N5/4.4 feature lacking?! - Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I dont know but why do i keep feeling that the current N5/4.4 interface is still lacking many essential features?!
heres a quick list of things i have encountered user-unfriendly! and its not something hard to implement...?!
-stock eMail does not have SEARCH function...?!
it looks and feels almost exactly as gmail app but even gmail has a search icon on top..!
4.1-4.3 stock emaill all have search icon/feature too.. why not now?! WTFLOL
-why they didnt implement of swiping on the right hand corner to show settings notification page, rather have to use 2 finger swipe.
not a deal breaker, but 1 finger swiping left corner or right corner does seems to me more hassle free UI
-Notification Short Cut panel - can not add or delete new shortcuts..
this is really frustration now android up to 4.4 and still no such function..

aliguu said:
I dont know but why do i keep feeling that the current N5/4.4 interface is still lacking many essential features?!
heres a quick list of things i have encountered user-unfriendly! and its not something hard to implement...?!
-stock eMail does not have SEARCH function...?!
it looks and feels almost exactly as gmail app but even gmail has a search icon on top..!
4.1-4.3 stock emaill all have search icon/feature too.. why not now?! WTFLOL
-why they didnt implement of swiping on the right hand corner to show settings notification page, rather have to use 2 finger swipe.
not a deal breaker, but 1 finger swiping left corner or right corner does seems to me more hassle free UI
-Notification Short Cut panel - can not add or delete new shortcuts..
this is really frustration now android up to 4.4 and still no such function..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. I use Yahoo! mail so that's not really an issue here
2. Swipe with 1 finger and tap the top right hand icon.
3. Huh?

I'm with him on editing the the toggles. I've come from a Galaxy s4 and an missing the panel at the top if the notification bar
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

pfft I was hoping they would actually let me have a different lockscreen/ wallpaper.
Custom roms will be here soon

Synyster06Gates said:
3. Huh?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With CM10 you can fully customize the tiles in the "profile" quick settings screen. You can also add a bunch of things that aren't on the screen (like specifically toggling GPS, flashlight, NFC).
Also... why the f can't you disable profiles in stock Android? I'm the only one using my phone!!
I was a little disappointed that "stock android" doesn't allow you to customize this; I have been spoiled by CyanogenMod.
Also! One that really bugs me! You can't change volume levels outside of the settings menu! Volume rocker only changes ringer volume, unless you're inside an app like YouTube. Even stock Touchwiz had THAT ability. :-\

Related

[APP] [2.2+] [8/17] InvisiBright 3.3 - Invisible Brightness Util!

Hey guys, I have an app out called InvisiBright and I'm looking for your feedback. Here's a brief description:
Use search key hold or status bar shortcuts to activate an invisible overlay above any application. Then, simply swipe anywhere to adjust the brightness quickly. Done! It comes with other goodies like an auto-brightness toggle, a "tilt mode", and home screen shortcuts (for tablets) so....
Check it out!
Video Demo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at7p-MMaUAE
Pro Version: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.DanGirshovich.T4B
Free Version:https://market.android.com/details?id=com.DanGirshovich.T4BF
All feedback is welcome. Thanks!
What other's think:
XDA Feature: http://www.xda-developers.com/android/invisibright-for-android/
Smoking Android Review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIu9gIS9EkE
Addictive Tips Review: http://www.addictivetips.com/mobile...d-swipe-or-tilt-to-control-screen-brightness/
"Tech and Me" top 10 feature!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdQhwF4msSk
Changelog:
3.3:
- Added volume overlay option (requested for modded Nook Color)
- Added option for lefties
- Changed slider height settings
3.2:
- Fixed app stack bug (when the settings open under touch/tilt)
- Misc optimizations
- More refactoring
3.1:
- Basic translucent slider panel option added to Touch Mode (still working on it)
- Added home screen shortcuts (use with Quick Launch or Home2 Shortcut)
- Fixed Tilt Mode flicker on some devices
- Percent notification doesn't linger after ending anymore
- Massive code refactoring/optimizing (prep for open sourcing)
- Cleaned up settings / defaults
Todo:
- Make slide pad prettier (fade animations, rounded corners)
- Switch percent toast for horizontal bar
- Add actual slider with preset level locks
- Fix notification date and add a brightness level indicator.
- correct lefty hint typo
- add shake listener to end tilt mode
- add option to tilt right/left instead
- add advanced setting to set min/max brightness levels (going too low is dangerous on some phones)
- ... idk, you tell me
Suggestions
Dan, thanks for starting the thread! Responsive Devs always get Donations
So, I was blown away to find InvisiBright. I've been using the Curvefish widget (just like, oh, everybody) and a year ago I thought it was hands-down the best. Not any more.
I was searching for something that might be integrated into the Notification Bar. Basically, just pull down the Notification Bar and there's the exact same things from the Curvefish widget; preset levels, toggle for AutoBrightness, and/or a slider.
Your app is a lot better than that. I stumbled across it from your DroidForums post.
Long Press Search should be a much more common feature, for tons of apps. Especially since it's just an option, easily changed, and SOO easy to code!
Good idea including it, and a pretty good Pro upgrade. Lite still works great, Pro is just a bit better.
Here are my suggestions, may or may not be good ideas, or even possible;
Semi-transparent (with user adjustable alpha) overlay on the (right) slider side, when changing the brightness level; then you can tell which part of the screen is Adjust, and which is Confirm
Sliding level indicator, (e.g. 3-px yellow line?) to go along with the Toast of percentage (user selected option, just like the "Show percentage" option)
Preset levels, preferably user-set; possibly snap the slider to the presets. Or maybe Far Right = Slider, Middle = Preset buttons, left = confirm
Shorter Toast duration after left-touching to set the level
Confirmation that the level has been set (but this might be addressed by the disappearing of the semi-transparent slider)
Vertical/horizontal slider option
Toggle for Auto Brightness EDIT: maybe "- Quick toggle back to auto-brightness with menu key" addresses this already... I haven't tried that Pro feature yet...
Common nerd favorites:
Donate, rather than Pro version, and/or
"XDA version"; Paid in the Market, Free here for supporters
Developer forum [x]!
Open Source [_] (but we can't always have everything)
Make one of the changes, and I'll buy the Pro to show support, and encourage you to do the rest!
(All my info is in my sig)
By the way, you are in close competition with Brightness Rocker. It's a pretty clever alternate-use of the otherwise single purpose Vol Up/Down buttons. But you responded faster than Nikhil, and went to XDA, even! And you don't have the conflict with actually changing the Volume in order to adjust brightness. Maybe you could figure out how to intercept the Vol Up/Down keys as a different trigger, since some of us have Long Press Search mapped to Camera, Screenshot, QR Scan, etc.
Thanks again for showing interest in my app! Here's what I think:
ScottHW said:
Semi-transparent (with user adjustable alpha) overlay on the (right) slider side, when changing the brightness level; then you can tell which part of the screen is Adjust, and which is Confirm
Sliding level indicator, (e.g. 3-px yellow line?) to go along with the Toast of percentage (user selected option, just like the "Show percentage" option)
Preset levels, preferably user-set; possibly snap the slider to the presets. Or maybe Far Right = Slider, Middle = Preset buttons, left = confirm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These are all great ideas. They all slightly threaten the "invisibleness" of the overlay, but I don't see why they can't be options.
ScottHW said:
Shorter Toast duration after left-touching to set the level
Confirmation that the level has been set (but this might be addressed by the disappearing of the semi-transparent slider)
Vertical/horizontal slider option
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Easy fixes. I'm on it.
ScottHW said:
"XDA version"; Paid in the Market, Free here for supporters
Open Source [_] (but we can't always have everything)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the XDA version hinge on only members having access to links posted? I'll consider this since I'd love to see the pro version gaining traction (whether or not I get the buck). Also, I'll try to open source it in about 1 month when the semester starts and my free time becomes non-existent
!!!
Wow! Correct answers on every single point!
A lot of XDA devs attach their .apk to a forum thread. I'm pretty sure you have to be a registered Member to download the file. Obviously, that's free and easy, but it's enough barrier that it keeps most of the riffraff out. Right off the top of my head, SetCPU is released like this, you could ask coolbho3000 about how well it works.
If/when you do Open Source it, you'll also need to have a slightly higher level for people to contribute, a $4 Donate app or something.
I can't promise that always works, but some of us will pay for good Devs to do good work.
Awesome app, works great on OG Droid running latest CM7.
Touch screen to launch...?
Other idea (I'm just throwing them out there, this one might be a lot of work)
SwipePad activates from a touch in a particular part of the screen (corner, side, etc.)
https://market.android.com/details?id=mobi.conduction.swipepad.android
Maybe InvisiBright could activate the same way; an option to press and hold for a second in the lower right to launch InvisiBright. In that case, some kind of visible feedback would be more necessary.
It might end up pretty similar to the popular SGS style bar
examples:
Port the Samsung Galaxy S notification bar brightness slider
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=832977
Android Hidden Shortcut: Quickly Adjust Screen Brightness From Notification Bar (Galaxy S specifically, with video)
http://techx64.com/android-hidden-shortcut-quickly-adjust-screen-brightness-from-notification-bar/
I'm not trying to corrupt the "Invisi" nature of this fantastic app, I swear!
Notification Bar
I just noticed that you haven't overridden the Notification Bar when sliding the brightness. If my finger reaches the top of the screen and then slides back down, it will catch and pull down the Notif Bar, rather than lowering the brightness.
Not sure what the best way to address that would be...
ScottHW said:
I just noticed that you haven't overridden the Notification Bar when sliding the brightness. If my finger reaches the top of the screen and then slides back down, it will catch and pull down the Notif Bar, rather than lowering the brightness.
Not sure what the best way to address that would be...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a setting to adjust the buffers for touch mode.You can make the 100 percent spot far from the notification bar to avoid this issue (and your swipe will change the brightness slightly faster to compensate) . I remember adding these because I couldnt figure out how to override the notification bar without hiding it. I'll add it to my list and give it another go. Let me know if the buffers help.
Love it! I bought pro version on market. Keep up the great work.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
Wicked app, thanks for posting the pro apk. I liked it so much I bought it on the market.
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
ScottHW said:
Maybe InvisiBright could activate the same way; an option to press and hold for a second in the lower right to launch InvisiBright.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use swipepad and think the concept is great. I'll look into how it can be added, but for now you should be able to get a very similar effect with swipepad. Just grab the widget add-on and throw the InvisiBright pro widget onto your pad. I've never tried this, but I don't see why it wouldn't work....
Great app, best brightness control available.
For support bought the 3.0 version in the market.
Harald
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA Premium App
Thanks again for the feedback and support. I'm planning on releasing 3.1 here for testing soon. Should have an translucent slide pad and better level indicator
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App
This works awesome. Super dim inside, long press search, swipe up, then go about my day walking around. thank you (htc incredible on 2.3.5)
Sent from outer space on OMGB
if taken from the attached file, will it get the update too?
Cool, I was JUST looking for apps to this on my new tablet.. Used to doing it via notification power widget, but using a stock ROM on it.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand I realize my tablet doesn't have a dedicated search key.
dannygirsh said:
Thanks again for the feedback and support. I'm planning on releasing 3.1 here for testing soon. Should have an translucent slide pad and better level indicator
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Really a great app. Waiting for the upcoming features. People who have download the attached pro apk will get d update?
Gr8 application Mate ... I use Xperia Arc .. There is no shortcut for search. Can we change the shortcut key?
I've been using this for quite a while now. Got sold by the long press search to activate option. One less toggle widget to add to my home screen. Thank you. Keep up the awesome work.
Briliant!
I'm tired of this autobrightness that makes it so dark when I drive..
Works great..
BTW, can I change the key of making it start? Perhaps short tap on search button? Because the Google voice search is common feature for me rather then the Google search which I never use..
(And it also has no use if I'm not in home screen.)
Thanks.
Yarden
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

[APP][ICS & JB]WidgetShade FREE v1.80

I present here a new app. WidgetShade Free!
★With WidgetShade you can have your widgets always on hand. Just use the "+" button , or long press any empty space to add a widget. WidgetShade can be called at any moment and will show as an overlay over your active application.
To call WidgetShade you have three options.
-Tap the app icon.
-Tap the notification in the notification bar (can be disabled)
-Use the trigger area (can be disabled)
The trigger area is a white and blue zone that by default appears at the bottom right of your screen, but it can be configured. Tap it or slide your finger over it to activate WidgetShade. In the application settings, you can change the position and size of the trigger area, its visibility, or completely disable it.
IMPORTANT
To avoid android from closing WidgetShade when it runs out of memory, you have two options.
-Enable "Show notification" in the options ; or
-Go to Android Settings, then to Accessibility and enable WidgetShade
Enabling the accessibility service will prevent WidgetShade from being closed. It will not access any personal information, even if the standard android warning says that it may do that.
Widgets shown in the screenshots: Digical, Elixir2, Eye in the sky, retroClock, Gmail, and Top Contacts. These are independent applications, downloadable from the Play Store and I am not related to them in any way.
I will publish this on the Play Store this week, but I wanted to offer it here first. The PRO version will have extra features (extra pages, button bar can be hidden and configurable background opacity).
Please send feedback!
Get it on the Play Store!
WidgetShade Free
History
-------
v1.00
Intial Release
-----
v1.01
Fixes tablet layout
-----
v1.10
Added root option: Android requires 5 seconds to start any Activity after home is pressed. With this option, rooted phones can skip this 5 second wait.
-----
v1.20
Tablet FC should be fixed now. Sorry for all the updates, I don't have the devices to test the program. I depend on user feedback.
-----
v.130
Lots of changes!
-Many parts redone.
-Better Layout (Now defaults to 5 rows x 5 columns)
New in Pro:
-Can choose number of rows and columns.
-Can create Shortcuts to each of the 5 screens.
-----
v.132
-Fixes FC on very High res phones, like Sony xperia Z.
-----
v.140
-Shortcuts can be named
-Shortcuts can have custom icon (PRO only)
-Resizable button bar (PRO only)
-Better trigger area activation (Only responds to swipes, not to taps, but can be configured)
-Vibration on trigger area activation (can be disabled)
--------
v.150
-Improved root compatibility
-Improved trigger: Horizontal swipe to open widgetShade, vertical swipe to move trigger, long-press to open settings.
-Configuration app added to app list (PRO only)
-Option to completely disable the bottom button bar (PRO only)
-------
v.160
-Fixed small FC bug
-Fixed small Preferences bug
-More precise transparency options for trigger
-More precise transparency options for background (PRO only)
-More precise vertical position for trigger
-Vertical swipe and long-press for trigger can be disabled now
-------
v.170
-Translated to Spanish and Catalan.
-Options for trigger area more configurable: Now you can choose what to do on tap, long-press, and swipes.
-Added "Contact the developer" option.
-Slightly improved layout.
-Added License verification to avoid piracy (PRO)
--------
v.180
-Translated to Italian by Davide Baraglia
-Three diferent opening anitmations
-Option to tap on empty space to exit WidgetShade
-Back and settings button can be swapped, to fit Samsung (and other manufacturers) scheme
-Small bug fixes
Just downloaded. Can't wait to see what it'll do.
Sent from my SCH-I800 using xda premium
Another practical and useful app from you! I don't have a widget I always need to be able to activate, but I think the idea is really good. It's easy to configure and set up to work properly. So a good job from you, even though I don't personally have a need for an app like this.
Multi-tasking via widgets = awesome.
I added a update that should fix tablet layout. It changes nothing on phones, so you don't really need to update if you are using a phone.
Thank you for testing it!
Cooooolll...!
Another home run
Sent from my Synergized SCH-I535 using SwiftKey via XDA Premium
greatdaneduke said:
Another home run
Sent from my Synergized SCH-I535 using SwiftKey via XDA Premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you
New version!
v1.10
Added root option: Android requires 5 seconds to start any Activity after home is pressed. With this option, rooted phones can skip this 5 second wait.
I hope I don't have to update this very often. I'm quite happy as it is now
EDIT: I checked it and FC on tablets, on landscape orientation. I'll try to fix it tomorrow.
New version
v1.20
Tablet FC should be fixed now. Sorry for all the updates, I don't have the devices to test the program. I depend on user feedback.
I received report of text showing as squares in widgets. How many of you have this problem? Which device do you have? Which android version?
Thank you all!
New version 1.3b
Hi!
I completely rebased the program, so now the grid looks nicer (The number of rows and columns). It is now a 5x5 grid, because for some phones you were getting weird grid values like 4x2 or 4x3.
I hope you like it
Great app. Reminds me of that Mac OSX feature that does this same thing. Will definitely buy (once I get money). Cool.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA Premium HD app
Really like where this app is heading. Reminds me alot of Intelliscreenx when I was using the iphone. waiting for a revision or 2 before getting the pro app to support. A suggestion maybe? How about an option for setting a trigger for when the notification shade is down, swiping left and right would activate the widget shade?
davtse said:
Really like where this app is heading. Reminds me alot of Intelliscreenx when I was using the iphone. waiting for a revision or 2 before getting the pro app to support. A suggestion maybe? How about an option for setting a trigger for when the notification shade is down, swiping left and right would activate the widget shade?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is a good idea, but unfortunately I can't do that. The notification shade always stays on top of everything. This means that I can't capture events when it is down. However, you can enable the notification, which activates WidgetShade when tapped.
If you have more suggestions, let me know. I really appreciate feedback, and I try to implement all the suggestions I receive.
Fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
dapaua said:
It is a good idea, but unfortunately I can't do that. The notification shade always stays on top of everything. This means that I can't capture events when it is down. However, you can enable the notification, which activates WidgetShade when tapped.
If you have more suggestions, let me know. I really appreciate feedback, and I try to implement all the suggestions I receive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bought the pro to support. Is it possible to implement a slide to trigger option? the tap to trigger can sometimes be abit disruptive (if the trigger area is too big) or hard to use if we make the trigger area smaller.
davtse said:
Bought the pro to support. Is it possible to implement a slide to trigger option? the tap to trigger can sometimes be abit disruptive (if the trigger area is too big) or hard to use if we make the trigger area smaller.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll try to do this. This was the original intention, but I assumed that tap was okay.
You are right, sometimes I also tap the trigger area by mistake.
Thanks for your support. I hope you enjoy the added features of the pro version.
@Dapaua:
Good app. I just gave it a try, and decided to log in only to reply to you!
Here are the list of my drawbacks (mainly in UI).
1- The trigger button you need to do something with it!
I would be happy if it's possible to trigger it with long pressing (I think this is easy to implement).
2- The virtual buttons are annoying (I already got capacitive buttons to start with), and it really takes some space.
Back button on capacitive could replicate the same functionality of the virtual one, also long pressing works fine (no need for "+"). The only thing is remaining a way to enter the settings menu).
Basically, I am trying to say give us an option to remove the floating buttons on the screen.
3- A slider to better control the high/length of trigger button & transparency.
Basically, focus more on the UI aspect and you will be good on selling this app.
Good luck.
neuTrue said:
@Dapaua:
Good app. I just gave it a try, and decided to log in only to reply to you!
Here are the list of my drawbacks (mainly in UI).
1- The trigger button you need to do something with it!
I would be happy if it's possible to trigger it with long pressing (I think this is easy to implement).
2- The virtual buttons are annoying (I already got capacitive buttons to start with), and it really takes some space.
Back button on capacitive could replicate the same functionality of the virtual one, also long pressing works fine (no need for "+"). The only thing is remaining a way to enter the settings menu).
Basically, I am trying to say give us an option to remove the floating buttons on the screen.
3- A slider to better control the high/length of trigger button & transparency.
Basically, focus more on the UI aspect and you will be good on selling this app.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the suggestions.
1.What exactly is wrong with the trigger button? I am now implementing an option to only respond to swipes, and not to taps.This avoids the accidental triggering. It should be ready in a few hours (It's done, needs testing). If the problem is that it is ugly, it can be made transparent. If it is something else, tell me. I like getting feedback.
2.I agree that removing the button bar is a good idea, but I think this would be a PRO version thing. I already have an idea of how to change settings without the button bar.
3. This is a good idea, but first I want to concentrate in the core functionality. But I will implement it eventually.
I am just starting with this, I hope that in the end it will be a good program.
New version.
v.140
-Shortcuts can be named
-Shortcuts can have custom icon (PRO only)
-Resizable button bar (PRO only)
-Better trigger area activation (Only responds to swipes, not to taps, but can be configured)
-Vibration on trigger area activation (can be disabled)

Any way to get "swype down" to close apps in android? - + one more Q

Coming from Nokia's N9 myself I realy miss some of the feature of the Meego OS, and was wondering if these are available on android:
Is it possible to get a function to "swype" downwards to close an app ?.
Also is it possible to get a quick "mini menu" where the top status bar is - where one could togle things like blutooth, wifi, etc.
Also how does one "clear" the status messages without having to click everyone of them ?.
Is there also a way to close all apps (I know the Galaxy Tab have this feature - but I guess that is something built into some samsung stuff) ?
mmass23 said:
Coming from Nokia's N9 myself I realy miss some of the feature of the Meego OS, and was wondering if these are available on android:
Is it possible to get a function to "swype" downwards to close an app ?.
Also is it possible to get a quick "mini menu" where the top status bar is - where one could togle things like blutooth, wifi, etc.
Also how does one "clear" the status messages without having to click everyone of them ?.
Is there also a way to close all apps (I know the Galaxy Tab have this feature - but I guess that is something built into some samsung stuff) ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My friend looking at your post, it seems like you are not familiar with the term called "rooting" and "custom roms".
Three of the features out of four you've asked are there in custom roms.
The swype down feature.. Looks interesting BUT i am afraid so far we haven't seen it in android yet.
eefo said:
My friend looking at your post, it seems like you are not familiar with the term called "rooting" and "custom roms".
Three of the features out of four you've asked are there in custom roms.
The swype down feature.. Looks interesting BUT i am afraid so far we haven't seen it in android yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea - know there is way to root it - but haven't realy looked into it as this is a company phone, so would like to keep it "clean" - was hoping maybe some launcher/apps would add this functionality.
However I found the nexus actually have a quick mini menu at least Not sure it provide everything I wanted but it's a start
thnx for the reply
Root + Xposed + Gravity will do all except swipe down.
mmass23 said:
Coming from Nokia's N9 myself I realy miss some of the feature of the Meego OS, and was wondering if these are available on android:
Is it possible to get a function to "swype" downwards to close an app ?.
Also is it possible to get a quick "mini menu" where the top status bar is - where one could togle things like blutooth, wifi, etc.
Also how does one "clear" the status messages without having to click everyone of them ?.
Is there also a way to close all apps (I know the Galaxy Tab have this feature - but I guess that is something built into some samsung stuff) ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/modules/app-swipeback-v2-0-0-swipe-apps-t2592116
That's the closest thing I know of for swipe down to close apps. It can close apps by swiping from any edge you want, but requires the Xposed framework
Any gesture navigation app will give you the "swype downwards to close an app" ***current app
Just set the gesture
There are a couple of problems with the things you wish to do as far as I can see it:
1) swiping downwards to close an app will cause you some issues in the long run, specifically given that this is how you open the notification panel. From the videos of the N9 that I have seen, the close-app gesture is started from the edge of the screen, not somewhere in the middle? This is exactly how you open the notification panel...
2) It's not as quick as it could be (yet) but there is a mini-menu for toggles in the notification pull-down if you pull down with two fingers, or pull down with one then tap the icon in the top right
3) There should be a little icon looking like three staggered rectangles in the notification pull-down when you have multiple status messages. Tapping this should clear all status messages.
4) Closing all apps on Android is (generally) a bad thing to do. With Meego (and Maemo before it), all open applications are true multi-tasking so will be holding active RAM in use in the background so closing all running apps has a practical use (I used to use an N900). With Android, however, we actually only have a partial hybrid multi-tasking, where only apps with an API call to explicitly stay active will remain fully active in the background (eg. music playback). Everything else is put into a partial suspend state. If you keep fully closing everything, then Android will have to re-open it from ROM rather than RAM which will have a detrimental effect on your battery life. This is heavily paraphrased from an Android development engineer. As for Samsung, this is basically pandering to customer ignorance who still think that anything in the "recents" menu is draining their battery because that's how it works with Windows. To put it very bluntly, Android is better at memory management than you are
Unlike with Meego/Maemo, the entries in the Recents menu are not actually all open and active. As the name suggests, this is only a "history" list of apps you have had open since boot. The lower down this list, the more likely it may still be active, but not guaranteed.
Sorry if any of the above is borderline patronising, but I feel that this sort of Android RAM misinformation needs to be explained whenever I see it! :silly:
chaosdefinesorder said:
There are a couple of problems with the things you wish to do as far as I can see it:
1) swiping downwards to close an app will cause you some issues in the long run, specifically given that this is how you open the notification panel. From the videos of the N9 that I have seen, the close-app gesture is started from the edge of the screen, not somewhere in the middle? This is exactly how you open the notification panel...
2) It's not as quick as it could be (yet) but there is a mini-menu for toggles in the notification pull-down if you pull down with two fingers, or pull down with one then tap the icon in the top right
3) There should be a little icon looking like three staggered rectangles in the notification pull-down when you have multiple status messages. Tapping this should clear all status messages.
4) Closing all apps on Android is (generally) a bad thing to do. With Meego (and Maemo before it), all open applications are true multi-tasking so will be holding active RAM in use in the background so closing all running apps has a practical use (I used to use an N900). With Android, however, we actually only have a partial hybrid multi-tasking, where only apps with an API call to explicitly stay active will remain fully active in the background (eg. music playback). Everything else is put into a partial suspend state. If you keep fully closing everything, then Android will have to re-open it from ROM rather than RAM which will have a detrimental effect on your battery life. This is heavily paraphrased from an Android development engineer. As for Samsung, this is basically pandering to customer ignorance who still think that anything in the "recents" menu is draining their battery because that's how it works with Windows. To put it very bluntly, Android is better at memory management than you are
Unlike with Meego/Maemo, the entries in the Recents menu are not actually all open and active. As the name suggests, this is only a "history" list of apps you have had open since boot. The lower down this list, the more likely it may still be active, but not guaranteed.
Sorry if any of the above is borderline patronising, but I feel that this sort of Android RAM misinformation needs to be explained whenever I see it! :silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Overdose1986 said:
Any gesture navigation app will give you the "swype downwards to close an app" ***current app
Just set the gesture
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lopezk38 said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/modules/app-swipeback-v2-0-0-swipe-apps-t2592116
That's the closest thing I know of for swipe down to close apps. It can close apps by swiping from any edge you want, but requires the Xposed framework
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
martinsskutans said:
Root + Xposed + Gravity will do all except swipe down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mmass23 said:
Yea - know there is way to root it - but haven't realy looked into it as this is a company phone, so would like to keep it "clean" - was hoping maybe some launcher/apps would add this functionality.
However I found the nexus actually have a quick mini menu at least Not sure it provide everything I wanted but it's a start
thnx for the reply
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
eefo said:
My friend looking at your post, it seems like you are not familiar with the term called "rooting" and "custom roms".
Three of the features out of four you've asked are there in custom roms.
The swype down feature.. Looks interesting BUT i am afraid so far we haven't seen it in android yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mmass23 said:
Coming from Nokia's N9 myself I realy miss some of the feature of the Meego OS, and was wondering if these are available on android:
Is it possible to get a function to "swype" downwards to close an app ?.
Also is it possible to get a quick "mini menu" where the top status bar is - where one could togle things like blutooth, wifi, etc.
Also how does one "clear" the status messages without having to click everyone of them ?.
Is there also a way to close all apps (I know the Galaxy Tab have this feature - but I guess that is something built into some samsung stuff) ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Swipe down to close app is there in Xposed using swipe back module.
You can read that Swipe back has a feature to change thje swipe edge , top to bottom or vice versa
chaosdefinesorder said:
There are a couple of problems with the things you wish to do as far as I can see it:
1) swiping downwards to close an app will cause you some issues in the long run, specifically given that this is how you open the notification panel. From the videos of the N9 that I have seen, the close-app gesture is started from the edge of the screen, not somewhere in the middle? This is exactly how you open the notification panel...
2) It's not as quick as it could be (yet) but there is a mini-menu for toggles in the notification pull-down if you pull down with two fingers, or pull down with one then tap the icon in the top right
3) There should be a little icon looking like three staggered rectangles in the notification pull-down when you have multiple status messages. Tapping this should clear all status messages.
4) Closing all apps on Android is (generally) a bad thing to do. With Meego (and Maemo before it), all open applications are true multi-tasking so will be holding active RAM in use in the background so closing all running apps has a practical use (I used to use an N900). With Android, however, we actually only have a partial hybrid multi-tasking, where only apps with an API call to explicitly stay active will remain fully active in the background (eg. music playback). Everything else is put into a partial suspend state. If you keep fully closing everything, then Android will have to re-open it from ROM rather than RAM which will have a detrimental effect on your battery life. This is heavily paraphrased from an Android development engineer. As for Samsung, this is basically pandering to customer ignorance who still think that anything in the "recents" menu is draining their battery because that's how it works with Windows. To put it very bluntly, Android is better at memory management than you are
Unlike with Meego/Maemo, the entries in the Recents menu are not actually all open and active. As the name suggests, this is only a "history" list of apps you have had open since boot. The lower down this list, the more likely it may still be active, but not guaranteed.
Sorry if any of the above is borderline patronising, but I feel that this sort of Android RAM misinformation needs to be explained whenever I see it! :silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the clarification appreciated
Yea the N9's screen is part of the swype system (the screen sides are curved), as it differs from swyping from the edge of the screen or within - it's the same from the sides, one can either swype from edge of the screen - flipping thru the apps that is open - or one can swype from just inside the edge to scroll thru f.ex images in an image viewer - the N9 also have a "notification" bar - or atleast a "top" bar, but that's activated only by a touch of the top line (where it shows status) - instead of dragging it down.
mmass23 said:
Thanks for the clarification appreciated
Yea the N9's screen is part of the swype system (the screen sides are curved), as it differs from swyping from the edge of the screen or within - it's the same from the sides, one can either swype from edge of the screen - flipping thru the apps that is open - or one can swype from just inside the edge to scroll thru f.ex images in an image viewer - the N9 also have a "notification" bar - or atleast a "top" bar, but that's activated only by a touch of the top line (where it shows status) - instead of dragging it down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Clearly based on other responses there is an Xposed module that allows you to close and app with a downwards swipe, so my response may not therefore be the whole truth
With some sort of selectable "active area" of the Xposed swipe you might be able to get the best of both worlds; i.e. swipe from top left downwards to close current program, or top middle and top right to open notifications? (or any combination thereof of course!)
mmass23 said:
Coming from Nokia's N9 myself I realy miss some of the feature of the Meego OS, and was wondering if these are available on android:
Is it possible to get a function to "swype" downwards to close an app ?.
Also is it possible to get a quick "mini menu" where the top status bar is - where one could togle things like blutooth, wifi, etc.
Also how does one "clear" the status messages without having to click everyone of them ?.
Is there also a way to close all apps (I know the Galaxy Tab have this feature - but I guess that is something built into some samsung stuff) ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try Jolla launcher
http://d-h.st/hTF

Help modifying home screen w/ Tribuchet

Hi guys!
I just installed Pac rom KK, which works great. I'm almost fully done playing with it
Unfortunately I get stuck at the very end with something that to me (as a user, not a dev) seems quite trivial.
Seeing how I've tried to find different solutions for many hours without making any progress, I turn to you in desperation.
What I want to achieve is a clean home screen (like a painting, and nothing else, not even navigation bar) along with no use of physical buttons.
I've set everything up with full screen, gestures, pie control, and all the good stuff which makes the phone easy to navigate.
What I have left to do, and where I am stuck is:
- adding app drawer to something other than the icon, and physical buttons (basically meaning quick settings, pie control or gestures)
- removing app drawer logo from the home screen, along with the home screen dot (the one showing which home screen, and if more also how many there are)
- also locking home screen (meaning that it won't bounce)
For you who have taken the energy to read this far (which I very much thank you for), I'm sure you realize that these are easy fixes.
Thing is...I don't want to use a launcher such as nova or AWD.
...I don't want do download another pie control for the sake of having one where you simply (being the keyword) can add app drawer.
....I have removed navigation bar (which I want removed), so can't use navigation actions.
I'm sorry for being so extremely picky, but I've spent to many hours trying to get this juuuust right. I hate basically dumping this on you guys, but I'm really at loss here.
The "easiest" workaround I could come up with was to write a small app, which only function would be to open the app drawer, and then hook it up to Pie Control. Only problem is, I can't code for sh#t. I do have Xposed, so a nice and slim Xposed solution would suit me just fine. The only thing I want to keep away from is apps doubling in function (one gesture app doing this and that) and/or apps that might have a problem interacting.
If anyone would care to help me with this, I would be so grateful.
Thank you so much on beforehand!
Summary of specs: Xperia Z2 (d6503), Pac-man Rom KK (RC-3) (4.4.4), Xposed
munte89 said:
Hi guys!
I just installed Pac rom KK, which works great. I'm almost fully done playing with it
Unfortunately I get stuck at the very end with something that to me (as a user, not a dev) seems quite trivial.
Seeing how I've tried to find different solutions for many hours without making any progress, I turn to you in desperation.
What I want to achieve is a clean home screen (like a painting, and nothing else, not even navigation bar) along with no use of physical buttons.
I've set everything up with full screen, gestures, pie control, and all the good stuff which makes the phone easy to navigate.
What I have left to do, and where I am stuck is:
- adding app drawer to something other than the icon, and physical buttons (basically meaning quick settings, pie control or gestures)
- removing app drawer logo from the home screen, along with the home screen dot (the one showing which home screen, and if more also how many there are)
- also locking home screen (meaning that it won't bounce)
For you who have taken the energy to read this far (which I very much thank you for), I'm sure you realize that these are easy fixes.
Thing is...I don't want to use a launcher such as nova or AWD.
...I don't want do download another pie control for the sake of having one where you simply (being the keyword) can add app drawer.
....I have removed navigation bar (which I want removed), so can't use navigation actions.
I'm sorry for being so extremely picky, but I've spent to many hours trying to get this juuuust right. I hate basically dumping this on you guys, but I'm really at loss here.
The "easiest" workaround I could come up with was to write a small app, which only function would be to open the app drawer, and then hook it up to Pie Control. Only problem is, I can't code for sh#t. I do have Xposed, so a nice and slim Xposed solution would suit me just fine. The only thing I want to keep away from is apps doubling in function (one gesture app doing this and that) and/or apps that might have a problem interacting.
If anyone would care to help me with this, I would be so grateful.
Thank you so much on beforehand!
Summary of specs: Xperia Z2 (d6503), Pac-man Rom KK (RC-3) (4.4.4), Xposed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well tasker can do most of this, like mapping the action of opening the app draw on certain events on the pie controllers or hardware button press. the only thing it cannot do is hide the app draw button. as far as I'm aware, this cannot be archived without changing the launcher. although perhaps changing its icon to a transparent one may help in this matter.
angelus0w said:
Well tasker can do most of this, like mapping the action of opening the app draw on certain events on the pie controllers or hardware button press. the only thing it cannot do is hide the app draw button. as far as I'm aware, this cannot be archived without changing the launcher. although perhaps changing its icon to a transparent one may help in this matter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much for your help!
I will look into it, and I'll repost my fix

Ticwris Max SmartWatch

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.
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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

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