# Consumer Cellular ZTE Avid 579



## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

I bought my very first flip-open phone about 20 years ago, and have been using nothing but flip-open phones ever since.
I started with AT&T and then switched to Verizon and then switched to Consumer Cellular.
All I've needed a cell phone for is to make and receive phone calls and occasionally text when I'm away from home.
A recent tragic event convinced me to break away from "old school" and buy an Android touch-screen phone.
I wanted to start out with a cheap one, so after researching it, I bought the one in the image.
I have found it challenging to learn and use, but I'm getting better with it every day.
The "speak-to-text" feature is what I like most because it's much quicker and easier to create and send long text messages.
Anyway, I'm now a new member of the Android family. 

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## lunarlander (Sep 22, 2007)

Dept of Commerce has ordered Google not to supply updates to this Chinese cell phone maker. https://www.wsj.com/articles/commer...hone-users-without-android-updates-1526299525


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

Thanks for the webpage link.
Unfortunately, it doesn't allow me to read the full article without first subscribing to the "Wall Street Journal".
That article is dated 3-1/2 years ago, so the issue may no longer apply.
I'll do some poking around to see if it still is.

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## plodr (Jun 27, 2014)

You might already be aware of this site
https://www.devguider.com/?g=zte-avid-579-tips-trics

Feel free to ask questions, Frank. I bought my first smart phone in 2017 because I finally saw a need for one. My husband is still using flip phones. Currently my old hand me down but he has a new Tracfone to use when 3G ends.
I have a 4" x 6" note card full of things I've discovered when trying to do some things on my phone.


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

Until the leatherette clip-on pouch I ordered to put the phone in arrives, I keep it lying flat on my kitchen counter on a cloth pad. 
The screen stays dark when I pick it up or tap the screen, so I have to press the power button for the screen to appear.
I haven't figured out yet how to resolve that issue.


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## plodr (Jun 27, 2014)

Here's a pdf manual
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1818245/Zte-Avid-579.html

Settings then display. Look for something like sleep or screen timeout. That will allow the screen to stay lit longer.

I haven't found anything about picking it up and having the screen turn on. I think this might be a function of the lock screen.

I swipe up to unlock my phone. I did not set a password or PIN because I want my husband to be able to use it *easily* if I can't. When my display turns off, I have to press the power button and swipe up to use it. It doesn't turn on when I pick it up.

I have my screen timeout set to 30 minutes. So if I pick it up any time before 1/2 hour it starts to count 30 minutes again.


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

I already have the PDF on-line manual.
I also have to briefly press the power button and then select or swipe up to use it after it's been lying down for awhile and the screen goes black.
I have timeout set for only 2 minutes so it doesn't run down the battery too quick.
The massive number of functions and features is a pain, but I'm getting used to it.

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## plodr (Jun 27, 2014)

I just told someone in another thread about battery saving mode which I turned on recently. I selected medium but there is also a maximum choice on my phone.
https://www.howtogeek.com/242472/how-to-use-and-configure-androids-battery-saver-mode/

You could set a battery saver mode then keep the screen bright for a longer time.

I also have several portable battery packs. I had a 6000mAh, and a 6600mAh. When the power was off for 3 days recently, I had to use them to recharge the phone. I used the phone to surf.
I was afraid they might not be enough so I recently bought an Anker 10,000mAh one on sale. I didn't want to have to drive around and plug in the phone in the car to charge it.


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

Mine comes with a removable *2660mAh* battery.
I'm not sure how to replace the battery, and the on-line manual doesn't show how to do it.
I'll do some researching on it.

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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

Update:
I found a video which shows how to remove the back cover to access the battery.
I'm not going to try to do that until I locate a correct longer life battery for it.

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## plodr (Jun 27, 2014)

Does a longer life battery fit?
I have yet to replace the battery in my phone from 2017. I just assumed I had to replace it with a specific part number and it would be the same as the original.

The batteries I talked about are these type 
https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerCore-Ultra-Compact-High-Speed-Technology/dp/B0194WDVHI


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

I switched over to dark mode because that's supposed to increase battery life.
I'll find out in the next 2 - 3 days.

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## plodr (Jun 27, 2014)

You can also try this: Settings, Battery, Battery Saver and toggle on power saving mode.

I don't keep my phone on most of the time so I'm not sure how long the battery lasts.


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

Using dark mode seems to be working well.
The battery isn't running down as quickly, and the number of annoying alerts has noticeably been reduced.


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## plodr (Jun 27, 2014)

If they are alerts you don't want, turn off alerts from apps you are not interested in.

My news channel has a local weather app. I don't want alerts from them so I turned them off. I tend to turn on the tv and watch the weather, locally live updates every 15 minutes. That is better than having to turn my phone on and scroll through alerts.

Settings, Apps & Notifications, then Notifications. Look over the apps and toggle off any notifications you don't want. (I have very few turned on. I don't like to be bothered.)

I just got my husband a flip phone from Tracfone. He doesn't want a smart phone. It is limited and I turned off wifi (it wanted to connect to our home network) so he wouldn't click something and get on the internet. He just wants a basic phone to call out. He turned it on yesterday and Tracfone sent him a text message asking him to rate them. I think he has called about and used about 5 minutes in 2 months. We don't rate things! Today when he turned it on, I found the message and deleted it.


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