Acer Liquid M330 - Windows Mobile 10 Anniversary Update Issue

You're lucky. I had the same problem and spent two hours on chat with Microsoft where I was told to try each of the recovery tool images because one would probably work. I ended up with a bricked phone. Nice work Microsoft and Acer. At least Acer offered to replace my phone after 10 minutes on the phone with them.

User raphfern is right, but I would like to add to the description.

 

I have had my Acer Liquid m330 as a happy user since purchase on May 18, 2013... received by mail. Nice device, but failed to be supported properly by the Windows 10 Mobile Anniversary update (1607).

 

There are two issues witnessed that are related.

1) The applications assume the pixel count above the bottom controls (back arrow, window logo, search spyglass) is more than the Liquid m330 has to offer. In other words, the applications that have a hamburger menu at the bottom seem to have the menu falling behind the bottom controls. Only the top edge of application hamburger menu is seen. This is a problem for all applications. But there is one happy exception to that today with one application that was updated through the automatic Store updates.

 

2) The touch screen pixel count is misaligned to the display pixel count. It appears that the pixel count is aligned at the top, and misaligned at the bottom. For all applications--and especially annoying with the keyboard on the bottome--when I press icons or keyboard keys near the bottom of the screen, my touch registers action against something displayed lower than my finger touch. This renders the use of the keyboard almost impossible.

 

Here's the exception to the issue #1. Microsoft Mail application was updated today. Surprise, surprise! Microsoft Mail has the hamburger menu at the bottom displayed in a way that doesn't fall behind the bottom row controls (backup arrow, windows logo key, search spyglass). What does this tell you? It tells you that Microsoft application engineers realized that the new display API in release 1607 understands how to scale the display according to the display count of the device! For those of us that followed the release of the Acer Liquid m330, we know that Acer chose to build a device with a horizontal to vertical pixel count that is a bit unusual. Windows 10 Mobile initial release worked fine with this display size and ratio, but 1607 fails to respect the pixel count ratio special case.

 

I love my Acer Liquid m330. It's a great device for the price. Clearly, the Windows 10 Mobile software development team is challenged to produce releases on time and with quality for all devices.

 

I took my issue to Acer support by chat. The chat agent was super fast and polite, but his only instruction was "do a reset." I did a reset, even though I figured it would not work. In fact, it did nothing to improve the situation because the reset will not roll back the operating system to the previous operating system. There are no instructions on-line for Acer to roll back to the previous operating system and the support team apparently doesn't know how to do it either. If you have a Lumia device, there is a Phone Reset tool. There was for Win Phone 8.1, and I used it. I don't know anyone that used that tool on a Win 10 Mobile Lumia, but I see there's a new version of the Phone Reset tool for that device and operating system combination. Acer doesn't have that tool for us, but I suspect that we could send our phones into their service center for them to do it--if that wouldn't overwhelm the team.

 

Let's see if Acer can come through with a solution. They are obviously courageous to market this phone to a small level of demand. But if they show success at a small level, they'll have success to build on when Microsoft gets their act together. If we look at how Acer has done with the 2-in-1 tablet/laptop market, we see success at a favorable price point. If they repeat that with the Windows 10 Mobile, they will likewise get great reviews.

There's a bug with very similar sympotms in several Microsoft/Nokia Lumia devices after they are upgraded to the Anniversary Update. The most recent Fast Ring insider build of Windows 10 Redstone 2 (14926) promises a fix for the affected Lumia devices.

 

Hopefully, two things will happen:

1) They'll backport this fix to a cumulative patch for the Anniversary Update sooner than later.

2) The same fix will also work for the Liquid M330's extremely similar sympotms.

Hi,

 

I'm in the Philippines and may I ask, does the update applies to all regions/countries? Do I have to set the region settings of my phone to 'United States' to get this?

 

My build is 10586.107. How did you get that build (14393.321)?

 

Thanks!

@john1331. I would agree that the Tuesday, October 13, 2016 update for Windows 10 Mobile fixed the screen scaling and digitizer location problem seen a the bottom of the screen rectangle.

I don't have my Liquid m330 on the Windows Insider Build program. I am witnessing the update that arrived as a "normal" Windows 10 Mobile user on the Acer Liquid m330, and it appears that the screen size issues and digitizer issues are gone. I have not checked every app to see them all fixed, but for all the apps I have used, the screen behavior is correct now.

Let's hope that the Microsoft partnership with HP and the Microsoft Surface phone plans are both driving the success of the Windows 10 Mobile operating system, because that success will continue support us on non-Lumia phone devices.

Hey, guys! I am interested to know if M330 has got the Anniversary Update - without the need to join insider program?

 

From the latest post I'd say that it has got it, but I want to ask just to me it sure.

That's great, thanks for your reply! :-)