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!
1. Say "Google" to search
If you're in America, you can open Google Now and say "Google" followed by your query to search the net. If you're not in America, you can trick Android into thinking you are. Open the settings on your device, choose "Language and input", then switch Google Voice Typing's language from "Automatic" to "English (US)". Next go to Google Now's settings and again change the language to "English (US)". You should see "Search or say Google" in Now's search bar. Faking an American accent: optional.
2. Now settings
You can open now in two ways - either swipe up from the Home icon, or swipe the lock icon up when the screen is locked. When you first start it, Now will run through the basics of what it does, and even show you some example cards. In Now's settings, you'll find each card has its own notifications settings, which apply to both the Now homescreen and the Notification shade. Standard means that new cards are accompanied by a ringtone and vibration, Low priority places them at the bottom of the list without any notification, and off, well, turns them off altogether.
3. Talk to Google Now
Google Now also includes Siri-like functionality, supplying spoken answers to your inane questions. Try things like, "what time is it in Kuala Lumpur?", "when's Tom Cruise's birthday I want to send him a card?", "how do I get home?" or "will it be sunny tomorrow?" and Now will speak the answer back at you or search the web for relevant pages.
4. Get more Google Now cards
Google Now presents relevant information such as weather and places on "cards". To begin with it may be a little sparse, but searching the web from any device will give you more. Just make sure your web history is enabled: visit history.google.com, hit the settings cog and ensure that Web History is on and not paused. Next, search Google for favourite football teams, planned flights and destinations and the relevant cards will pop up automatically.
5. Notification Shade
We previously referred to it as the "pully-down menu thing", but apparently it's officially called the "Notification Shade". Niftily, certain notifications in the shade can be expanded by sliding two fingers outwards on them, giving you an overview of the subject headers in your email inbox, for example. Moving two fingers inwards on a notification neatly contracts them, too.
6. Rotation lock
You're sitting on a plane watching a vid in horizontal orientation. Suddenly, the plane banks sharply to the left and - oh no! - the video changes orientation. This worst-case-scenario can be avoided by tapping the rotation lock in the Notification Shade, which keeps the screen in its current orientation. Tap it again to unlock the rotation.
7. Turn notifications off
Install enough apps and the notification bar at the top of your Android device becomes the digital equivalent of an unending stream of ticker tape. In fact, Airpush is an entire advertising company that makes money in this way. Fortunately, each and every app you install in Jelly Bean has the option to turn this off. Go to its info page under Apps, uncheck the box labelled "Show notifications" and enjoy your empty notifications bar.
8. Equalise your music
The ability to adjust those all-important bass and treble settings has been sorely missed on Android devices - so much so that a bunch of apps have been made to enable it. It's fixed in Android's stock music player, though. Open a music file in the stock player, hit Settings then choose Equaliser. Here you'll find manual sliders, a load of presets and bass and 3D effects. Unfortunately it doesn't work for the whole device, but it will give your tunes a little more oomph.
9. Rearrange your home screens
Long-press on any icon or widget on your homescreen and you can move it around, and other icons and widgets will shift out of the way to fit it in. Bigger widgets can also be resized by long-pressing and releasing them, and then dragging the circles that appear on the edges. It's actually quite fun and satisfying. We just spent three hours doing nothing but this.
10. Fling to remove
Homescreen app clutter (surely the worst of all types of clutter) can be quickly and easily defeated. Long-press an icon or widget, then fling it upwards and it'll ascend into shortcut heaven. This won't uninstall the app, though - it'll still reside in your app drawer.
FYI, the original article that you copy and pasted this from, lists 50 tips and tricks...
(Copying and pasting articles is bad mmmkay?)
These are some of the more interesting new features from the owners manual that was posted earlier. They are "new" compared to the N2 but quite a few of them are carry over from the SGS4. Most of the really new stuff on the N3 is centered around S Pen and inking. A lot of thought has been put in to enhancing multiview also. The camera appears, at least functionally, to be the same as the SGS4's.
S Pen nib is replaceable
Air jump - While viewing emails or web pages, move your hand up or down across the sensor to scroll the page up or down. (Vertical)
Air browse - Move your hand to the left or right across the sensor to browse images, webpages, songs, or memos. (Horizontal)
Air move - Tap and hold an icon with one hand, and then move your other hand to the left or right across the sensor to move the icon to another location. While using the daily or weekly calendar, tap and hold an event, and then move your other hand to the left or right to move the event to another day or week.
Air call-accept - When a call comes in, move your hand to the left, and then to the right across the sensor to answer the call.
The Menu button and the Back button can be used by the S Pen.
With Air Command you can directly use the following actions:
Action Memo: Write a memo, and then select it by drawing a line around it to take actions related to the memo.
Scrapbooker: Collect a variety of content and save it in Scrapbook. (p. 141)
Screen Write: Capture a screenshot and edit it.
S Finder: Search for a wide variety of content on your device. (p. 139)
Pen Window: Launch multiple applications in specified areas on the screen.
Action Memo can be launched directly by double tapping the screen. Jot down or draw a memo, and then select the memo by tapping to perform various actions, such as making a call, adding contacts, sending messages. With selected, draw a line around an area with the S Pen to perform actions with the selected area.
Selecting and capturing an image - With the S Pen button pressed, draw a line around an area to select it. If necessary, use one of the following options:
Restore the original selection.
Convert the selection to circular shape.
Convert the selection to rectangular shape.
Customise the selection.
Select an application to use with the selected area from the icons that appear at the bottom of the screen.
Air view - Use this feature to perform various functions while the S Pen or your finger is hovering over the screen.
Samsung Smart Pause - Use this feature to pause videos when you look away from the screen.
Samsung Smart Scroll - Use this feature to scroll the screen up or down by tilting your head or the device.
Using Multi Window applications - While using Multi Window applications, select an application window, tap the circle between the application windows, and then use one of the following:
Open a list of recently-used applications in the selected window.
Switch locations between Multi Window applications.
Share items between the application windows. Drag an item to share from one ]window to another. Some applications may not support this feature.
Close the application.
Direct pen input - When hovering the S Pen over a text field, icon appears at the upper left corner of the text field. Tap to write with the S Pen. To make simple corrections, change input languages, or enter a space between characters, tap each correction tool displayed on the handwriting pad. When this feature is enabled, you can do the following actions:
Send a handwritten message.
Make a call by writing a contact name or a phone number on the keypad.
Set an alarm just by writing numbers.
Browse the Internet by writing web addresses.
Translating and sending messages - To use the translating feature while composing a message, tap → Translate, drag the Translate switch to the right, set a language pair, and then tap OK. The translated message will replace the message of the source language.
Group Play - Use this application to enjoy moments with your friends by sharing and playing content. Create or join a Group Play session, and then share content, such as images or music.
WatchON - Use this application to connect to a TV to watch your favourite shows and movies.
Smart stabilisation: Set the device to automatically detect darker conditions and adjust the brightness of the photo without the flash.
Audio zoom: Make louder the sound from the zoomed subject while recording.
Making video clips - Create video clip, select images or videos by ticking multiple still photos. Enter a title, select an effect option, the video clip is saved in Gallery
Making image collages - Select item, select two to four images by ticking, and then tap → Create collage. Select a style at the bottom of the screen, and then tap to add images
Story Album - Use this application to create your own digital album to keep your stories by organising the images neatly and automatically.
Using Popup Video player - Use this feature to use other applications without closing the video player. While watching videos, tap to use the pop-up player. Spread two fingers apart on the screen to enlarge the player or pinch to reduce it. To move the player, drag the player to another location.
My Magazine - Use this application to make your own social magazine. On the Home screen, flick your finger up from the bottom of the screen, or press the Home button. To set up your magazine tick categories and topics. Flick left or right to change the category, flick up or down to turn over magazine pages, and then select an article to read. While viewing a page, tap to use the following applications:
Make a call.
Launch Camera.
Send a message.
Launch Google search.
Open the web browser.
Open the Applications screen.
While reading an article, use the following icons:
Go to the previous page.
Set the article as your likes in Facebook.
View others’ comments about the article.
Set the article as your likes in Flipboard.
Add the article to your Flipboard magazine.
Share the article with others.
S Health - Use this application to monitor your health by managing intake or burnt calories.
Walking mate.
Exercise mate.
Food tracker.
Comfort level.
Managing weight
S Translator - Use this application to translate text into other languages.
S Finder - Use this application to search for a wide variety of items on the device, including emails, documents, images, music, applications, and more.
Scrapbook - Use this application to create your own digital scrapbook with content from webpages,videos and more.
KNOX -Use this application freely use your device for both work and personal use.To secure your data, KNOX and associated data is deleted when the password is entered incorrectly several times.
Display -
Screen mode –
- Adapt display: Use this mode for optimising the display according to the displaysettings.
- Dynamic: Use this mode to make the display tone more vivid.
- Standard: Use this mode for normal surroundings.
- Professional photo: Use this mode to make the display tone look like real colours.
- Movie: Use this mode for dim surroundings, such as in a dark room.
Display Settings -
- Reading mode: Select which applications will use reading mode. In reading mode, the device helps protect your eyes when reading at night.
- Auto adjust screen tone: Set the device to save power by adjusting the brightness of the display.
- Daydream: Set the device to launch a screensaver when your device is connected to a desktop dock or charging.
- Auto rotate screen: Set the content to rotate automatically when the device is turned.
- Edit after screen capture: Set the device to edit the screenshot after capturing it.
Lock screen - Change settings for the locked screen.
Screen lock: Activate the screen lock feature. The following options may vary depending on the screen lock feature selected.
- Multiple widgets: Set the device to allow use of widgets on the locked screen.
- Clock widget options: Configure settings for the clock widget.
- Dual clock: Set the device to show the dual clock.
- Clock size: Change the size of the clock.
- Show date: Set the device to show the date with the clock.
- Weather: Set the device to show weather information on the locked screen.
- Shortcuts: Set the device to show and edit application shortcuts on the locked screen.
- Personal message: Edit the personal message.
- Owner information: Enter your information that is shown with the clock.
Unlock effect: Select an effect:
- Ink effect: Change the colour for the ink effect. The ink effect is available only with the S Pen.
- Wake up in lock screen: Set the device to recognise your wake up command when the screen is locked.
- Action Memo on lock screen: Set the device to launch Action Memo when you double tap the locked screen with the S Pen button pressed.
- Help text: Set the device to show the help text on the locked screen when you unlock the screen.
Enough to upgrade. Direct pen input is really innovative
Sent from the New S Pen
^^ ****load of features...
Did anyone see anything similar for GN3?
Start at 2:06
When you guys are receiving yours?
Can't wait for a more in-depth review based on a daily use experience :good:
Seems that here in Holland the pre-orders are rolling out this week
.
---------- Post added at 10:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:50 PM ----------
BarryH_GEG said:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, where is that metal detector sensor mentioned on the other thread? :laugh:
.
CLARiiON said:
^^ ****load of features...
Did anyone see anything similar for GN3?
Start at 2:06
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did not see multitasking in the split window on the Note 3 - only vids I found were the copy/paste to different chat windows.....
Sent from my Galaxy Note 3 using Tapatalk
CLARiiON said:
^^ ****load of features...
Did anyone see anything similar for GN3?
Start at 2:06
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes these multitasking features are available in note3...
Very cool! I love how the SPen can be used with the Menu and Back soft-keys. Does anyone know if the SPen can emulate pressing the Home button using the Air Commands or perhaps clicking on the SPen button?
Display Settings -
- Reading mode: Select which applications will use reading mode. In reading mode, the device helps protect your eyes when reading at night.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is also intriguing. I currently use Screen Filter to really darken my N2's screen to allow for night-time reading. I'd be curious to see exactly how dark the N3's built-in Reading Mode will make the screen.
It's not clear to me whether app shortcuts can be used on a password-protected lockscreen. This has long been a complaint of Android, and is one of the few things that iOS does better. I'd like the ability to use "whitelisted" applications so that I don't have to unlock the entire phone just to use, say, the camera. Basically, I click on the app on the lock screen, and immediately use it. I don't care if the phone is lost/stolen and a stranger takes pics with the "whitelisted" camera shortcut (if anything, it would be helpful because I have all photos set to upload automatically to Dropbox, and if my phone is lost/stolen, I can check to see what pics someone might be taking with it, including any selfies which might help to identify the perp!).
I do not know if it was confirmed till this day- the slapdragon 600 variant of S4 had the Exmor R version of that 13 mp camera whilst the Exynos one got Exmor RS. Which Exmor version did the slapdragon 800 get?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Being a subscriber to Google Play Music and someone with several different DLNA renders and even a few AirPlay receivers in my home and car I am deeply disappointed with the lack of integration for either of these services into both GPM app and even just Android in general. Especially since my wife has an iPhone and audio streaming is as simple as a swipe and a click for her. Now AirPlay I can at least give a pass to since it is a direct competitors protocol, but the lack of DLNA support is confusing to me honestly.
Now I am already aware of several solutions out there that allow you to capture system audio and stream via DLNA; my first attempt was with BubbleUPNP's audio cast feature, and although it did what I was looking for I was less than happy with the time it takes to get music playing each and EVERY time I want to use it to stream.
So basically I have found a way to alleviate this with a combination of two applications. Essentially by the end of it I am now able to simply swipe down from the right side of my status bar and simply toggle all the different receivers in my home and car on and off. So if your someone like me, with a lot of audio receivers everywhere, this could be VERY useful, simply by alleviating the hassle of having to mess through so many menu's just to get a song playing. The only downside for some might be that both of these apps are PAID applications and so you might have to shell out some cash to get this up and running. But honestly I am more than willing to support these awesome developers.
So without further ado lets get to the good stuff.
1. Firstly you will need root as one of these apps require it.
2. The two apps you'll need for this are AirAudio and Snap Swipe Drawer
*I know there are other apps that can do it but AirAudio has a few advantages and a critical feature we will need. One it works with a ton of different streaming protocols including AirPlay, DLNA, AllPlay, Fire TV, Google Cast, etc. The critical piece of this software though is that it comes with togglable widgets which we will need to accomplish our goal of simplicity!!*
3. So now that you have both apps up and running open AirAudio first and make sure you locate and connect to all of the receivers your wanting to set up for quick access and least once. It has to connect at least once in order to be able to make a widget out of it. Also run through its settings and make sure everything is set to your liking. You might want to name each of your receivers something unique and simple as well.
4. Now that AirAudio is setup we can go into "Settings > Apps > AirAudio" and completely block all notifications for this app. Technically this is optional but it goes a long way to make this implementation clean and it keeps your notifications drawer free of clutter when its connected. Won't be a loss really since you can control the receivers volume with your hardware buttons anyway and your music app of choice most likely already has a notification.
5. Now we are going to make this truly powerful and convenient! AirAudio comes with some nice widgets that make toggling a receiver as simple as a single click. Only downside is that you can normally only have them on your home screen and they take up screen real estate, while also looking kinda out of place. Thanks tough to our second app: Snap Swipe Drawer, we can create a dropdown of widgets of our choosing that we can access from any screen, any time!
- Open Snap Swipe Drawer and open "preferences" from the top right menu. In here you can set it up to your liking. Most importantly do you want your drop down to come from the right, left or center when you swipe down from the status bar. You may also wish to enable the accessibility service to make the transitions and behavior smoother.
- Now go back to the front page and click the FAB button with the "+" in the bottom right corner. Choose AirAudio widget and choose your first receiver! Once its in the list click it and configure it so that Columns=4 and Rows=1. This is the most pleasant for my taste at least but feel free to configure to yours if you like. Thats it, Now swipe down from whichever side you chose in "preferences" just as if your trying to open your notifications and a new menu will drop down containing your new widget!!
6. Profit!! Repeat for every receiver you need and there you go! You can now toggle audio streaming just as quickly, and painlessly as IOS users can, from any screen! And we have the added benefit of having more than just AirPlay available to us, compared to IOS, thanks to the power of Android!!!
I really hope this guide helps somebody else as much as it helped me. Not everybody uses streaming audio on the daily but for those that do this will be a game changer!!!
---Just a small tip to make it even better. I am an xposed user with GravityBox and in GB under "Satusbar tweaks > Quicksettings Management" I have "quick pulldown" set up from the left and also I have Snap Swipe Drawer setup to open from the right. I also have "auto switch quicksettings" in GB set to "When there are no notifications". Basically what this accomplishes is that if I want to see notifications I swipe down from the center. If I want to get right to my quick toggles I swipe down from the left, and if I want to toggle a DLNA/AirPlay receiver I swipe down from the right.
---Also use your imagination, you can use any widget available SSD app so you can make your experience even more customized and useful by playing around with it some more and getting your moneys worth.
Hi,
I have sound on phone and sonos in same time...
Is it possible to have sound only on Sonos ? Root + Module OK...
Thanks
Hey there,
AirAudio has been kicked by Google because they didn't like a link to a rooting-website inside the description anymore, written 7 years ago.
Its successor is called AirMusic and allows to stream some apps (eg. YouTube, YT Music, Deezer, PodcastAddict , radio.de, Plex and more, you have to try it out) without root on Android 10+.
On rooted devices, all audio can be transmitted.
No Thanks
I have no idea about these but I will try to my best.
does anyone have any experience with the Ticwris Max Android SmartWatch? mine is freezing at least twice a day, and fails when trying to do firmware updates.
Mine failed too, how did you recover?
I own one and 6 months ago the screen went blank and staticky. I have been looking for someone to repair it and have emailed ticwris and kospet at least 4 times each but no one even bothers to answer. Any suggestions?
au.ant0ni said:
does anyone have any experience with the Ticwris Max Android SmartWatch? mine is freezing at least twice a day, and fails when trying to do firmware updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recently got the Ticwris Max S and so far it's been great. The connection to the phone drops every now and then though. I haven't done the firmware update yet. Mine says it's on V1.9_20201221_20201221-2014.
I'm looking to customize it to get Nova Launcher working and for it to hopefully work to get notification from my phone like my TicWatch Pro 3 GPS is a phone companion.
I just bought a DM101 Max S (unbranded) running on Android 7.1.1 and so far I havent found any custom ROM for it.
These watches go by the name LEMFO, LEM 4, LEM T, TICWRIS, DM98, DM99, DM100 MAX, DM101 MAX S, etc..
Does anyone know about these watches? Theyre high quality little smartphones basically. If only the ROM was customized a bit more for app font scaling and size of font on apps. It runs apps but the font is so small on some and so are nav buttons (on most apps).
The best thing is I installed Blockchain app on my watch and now I can access my bitcoin wallet on this thing! insane!!
I also installed Chime, Cashapp, Facebook Messenger and they all run fine, but some have such micro sized fonts as I said.
Maybe someone can develop a magnify app that expands areas for this watch.
So Im requesting anyone whos interested to start tweaking this cool watch! Ill be trying a few things like trying to root my DM101 Max S, creating a magnify tool for expanding app interfaces.
PLEASE SOMEONE HELP DEVELOP THE FIRST ROM EVER FOR THIS AWESOME WATCH!
IM GOING TO TRY TO COPY MY ROM FROM MY WATCH AND UPLOAD IT HERE. ITS ANDROID 7.1.1
GeoffM said:
Mine failed too, how did you recover?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know these watches can be flashed. Ive read that the ROM on it can go bad (largely due to premature ROM development). The trick is to not go overboard with apps. install only a few apps. the ROM isnt stable from the get go. There is a flash tool I saw somewhere with the ROM to reflash it. There is also a way to boot into recovery on the Max and Max S. Ill try to find it all and upload it here.
missionman said:
Does anyone know about these watches? Theyre high quality little smartphones basically. If only the ROM was customized a bit more for app font scaling and size of font on apps. It runs apps but the font is so small on some and so are nav buttons (on most apps).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here are 2 things that may help.
1. Go to settings, scroll to the bottom and click more, scroll down to third-party apps adapter and turn it off (this causes apps to "fit" the screen better by reducing the size to the elements in the app, you don't want this).
2. download and install an app called Hidden Settings on the play store. In the app hit the search bar and type accessibility, the setting you are looking for should be the 1st of three results. Within that setting scroll down to font size and set according to your liking. There may be some text that is small but this should help.
I've had my Ticwris Max for a few days now and the more I discover the more I'm enjoying this watch.
knowledge5106 said:
I recently got the Ticwris Max S and so far it's been great. The connection to the phone drops every now and then though. I haven't done the firmware update yet. Mine says it's on V1.9_20201221_20201221-2014.
I'm looking to customize it to get Nova Launcher working and for it to hopefully work to get notification from my phone like my TicWatch Pro 3 GPS is a phone companion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just got my Max S yesterday. I have it running through Nova Launcher (pro) and so far it's been a lot smoother compared to the default launcher. I'm also using a "sync notificator app" to forward my notifications from my main phone.
I'n my opinion the watch has a lot of potential. Just need to figure out a few minor issues.. like lack an always on display volume controls and/or Navigation overlays disappear (and the apps premission settings get reset to once the screen is locked.
ninpo said:
Here are 2 things that may help.
1. Go to settings, scroll to the bottom and click more, scroll down to third-party apps adapter and turn it off (this causes apps to "fit" the screen better by reducing the size to the elements in the app, you don't want this).
2. download and install an app called Hidden Settings on the play store. In the app hit the search bar and type accessibility, the setting you are looking for should be the 1st of three results. Within that setting scroll down to font size and set according to your liking. There may be some text that is small but this should help.
I've had my Ticwris Max for a few days now and the more I discover the more I'm enjoying this watch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you ninpo! I really appreciate this. Ill try it out. Im working on a dark mode next. If its not in hidden settings Im going to try to modify the firmware image and other various tweaks with Android SDK and other tools.
Theres not much more to be displeased about. This watch is awesome.
For those who need the info, here is the USB wiring diagram and useful photos for the DM100 Max and DM101 Max S for whatever reason you might need them for. I found it useful for buying DM98 and DM99 chargers which are way better than the box shaped charger the DM101 comes with. The thing is so loose and doesnt stay in place. Thats where mods or other chargers come in. HOWEVER, you must place the charger of the DM98 or DM99 in the PROPER ORIENTATION with respect to the contact diagram.
Reverse this and you can burn out your watch. Heres a diagram of DM98, 99 charger as well. They line up fine. Only thing that may/may not line up is the magnets but mods are up to you. Ill post about it as soon as I get my DM98 charger.
ninpo said:
Here are 2 things that may help.
1. Go to settings, scroll to the bottom and click more, scroll down to third-party apps adapter and turn it off (this causes apps to "fit" the screen better by reducing the size to the elements in the app, you don't want this).
2. download and install an app called Hidden Settings on the play store. In the app hit the search bar and type accessibility, the setting you are looking for should be the 1st of three results. Within that setting scroll down to font size and set according to your liking. There may be some text that is small but this should help.
I've had my Ticwris Max for a few days now and the more I discover the more I'm enjoying this watch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So i turned off 3rd party app adapter like you said.
Next, which app of hidden settings do i pick for this watch? There seems to be some bad ones. I cant tell which one to install..
missionman said:
So i turned off 3rd party app adapter like you said.
Next, which app of hidden settings do i pick for this watch? There seems to be some bad ones. I cant tell which one to install..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The one that I'm using is called "Hidden settings for Android" by developer, Common Tools.
I've seen " Settings Search" heavily recommended here but like you, I've found many with that name and wasn't sure which to use.
For those that are interested, I've uploaded a screen recording of my Ticwrist Max home screen setup on YouTube. Take a look if you're so inclined.
Ticwris Max home screen setup
ninpo said:
For those that are interested, I've uploaded a screen recording of my Ticwrist Max home screen setup on YouTube. Take a look if you're so inclined.
Ticwris Max home screen setup
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I posted this on another forum but thought it might be a good fit here it describes my setup in greater detail.
Launcher:
The launcher that I'm using is called Lightning launcher. Lightning launcher is a highly customizable launcher that allows you to have an unlimited workspace. The launcher gives you complete control over all desk top items such as widgets, shortcuts, icons, and text. These items can be resized, rotated, placed on a grid, or placed freely within the desktop space. The launcher also allows for unlimited horizontal and vertical scrolling. Items placed on the desktop can have up to six assignable actions using gestures such as swipe left, right, up, down, tap, and long press. Assignable actions can include launching apps, shortcuts, and system actions. You can even have multiple desktop setups and easily switch between them. That is just a small sample of what this launcher is capable of. My current setup has a center page with an additional page to the left, right, top, and bottom of the center page.
Home page widgets:
I have two widgets on my home screen, BobclockD3, and Battery Reborn 2020. I've added seconds above the clock widget using lightning launchers dynamic texts feature. I have assigned gesture actions to the widgets in my setup.
Long pressing the clock widget opens the native clock app.
Tapping the battery reborn 2020 widget will give you comprehensive data and stats about your battery.
Long pressing the battery widget will launch an app called flashlight. This app simply turns your screen bright white which you can use to softly illuminate your surroundings in the dark. I like it because it does not kill your night vision but provides just enough illumination to see your immediate surroundings.
Swiping left on the battery widget opens a lightning launcher folder which slides down from the top right of the screen. This folder is a three-page vertical scrolling folder with each page holding three apps. The apps in the folder include Gmail, Google Voice, Google Duo, YouTube vanced, calculator, hi-q voice recorder, watch Droid assistant, Google translate, and wyze (home video surveillance monitoring app).
Swiping up on the battery widget opens the app drawer. The app that I am using for the app drawer is called JINA drawer. I like this drawer app because it is highly customizable and it gives you a great deal of information about your apps as well as the ability to manipulate the apps such as uninstalling, hiding, etc.
Top page:
The top page contains a lightning launcher panel that holds a calendar widget and an agenda widget. These widgets populate the entire screen and can be scrolled horizontally. The app that I use to get the widgets is called Digical, I am using the pro version.
Bottom page:
The bottom page contains a widget called weather & clock widget for Android.
Left page:
They left page contains a widget from an app called YMusic. This app is similar to YouTube music and allows for background play, audio and video downloads but is free. I like the widget because it fills the entire page with the album art of the song that I am listening to.
Right page:
The right page contains a widget from an app called accupedo. I prefer this app over the stock step counter because it gives you a lot more information in the app as well as within the widget. The widget is long but not very tall so I added static text from lightning launcher saying "Step Count" to help fill the screen out a bit.
Navigation:
For navigating the phone I use an app called fluid navigation. The way I have it configured, a short swipe from the bottom center is for home, a long swipe from the bottom center launches Google voice assistant. A short swipe from the bottom left would open a volume app called ultra volume this allows you to have many different volume panel setups, the one that I'm using is a horizontal bar that populates the entire bottom width of the screen. A long swipe from the bottom left would launch the native volume control panel. Swiping long or short from the bottom right would launch my app drawer. A short left swipe from the right bottom half will execute the back command, and a long swipe left will open the recents menu. A short swipe downwards from anywhere along the top will launch the bottom navigation bar app, and a long swipe will drop the navigation panel. I customized my navigation panel with an app called power shade, I have the paid version.
Apps:
I have quite a few apps loaded on the watch too many to mention here as this post is already very lengthy. Feel free to check out the video that I posted in this thread and you can pause while I'm scrolling through the app drawer to get an idea of some of the apps loaded on the watch. I have added a few more since the posting of that video, if there is enough interest I will compile a list of the apps and games that I have installed.
Conclusion:
I love this watch. I love that I can make it my own using the customization options that Android provides. The watch does have some quirks. I have to monitor it when charging because it tends to get pretty hot, sometimes. Also when running memory intensive apps the watch would heat up as well. There are times when the watch becomes unresponsive and I would need to do a soft reset, but thankfully that doesn't happen too often. The battery life is very impressive however, I cannot give an accurate estimate as to how long the battery would last during normal use because I am constantly tinkering with the watch. My main gripe is that although the watch is constantly connected to my home Wi-Fi or tethered to my phone, it would not always pick up notifications from apps that are connected to the web. I find myself periodically turning Wi-Fi off and then back on only to have a flood of notifications come through. Perhaps this is user error, or maybe it is a flaw in the watch software. Although these issues can be annoying it is by no mean a deal-breaker and has not tainted my enthusiasm or enjoyment of this watch. I hope this helps those who own this watch or similar watches to enjoy theirs as much as I enjoy mine. Feel free to engage me with questions or conversation as I really enjoy talking about this device.
ninpo said:
I posted this on another forum but thought it might be a good fit here it describes my setup in greater detail.
Launcher:
The launcher that I'm using is called Lightning launcher. Lightning launcher is a highly customizable launcher that allows you to have an unlimited workspace. The launcher gives you complete control over all desk top items such as widgets, shortcuts, icons, and text. These items can be resized, rotated, placed on a grid, or placed freely within the desktop space. The launcher also allows for unlimited horizontal and vertical scrolling. Items placed on the desktop can have up to six assignable actions using gestures such as swipe left, right, up, down, tap, and long press. Assignable actions can include launching apps, shortcuts, and system actions. You can even have multiple desktop setups and easily switch between them. That is just a small sample of what this launcher is capable of. My current setup has a center page with an additional page to the left, right, top, and bottom of the center page.
Home page widgets:
I have two widgets on my home screen, BobclockD3, and Battery Reborn 2020. I've added seconds above the clock widget using lightning launchers dynamic texts feature. I have assigned gesture actions to the widgets in my setup.
Long pressing the clock widget opens the native clock app.
Tapping the battery reborn 2020 widget will give you comprehensive data and stats about your battery.
Long pressing the battery widget will launch an app called flashlight. This app simply turns your screen bright white which you can use to softly illuminate your surroundings in the dark. I like it because it does not kill your night vision but provides just enough illumination to see your immediate surroundings.
Swiping left on the battery widget opens a lightning launcher folder which slides down from the top right of the screen. This folder is a three-page vertical scrolling folder with each page holding three apps. The apps in the folder include Gmail, Google Voice, Google Duo, YouTube vanced, calculator, hi-q voice recorder, watch Droid assistant, Google translate, and wyze (home video surveillance monitoring app).
Swiping up on the battery widget opens the app drawer. The app that I am using for the app drawer is called JINA drawer. I like this drawer app because it is highly customizable and it gives you a great deal of information about your apps as well as the ability to manipulate the apps such as uninstalling, hiding, etc.
Top page:
The top page contains a lightning launcher panel that holds a calendar widget and an agenda widget. These widgets populate the entire screen and can be scrolled horizontally. The app that I use to get the widgets is called Digical, I am using the pro version.
Bottom page:
The bottom page contains a widget called weather & clock widget for Android.
Left page:
They left page contains a widget from an app called YMusic. This app is similar to YouTube music and allows for background play, audio and video downloads but is free. I like the widget because it fills the entire page with the album art of the song that I am listening to.
Right page:
The right page contains a widget from an app called accupedo. I prefer this app over the stock step counter because it gives you a lot more information in the app as well as within the widget. The widget is long but not very tall so I added static text from lightning launcher saying "Step Count" to help fill the screen out a bit.
Navigation:
For navigating the phone I use an app called fluid navigation. The way I have it configured, a short swipe from the bottom center is for home, a long swipe from the bottom center launches Google voice assistant. A short swipe from the bottom left would open a volume app called ultra volume this allows you to have many different volume panel setups, the one that I'm using is a horizontal bar that populates the entire bottom width of the screen. A long swipe from the bottom left would launch the native volume control panel. Swiping long or short from the bottom right would launch my app drawer. A short left swipe from the right bottom half will execute the back command, and a long swipe left will open the recents menu. A short swipe downwards from anywhere along the top will launch the bottom navigation bar app, and a long swipe will drop the navigation panel. I customized my navigation panel with an app called power shade, I have the paid version.
Apps:
I have quite a few apps loaded on the watch too many to mention here as this post is already very lengthy. Feel free to check out the video that I posted in this thread and you can pause while I'm scrolling through the app drawer to get an idea of some of the apps loaded on the watch. I have added a few more since the posting of that video, if there is enough interest I will compile a list of the apps and games that I have installed.
Conclusion:
I love this watch. I love that I can make it my own using the customization options that Android provides. The watch does have some quirks. I have to monitor it when charging because it tends to get pretty hot, sometimes. Also when running memory intensive apps the watch would heat up as well. There are times when the watch becomes unresponsive and I would need to do a soft reset, but thankfully that doesn't happen too often. The battery life is very impressive however, I cannot give an accurate estimate as to how long the battery would last during normal use because I am constantly tinkering with the watch. My main gripe is that although the watch is constantly connected to my home Wi-Fi or tethered to my phone, it would not always pick up notifications from apps that are connected to the web. I find myself periodically turning Wi-Fi off and then back on only to have a flood of notifications come through. Perhaps this is user error, or maybe it is a flaw in the watch software. Although these issues can be annoying it is by no mean a deal-breaker and has not tainted my enthusiasm or enjoyment of this watch. I hope this helps those who own this watch or similar watches to enjoy theirs as much as I enjoy mine. Feel free to engage me with questions or conversation as I really enjoy talking about this device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank for all the info ninpo.
Could you help with some pre purchase questions?
Can you install WhatsApp and does it work well?
Same question regarding waze and spotify.
Is the device and the interface slow comparing to mobile phones?
Again, thanks a lot