since Saturday.  Today, I did a "CLEAR CACHE" just to test it and see the results ... well guess what?  I no longer have that feature. It is now just 1 Blue Tab that no longer has the L/R sliders.  I can't for the life of me figure out what downgraded the feature -- except the CLEAR CACHE.

[MrMikeM513]

Motorola downgraded the feature when they screwed it up. 

[vereyezuhn]

Just tested this on mine, got GB this morning. It works perfectly fine for me. Exactly as it should. I'm assuming this is just like the other "bugs" in the update - randomly dispersed.

Atleast you know it's not a total flaw with the update.

[Wildman]

Cody which app did you clear cache on?  I am tring to duplicate the issue with no luck....

[B33]

Thats what i wanted to know  too wich one it is.  i feel like the guy that had a boat on the river with No paddle  Cody can you find us the Paddle !  LOL   

[hallcp1019]

ok i think i see what you are saying the single blue marker is the insert text simply long press on the word or text area it should say select text or word and then both blue markers appear did this help?

[Wildman]

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hallcp1019 wrote:

ok i think i see what you are saying the single blue marker is the insert text simply long press on the word or text area it should say select text or word and then both blue markers appear did this help?

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But that doesnt sound like a error, that is how it seems to be designed because since I installed the first Beta this has been set up this way unless Im missing something..

[hallcp1019]

i was just thinking he could no longer select text what exactly is the issue at hand?

[vereyezuhn]

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hallcp1019 wrote:

i was just thinking he could no longer select text what exactly is the issue at hand?

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I think his problem was that he couldn't get the blue "wings" on either side of the word to show up, it just gave them the option to copy, cut, or paste when they long-pressed it. I could be wrong.... But as someone posted above, the blue "wings" are supposed to show up, and it works perfectly fine for me.

[Cody21]

Finally getting caught up here ...

@vereyezuhn   - You are CORRECT ...  I no longer have the "blue wings" when I single tap on a word. It is now all SOLID and I have no way to slide either the Left half or Right half to expand the text chars. that I wish to edit.  All I get now is a Solid text pointer. I can slide the entire pointer left & right, but no lnger have the split line down the midde separating Left & Right halves.

@wildman -  All I did was a Power Up / CLEAR CACHE - from the blue menu from holding HOME button ...  stupid me ... should have never "tried" that. It clearly broke this feature.

I'd be curious WHERE this "adjustable blue pointer" comes from.  SWYPE? in th base OS?  If there was some APP I could uninstall & reinstall?  Apparently SWYPE is not one of those.

[MrMRM513]

The issue appears to have been solved.

I shut off the backup data features under Settings/Privacy on my phone and factory reset it. The wings now work.

By now, I have no idea what caused it or even if the method above actually solved the problem. Given enough arm-twisting, I'll even confess to human error, but I seriously doubt it.  

The trick, which should have worked the whole time:

1. Tap the word where you want the cursor to go.

2. Long press the word. Menu pops up with selection suggestions.

3. Tap select word.

4. The word should now be selected, with the wings on either side.

Glory be, what a mess.

Most other things appear to work well under Gingerbread, though I noticed a couple of other minor issues.

I'll try to list them before Verizon locks me out of this as well.

Thanks for all your suggestions and Cody, I sure hope this helps you as well.

Mike

MrMRM513 (was MrMikeM513)

[Edited to comply with Terms of Service]

[Cody21]

Thanks for that update Mike ...  That does in fact work ... but - BUT - I never had to tap twice before clearing cache.  All I did was Single tap anywhere in a word and I go that "double wing" text tool every time.  As convoluted as it is, at least I know I can get there with a long-press over a word. 

THANKS for the effort!

[MrMRM513]

Thanks for the thanks...

It's been a hectic 2 days of factory resets, updates and more factory resets. I remember getting the wings on first tap as you describe at first and then the feature breaking altogether. But yes, it's working now, and as described in the generic Android 2.3.3 manual.

For ease of reading, remember:

Long pressing a word brings up the selection menu.

Double-tapping the word selects the word and presents the cut/copy/paste menu.

Oy!

Mike

(His own EPIC FAILURE )

[Cody21]

@Mike - I'm going to bring this up to the SOAK team.  IMHO, it should "stick" or be an option about whether it's there full-time or not. Just too many steps IMHO.

[MrMRM513]

Agreed. This new method is crazy cumbersome.

Better would be: double tap word. Word gets highlighted with wings for adjustment. Once wings set, long press for selection/cut/copy/paste options.

Something as common and simple as selecting text shouldn't require training.

Thanks and best,

Mike

[AZ8]

. 

 Ive updated to GB.  I simply long press a word, both wings appear, copy selected word/sentence, paste from clipboard. Simple.

The steps Im reading from this thread seem unneccesary. Maybe Im just not understanding your solution.

[AyaniB_VZW]

Hi MrMRM513,

I apologize for the delayed response.  Im glad to see that you and the community identified the resolution. Pleas advise if you require additional assistance.  Happy Texting!!

Thanks for your patience,

[Ellenj]

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AyaniB_VZW wrote:

Hi MrMRM513,

I apologize for the delayed response.  Im glad to see that you and the community identified the resolution. Pleas advise if you require additional assistance.  Happy Texting!!

Thanks for your patience,

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I JUST got the update on my Droid 2, hence the delay.  I have to:

long hold,

get the menu,

select word,

adjust the wings (which is VERY difficult for me - it's why I got a phone with a real keyboard),

long hold to get the menu,

select copy,

move the cursor where I want it,

long hold,

get the menu 

paste.  

I used to use the shiftkey & arrow to select text,

hold the OK to get the menu

select copy

move the cursor to where I want it

hold the OK to get the menu

Paste FROM CLIPBOARD!

2 major problmes:  Now, when I hold the OK to get the menu, I DO NOT GET THE PASTE OPTION!!!

And, even when I hold the touch and hold the screen where I want the text, and it VERY RAREY gives me the menu with the paste option, I still do not get the paste from clipboard option!  Which I use.  A lot! 

HELP

[B33]

Have you done a Factory Reset on your phone Ellen any time a new OS comes out on a phone its good to do a FR this putes that OS on a clean slate an you can do the Reset after you have installed the The update wich you say you got in your Post .

What i would do is call Verizon go to the Teck Serv. An have them Help you thru the FR you'll have to have a Landline or another Cell phone.  to talk to Teck but they can help you thru this an they'll tell you how to back your contacts up an other things. 

Good luck an i hope this Helps ya out   Happy Labor Day.  B33