change phone from Galaxy Nexus to Samsung Galaxy S4

2016.09.30
Not a big upgrade, but the price is right.

Two day shipping, its there Friday evening when I get home. Unbox, photograph, plug in to charger.

Later, turn it on for first time.
English, Next. Setup Wizard, Phone activation.
Only thing I can do now is use Wi-Fi or make an emergency call.
Skip through as much set up as can.

note some values:
{see Google doc "phone SCH-I545 2016.09.30-"}

Check IMEI on Verizon site: "Success! Your Samsung Galaxy S® 4 in Black Mist works on the Verizon network.".

Is there any point to resetting the phone? If there was something evil on this phone from the previous user, would it be removed? A quick search revels the self reset in Settings doesn't do much to the system, just the user.

Went to a Verizon store, got sim installed.

2016.10.01
Backup Google accounts using Takeout.

Backup and reset
Factory data reset
Reset phone
Delete all {10p... reboots, Android icon 'erasing', reboot, Verizon checkmark logo ... 10:02p ... 10:03p Setup Wizard}

Setup Wizard
Language English
"The SIM card has already been activated", Your phone number is ...
Sync your contacts with Verizon UNCHECK, Next
"Gmail setup is in a later step." Skip
Software update, checking, {seems to do nothing, next step...}
Tap & Go, Skip
Add your account, Google, Enter your email, password {OK}
Just a sec...
Get your apps & data
Restore from this backup, includes apps, app data, system settings, and Wi-Fi passwords.
   Galaxy Nexus Last used 1 day ago
Also include
   All apps 37
Next {why not, let's see what happens, i can always reset}
Google services {UNCHECK all of these}
   Back up your phone's apps, app data, settings, and Wi-Fi passwords
   Use Google's location service
   Help improve location services
   Help improve your Android experience
{unchecked all} Next
Setup Wizard
My Verizon Mobile
   In-Store View Terms & Conditions
      Not Now
Done
Samsung account
   Skip
Protect your phone, You will not be able to prevent other people from using your phone when it is lost or stolen...
   No
Protect your phone, You can always turn on Reactivation lock...

2017.01.27
I got the phone just set up enough to use, started using it, stopped changing it. Only recently did I even bother adding something simple like ringtones. Lately the phone has been acting flakey, and now its offering a system update, so let's see what happens.
Current version = Android 5.0.1
Settings -> System Updates, install.
Version is still 5.0.1.

2018.05.16
Frequent error messages and need to restart.
Usually something about the SIM being missing. Then there's this one:
"Global network Switching to Global Mode."
which seems more benign.

2018.07.07
Got a new Google Pixel 2 XL, time to move out of here permanently.

The mobile account was moved to the new phone yesterday, so its time to move photos, take any screenshots desired, reset, power off, and put away.

Transfer photos. While phone still mounted on PC, go through dirs, copy to Z:\. Basically just the download folder, which is probably all garbage but why sort through it now, screenshots and ringtones. The only thing left I might want to save on this phone are the messages, if it can be done easily.

It would be nice if Google could just do this, but it looks like a third party app is how its down. "SMS Backup+" or "SMS Backup & Restore"? How to decide which to trust? I'll go with SMS Backup+.

Why is my Google backup account set to Yahoo? Changed to Outlook.

I really don't use apps all that much, because seeing some of these permissions make me queasy. Why do I want some third party app to be allowed to do anything it wants to my email? I know, I should really just relax.

Backup all messages. Backing up #/2709 items.

Android voicemail notification won't go away

Let's start with something small, stupid, and intractible, like most tech problems are.

I have an Android phone, and I use Google Voice (just for voicemail, I don't have a Google Number). Because that takes over voicemail, I now can't back to my old provider voicemail (Verizon). In the brief time between phones, some voicemail got in there, and set off the notifier. I can't get to it anymore, because now Google Voice is collecting my request to hear my voicemail. If there's some direct way to go directly to Verizon voicemail, as opposed to voicemail in general, I don't see it. So how to get rid of that annoying notification?

Let's try turning off Google Voice, checking the Verizon voicemail, then turning Google Voice back on. OK, click "Deactivate voicemail", call *73, I guess its deleted now. Try the voicemail notice on my phone, it wants a pin - need to get that from the password archive - I hope I still have a valid one. Nope, but reset is easy on the verizonwireless site. I check and find 2 new, 6 old messages; finally, the notification is gone. Might as well clear out old messages before I leave here.

And now to turn Google Voice back on with the active voicemail link, another number to call. I call myself with the landline to test. I send a very short message and hang up - nothing shows up so I send another one, longer this time. Right after that (about 3 minutes) I get both messages, so we're fine.

Update, hours later...

The main impetus for getting rid of this notification was to get rid of an even more annoying notification - my phone blinking that I had a notification. This has not gone away, even though when I pick up and unlock the phone, there is no notification there.

And finally its gone, though I don't recall exactly how long it took.

2016.07.29
It happened again, out of the blue, no clue why.
Turn off Google Voice, dial Verizon voice mail, delete message, back to Google Voice, Get a Google Voice number, Port your mobile number to Google Voice, cost is $20!? I must be in the wrong place.

Settings, Phones, Add another phone, give mobile #, Verify.
Make test call from house line - nope, its verizon voice still.
Oh.... Activate voicemail. OK.

2016.10.20
Again, on my new Samsung Galaxy 4.
Voice site. Call *73, Deactivate.
Call *86 to get voicemail. Look up password in archive because I use it so infrequently.
Back to voice site, Activate voicemail. Receive new number to call to reactivate (its longer than a phone number).