Related
Avoid task killers
It is best to avoid task killers such as Advanced Task Killer. Android is designed to automatically pre-load certain applications, even if you don't load them yourself. If it starts to run low on memory, it will smartly unload the oldest running apps automatically.
Manually killing tasks will only mean they get loaded in memory again. Task killers can make the phone slow, laggy, or drain battery life more quickly.
Bookmark a contact on your homescreen
To bookmark a contact on your homescreen, long press on the home screen background and select Shortcuts. Then select Direct dial.
If you call someone regularly this can be useful as you will have a shortcut to them handily placed on your homescreen
Bookmark a web page on your homescreen
To bookmark a website on your homescreen, go into your browser and find the bookmark of the page you want to create a shortcut for.
Then long press on the bookmark and select Add Shortcut to Home.
If you regularly visit certain websites, this can be handy as you will have a shortcut to the site on your homescreen.
Create folders to tidy your Apps
If you find yourself with too many Apps on the homescreen, then you can create folders to organise them.
To start, simply press and hold on an App and drag it over the top of another App. The App should change colour/shape. Then release your finger and the two Apps will be combined into a folder.
You can then drag more Apps into this folder using the same process.
To give your folder a label, simply long press on the folder and you will be able to enter a name.
Double tap for a full stop (period)
While typing emails or notes, you can simply tap the space key twice and the phone will insert a full stop / period
Install new keyboard to improve accuracy
The standard Android keyboard is good, but not great. There are many third party keyboards available which will improve your typing speed and accuracy.
Go to the Android Market and search for 'Keyboard' to see some great alternatives, many of which are more accurate and make typing much easier.
A good one is GoKeyboard.
If you see a warning saying the keyboard will collect all information (including credit cards) just ignore this. This is just a security feature that Android shows for every third-party keyboard that you install.
Accents and special characters
If you want to type non-English letters (eg those with an accent), long-press on the relevant letter. A list of options will appear for you to select.
Access the scientific calculator
To access the scientific calculator, rotate the phone to landscape mode.
The calculator will change to a scientific one
Add email or phone number from text
To add an email or phone number to your contacts from a text message, you can long-press on the email / phone number. Then select Add to contacts
Add widget to the homescreen
To add a widget, go to the homescreen and press the Apps icon (the circle with 6 dots). Then you will see a list of your Apps with the word Apps and Widgets at the top. Press Widgets, then you will be presented with a list of available widgets.
To add a widget, press and hold on it and then position it where you want
Android Easter egg
There is an Easter egg hidden in the Android operating system. To see it, go to your Homescreen, then press Menu - Settings - About phone.
Then tap on the Android version option 5 times and you will get a surprise.
Sometimes it doesn't work, so try a couple of times. By the way don't expect to see an actual Easter Egg. That is just the name given to things hidden inside software or operating systems.
Auto focus the camera
When taking photos or videos, tap the screen where you want to focus on. The phone will automatically adjust the settings to improve the image or video
Bring up more predicted words
If you have word prediction enabled while you are typing, you can long press the middle word that is suggested. This will bring up a menu allowing you to select various other suggested words.
Browse websites in full-screen mode
If you want to browse in full screen mode, without the URL bar at the top of the browser, then you can enable this..
Open the standard browser and press Menu - Settings - Labs. Then put a check mark under Full Screen .
To get access to the browser options (that are now invisible), there is now a neat hidden menu. Slide your finger in from the left or right of the screen. A circular menu will appear with various options.
Capture a still shot while recording video
To capture a still shot while recording a video, simply tap the screen while you are recording.
This will save a still image.
Change keyboards
To change keyboards (if you have additional keyboards installed), you can switch between them by pressing the small keyboard symbol in the top left of your screen. You will need to be in keyboard input mode (i.e. typing something) for this to work.
Note: you need to have more than one keyboard installed for this to work
Change quick response texts
The phone has the ability to send quick response text messages if your phone is ringing but you can't answer it.
To change these, go to your Dialer App - Settings - Quick responses. You can only have 4 of them and you may need to edit existing ones.
Change the backlight screen timeout
To change the backlight screen timeout, go to Settings - Display - Screen. Then choose the screen time out duration.
You can also tell the phone screen to always stay lit when it is plugged in via USB. Go to Settings - Developer Options. Then check Stay Awake.
Change the screen brightness
To change the screen brightness, start from the Homescreen and press Menu - Settings - Display - Brightness.
Then choose the desired brightness setting. You can also select Automatic brightness to let the phone decide for you.
If you have auto-brightness enabled, you can also press, hold and slide the top notification bar left and right. The brightness will increase and decrease accordingly.
Check phone status and battery usage
To find out information about Signal Strength, Network Information, Remaining Battery Time and Battery Usage (by Application), go to your Homescreen - Menu - Settings - About Phone.
Check the firmware version
To check your firmware version, start from the Homescreen and press Menu - Settings - About Phone- software version
This should list your Android version, Build number and Model Number.
Copy files between your phone and PC using WiFi
To copy files between your phone and PC, go to the Android Play Market and download an app called AirDroid.
This is an extremely useful App that connects your phone to your PC wirelessly, allowing you to move files and many, many other things.
Copying iTunes songs to Android
If you have decided to ditch your iPhone in favour of Android, then there is a simple way to take your iTunes music, playlists and album art with you.
Simply go the Android Marketplace and download a Free App called Easy Phone Tunes. You will also need the computer version of the software, so go to http://easyphonetunes.com and download it from there.
Then, when that is done, turn your phone into a USB storage device (this will vary from device to device, but instructions are on the website).
Once your phone is connected to your computer, open the computer version of the software and select your device from the Easy Phone Tunes list. Then follow the instructions to Sync your media
Create folders in your Quick Launch bar
If you have used up all of your Quick Launch spaces, then there is a trick.
Once it is full, press and drag an App from the homescreen and move it over the top of an App in the Quick Launch area. Then release your finger. This will create a folder containing the original App plus the new one. This is a great way to have access to regularly used App
Create shortcut to websites on your home screen
To create a shortcut to a website on your homescreen, go to your browser bookmarks.
Then long press on a site and select Add shortcut to Home
Customise your favourites tray
At the bottom of each homescreen is your favourites tray, which consists of 5 icons. You can customise it by adding icons to the tray. If it's full however, you will first need to remove some.
To remove an icon, simply press and hold an icon. Then drag it to your desktop.
Then to add a new one, simply drag an icon from your homescreen to the favourites tray.
Enable / disable vibrate / haptic feedback when you type
To disable / enable vibrate (also called haptic feedback) when you type or press the screen, go to Settings - Language & input - Settings.
Then uncheck Vibrate on keypress.
Enable sideload of Apps
If you want to install Apps outside of the Android Market (called sideloading), then go to Settings - Security - Unknown sources.
Note: use at your own risk.
Help, I have forgotten my unlock pattern
If you have forgotten your custom unlock pattern, then don't panic.
After 5 unsuccessful tries a button should appear saying 'Forgot pattern'. Press this and you will be asked to enter your Gmail username/password.
The phone will then ask for a new unlock pattern. If you don't have a Gmail account, then you might have to either call your carrier or factory reset your phone.
Hide folders or files
If you want to hide folders or files from being index or displayed, simple put a . (full stop / period) before the file or folder name.
Make volume / music louder
WARNING: Making your volume or music louder can damage your hearing.
Most phones have their volumes limited by local laws to protect our hearing. There is a way to boost your volume however. Go to the Android Market and download an App called Volume+ (Sound Boost). There is also a free version called Volume+ Free.
You will need to root your phone for this App to work.
Make your phone run faster
Here are the top 5 tips to make your phone run faster:
1) Use only essential widgets on your homescreen - each widget consumes memory and processing power which can slow your down your phone.
2) Uninstall apps that you don't use - after awhile your phone can get cluttered as some Apps are designed to always run in the background. If you rarely use an App, then uninstall it to free up memory and CPU resource.
3) Install Apps to your phone memory - if you have an SDCard, always install Apps to the phone memory, which can be accessed faster. If you have Apps on the SDCard, then move them back to the phone memory with an App called Move2SD available from the Play Market.
4) Use Static rather than Live wallpapers - Live wallpapers consume processing power and memory. Unless you really must have them, uninstall them.
5) Kill tasks occasionally - Some Apps will run in the background indefinitely unless you kill them. Most of them won't cause a problem, but it pays to check your running tasks from time to time. Hold down your Home key and check the Task Manager.
One last thing: Don't use Task Killers. Android manages tasks very well and Task Killers just make your phone unstable and can slow it down further
note this guide is mainy to help the people who didnt recieved a manual instructions booklet along with their phone like my country(INDIA)
SUPPORT THE SOFTWARE DEVELOPER'S IF YOU LIKE THE GAME / APP BUY IT
Wow thanks! Im gonna uninstall my task killer now.
Good job! Some of this are well known but many aren't so it should be sticky subject for all who are coming into Android from wherever hey are coming.
The taskkiller part should be put in red
Another one: manage your contacts in gmail. It is bscked up accesible from anywhere and so convenient. Much easier to edit from the computer after all.
Sent from my GT-I9100T using XDA
Awesome thread op. Thank you very much!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
The calculator one only applies to the HTC calculator. In the AOSP on you swipe to the right to access advanced functions.
Sent from my HTC Wildfire using xda premium
nejc121 said:
The calculator one only applies to the HTC calculator. In the AOSP on you swipe to the right to access advanced functions.
Sent from my HTC Wildfire using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes i have htc one v soo made a compilation of what has been known to me and what is facts
if anyone with new tips pls post here soo tht i can add to the op to help others
and also a request pls statehow to take screen shots on your device's because it's different on each device
dont just say thanks hit thanks if i helped
a true lfc supporter
and a former symbian lover
sent from my awesome HTC One V running rc 2.0 by CKPV5 -using xda premium
SUPPORT THE SOFTWARE DEVELOPER'S IF YOU LIKE THE GAME / APP BUY IT
Thanks paarthdesai. Did not know about the 'double spacebar to get a period'.
Another software to connect to computer is 'Software Data Cable'.
---------- Post added at 12:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:11 PM ----------
Is there a way to save the dictionary on the sdcard and restore after full wipe/flashing custom rom?
the guide which I look for..sometimes I tend to forget small things and this guide could recall back
paarthdesai said:
yes i have htc one v soo made a compilation of what has been known to me and what is facts
if anyone with new tips pls post here soo tht i can add to the op to help others
and also a request pls statehow to take screen shots on your device's because it's different on each device
dont just say thanks hit thanks if i helped
a true lfc supporter
and a former symbian lover
sent from my awesome HTC One V running rc 2.0 by CKPV5 -using xda premium
SUPPORT THE SOFTWARE DEVELOPER'S IF YOU LIKE THE GAME / APP BUY IT
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stock ICS screenshot is Vol- and power.
I think some HTC phones have home and power
Sent from my Ainol Novo7 Elf using xda premium
k1p2n3g4 said:
Thanks paarthdesai. Did not know about the 'double spacebar to get a period'.
Another software to connect to computer is 'Software Data Cable'.
---------- Post added at 12:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:11 PM ----------
Is there a way to save the dictionary on the sdcard and restore after full wipe/flashing custom rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
backup the dictionary app via titanium backup app+ data
that should work
dont just say thanks hit thanks if i helped
a true lfc supporter
and a former symbian lover
sent from my awesome HTC One V running rc 2.0 by CKPV5 -using xda premium
SUPPORT THE SOFTWARE DEVELOPER'S IF YOU LIKE THE GAME / APP BUY IT
Very nice tips. Add one more, use Greenify App which silently hibernate your apps. It can save much battery and memory. A must have app.
Thanks
Handy tips
Thanks for the handy tips. Didn't know you could double tap for a full stop.
Should also include a homescreen icon for some websites. =]
Thanks! That task killer thing is really interesting!
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
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v1.00
Intial Release
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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)
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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
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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)
Schedule posts:
CyanogenMod 10.1 - part. 1
CyanogenMod 10.1 - part. 2
Useful links related to CyanogenMod
CyanogenMod 10.1
When it comes to the custom ROM scene for Android, the one name that instantly comes to our minds is CyanogenMod, and for good reason!
Let's take an in-depth look at CyanogenMod 10.1 and all the features it offers that make it one of the best custom Android ROMs around.
Credits for this guide must go to HQRaja
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look And Feel
One of the key philosophies behind CyanogenMod is to focus on functionality rather than design, and that’s been a great thing since ICS when Android’s design got revamped to what it is now. That’s why on the surface, CyanogenMod 10.1 may look just like pure vanilla Android, and for good reason, since it is based on pure vanilla Android, meaning you wouldn’t find even the slightest traces of HTC Sense, Samsung TouchWiz, MOTOBLUR or any such manufacturer-customized version of Android in it, as you can see below in the home screen and the app drawer of CyanogenMod 10.1.
That said, there are a plethora of changes under the hood that set it apart from plain vanilla Android. The launcher itself may look like that of stock Android, but it’s actually CyanogenMod’s own custom version called Trebuchet. If you try dragging an icon somewhere, you’ll start seeing the extra options it offers, and that’s just the start.
As you can see lower, you can not only remove the icon, but also edit it. Furthermore, CyanogenMod ships with a collection of wallpapers of its own (CM Wallpapers), in addition to Android’s default ones.
CyanogenMod Apps
You must have noticed a few extra apps in the app drawer screenshot above. None of them have been added from the Play Store (that screenshot was taken immediately after installing the ROM), but rather ship with CyanogenMod itself. They include a media player, a file browser and a terminal emulator. The former two are CyanogenMod-exclusive while the terminal emulator is same as the Android Terminal Emulator app available on Play Store.
Also, while the messaging app may look exactly like the stock one, it is in fact heavily modified to deliver a much more powerful and customizable experience. Lastly, you’ll notice an icon for Sound Recorder in the app drawer. It is actually a system app that comes as a part of Android itself, it is hidden from the app drawer by default and is accessible as a recording feature within other components of the OS; CyanogenMod adds an icon for it to provide users direct access to it.
The inclusion of a media player and a file manager ensures that if you choose not to rely on Google’s ecosystem or just want to use the ROM on a device that you want to keep offline, you already start off with all the basic apps that you’re going to need.
There is also a DSP Manager app here, as well as the cLock app that doesn’t show up in the app drawer but can be seen as a widget right on the home screen as well as the lock screen, but we’ll be taking a look at both these in the Settings section, as they are both configurable from there.
CyanogenMod 10.1 Settings
What makes CyanogenMod truly powerful is the plethora of additional settings it offers for customizing the ROM and having a more complete control over Android’s features. All these settings can be found within the default Settings app, laid out in the same settings interface that you’re already familiar with. Let’s take a more detailed look at them in the order they appear. Note that we’ll only be reviewing the settings that have been added by CyanogenMod, and will therefore skip the unmodified sections.
Cell Broadcasts
For most part, the ‘Wireless & Networks’ section of the Settings remains close to stock, though you’ll notice one new option under the ‘More…’ option by the name of Cell Broadcasts. This basically lets you choose which cell broadcast messages you want to receive, and opt out of the ones you don’t want to bother you. These include alerts for extreme and severe threats, AMBER alerts, ETWS (Earthquake Tsuname Warning System) alerts and CMAS (Commercial Mobile Alert System) broadcasts. In addition to opting out of them, you can also choose change alert settings such as notifications, sound, vibration, sound duration, text-to-speech for speaking out alerts, and showing opt-out dialog after displaying the first CMAS alerts to be able to easily disable them (other than presidential alerts).
Launcher
As mentioned above, CyanogenMod ships with Trebuchet as its home screen launcher, which looks identical to the stock Android launcher but is way more customizable, and this is where you can tweak it to your liking.
Many Android users complain about the lack of landscape mode for their home screen. Trebuchet takes care of that by adding support for landscape mode and auto rotation, which you can enable here. And if you have just customized your home screen to your liking and fear messing it up by mistake, you can set everything to stay locked in place. You can also hide the status bar to extend the home screen further, though we’d suggest you read on and see what else is in store for you in the full screen department, and you’ll forget about this option alltogether!
In the Home Screen section, you can tweak a lot of options pertaining to the way things are displayed on your home screens. Each option comes with a description to make sure you don’t feel lost.
The Drawer section lets you customize how apps are displayed in your Apps and widgets drawer. You can choose between transition effects, join the sections together and even hide apps selectively.
Lastly, you can customize the dock by changing the number of apps it displays, adding more pages to it that you can then access by swiping on it sideways just like the home screens, and more.
Lock Screen
CyanogenMod’s lock screen comes with a bunch of additional features, and the first one that you’ll notice is multiple shortcuts to directly launch the apps of your choice.
What’s more – these shortcuts are fully customizable! Just hit ‘Slider shortcuts’ under Lock screen, and you’ll be able to easily assign a different one to each slot and even select a custom icon for it.
In addition to these shortcuts, you can choose your lock screen security type, and tweak several options for the selected one such as making the pattern visible, choosing a 4×4, 5×5 or even 6×6 pattern in addition to the default 3×3 one, toggle visibility for pattern, errors and dots, and set separate custom delays for automatic screen lock after timeout and manual screen off, etc.
Themes
If you’re finding things to be a but too dull and completely stock so far in terms of looks, your patience is about to be rewarded. CyanogenMod ships with a powerful theme engine that can change the look of the entire UI based on the theme you choose. Some themes may change just the app icons on your home screens and in the app drawer, some change how the menus look, some apply to widgets as well, and then there are those that change pretty much everything. We like Android’s own stock looks but are big fans of transparency, and the awesome HOLO GLASS theme lets us apply that to the stock settings app as well as many other components of the OS, as you can see in the screenshots below.
Although no extra themes are shipped with CM by default, you can find countless options available in both free and paid variants on Google Play, XDA-Developers and many other Android modding communities – just search on Google for it and you’ll find more options at your disposal than you’ll know what to do with.
Before we move on to the next section, here’s how HOLO GLASS has changed our Dialer and Messaging apps. The background is actually our desktop wallpaper, not just a static background applied to these apps.
System
This is perhaps the most extensively customizable section of the entire ROM. Here, you can tweak major UI components such as the status bar, the quick settings panel, the notification drawer, the power menu and the navigation bar as well as toggle the expanded desktop (full screen) mode and Pie controls (yes, CyanogenMod 10.1 includes Paranoid Android’s famous controls), and customize LED notifications.
Status bar
When it comes to the status bar, you can show/hide the clock as well as choose AM/PM display, and change the battery and signal icon styles from several available options. You can even set the status bar itself as a brightness control slider that will change brightness as you swipe your finger along it.
Quick Settings panel
Starting with Jelly Bean, Android ships with a section in the notification pull-down that acts as a quick settings panel. CyanogenMod basically supercharges it, letting you customize it to your liking.
You can add, remove and reposition toggles, and also specify how some of them behave. There are plenty of options available to add, pretty much for every feature you’d want. We have customized ours to add the features we need to quickly access most often, as you can see in the second screenshot below.
For quick and convenient access, you can even set this panel to always appear by default when you swipe down from the edge of your choice (left or right) on the status bar.
Power widget
If you don’t fancy the above controls and would rather have a small list of toggles right in the regular notification shade, the Power widget can do just that for you.
You can select what buttons display in it, specify their order, and tweak some appearance & behavior settings for the widget.
Expanded desktop
Want to utilize your screen real estate to the fullest? Why not get rid of the status bar as well as the navigation bar? Just choose whether you’d want the status bar to remain visible or not in this mode, and you’ll then be able to go full-screen by selecting the option from the power button’s long-press menu.
Here is how the home screen and your apps will appear while expanded desktop is enabled. As you can see, I have set the status bar to be hidden in the first one and visible in the second one, while the navigation bar is hidden in both in this mode.
Power menu
When you long-press the power key, you get more options in CyanogenMod than in stock Android, as you must have noticed in the screenshot shown in the Expanded desktop section above. A great thing about these options is that you can choose the ones you want to be displayed in the menu.
In the second screenshot, we have stripped down the power menu to the bare essentials, removing all the additional options except for ‘Reboot’ from it to get back to basics.
Clock widget
CyanogenMod ships with a clock widget of its own called cLock that works on both the home screen and the lock screen. It’s the same widget that you have seen on the home screen and lock screen images above. In addition to the time and date, it is capable of displaying weather conditions (from Yahoo! Weather) as well as your calendar events, and all this information is customizable from here.
For the clock, you can choose between analog and digital items, toggle the display of any alarms that you have set, and customize the clock’s display colors and font.
When it comes to weather conditions, you can toggle them on/off, choose weather source, set a custom location if you want (it uses your current location by default), and tweak several visual aspects of the weather display. For your calendar events, you can specify what calendars to display events from, how far into the future to look, what types of events to show and hide and what information to display for each event, along with visual tweaks for how the events are displayed. The settings will apply to the widget on both your home screen and lock screen.
Sound
To what extent can one customize sounds of an Android device, you ask? Just take a look at the Sounds section of CM settings – it spans three screens, and that’s excluding any sub-sections! As you can see below, there are options for everything ranging from volume controls, ring mode and volume panel style to music effects, quiet hours, ringtone choice, system sound toggles, headset-related tweaks and more!
As you can see above, it’s hard to think of a sound-related option that hasn’t been considered here. All options available here are self-explanatory, as you can see in case of the volume panel style below.
This section houses two great features namely Quiet hours and Music effects (DSP Manager). Let’s take a more detailed look at each of them.
Quiet hours
The Quiet hours feature is pretty awesome; it lets you specify times when you don’t want to be disturbed, and even lets you choose the type of alerts you want to disable for notifications during these hours, including sound, haptic feedback, vibrations and notification LED.
Music effects (DSP Manager)
Remember the app icon for DSP Manager that we mentioned when taking a look at the CyanogenMod apps? It is a killer app that can tweak the sound output of your device in a way that you’ll find it hard to believe your ears!
You can enable features such as bass boost, dynamic range compression and a full graphic equalizer separately for your phone’s speaker, wired earphones and Bluetooth headsets.There are several equalizer presets available, and you can choose the strength level for any effects you apply.
Display
Unlike the ‘Sound’ section, you wouldn’t see a plethora of options under Display, but that’s because the UI tweaks have already been covered to the extreme in the earlier sections and there’s little to do with the display beyond that. However, CM still manages to squeeze an extra option in here in form of customizable auto-rotate settings.
In addition to the default on/off, you can now specify the angles your device can rotate to, and even set the volume buttons to automatically swap when in landscape mode (volume-up becomes volume-down and vice versa) that can be more optimal on some devices (depending on the volume button position).
CyanogenMod 10.1 - part. 2
Profiles
CyanogenMod 10.1 ships with a powerful profile system that allows you to set how your device behaves when different profiles are active. You can switch to a profile from the power menu (by long-pressing the power button) and then tapping Profile. Your currently active profile name is shown there by default.
These profiles aren’t limited to merely choosing the volume levels or screen brightness levels – you can specify settings ranging from features like mobile data, Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi, syncing and hotspot mode to individual volume levels for alarms, media, ringtones and notifications, and choose your desired ringing and lock screen modes for each profile.
Not only that, but you can also manage how different applications behave for each profile, which is made easy with application groups.
You can create as many new profiles as you want, or edit the existing ones to your liking. Similarly, you can add or remove apps to the existing groups, or create new groups of your own, and specify settings you’d want for them for each profile under that profile.
You can have one profile where everything is silent except for incoming calls, and all app notifications are also silenced other than for an app group you’ve created by the name of VoIP, in which you have Viber, Tango and Skype etc. Or you could have a profile in which only notifications from your social media apps are ignored – whatever your requirements, you can create a profile tailored for them.
Security
CyanogenMod offers enhanced security options for your lock screen, some of which we have looked at earlier in the Lock screen customization section. Under the Screen lock section in Security, you get more flexibility in certain options, specifically when it comes to the pattern lock. In addition to the regular 3×3, you can also set up to a 6×6 pattern for added security.
Also, you’ll notice a new option at the end of the Security section labeled SMS message limit. It lets you define how many messages can an app automatically send within a set time interval before it is deemed as suspicious activity and requires confirmation from you for any additional texts.
Language & Input
You’ll see mostly standard options over here as well, with the exception of two new ones: a Selector notification toggle, and Volume key cursor control.
In case have multiple input methods (like keyboards) installed, enabling Selector notifications will show you a persistent notification for selecting the input method to use whenever an input field is active. The volume key cursor control option, on the other hand, lets you control the on-screen cursor – where present – using the device’s volume keys.
Developer Options
Being Android 4.2,*-based, CyanogenMod 10.1 comes with the Developer options section hidden by default, so you’ll need to unhide it before you can tinker with the settings there.
unHIDE developer options -how to
Go to ‘Settings’ > ‘About phone’.
Repeatedly tap on ‘Build number’ seven times. That’s it!
You’ll see a few options added by CyanogenMod here as well, in addition to the standard options found in stock Android. You can toggle the advanced reboot menu from here that lets you directly reboot into bootloader or recovery, in addition to the normal rebooting.
The Launch Tools section here is meant to provide developers with quick access to several tools that can come handy when developing or debugging their apps. These include a vast range of tools such as Accounts Tester, Bad Behavior, Cache Abuser, Configuration, Connectivity, GTalk Service Monitor, Holo Spiral, Instrumentation, Media Provider, Package Browser, Pointer Location, Running processes, Sync Tester and Water (Live wallpaper).
Getting back to the main Developer options menu, you can also choose the root access level between apps only, ADB only, both apps & ADB, or none, toggle displaying the USB debugging notification icon while debugging mode is enabled, and enter hostname of your choice for identification in ADB mode.
Lastly, by scrolling all the way to the bottom, you can set the back button to kill the currently active app upon long-press, in order to quickly terminate misbehaving apps.
Superuser
Pretty much every custom ROM comes already rooted, and CyanogenMod is no exception. Though instead of the conventional Superuser app by ChainsDD or SuperSU app by Chainfire, CyanogenMod 10.1 comes with root management functionality built into the ROM’s settings interface itself, in form of Superuser by Koush (the guy behind ClockworkMod recovery and a senior CM developer). It works just like you’d expect – asking you for root permissions whenever an app requests them, and showing you a list of apps that you have granted or denied permissions.
From the list, you can tap an app’s entry to see its root permissions and make Superuser forget the remembered setting in case you want to change its access, which you can then do when prompted upon launching it next. In addition, you can see a log of all root access elevation attempts made by apps, and whether they were allowed or denied.
From Superuser’s settings, you can set if superuser access should be restricted to apps, ADB or both, toggle a setting that would show superuser requests from only those apps that declare that they require root access, choose the default automatic response to these requests, add a PIN protection so that no one else can grant apps root access, choose a timeout interval of your choice, toggle logging and tweak notification settings for the toasts that appear when apps are granted or denied superuser access.
Performance
If you’ve ever overclocked your Android device, you’re likely familiar with the SetCPU app. While many other ROMs would require you to use that or some other similar app to make the best of your custom kernel, CyanogenMod has everything taken care of in this department as well. Under ‘Performance’, you’ll find all the options you’ll ever need to tweak your processor, I/O scheduler and memory management exactly the way you want. You can also enable 16-bit transparency and choose a color dithering method of your choice for improving the graphics output.
For the processor, you can choose your CPU governor and set the minimum as well as maximum CPU frequency of your choice. For our Galaxy S Advance, the default CyanogenMod kernel provided a bunch of CPU governors and frequency options to choose from.
You can similarly choose your I/O scheduler, and zRam size. There are a few additional options available as well, like allowing purging of bitmap assets when freeing up RAM and setting your chosen CPU & I/O scheduler settings to apply each time you reboot your device.
CyanogenMod Updates
Found under ‘About phone’, this section is basically what OTA updates are to stock ROMs. Every time a new version of CyanogenMod is out, you will be notified of it, and can download it from here. You can choose how frequently should the ROM check for updates.
You can specify whether you want updates for the stable version only, or for pre-release versions (nightlies and release candidates etc.) as well. Your selected update will then be downloaded and applied via recovery.
This sums up our extensive tour of CyanogenMod 10.1
Useful links related to CyanogenMod 10.1
[ROM] [NIGHTLY] [TeamCanjica] Unofficial CyanogenMod 10.1 (GT-I9070 & GT-I9070P) - developer thread - do not ask sily questions there.
[CM10 / 10.1][Q/A] CM10 / 10.1 for the Galaxy S Advance - Q/A - DISCUSSION THREAD - here is the place where you can ask questions about CyanogenMod.
[GUIDE] From stock GB to Custom JB (Noob-friendly) - useful for users who are still on GingerBread
TeamCanjica' s Github
GooManager - download from Play
http://goo.im/gapps - GAPPS download from GOO.Manager
Just in case ... reserved 3
Be patiente and wait.
Coming soon ...
PS: Please DON'T QUOTE all OP anymore.
Can i install V6 Supercharger? And if i do, when i update rom, will i lose it?
Dude you have a dedicated thread for CM10.1 Q&A, this is a guide only.
PS: Later i give the links for threads where you can ask what you want.
Powered by CM10.1
Razvan, perhaps you could elaborate a bit... on differences under the hood, for example... is it more secure than stock or not? Meaning - the information we don't want to leak out of the phone without our notice...
R_a_z_v_a_n said:
Dude you have a dedicated thread for CM10.1 Q&A, this is a guide only.
PS: Later i give the links for threads where you can ask what you want.
Powered by CM10.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, sorry man.
Nice review for new people
pie control
good job, I just stayed with a doubt because in my cm10.1 the 13th does not have the pie control, have to write a command to turn on the emulator?
sory my bad english
posted in wrong thread sorry... if someone can delete it.
Amazing amazing amaaaazing guide. Just what I needed. Thank you!
Sent from my GT-I9070 using xda premium
Nice job
Great job for me as a new CM user, thanks.
Sorry for my bad english
how is the gaming performance?? does it increase or decrease??? and battery ??
[APP][4.0+] Knock Lock - put your device to sleep with simple "knock" gesture
Hello.
I am Damian and I created an app called 'Knock Lock", which allows you to tap twice to lock device, anywhere in system and without root. Why do we need this? Well, if you have HTC One M8 or simillar big device with awkward power button placement, then you know how painful can be reaching that place with your hand. Also, some devices allows you to wake it with kncking, but they are missing feature to lock it this way (I am looking at you, Sony).
There are two versions of this app:
- Free (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pl.damianpiwowarski.knocklock)
Which allows you to set invisible area on screen (you can select size of that area too), where you will be able to knock twice to lock it.
and
- Paid $1 (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pl.damianpiwowarski.knocklock.pro)
Which enables pro features in normal app, which mainly is floating option with settings for size, color, transparency and "snapping to side".
Why I post here? Mainly to get more pro-users support. I know XDA is great place for that, you helped a lot of people here.
Below I post some screenshots of app.
If I wrote something wrong here, please tell me.
Damian
To Whom It May Concerns !
I would like to introduce OneTouch Launcher for Android, a cool tool for Android devices (running Android 4.0 - API 15 and up)
How many moves/gestures do you often make to adjust volumes or start an app ? With OneTouch Launcher you will need just one touch to complete anything (well, almost, you will see)!
OVERVIEW
- You can organize apps into group tabs and launch any of them easily from a launch panel that appears upon touching the start handle.
- One-touch mode is even more convenient than usual : keep your finger touched and swipe to the desired function on the panel, when releasing the finger the desired app will launch (or the desired action will be performed).
- The start handle can be placed anywhere on screen that you want. If it is located near an edge it will be docked along that edge as a thin bar for easily swiping out.
- OneTouch Launcher for Android handles 4 kinds of content: application shortcuts, file shortcuts, link shortcuts, and a control center command actions.
MAIN FUNCTION
- OneTouch Launcher for Android works like a Start Menu popup from a Home Button, with app groups being shown in customizable tabs.
- Besides categorizing applications for easy access, you may also create shortcuts to any file or folder on your device and put them onto start menu panel for easy starting/opening.
- You may also create url links and put onto Start Panel for quick access: web url, sms composing urls with ready-filled recipients, phone call url to any phone number, mail composing url with ready-filled recipients. With this link function, all your frequent actions are just one touched away.
- System command actions are also made for you convenient use: turn off screen, screen orientation setting, switch flash-light on and off, launch calculator app, launch calendar app, open system setting panel, start google assistant (Android L), pull down notification bar, take a screen shot (Android M), launch camera app, adjust media volume, adjust ring volume, go back, go home, open recent applications screen.
- Hidden feature: Keep you finger touched over a volume command button of OneTouch launcher panel a bit, you will be able to adjust that volume by swiping left and right. Moveover, pushing your finger toward the top of your screen, this adjustment will be faster. With this feature, volume adjustment are done in just one move !
- This "long touch for more" feature also works on app shortcuts and screen orientation lock button
PERMISSIONS
For functional purposes of OneTouch Launcher for Android, following permission may be requested at appropriate circumstance:
- Appear on top: OneTouch Launcher for Android must be granted with this permission to show the start handle and the panel - this is essential for it to work.
- Storage access: in case you want to post your screen shots onto Gallery, you should allow this. This also enhances file shortcut creation function because you can then access more places on your storage when creating file shortcuts.
- Do not disturb mode: in case you want to adjust ring volume to low level
- Accessibility service: this should be turned on for following things: pull down notification bar, navigating back (for use with a browser), open recent apps screen.
- Device Administrator: in case you want to lock the screen with admin lock function. Note that this permission will have to turn off before force stop or uninstall OneTouch Launcher for Android.
- Make phone calls: this is used when you want to make a phone call from link.
- Access phone book: in case you want to add people from phone book into call-phone-link or sms-composing-link.
- Camera : this is to activate flash light in old android version device
- Start at boot time: this is to auto-start on boot
PRIVACY POLICY
By accessing or using the application, you agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy as well as our Terms of Use (“Terms”) and incorporated by reference into this Policy, and include applicable limitations on damages and disputes. IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND OR YOU DO NOT AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS AND THIS PRIVACY POLICY, YOU ARE PROHIBITED FROM USING THE APPLICATION. If you are using the application for an organization, you agree to the Terms and to this Privacy Policy on behalf of that organization. We understand and respect the importance of privacy.
What Information we collect: We do not collect any personal information.
How We Use or Share Information : We do not collect any personal information. The contact phone book is read to create links for you on the go, we don't use this information.
Cookies and Tracking: We DON’T use cookiers, don't track or use any of your information.
We DO use your camera to turn on flash light as needed.
If you have any question regarding this privacy policy, please contact us for clarification.
Enjoy OneTouch Launcher for Android !