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Hello, all.
I've got a confession to make: I like apps. A lot. To an unhealthy degree. I've got a huge stash of apps on my phone, and an even larger collection of .apk backups waiting to be reloaded whenever I feel like it. I love finding new apps to try out, and deciding which ones are worthy to be added to my collection. A lot of the apps that I find and want to try out are paid apps; without finding many thorough reviews on them, I don't know whether they are worth my money - but I can't stand the thought of missing out on the Next Big Thing. And so I buy them, download them, install them, and test them out anyway. If it's an awesome app and well-worth the money, I tell my friends. If it is money that could be better spent on another app that I've tried before, I tell my friends that, too.
Unfortunately, not all of my friends are interested in my opinion on apps. They only listen to me because of my rugged good looks (my theory). This makes me sad, because I spend a lot of time (and money, in some cases) trying apps out - someone else needs to benefit from that time (and money) as well. Until someone decides to pay/reimburse me for all the apps that I evaluate, the next-best thing I can do is offer up reviews to the community of any apps that I have found particularly useful. This is the driving force behind my desire to make this thread.
I will be running down my list of currently-installed useful applications and entertaining games. I will include screen shots, AppBrain links, and as much detail as I can muster up. My hope is that the rest of the community may find some benefit from these reviews - and who knows, maybe you'll find a kick-ass app you'd never heard of.
I'm open to questions, ideas, requests, suggestions, and pretty much any other type of communication or input that could be provided. I only ask that you be respectful - both of me, and of the app developers. And if this list helps you find a neat paid app to try out, please do support the developer(s). Piracy is bad, mmmmkay?
Enjoy!
-codesplice
Credit where credit is due: All screenshots are made using the free ShootMe app.
NOTE: Now that the Android Market has a shnazzy new web interface, I'm going to change the primary links for apps to reflect this. I will add the AppBrain links as a secondary, and hope to add direct market links at some point once I find a site to reliably provide this information. Stay tuned!
Reviews:
Minimalistic Text (Widget)
Clutch Pad(Multitasking App) UPDATED 2/24/11
CircleLauncher (Widget)
Swipe Pad (Multitasking App)
Keyboard Manager (App) UPDATED 2/23/11
Shift Puzzle Game (Game)
ElecroDroid (App)
Hella Umbrella (Game)
Digital Wall (LWP)
Shortyz Crosswords (App)
Elixir (System Info App)
Google Authenticator (App)
Zeam (Launcher)
Lookout / WaveSecure (Mobile Security App double-feature)
If you don't want to subscribe to this thread, you can follow me on that twitting thing, as I will post updates about new reviews there.
Minimalistic Text (widget)
App Name: Minimalistic Text (v.2.1.3, @AppBrain)
Developer: Devmil
Price: FREE
There is quite a handful of text-based widgets available on the Market, and a lot of them are very nice. There are widgets for displaying the time as text, the weather as text, the battery level as text.... but this is one widget that does it all. Just about every aspect of the widget is configurable, from the text alignment and rotation to the font size and colors to even the format for different types of data. You've got several options for the display type, whether you want to use digits or words or even a bar (for days of the week or percentage of battery charge). There is also an optional "blur" text effect which works wonderfully for making accented text appear to be illuminated. To top things off, this widget also functions as a plugin for Locale or Tasker and can be used to display variables from either of those applications. For instance, if you want a small text-widget to display what Locale/Tasker profiles are currently active, this is your answer for a very configurable solution.
For each widget you are also able to define an action to perform when tapped - whether it is launching another activity (my clock widget launches my alarm clock), opening the widget preferences page, or even reading out the text currently displayed on the widget. You are also able to save and restore your widget settings, so don't be afraid to experiment.
Given the sheer amount of customizations available to you with this widget app, the configuration menu may be a little bit overwhelming and complex when you first get into it. Play around for a few minutes, and you're bound to get the hang of it.
This is a fabulous widget, and one that I highly recommend to anyone who will take the time to tinker with it.
Verdict: A highly-configurable text-based widget to display pretty much anything you want, especially with Tasker integration.
Screenshots:
1) Widget(s) in action. I should note there are three separate widgets displayed: Time / weather up top, day / date on the bottom, and a battery level bar on the right-hand side.
2) Preferences Manager for all widgets
3) Text Style menu
4-5) Custom Layout configurator
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
Clutch Pad[APP]
App Name: Clutch Pad (v.1.3v.1.4.2, @AppBrain)
Developer: stevealbright
Price: $0.99 $1.99
Clutch is an application that seeks to optimize and streamline the way you multitask on Android. It is currently in beta status, but is very functional in its current state. It is a powerful supplement to the built-in Recent Apps feature.
Clutch manifests itself as a small semi-transparent "trigger" area, which functions similar to "hot corners" on a Mac (I think. I'm a Linux/PC guy). This small region rides at the very top layer of the Android interface (in a user-configurable position) and is accessible no matter what application you may be working in. You can tap this region to instantly bring up a small grid displaying your recently-accessed applications. You can customize how many apps you want to be visible, configure the application to ignore your Home (Launcher) app in its list, and to visually distinguish currently-running applications from terminated apps. This makes it very easy to quickly determine if that app you just exited is still running or if it has been shut down as it should, as well as providing a quick (and lightweight) task switcher.
Nice, but nothing terribly fantastic. Yet. Clutch also has configurable swipe gestures - the most useful (to me) of which is a Last Task functionality. For instance, if I Swipe Up from the Clutch region, I instantly switch to whatever my previous app was. If I swipe again, I am moved back to the app I just switched from. This functions similarly to just pressing ALT+TAB quickly, and is very useful for quickly jumping between two apps.
This little utility is quick and lightweight, and I have found it to be extremely useful. It is still in development, and has many more features planned (and a price increase to accompany them - so get it quickly!) including support for additional gestures (open/close notifications, for example), on-click task control (press-and-hold to kill, for example), and configurable transition animations.
If you've got a dollar to spend, you would do well to add this application to your device in its current state, and I can only imagine the app's versatility and usefulness will increase with the further planned updates.
Update (2/24/11): Clutch Pad has recently been updated to version 1.4. With this update, the application has dropped the "Beta" tag, gained an additional "Pad" in its name, and has added additional features and configurable options. At the same time, the price has also been increased to $1.99. New features include additional swipe gestures, configurable transition animations (that are quite pretty), the option to toggle the trigger button via a press-and-hold on the Search hardware key, and a Favorites option to quickly launch your favorite apps. Options have also been added for additional visual tweaks and adjustments of both the trigger icon and the popup lists, and all known bugs have been fixed. With each incremental update, this app gets more and more useful and I find myself relying upon it more all the time. Even at the increased price, this is still one of my must-have applications.
Verdict: An innovative way to access recent apps, and the Last App gesture functionality is every bit as useful as Alt-Tabbing between apps on your desktop.
Screenshots:
1) Trigger icon
2) Recent apps list
3-5) Settings pages
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
CircleLauncher (widget)
App Name: CircleLauncher (v.1.5.2, @AppBrain)
Developer: db-ware
Price: ~$1.37 (free, limited version here or @AppBrain)
As mentioned previously, I have a lot of apps. One of the problem with having a lot of apps is running out of room on your homescreens for app shortcuts. There are various widgets out there that propose a variety of solutions to this problem, but they often leave you with tiny, almost unusable icons. This would have been fine in the days where the trackball reigned supreme, but this is the oh-tens. It has to be finger-friendly.
One true solution that I stumbled across the other day is called CircleLauncher. What it does is really very simple, but it does it very well. It allows you to create a single widget to group similar applications together (I've used location-themed apps and clock-based apps in my example). Tape the 1x1 widget, and a lightweight menu appears to launch your apps. Pretty standard, but this menu is laid out (by default - you can change this in the settings) in a ring around the icon. As you slide your finger or thumb around the ring, the currently selected application icon grows to make selection a bit easier.
Note that CircleLauncher includes other layout types (configurable from the widget's config menu, which you access by selecting the widget and then press-and-holding the center) including horizontal and vertical lines. I was also very pleased with the way that the widget's application menu adapts to its position on the screen - stick it in a corner, and your full selection of apps will be displayed within a 90-degree pie slice.
Obviously, a menu such as this is a bit limited to a relatively low number of apps (more than 9 or 10 and the ring will be just too cluttered to be functional), but if you need to have quick access to just a few more apps from your homescreen, this should do the trick. Since there is a free version available, why not give it a shot and see if this widget can help you to organize your home screen a bit?
Verdict: An easy way to combine several app shortcuts into one.
Screenshots:
1) Plain widgets (labeled GPS and Time) - you can dress them up a bit more if you are artistically inclined.
2) One widget opened showing the full selection ring.
3) The corner widget open showing the adaptation to the position.
4) One icon expanded while my finger hovers over it.
5) Settings menu
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
Keep going mate
gruzman said:
Keep going mate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I surely intend to! Just have to figure out which app to post next
Thanks for the encouragement though. It is appreciated to know at least someone is reading over all this mess!
SwipePad Beta [APP]
App Name: SwipePad Beta (v.0.7.5, @AppBrain)
Developer: Conduction.mobi
Price: FREE
Keeping on the theme of "apps to help you access your apps", we come to SwipePad Beta. Similar in some regard to Clutch, this app also gives you "hot corner" functionality. Use the settings menu to establish what corners (or regions) you want to be active, and then slide your finger from a specified region to the center of the screen. Hold it for just a moment, and a 3x4 grid of application shortcuts magically appears. You can, of course, fully customize what applications should appear on this grid by simply pressing your finger on an empty square or by holding your finger over an existing icon until it is highlighted. The hot corners/region and swipe gesture should work pretty much any time that the screen is unlocked, and is a great way of quickly launching a new app without returning to your home screen.
The application offers to integrate task managing application by the same developer (which is a paid app) that I haven't tried out yet. Personally, I've got plenty of other ways of killing apps at this point - particularly once the function gets built into Clutch.
SwipePad is very nicely polished and quite responsive. It does what it does quite well. My only issue with it is that I just don't use it very frequently. I almost forget that it is there; I must be thoroughly conditioned to launching apps from the home screen. It's free, though, so give it a whirl and see if it can further help to optimize the way you launch apps from within other apps
Verdict: Clever use of hot-corners to gain quick access to up to 12 user-defined apps; non-intrusive to the point that you might forget to use it.
Screenshots:
1) SwipePad in action. Note that putting a link to SwipePad on your SwipePad gives you a quick way to access the settings screens.
2) SwipePad settings, with the hot corners highlighted in red at the bottom.
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
is there a video demonstrating the use of Clutch? I want to watch it before paying for it.
Deff fav'ing this. Am looking forward to all reviews
(*is thinking about getting clutch)
Epic is as Epic does
Nice! Thanks bro!
waichung said:
is there a video demonstrating the use of Clutch? I want to watch it before paying for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I imagine there should be a video somewhere on the youtubes. Let me know if you find one and I will add it to the post. I'm about to go into work so it will be another 12 hours before I have access to the full internet, but I will look then if you haven't found anything.
Very good! Thanks
Keyboard Manager [APP]
App Name: Keyboard Manager (v.1.1) Keyboard Manager (v.1.4)
Developer: ne0fhyk
Price: FREE $1.99
NOTE: This app requires root!!
It took me quite a while, but I finally weened myself away from requiring a physical keyboard on a mobile device when I got my NexusOne. With the multitude and variety of available software keyboards available for Android, I haven't really missed the physical keys. The only annoyance at this point is that I find keyboards that work great for one-handed operation in portrait orientation, like Swype or 8pen (if you're in the mood for adventure and don't really care how long it takes to get a message completed ), but are next-to-worthless for dual-thumb landscape input. With a physical keyboard, you'd just slide that bad boy out and away you go. For those of us with only a touchscreen and maybe a few additional buttons, it can be a bit of a chore to manually change the selected input method each time we rotate the device. If only there was a way for the device to read my mind and select the appropriate keyboard.....
As luck would have it, XDA member ne0fhyk has provided us with a solution to this difficulty, in the form of his Keyboard Manager application. Simply select what keyboard you want to use in each orientation (I use Swype for portrait and SwiftKey for landscape), and the app will handle the tedious business of choosing the appropriate input method. It's that easy, and it works.
Mostly. The app is a bit of a hacked solution, and requires root permissions to be able to get around the Android security feature which prevents applications from changing the input method. Installation is not always straight-forward (instructions are available in the first post of the application thread, and it may cause a few software keyboards to force-close if you change orientation while the keyboard is displayed. The current version (1.1) has come a long way from the previous releases in terms of usability, stability, and reliability, and I haven't had any major issues with it. I highly recommend that you give this application a shot and see if it will help you out with your input needs.
Update (2/23/11): Keyboard Manager is no longer available for free, but is now installable from the Android Market. The now-current 1.4 version has fixed most of the install issues and should be a very easy set-up for you. If you run into any issues with the purchased version, please contact the developer - he helped me solve issues specific to my device, and the application works like a charm now.
Verdict: A functional hack to auto-select the appropriate software keyboard based on device orientation.
Screenshots:
1) The optional persistent notification icon. Activating the notification will give you quick access to the Keyboard Manager settings page, and I recommend you leave it enabled until you get things set up the way you want. After that, disable the persistent notification at your own risk (the persistent notification keeps the process in the foreground and prevents Android from terminating it).
2) Settings screen
3) Selecting which keyboard to use
4) Demonstrating that the app has automatically selected Swype for portrait...
5) .... and SwiftKey for landscape.
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
Shift Puzzle Game [GAME]
App Name: Shift Puzzle Game (v.1.2, @AppBrain)
Developer: Handmark
Price: $1.99 (Free ad-supported version here or @AppBrain let's you try out 15 levels; full version features 40 additional levels and no ads)
The Shift Puzzle Game is a tasty Android port of the ever-popular SHIFT game by Armor Games, which you can play free in your Flash-enabled browser at the Armor Games website. If you're not familiar with the original (as I wasn't until I found this app just an hour ago), then let me fill you in on the skinny.
Shift is a new take on the classic adventure-puzzle platformer game. Your mission is to get from point A to point B, dodging whatever nasty traps and obstacles may be in your path. The twist is the ability for you to literally shift the game universe upside down. White becomes black, up becomes down, and you find yourself walking on the flip side of the surface you were just standing on. You can (and will) use this clever maneuver repeatedly in order to successfully navigate each challenging level. Not quite tracking? It can be rather tough to explain... Hopefully the screenshots below will help clear it up (or go play the flash version for free here).
This implementation for a touchscreen device is phenomenal. The controls are large and appear on either side of the landscape display - and you don't even need multitouch. Just tap the left arrow to move left, the left-up diagonal to jump left, and the SHIFT button at the top to do that groovy shift thing. The gameplay is engaging, and the levels can be quite challenging (and quite addictive). The game is worth trying out (the free version) solely for experiencing the joy that is puzzle-solving by twisting the fabric of the universe, and you might just get hooked enough to purchase the full version. It would be two bucks well spent.
Verdict: Quickly becoming my latest Android gaming addiction.
Screenshots:
1) Main menu
2) First level
3) First level - SHIFTED!
4) It gets twisted!
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
This is a little off topic but is anyone attempting a Tor app?
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App
jinsfch said:
This is a little off topic but is anyone attempting a Tor app?
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just slightly off topic, but no worries.
A quick search on AppBrain found Orbot: Tor On Android. Impressive, since Android still doesn't have proper proxy support on its own...
Can't find clutch video on youtube...
Btw,i think swipepad is better than it as swyping from the bottom is easier than from the right
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
waichung said:
Can't find clutch video on youtube...
Btw,i think swipepad is better than it as swyping from the bottom is easier than from the right
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I looked for Clutch videos as well and was disappointed to see that there aren't any. I may try to shoot a video once I get home from the desert in a few weeks (hopefully).
You can change the position of the Clutch region to really any spot on the screen. And I don't really see the two as competing anyway as they have entirely different purposes: Clutch gives you quick access to your recently-executed apps, while SwipePad offers a fixed menu of apps for you to launch.
codesplice said:
I looked for Clutch videos as well and was disappointed to see that there aren't any. I may try to shoot a video once I get home from the desert in a few weeks (hopefully).
You can change the position of the Clutch region to really any spot on the screen. And I don't really see the two as competing anyway as they have entirely different purposes: Clutch gives you quick access to your recently-executed apps, while SwipePad offers a fixed menu of apps for you to launch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The likely alt-tab function of clutch is really fantastic but does it show the recently-executed apps or the running apps? I use swipepad together with the virtual task switcher which allows switching among the running tasks. These 2 apps are completely free and no need to paid $1 for the "swipepad: tasks". But I prefer quick accessing recent tasks to showing those apps running at the background.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
waichung said:
The likely alt-tab function of clutch is really fantastic but does it show the recently-executed apps or the running apps? I use swipepad together with the virtual task switcher which allows switching among the running tasks. These 2 apps are completely free and no need to paid $1 for the "swipepad: tasks". But I prefer quick accessing recent tasks to showing those apps running at the background.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The set {recently-executed} apps includes the subset {running apps}. The default behavior of Android is to show all recently-executed apps under the Recent Apps functionality, regardless of whether those apps are still running or have been terminated. I thought that Visual Task Switcher behaved the same way, but based on the application page it does appear to only display currently-running apps. Personally, I prefer to see recent apps (with a visual distinction between those that are still running and those that have been terminated), as I often end up re-launching the same app over and over; of course, you could also just pin a shortcut to those frequent apps to SwipePad. We all operate our devices in different ways, so either option is of course valid.
Visual Task Switcher (at least the last time that I used it) tended to make my phone lag significantly for whatever reason; I did use it for quite some time though, and was pleased with its functionality as a complete Recent Apps replacement (after configuring the long-press home trigger to launch it via CyanogenMod settings). Also note that the free version includes ads (which may contribute to the lag I was experiencing?) while the full version will set you back $1.99.
3D graph is program for drawing mathematical equations in form of 3D graph. You can write whatever equation you like and use variables x and y as you like. You enter equation in text box at the top of the screen and press Draw button to draw it. You can then rotate 3D graph by moving finger across the screen and zoom in and out with + and - buttons at the bottom of the screen. There are some predefined great looking equations available by opening menu and select Favorites option. You can add equation to list of favorites with star button, and take picture of it with camera button which will be saved to 3DGraph folder on SD card. You can use settings menu option to fine tune your 3D graph. Home page: https://sites.google.com/site/simonsand3r/novosti/3dgraphopengl.
Lates changes:
- lightning bux fixed on Android OS version 2.2 and higher. Thanks to Darwin for his help.
- optimized lights for better visual experiance
Hope you will like it.
I present here a new app. WidgetShade Free!
★With WidgetShade you can have your widgets always on hand. Just use the "+" button , or long press any empty space to add a widget. WidgetShade can be called at any moment and will show as an overlay over your active application.
To call WidgetShade you have three options.
-Tap the app icon.
-Tap the notification in the notification bar (can be disabled)
-Use the trigger area (can be disabled)
The trigger area is a white and blue zone that by default appears at the bottom right of your screen, but it can be configured. Tap it or slide your finger over it to activate WidgetShade. In the application settings, you can change the position and size of the trigger area, its visibility, or completely disable it.
IMPORTANT
To avoid android from closing WidgetShade when it runs out of memory, you have two options.
-Enable "Show notification" in the options ; or
-Go to Android Settings, then to Accessibility and enable WidgetShade
Enabling the accessibility service will prevent WidgetShade from being closed. It will not access any personal information, even if the standard android warning says that it may do that.
Widgets shown in the screenshots: Digical, Elixir2, Eye in the sky, retroClock, Gmail, and Top Contacts. These are independent applications, downloadable from the Play Store and I am not related to them in any way.
I will publish this on the Play Store this week, but I wanted to offer it here first. The PRO version will have extra features (extra pages, button bar can be hidden and configurable background opacity).
Please send feedback!
Get it on the Play Store!
WidgetShade Free
History
-------
v1.00
Intial Release
-----
v1.01
Fixes tablet layout
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v1.10
Added root option: Android requires 5 seconds to start any Activity after home is pressed. With this option, rooted phones can skip this 5 second wait.
-----
v1.20
Tablet FC should be fixed now. Sorry for all the updates, I don't have the devices to test the program. I depend on user feedback.
-----
v.130
Lots of changes!
-Many parts redone.
-Better Layout (Now defaults to 5 rows x 5 columns)
New in Pro:
-Can choose number of rows and columns.
-Can create Shortcuts to each of the 5 screens.
-----
v.132
-Fixes FC on very High res phones, like Sony xperia Z.
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v.140
-Shortcuts can be named
-Shortcuts can have custom icon (PRO only)
-Resizable button bar (PRO only)
-Better trigger area activation (Only responds to swipes, not to taps, but can be configured)
-Vibration on trigger area activation (can be disabled)
--------
v.150
-Improved root compatibility
-Improved trigger: Horizontal swipe to open widgetShade, vertical swipe to move trigger, long-press to open settings.
-Configuration app added to app list (PRO only)
-Option to completely disable the bottom button bar (PRO only)
-------
v.160
-Fixed small FC bug
-Fixed small Preferences bug
-More precise transparency options for trigger
-More precise transparency options for background (PRO only)
-More precise vertical position for trigger
-Vertical swipe and long-press for trigger can be disabled now
-------
v.170
-Translated to Spanish and Catalan.
-Options for trigger area more configurable: Now you can choose what to do on tap, long-press, and swipes.
-Added "Contact the developer" option.
-Slightly improved layout.
-Added License verification to avoid piracy (PRO)
--------
v.180
-Translated to Italian by Davide Baraglia
-Three diferent opening anitmations
-Option to tap on empty space to exit WidgetShade
-Back and settings button can be swapped, to fit Samsung (and other manufacturers) scheme
-Small bug fixes
Just downloaded. Can't wait to see what it'll do.
Sent from my SCH-I800 using xda premium
Another practical and useful app from you! I don't have a widget I always need to be able to activate, but I think the idea is really good. It's easy to configure and set up to work properly. So a good job from you, even though I don't personally have a need for an app like this.
Multi-tasking via widgets = awesome.
I added a update that should fix tablet layout. It changes nothing on phones, so you don't really need to update if you are using a phone.
Thank you for testing it!
Cooooolll...!
Another home run
Sent from my Synergized SCH-I535 using SwiftKey via XDA Premium
greatdaneduke said:
Another home run
Sent from my Synergized SCH-I535 using SwiftKey via XDA Premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you
New version!
v1.10
Added root option: Android requires 5 seconds to start any Activity after home is pressed. With this option, rooted phones can skip this 5 second wait.
I hope I don't have to update this very often. I'm quite happy as it is now
EDIT: I checked it and FC on tablets, on landscape orientation. I'll try to fix it tomorrow.
New version
v1.20
Tablet FC should be fixed now. Sorry for all the updates, I don't have the devices to test the program. I depend on user feedback.
I received report of text showing as squares in widgets. How many of you have this problem? Which device do you have? Which android version?
Thank you all!
New version 1.3b
Hi!
I completely rebased the program, so now the grid looks nicer (The number of rows and columns). It is now a 5x5 grid, because for some phones you were getting weird grid values like 4x2 or 4x3.
I hope you like it
Great app. Reminds me of that Mac OSX feature that does this same thing. Will definitely buy (once I get money). Cool.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA Premium HD app
Really like where this app is heading. Reminds me alot of Intelliscreenx when I was using the iphone. waiting for a revision or 2 before getting the pro app to support. A suggestion maybe? How about an option for setting a trigger for when the notification shade is down, swiping left and right would activate the widget shade?
davtse said:
Really like where this app is heading. Reminds me alot of Intelliscreenx when I was using the iphone. waiting for a revision or 2 before getting the pro app to support. A suggestion maybe? How about an option for setting a trigger for when the notification shade is down, swiping left and right would activate the widget shade?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is a good idea, but unfortunately I can't do that. The notification shade always stays on top of everything. This means that I can't capture events when it is down. However, you can enable the notification, which activates WidgetShade when tapped.
If you have more suggestions, let me know. I really appreciate feedback, and I try to implement all the suggestions I receive.
Fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
dapaua said:
It is a good idea, but unfortunately I can't do that. The notification shade always stays on top of everything. This means that I can't capture events when it is down. However, you can enable the notification, which activates WidgetShade when tapped.
If you have more suggestions, let me know. I really appreciate feedback, and I try to implement all the suggestions I receive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bought the pro to support. Is it possible to implement a slide to trigger option? the tap to trigger can sometimes be abit disruptive (if the trigger area is too big) or hard to use if we make the trigger area smaller.
davtse said:
Bought the pro to support. Is it possible to implement a slide to trigger option? the tap to trigger can sometimes be abit disruptive (if the trigger area is too big) or hard to use if we make the trigger area smaller.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll try to do this. This was the original intention, but I assumed that tap was okay.
You are right, sometimes I also tap the trigger area by mistake.
Thanks for your support. I hope you enjoy the added features of the pro version.
@Dapaua:
Good app. I just gave it a try, and decided to log in only to reply to you!
Here are the list of my drawbacks (mainly in UI).
1- The trigger button you need to do something with it!
I would be happy if it's possible to trigger it with long pressing (I think this is easy to implement).
2- The virtual buttons are annoying (I already got capacitive buttons to start with), and it really takes some space.
Back button on capacitive could replicate the same functionality of the virtual one, also long pressing works fine (no need for "+"). The only thing is remaining a way to enter the settings menu).
Basically, I am trying to say give us an option to remove the floating buttons on the screen.
3- A slider to better control the high/length of trigger button & transparency.
Basically, focus more on the UI aspect and you will be good on selling this app.
Good luck.
neuTrue said:
@Dapaua:
Good app. I just gave it a try, and decided to log in only to reply to you!
Here are the list of my drawbacks (mainly in UI).
1- The trigger button you need to do something with it!
I would be happy if it's possible to trigger it with long pressing (I think this is easy to implement).
2- The virtual buttons are annoying (I already got capacitive buttons to start with), and it really takes some space.
Back button on capacitive could replicate the same functionality of the virtual one, also long pressing works fine (no need for "+"). The only thing is remaining a way to enter the settings menu).
Basically, I am trying to say give us an option to remove the floating buttons on the screen.
3- A slider to better control the high/length of trigger button & transparency.
Basically, focus more on the UI aspect and you will be good on selling this app.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the suggestions.
1.What exactly is wrong with the trigger button? I am now implementing an option to only respond to swipes, and not to taps.This avoids the accidental triggering. It should be ready in a few hours (It's done, needs testing). If the problem is that it is ugly, it can be made transparent. If it is something else, tell me. I like getting feedback.
2.I agree that removing the button bar is a good idea, but I think this would be a PRO version thing. I already have an idea of how to change settings without the button bar.
3. This is a good idea, but first I want to concentrate in the core functionality. But I will implement it eventually.
I am just starting with this, I hope that in the end it will be a good program.
New version.
v.140
-Shortcuts can be named
-Shortcuts can have custom icon (PRO only)
-Resizable button bar (PRO only)
-Better trigger area activation (Only responds to swipes, not to taps, but can be configured)
-Vibration on trigger area activation (can be disabled)
For those of you who have not really dug into what you can do with Nova Launcher gestures, you are in for some fun!
The origin of my looking into it was the lack of the Battery meter that we all know exists in Android. In another thread a user pointed out that you can map a Nova Launcher gesture to expose that screen. With that, I have been tinkering for a while now seeing what else can be done. So far, I found a few useful things, but I am sure, you will find more ! One thing worth noting, THIS DEVICES MENU SYSTEM FRUSTRATES ME as many times a message will pop up saying " you need to "do something" because of "something " and when you click the message, it deep links you into the Nex's menu. In many cases that screen it exposes is like a " Huh, well dam, this screen has useful functionality, I need to access this in the future" moment. The next though is, well how do I get back to this menu again? Easy, hit the little "<" at the top of the screen to have it step back through where it is in the menu tree - WRONG! It always just takes you back to your home screen - DAM ! Well, with Nova Launcher gestures maping to activities, you can find many of these "hidden or buried" menus in the Nex.
So here goes - Note that YOU MUST have Nova launcher installed and setup to be your main launcher.
1. Open Nova Launcher
2. Tap on Gestures
3. Pick a gesture you wish to map (for testing, use pinch in - as you may have already used the good ones up - like doubletap )
4. From the next Nova Launcher menu, tap on "Shortcuts" at the top of the screen"
5. When you tap on "Shortcuts" you will now see a list of items you can map to. Select "ACTIVITIES"
6. Scroll through the list util you find something interesting > tap the item to now map to that gesture
7. Now - test your gesture !!
HERE ARE SOME VERY INTERESTING ACTIVITIES AND SECTIONS I HAVE FOUND - I have not tried these all yet (unless indicated)
- Assistant > Assistant - this is the google assistant (assuming you have it installed). Its nice to be able to call it from a gesture as we do not have a "long press" option when we are using the Nex's gesture navigation
- Battery > Power Consumption ranking
- Factory Test > any one of these, lots of cool menus and tests, including test for the pop up camera!
- FuntouchOS Launcher > There are a few here that look interesting like
- Settings > HAVE FUN HERE - lots to see!!! More comments about this below.
- Smart Click > Smart Click > .Main Activity - WOW, why cant I find this menu in the normal settings ??? This lets you map the volume down key when the screen is off to pretty much anything !! I set mine to call google assistant. It wont call it when the screen is off, but when you unlock, the assistant will be waiting there for you!
- Smart Launcher - a number of interesting things here - Have fun !
- System UI - This looks to have a lot of fun stuff, like " Marshmallow land " - ???, " Screensaver", "Sweets Box"
- VoLTEconfig > VoLTEconfig> .console.VoConsoleActivity - This brings up an entire VoLTE config menu.
-Vtouch > a few interesting things here
- Wisdom Engine > a few interesting things here (This stupid thing ends up shutting down all the mods we do ! - Maybe some clues within the 5 mappable sections here - any takers?"
----------------------------------------------------
OK SO NOW - "- Settings > " Here are a few I tested - There are over 200 settings here for you to test!
Settings>Battery>.fuelgauge.PowerUsageSummary - This brings up the hidden android battery screen that lets you see OST and battery stats
Settings> Launch Camera Quickly - This brings up a menu that lets you launch the camera by pressing the power button 2 times !
Settings > Night Mode - This brings up a night mode menu with a scheduler - Very cool!
Settings > Smart Button
--------------------------
So that's it for now. Normally I would say " no magic here" but with funtouch launcher being more like "dumbtouch launcher", there could be some worthwhile discoveries here. Please post any great finds !
-
Thank you, it would be good to have an hack also for a full multi-window experience. It's get frustrating a so big display in mono(almost) task.
I'm new in this thing, can you give me link that show how to download and install nova launcher
Quick Cursor
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
The app is free and without ads!
XDA Article
What is it for:
Helps you to use big screens easily with one hand by introducing a computer like cursor controlled with one finger by swiping from edge of the screen.
How to use:
1. Swipe from left or right margin from the bottom half of the screen.
2. Reach the top half of the screen by dragging the tracker using one hand in the bottom half.
3. Touch the tracker to click with the cursor. The tracker will disappear on any action outside the tracker or after a period of time.
TIP: While using the quick cursor, touch with another finger to open the quick settings menu.
Download
Google Play Store link
Screenshots
Telegram Quick Cursor group
If anyone wants to help by testing the internal builds before the release, please join telegram group
Credits
Quick Cursor is an alternative to the already known Reachability Cursor app. I really liked it, and I appreciated the developer attitude and his vision about the app in his replies online. Unfortunately, NiftyUI's last message about the app was on 7 October 2018 and the last app update was on 4 October 2018 and it doesn't work on most Android 10 phones. I do hope that he is ok, and give him a big thumbs up for the idea and the implementation!
Why
I saw a lot of threads and replies on XDA and Reddit for an alternative app for Reachability Cursor for a long time and I needed one too!
Monetization
The app uses the same monetization scheme as Reachability Cursor: it offers an In-App purchase for "PRO" mode which adds some more functionalities (floating tracker mode, long clicks, edge actions) and a lot of customization on each part of the app: cursor, tracker, trigger area, tracker area, cursor area, feedback. Basically this is a support for the developer (me), because the free version should be enough for most use cases.
Help needed
The app should run on Android 7.0 or later, theoretically. I tested it only on 10 devices running Android 9 and Android 10 (Pixel, Samsung, Xiaomi, Oneplus).
I need help to collect some feedback on this early version from more devices, so please send feedback anywhere (here on XDA, Telegram, Reddit, Email, Play store), including the device name and Android version.
I'm more interested in this topics:
critical bugs that won't let you use the app properly
if it works ok daily in your case
if you see any performance impact on your phone
90hz or 120hz affected?
feature requests
I need these feedback to estimate the current state of the app and how much work I have to do until I can fully release it, not early access, and more polished. I don't work as a full time Android Developer, so I don't have a lot of things necessary to test it well enough on my own (time, phones, knowledge, etc), and don't want to release the app publicly if it is not polished enough.
Thank you!
Changelog
1.17.10:
New edge actions features: https://i.imgur.com/XYjaZzY.mp4
- add possibility to configure multiple edge actions per side
- add edge action preview before triggering
- add new types of edge actions: screenshot, flashlight, lockscreen, switch to prev app, power menu, brightness control and more
- add new edge action trigger modes: instant, on release, delayed
free version: pull down notifications with Cursor (top edge action)
free version: keyboard detection is configurable
fix keyboard detection mechanism for Android 13
fix a bug with "triggers above" on landscape
remove Canvas drawer from debug menu
add 'Default' option on color preference dialog
1.16.1:
FIXED Samsung Android 12 crash bug!
add accessibility service consent dialog (Google requirement for Android 12)
update targetSdkVersion to 31 (Android 12)
update third-party dependencies
add Portuguese (Brazil) translation
update translations
fix bug with gesture navigation on tracker fling
1.15.2:
fix app detection bug for blacklist on Android 12
fix overlay bug when the app is stopped
update "Debug visuals" functionality
1.15.1:
PRO version on sale between January 17-31: 0.99$
1.15.0:
prepare for January sale
added Italian translation (Thanks to D4.gma)
added Arabic translation
added Japanese translation
added Romanian translation
fix landscape/portrait rotation bug in Quick Cursor settings
added new software for community translation help
updated multiple translations
changed font and adjusted layout
1.14.0:
improved keyboard detection on Android 12
refactored and optimized keyboard/blacklist/whitelist detection mechanism
optimized app when keyboard and blacklist app detection are both turned off
1.13.4:
long click shortcut from gesture recorder (advanced mode): release the tracker after the record starts
added "Thank you" page after buying PRO
1.12.0:
add "hide on fling" feature (enabled by default)
fix crash on experimental canvas drawer
fix crash on swipe zones settings
fix some rare crashes
1.11.4:
fix "how to use" bug
1.11.3:
fix bug on dimension changes on Galaxy Fold
fix bug on dimension changes on Surface Duo
1.11.2:
fix quick settings popup not opening bug
1.11.1:
fix landscape default config bug
1.11.0:
Landscape mode - fully customizable
Tablet support
add "Reset to default" warning popup on "How to use"
1.10.0:
improve simple triggers config (more options and easier to config)
more trigger config for free version
fix cursor preview when cursor stroke size is bigger than cursor size
switch to limited mode manually instead of automatically in case of dispatch bug
add more debug options
1.9.5:
fix wrong value displayed on Advanced mode edit
1.9.4:
first stable version (no beta)
Please rate the new version on Play Store, the older "beta feedback" was only for developer (not public)
1.9.3 Beta:
fix "Quick actions" bottom sheet back button bug
fix crash when settings are outside of min-max range
create adaptive icon
change icon to respect Android guidelines
1.9.2 Beta:
fix error toast on unlocking phone
1.9.1 Beta:
small crash fix
1.9.0 Beta:
add support for devices with adjustable screens (foldable devices)
add support for devices with configurable resolution. scale preferences based on resolution change
refactor all size preferences to float
fix floating tracker mode with move triggers above keyboard bug
fix trail bug on "hide cursor" edge action
1.8.2 Beta:
add new visual debugs
fix crash from Google Play store feedback
1.8.1 Beta:
fix crash introduced in 1.8.0 beta. Sorry for that!
fix bug with app shown as stopped in the main screen
fix bug on first use tutorial
1.8.0 Beta:
add blacklist/whitelist functionality
add action to add an app to blacklist from Quick Settings
1.7.0 Beta:
improve the debug system with debug logs
change the configurable long click distance threshold to be used for click also
fix quick settings popup bug
1.6.13 Beta:
add configurable long click distance threshold
fix quick settings tile crash
fix not registered click on fast tracker tapping
update translations
1.6.12 Beta:
add gesture recorder cancel edge action
1.6.11 Beta:
add debug for Quick Actions popup to identify a bug
fix some crashes on app opening reported on Play Store
1.6.10 Beta:
add Russian translation (thanks to Alex Procopovich)
fix translation bug on Quick Actions popup
1.6.9 Beta:
fix temporarily pause feature on Android 11
1.6.8 Beta:
fix crash on first use tutorial
1.6.7 Beta:
add info about how to prevent Android killing the app
fix gesture replay crash
fix start/stop app bug
1.6.6 Beta:
update accessibility service tutorial design and screenshot
add how to use tutorial on the main screen
update PRO features description and layout
improve debug logging
1.6.5 Beta:
update main app activity design
fix top crashes from Google Play store reports
fix crash with trail effect on some edge case
fix crash on edge cases clicking outside screen
fix crash on quick settings tile add
fix bug when clicking with cursor on the tracker (or gesture replay on tracker)
fix wrong edge tracker position on floating mode
fix gesture recorder animation when dot color is the same as recorder trail color
fix FPS debug text in debug mode
try to fix bug with keyboard detection after app update (fixed by an app restart)
1.6.4 Beta:
add Kurdish translation (thanks to Alân Yalçın)
update Turkish translations (thanks to Alân Yalçın)
fix annoying "service interrupted by Android" toast message on some devices
1.6.3 Beta:
add German translation (thanks to Holger Hartwig)
1.6.2 Beta:
add trail and cursor animations (show, hide, gesture record, click)
improve rendering performance
improve animations
add more features to "debug mode"
add toggle zone app shortcut
fix wrong detection of accessibility service as stopped
fix "accessibility settings" button not opening menu
fix crash on accessibility service tutorial
fix haptic feedback lag on some devices (ex: OnePlus)
fix shortcut with Tap-tap app
1.4.0 Beta:
add a reset to default for all settings
fix bug with preferences format and with backup (not a breaking change)
fix bug with backup not exporting the default values
update translations
1.3.0 Beta:
add translations: Dutch, Polish, Spanish, Turkish
fix wrong alignment of disable service
change warning icon
1.2.0 Beta:
add backup and restore functionality for all settings
fix edge actions wrong defaults for PRO
1.1.0 Beta:
add option to not block the system gesture navigation with triggers/tracker because of the OnePlus bug
fix wrong cursor position when using the app shortcuts (trigger the cursor from another apps)
fix overlapping triggers when multiple triggers are moved above keyboard
1.0.0 Beta:
use semantic versioning MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH (major for incompatible changes, minor for new features, patch for bug fixing)
refactor all screen coordinates and sizes
refactor all defaults and constants
refactor horizontal/vertical to left/top
all size or positioning preferences have been reset to work with the new system
fix wrong positions on devices with cutouts
fix pixelated cursor/tracker/ripple by enabling smooth anti aliasing
0.9.42 Beta:
fix bug with turn off/on
change FAQ info
0.9.41 Beta:
add new debug mode for better remote debugging
fix keyboard detection bug in Android 11 (change the detection mechanism)
fix keyboard detection bug when opening the status bar
fix bug on first tutorial auto start
fix bug with gesture recorder together with disable triggers when keyboard is visible
fix stop/start bugs when the app is stopped from different combinations
disable/enable the Android System Bug popup
move quick actions menu above navigation bar
0.9.40 Beta:
add quick settings tile to toggle start/stop
add a way to stop the app without disabling the accessibility service
fix shortcut glitch that happens randomly
add new shortcuts (start, stop, toggle and hide cursor) that can be triggered by launcher or from other apps (tasker, etc)
0.9.39 Beta:
fix crash on application startup on some devices
revert update of third party library that caused the above crash
0.9.38 Beta:
fix bug with 'limited mode' in the free version
fix problems with PRO overlay in the free version for tap behaviour
0.9.37 Beta:
fix gesture recorder preview trail position on some devices
0.9.36 Beta:
added gesture support in advanced mode (drag and drop, scroll, swipe, etc)
updated dev libraries
0.9.35 Beta:
highlight the Quick Cursor accessibility service on Android settings open
improve first run of the app
0.9.34 Beta:
fix a bug with changelog popup
add button for changelog popup in About section
0.9.33 Beta:
implemented an experimental 'limited mode' for those where the app stops working after some time or doesn't work at all
prepare settings UI for a more advanced mode that supports gesture (swipe, drag, scroll, etc)
0.9.32 Beta:
Fix a bug with slider preference
Fix multiple floating bubbles bug
0.9.31 Beta:
add description on list preferences for better UI (when keyboard is visible, edge actions, swipe mode, etc)
change almost all sliders in the settings with a new one
fix tracker glitch on "hide cursor" edge action
fix frame drops on "hide cursor" visual feedback (ripple)
0.9.30 Beta:
add changelog popup on first use after update
add info when the accessibility service can't send gesture anymore (in some devices)
fix bug on "hide cursor" edge action
fix bug on tap not recognized as tap on OnePlus launcher in some scenario
fix bug with "Hide cursor" edge action when triggered faster than the reveal animation
fix bug when tracker is tapped when the hide animation is in progress
0.9.29 Beta:
- fix multiple crashes:
- on first time use tutorial slide
- on phone rotate
- on long click through trigger zone
- when trying to detect the keyboard open/close
- on tutorial auto slide
- when stopping the app
- on click
0.9.28 Beta:
fix bug: QC activated while the keyboard was visible on some keyboard apps actions (many SwiftKey actions, share dialog from Google Keyboard, etc)
0.9.27 Beta:
fix bug: connection to Google Play store remained open in some cases and the "buy pro" dialog was displayed any time the connection was reconnected
fix bug: show the toast "PRO version activated" more times, in some rare situations, after the PRO was bought
0.9.26 Beta:
fix bug with buy pro Google Play popup randomly appear
sorry to all free users that had this bug, this was not intentional to spam the pro version
0.9.25 Beta:
add "FAQ and troubleshooting"
0.9.26 Beta:
fix bug with buy pro Google Play popup randomly appear in some rare situation on the free version
sorry to all free users that had this bug, this was not intentional to spam the pro version, it should be fixed now
0.9.25 Beta:
add "FAQ and troubleshooting" based on all the feedback received
0.9.24 Beta:
try to fix "Open Settings" from "Quick Settings" on some phones
general overall development improvements:
- clean up some old code
- fix some leaked IntentReceiver
0.9.23 Beta:
fix crash with raise triggers above keyboard on landscape
fix QC enabled on landscape on keyboard action
0.9.22 Beta:
fix bug with some lock screen configurations that never re-enabled the QC after phone unlock
0.9.21 Beta:
disable QC on lock screen
fix bug with quick settings opening when phone is locked / unlocked
fix trigger size not saving correctly on simple mode with location bottom
0.9.20 Beta:
acessibility service enable tutorial screenshots:
https://imgur.com/a/8mMsBmP
add accessibility tutorial for Samsung
add accessibility tutorial for Xiaomi
0.9.19 Beta:
fix bug on accessibility service enabled and exit back to tutorial
0.9.18 Beta:
add tutorial for how to enable accessibility service on generic device
add first time use tutorial
add trigger size config on first time use tutorial
add share button in About section
fixed bug on advanced mode: cursor height was not saved correctly
0.9.17 Beta:
add option to disable QC quick settings and fix open by mistake when touching the margins
possible fix for Android Quick Settings show for 1ms on some phones when tapping the trigger
0.9.16 Beta:
triggers can be disabled when keyboard is visible
triggers can be automatically raised above keyboard when it is visible
improve trigger performance on tap
fix "hide on outside tap" bug (not everyone affected)
fix bug in "floating tracker" mode when a long clickable element is behind the small tracker on the edge
0.9.15 Beta:
draw tracker and cursor over system apps (like Settings) (this already worked on some phones)
fix tracker "hide on outside tap" config on some phones (Note 10+, and others maybe)
0.9.14 Beta:
fix the problems from 0.9.12 Beta
0.9.13 Beta:
roll back the last release because it break something
0.9.12 Beta:
internal refactor of the code for better development in the future. for those who use the shortcut feature, you need to recreate them
fix bug with PRO in app purchase. a big change on how PRO IAP is handled in the app, hopefully nothing will be impacted for those who bought pro already
by fixing the above problems I unblocked the development on new features
0.9.11 Beta:
fixed the default position of trigger zones on some phones
improve debug on PRO version bug
0.9.10 Beta:
add XDA thread link
0.9.9 Beta:
fix navigation bar size bug when using "bottom" position
add "create a copy" in advanced mode
add feedback and news channels (telegram, XDA, Reddit, email)
add vibrations and visual feedback on click settings (both are off by default)
take into consideration navigation bar height in advanced mode
change all controls from advanced mode from PX to DP
fix bug when "inactivity hide" is disabled
0.9.8 Beta:
make trigger area to not respond to long clicks if a clickable view is behind it
fix bug when changing back to simple mode
fix "create new" zone bug in advanced mode
0.9.7 Beta:
fix overlapping triggers when "Location" is "Bottom"
add 3 options to support the developer when buying the PRO
0.9.6 Beta:
fix bug when long click is disabled (for all non-pro and some pro)
0.9.5 Beta:
remove accidental taps of trigger areas (react only to drag or long tap)
improve click performance (fix some delay issue)
create shortcut to trigger the cursor from other apps (example: FNG)
improve accessibility service performance
improve performance for timer based actions
increase default trigger size to 16dp (because of no accidental taps)
fix bug on zone delete
fix wrong position on preview in advanced mode
fix bug when changing from floating mode
0.9.4 Beta:
rename "Move area" to "Tracker area" in swipe zones preview
preview both trigger zones (left and right) on simple mode
enable dark theme for all phones
fix bug with "Override force-dark" from Developer options
probably fix the edge side action set to nothing
fix main screen scroll on small devices
XDA:DevDB Information
Quick Cursor: one hand mouse pointer, App for all devices (see above for details)
Contributors
micku7zu
Version Information
Status: Beta
Current Beta Version: 0.9.9 Beta
Beta Release Date: 2020-04-25
Created 2020-04-25
Last Updated 2020-11-07
My current to do list, which contains bugs, feature requests, nice to have, possible fixed problems, ideas, etc.
It's a raw draft of what I probably should do next:
Code:
Important features:
- OnePlus trigger bug with navigation gesture: add a warning message for OnePlus devices
- refactor all coordinates system to use only one display size (because of navigation bar/display cutouts/status bar/resolution change)
- refactor all sizes to use only one unit (dp or px)
- refactor (cursor drawing, ripple drawing, gesture recorder drawing, trail drawing) all in only one overlay view to increase performance
- cache all size operations
- default trigger/tracker/cursor sizes based on display size ratio (tall phones, small phones, big phones, etc)
- translations
- blacklist/whitelist: start/stop the app based on what app is running
- more simple configs to "simple triggers": cursor speed (slow, normal, fast), trigger position (lowest, low, middle)
- a new way to configure zones with a nice UI with visual resize and drag of the areas
- edge actions improvements: more actions, different action per left/right/top edge and each side to split in half with a nice UI to configure
- backup/import/export app configs
Nice to have:
- [experimental] "WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS" to automatically restart accessibility service when the Android System Bug appears
- [experimental] make the long click trigger faster by interrupting the event (if possible) (also edge action swipe)
- landscape mode
- Chrome accessibility mode: address bar and tabs are permanently show if there is an accessibility service enable - see if something can be done to fix this
- Cursor trail animation
- Cursor animations: on show, on click, on gesture record, on hide
- optimize images inside apk
Bugs:
- OnePlus trigger bug with navigation gesture
- Accessibility Service is not detected as enabled in some cases
- long click not working on devices with long click wrong default time
So, there are still a lot of things, and I will implement them week by week when I have some free time
Troubleshooting
Bug: The app stops working after some time
Solution: Some manufacturers (Xiaomi, Huawei, and others) are killing the background apps even when the user doesn't want that, so the user must do some special configs to disable that.
Each manufacturer has his own settings, you can check more details about this here: https://dontkillmyapp.com
Bug: "Open settings" from Quick actions doesn't work on MIUI
Fix: "Display pop-up while in background" permission should be enabled manually for Quick Cursor in the MIUI settings. This permission is specific to MIUI.
Bug: Tapping with cursor stopped working or never worked
Possible fixes:
restart the Quick Cursor accessibility service
force stop the app from the phone settings and start the accessibility service again
restart the device (this worked on many devices)
some other accessibility services are blocking the Quick Cursor accessibility service and the app doesn\'t work. This can be fixed only by manual uninstalling other accessibility services.
Unfortunately, in some rare cases on some devices, the accessibility service can't tap or click on behalf of user because of unknown reasons.
If you are in this situation, there is no fix for the moment, but please send me your device model and Android version to gather more data why this happens.
Fantastic, thank you! Got the pro version.
Something I wanted from Reachability that I'm hoping you can implement as well:
An option to have the keyboard take precedence over this app's edge triggers. To prevent accidentally activating while swipe typing.
cjxsutton said:
Fantastic, thank you!
Some things I wanted from Reachability that I'm hoping you can implement as well:
An option to have the keyboard take precedence over this app's edge screens? To prevent accidentally activating while swipe typing.
Also an option to adjust the Tracker pad's opacity, all the way down to 0% (completely transparent) if desired, would be fantastic as well. Really only need to see the cursor, not the thumb control pad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I plan to handle the keyboard by raising the trigger zones when the keyboard appears on the screen. It will be available in the next release, hopefully.
Yes, there is already an option to set the opacity to tracker, just change the opacity on the color of the tracker. Unfortunately, this customization is available only on the pro version. Settings -> Tracker -> Inside color and Outside color, change the opacity for both of them to 0.
Thanks!
micku7zu said:
Yes, I plan to handle the keyboard by raising the trigger zones when the keyboard appears on the screen. It will be available in the next release, hopefully.
Yes, there is already an option to set the opacity to tracker, just change the opacity on the color of the tracker. Unfortunately, this customization are available only on the pro version. Settings -> Tracker -> Inside color and Outside color, change the opacity for both of them to 0.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I found the opacity after my comment, so I went back and edited it as you were replying lol
Honestly an option to just completely disable them during keyboard would probably be best, if you're typing you probably aren't planning on clicking anything out of reach until you're done typing and the keyboard closes
cjxsutton said:
Yeah I found the opacity after my comment, so I went back and edited it as you were replying lol
Honestly an option to just completely disable them during keyboard would probably be best, if you're typing you probably aren't planning on clicking anything out of reach until you're done typing and the keyboard closes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally agree. The first thing I need to do is to detect the keyboard and handle it. After that, I will make it configurable:
Triggers over the keyboard
Triggers removed
Triggers moved above the keyboard
Because everyone wants it differently.
Thanks!
So we finally have an XDA thread for this wonderful app. ?
A huge shout out to the dev (@micku7zu). He is absolutely amazing and super responsive to all questions, feature requests, bug reports, etc. ??
App just dumped all my customizations and is telling me to activate pro version even though it already was. Basically acting like I just downloaded it now for the very first time and never bought it or changed any settings. Please investigate. I don't know if you just updated it or something but yeah it basically did a complete reset. Kinda sucks because I had it exactly how I wanted it, and it took a while trying to get precise numbers with that slider (I'd also recommend letting us click on the number to set it instead of just the slider).
Screenshots:
https://bit.ly/3eT6Brx
https://bit.ly/2Y7yfer
https://bit.ly/3bF6z4L
---------- Post added at 07:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:35 PM ----------
Also being able to put a little black border around the white parts of the cursor would be great. Pretty much exactly how it is now but with a thin black outline on the center dot and outer circle, to make it stand out on a white background like a webpage or something, without having to permanently change it to a darker color all the time.
Yeah, those sliders should have a custom way to input the numbers. I will work on the UI, because currently it is not that great but it does the job.
Great idea with cursor border, I noted the feature request.
About the PRO version problem, I had this bug before, and it is really strange because Google Play Store reports the purchase as not there or in pending, but the purchase was already made and reported as 'purchased' before. I integrated the Google Play Billing library from Google for in app purchases. So I just ask Google what is the current state of the purchase, the response is ok and after some time it tells me that the purchase is 'pending' or not there.
If you have the time and can help me, I can send you a debug version that will print some debug info for me to understand the problem better.
Otherwise, if you just want your app to work again, the only solution I found is to clear the cache (or the app data) of the Play Store from your phone. After that, Play Store will report again the purchase and the application will update to PRO again.
I apologize for these problems, I can't control what Play Store returns, I don't know why it returns bad data, but if you have time to help with debug, it would help me to understand the problem better.
I have updated the app to 0.9.11 Beta and added some debug information on PRO. Tap 7 times on the text below the buy buttons and a debug info will appear below! Thanks
micku7zu said:
Yeah, those sliders should have a custom way to input the numbers. I will work on the UI, because currently it is not that great but it does the job.
Great idea with cursor border, I noted the feature request.
About the PRO version problem, I had this bug before, and it is really strange because Google Play Store reports the purchase as not there or in pending, but the purchase was already made and reported as 'purchased' before. I integrated the Google Play Billing library from Google for in app purchases. So I just ask Google what is the current state of the purchase, the response is ok and after some time it tells me that the purchase is 'pending' or not there.
If you have the time and can help me, I can send you a debug version that will print some debug info for me to understand the problem better.
Otherwise, if you just want your app to work again, the only solution I found is to clear the cache (or the app data) of the Play Store from your phone. After that, Play Store will report again the purchase and the application will update to PRO again.
I apologize for these problems, I can't control what Play Store returns, I don't know why it returns bad data, but if you have time to help with debug, it would help me to understand the problem better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, I can try the debug. I haven't experienced this issue with any other apps so I'd like to help you get to the bottom of it. See latest from non-debug version: https://bit.ly/3bF6z4L
---------- Post added at 09:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:13 AM ----------
micku7zu said:
I have updated the app to 0.9.11 Beta and added some debug information on PRO. Tap 7 times on the text below the buy buttons and a debug info will appear below! Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Following these instructions doesn't produce anything. Also I completely uninstalled the app from my phone and reinstalled it and am still getting prompted to purchase the pro version, but when I try to again just for giggles it says I already own it. Yet I still can't change any pro settings - only could for a few hours after my initial purchase (pretty much until your next update came through).
This is why I hate IAP unlocks. Should just have a completely separate apps for free and pro versions. Or a separate app that's just an unlock key that doesn't appear in your app tray. That way you don't have these problems, AND the customer can refund through Google Play.
Can you please double check that you have 0.9.11 Beta from Play Store? After that, tap 7 times the text bellow the buttons: "Any of the above will unlock the same PROversion. The only ...." and then scroll down on the same page. There should be a new box with some debug information.
I have found a way to fix the problem, but I'm still curious about what data Play Store returns in your case. I will fix this in the next release.
If you want to fix it on your phone right now, there are 3 solutions right now:
1. Force stop Play Store and clear data + force stop quick cursor and clear data, after that when you tap on the buy it will work
2. I can refund and revoke the item so you can buy it again right now (or not, if you don't want pro anymore)
3. I can refund your order without revoking the item, so you will get the money back, and you can't buy it again, but the app will start working after Play Store cache data is refreshed or if you do step 1.
I'm happy to help you in any way you want. Thank you for your help!
I have the plan to fix this in the next release, but it is some work to do so it will take some time
cjxsutton said:
This is why I hate IAP unlocks. Should just have a completely separate apps for free and pro versions. Or a separate app that's just an unlock key that doesn't appear in your app tray. That way you don't have these problems, AND the customer can refund through Google Play.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First time working with billing in Android, I'm not a full time Android developer, so I did a quick study to find the best way to do it but probably I picked wrong and now it is hard to change.
There is a way to refund in app purchases as well from what I know, it's some kind of online form. It's a side project, I'm not interested in making lots of money from this app, but still want some support for the hours invested, that's why I picked the simplest solution (or what it seemed the simplest solution). Happy to give refund to anyone who has problems or doesn't like the app after the purchase, I'm responsive on any channel.
Hopefully it will be fixed in the next release and everyone will be happy
micku7zu said:
First time working with billing in Android, I'm not a full time Android developer, so I did a quick study to find the best way to do it but probably I picked wrong and now it is hard to change.
There is a way to refund in app purchases as well from what I know, it's some kind of online form. It's a side project, I'm not interested in making lots of money from this app, but still want some support for the hours invested, that's why I picked the simplest solution (or what it seemed the simplest solution). Happy to give refund to anyone who has problems or doesn't like the app after the purchase, I'm responsive on any channel.
Hopefully it will be fixed in the next release and everyone will be happy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I'm not grumbling about the money, I mean I obviously paid for it originally for a reason lol. Would just love to be able to edit it again. The remarks about disliking IAP were just an aside. I just think it would be easier to have one version with the free features, one pro version with everything. Then you don't have any extra scripts checking for the IAP history or whatever else. Cut and dry. That's just generally speaking for all apps, I've noticed this huge trend lately on IAP unlocks.
True, the IAP purchase right now made by Google is crap. They have issues unresolved for a long time: https://github.com/android/play-billing-samples/issues/122 and the overall documentation / implementation is really bad.
For my use case, I already have the plan in mind on how to fix this and to never be a problem again, so hopefully will be implemented in short time before anyone else will have this problem, and thanks for help again!
Did you have time to try the clear app data from Play Store method?
micku7zu said:
Can you please double check that you have 0.9.11 Beta from Play Store? After that, tap 7 times the text bellow the buttons: "Any of the above will unlock the same PROversion. The only ...." and then scroll down on the same page. There should be a new box with some debug information.
I have found a way to fix the problem, but I'm still curious about what data Play Store returns in your case. I will fix this in the next release.
If you want to fix it on your phone right now, there are 3 solutions right now:
1. Force stop Play Store and clear data + force stop quick cursor and clear data, after that when you tap on the buy it will work
2. I can refund and revoke the item so you can buy it again right now (or not, if you don't want pro anymore)
3. I can refund your order without revoking the item, so you will get the money back, and you can't buy it again, but the app will start working after Play Store cache data is refreshed or if you do step 1.
I'm happy to help you in any way you want. Thank you for your help!
I have the plan to fix this in the next release, but it is some work to do so it will take some time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Option 1 solved the problem for me, I didn't have to click buy again. Just a note I did have to reopen Play Store once though to sync back up. Then reopened Quick Cursor and it was good. Going straight to Quick Cursor after clearing data still had the issue but that reopen of Play Store solved it.
---------- Post added at 06:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:26 PM ----------
Got it all set back up - thanks!
Looking forward to that "disable panels when keyboard is active" and then it will be absolutely perfect! I already uninstalled Reachability, lol.
And also maybe an option to add an outline to the cursor ring and dot, with custom color/thickness, as mentioned before!
Glad that it is fixed now. Sorry for the trouble
First, I will fix this pro problem so it will not happen to more people in the future, and after that I will work on the keyboard
Hi, thanks for the effort. I would like to report that I use OnePlus 7 Pro with forced 90 Hz mode, no issues with that, smooth as should be. I will provide more feedback after some time.
Sent from my OnePlus 7 Pro using XDA Labs