u/vzaliva

I am trying to use scholar.google.com with ProtonVPN and getting "We're sorry... but your computer or network may be sending automated queries. To protect our users, we can't process your request right now." error after sending a search query. I am logged in to my Google account, and it works without ProtonVPN.

I was wondering if the Proton team could work with Google to fix this?

I have a very simple use-case for Android ProtonVPN: I want my connection to be always encrypted except when I am on some trusted networks (home & office Wi-Fi) or using mobile network (LTE, 4G, 5G).

Is this too unusual? Does anyone else want this? It’s a feature requested for years and yet it is not supported yet.

After 10 months I'm ditching my Flip 7 and going back to Pixel. Here's why, with a bit of a rant. I wanted to like my Flip 7. What's not to like? Excellent screen with a good refresh rate, folds into my pocket, 512GB storage, etc. Coming from regular Android, the Samsung-specific UI took some getting used to, but I made it work. It does fold nicely and fit in my pocket, and the fold line is barely noticeable.

The bad:

The external screen is a gimmick. Very few standard apps support it. You can install special apps to bring more functionality to it, but they aren't optimized for it. The obvious use case for me was keeping Google Maps on the external screen while hiking - there's no official support, and 3rd-party integrations are clumsy. 90% of the time, to do anything beyond checking the time, I had to open the phone. The only real advantage of folding ended up being the physical size in my pocket. Overheating is a real problem. Charging while folded gets it really hot, especially wirelessly. Try doing that in your car (wireless charging pad) while running Android Auto and it gets really hot.

I have a Hyundai Ioniq, which lets you use your phone as a key. It does this cleanly by adding the key to your NFC wallet app. It worked on my previous Pixel, but I couldn't get it working on the Flip - it would time out during the key-adding process and kept launching Samsung Wallet even though I use Google Wallet for everything else. (Now that I'm back on Pixel, it works again.)

This is subjective, but I don't like Samsung's UI customizations. Way more settings than stock Android, and they constantly nudge you toward their app store, their AI assistant, their wallet, etc. Things popping up on swipes, etc. I found it annoying. Stock Android on Pixel is much cleaner, and I missed it.

Warning: rant below.

The cases I looked at were either bulky or not very protective, so I decided to carry it without one. I'm a deliberate person and rarely break phones, so I figured I'd get away with it. Wrong. Within the first month I dropped it and broke the screen. Luckily I had Samsung Care+. The distinction between warranty support and Care+ is unclear, and after a bunch of calls I somehow ended up with warranty and Care+ returns running in parallel and confused. It took a few days (without a phone!) to untangle, but I eventually got a replacement.

Fast forward to last week: a green line appeared on the screen. I tried to contact Care+ - they advertise same-day response. When I opened a ticket on the website, it told me I had a remaining coverage limit of $169, which is patently false; per the Care+ terms I carefully read, there's no such limit. I emailed with a photo, and they replied that since the photo doesn't show physical damage, it isn't covered by Care+ and I should file a warranty claim instead.

OK, called warranty (much better experience than the outsourced Care+). They offered either shipping the phone to them or going to a local certified service center. I went to the service center (uBreakiFix). They found a tiny scratch on the side and concluded on that basis that it was physical damage and not warranty-covered. This is BS - I didn't drop the phone, and that scratch was normal pocket-carry wear.

Back to Care+. They stopped responding to emails, and when I called I got an AI robot. I managed to open a claim through the repair robot, which set up a same-day appointment at the same uBreakiFix. To finalize it, the system was supposed to email me a link for the credit card processing fee. The link never arrived. From that point on, whenever I called the same support number it said "I could not recognize your phone number," and yet it would immediately auto-send me an SMS telling me to watch for the payment link.

Day 3 without a working phone, I was seriously pissed off. I emailed every Servify address I could find (Care+ is outsourced to Servify), and someone finally replied and manually sent the payment link. Drove back to uBreakiFix, showed them the same phone but now as a Care+ issue. Turns out they didn't have the screen in stock - either wait a week, or have Samsung ship me an express replacement. The shipping option sounded great until they told me I'd have to call Care+ to arrange it. After everything I'd been through with Servify, I opted to wait the week.

At that point, I'd had enough. I ordered a Pixel 10 from the Google Store online and it was ready for pickup in under an hour at the Mountain View store. Set it up, and I'm now enjoying clean Android, working Hyundai key functionality, and the rest. I also bought Google Care+, which I know works well - friends have used it without anything close to the nightmare I had with Samsung Care+. As soon as the Flip 7 is back from repair, I'm selling it and never buying a Samsung phone again.

https://preview.redd.it/f44grl709qxg1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8ddf1529cb6c7b0f0d27741e4c4f73def45413d5

A permanent green line appeared on my Galaxy Z Flip7 screen yesterday. I've spilt some water on the phone before - could it have caused that? It is supposed to be waterproof, but I do not think it is.

This brings me to the question of the warranty. The phone is still under a 12-month warranty, but I also purchased Samsung Care+. I tried to file a claim via the Samsung Care+ website, and it gave me two options:

1. Physical damage. Before proceeding, it gives me a warning that only $169 coverage is left. I replaced it once already because the screen was broken. If it has such a limit, continuing to pay $10/month does not make sense.
2. Other malfunction. It does not allow filing the claim online and gives an email address and phone number to contact. I've emailed them, and the receipt says to expect a response within 48 hours.

Should I go with a regular warranty instead? I recall reading somewhere that Care+ turnaround is faster.