Database Info

[OFFICIAL] Tips & Tricks thread

This is for random tricks that aren't widely known.
I'll start off...
Missing that search button key on the bottom from the SGSII? Have no fear, just press and hold the menu key, which acts like the search key
Annoyed of the home button lag? turn off double tap to activate S voice within that program and your home key will be much more responsive
Can anyone think of anything else?
Edit: Ironlood has put together a list of tips and tricks. Thanks!
1.Hold menu button for search menu - eyecon82
2.To get rid of home button lag open up S-Voice and navigate to settings and untick the launch with double tap home button -eyecon82
3.Lock screen app settings are listed under security in settings - kegacide
4.you can swipe the screen with the side of your hand to take a screenshot, or hold home and power-kegacide
5.Hold down physical button and you can close all open apps and go to the task manager - hawkeye2188
6.Buttons on the bottom of the lock screen and can be swiped and open that application - hawkeye2188
7.You can also swipe away individual apps after holding down the home button - NA 521"
8.first go to settings>language and input and turn on voice cmd for apps. I had it on early today and said cheese and the camera snapped a photo...pretty cool -s3xda (on a side note it seems as though the variants have different voice cues try snap, cheese, shutter, and go)
9.In settings > sound > device vibration, you can select a different pattern of vibrate, or just make your own by touching create! - Zoidpilot
10.In app drawer > widgets, Sammy added a widget to use flash as a flashlight, and a widget to turn the entire phone into negative colors.-Zoidpilot
11.You can set the brightness in the majority of stock apps (i.e. the browser) to be app specific, instead of just setting a brightness for the entire system. For example: set the brightness to auto in the system settings, then open the stock browser > brightness and colors, and set it to high. Now the system will have auto brightness, but it will always go to high/bright when you are in the browser! -Zoidpilot
12.If you go to Phone > Logs > call logs, you can long-press a number (like that telemarketer you always reject) and select "add to reject list" to have the phone automatically reject the call every time. You can also unblock the number in case you change your mind.-Zoidpilot
13.In the stock messaging app, you can go to settings, and on the top you will find options to change the background and bubble style of the messages.-Zoidpilot
14.Samsung's S-Voice can do complex mathematical equations for you, then show them in different answers. For example, open S-Voice, and ask "how many inches are in a mile?". Or "what's the square root of 543,636?". -Zoidpilot
15.In settings > security > lock screen options > shortcuts, you can change what shortcuts appear on your lockscreen, or take them out altogether.-Zoidpilot
16.On the headphones that came with your device, you will see a single button and the volume controls. One press of the single button will pause the music, two presses in quick succession will skip to the next track. -Zoidpilot
17.In settings > wallpaper > home & lockscreen, if you select a live wallpaper, it will show as your lock screen as well. It will deactivate the ripple effect though if you have it active.-Zoidpilot
18.You can also use pop-up play on streaming online videos as long as they're not YouTube videos, and as long as you use the stock video player to stream them.-Zoidpilot
19.Pictures come out better with the camera if you hold the camera button and let it focus before the shot, rather than just pressing it after touching the focus box.-Zoidpilot
20.The stock browser has "incognito mode" just like Google Chrome! You can access it by opening the browser, the touching the top right corner to see open windows, then touching the incognito icon. While you're incognito, no history/cookies/or form data will be saved.-Zoidpilot
21.While you are on a call, on the screen where the contact picture is displayed, there is a speaker icon in a bubble. Touch it to increase the call volume past the maximum setting. It works on speaker or on headset setting.-Zoidpilot
22.If you're not rooted, but want to get rid of those pesky bloatware apps, go to settings > application manager > all, and select the app. Within those settings you can clear the information the app has, then disable the app with the top right button. You may need to uninstall updates before it says disable app though... you can also go to the app drawer, hit menu, then select "hide apps" to hide the bloatware icons you've disabled. -Zoidpilot
23.With voice cmd turned on, you can snooze your alarm by saying snooze. -s3xda
24.Cover the screen with the palm of your hand to pause media playback. -NA 521"
25.You can use S Voice like a translator,for example: What is the meaning of house in spanish?-TitaniumBarbell
26.I just found out the contents of the clipboard stay there even after a reboot.-kingwp
27.touch wiz scrolling wallpapers fix go Settings > Wallpaper > Home Screen... If you set them independantly you will be able to crop the wallpaper just like any other HC/ICS device-nonmindo
28.you can get your status bar in ANY full screen app, even full screen games. How? Start with your finger touching just outside of the top of the display and drag down, it will fade in and you can check your notifications, it works both in landscape and portrait mode-nonmindo
29.I noticed that any time you send an email in gmail with our new phones (t-mobile version at least), it puts a stupid T-mobile signature at the bottom of the email. I found that you can change it by going to gmail>menu>settings>[email protected]>signature and putting in whatever you want.-moonfire711
30.Also, go into your dialer>menu>settings for more in call goodies.-moonfire711
31.Many probably already know this, but I just found out that you can turn on the screen with the physical home button instead of the power button. Which is nice if it's laying down on a desk or something.-moonfire711
32.If you get tired of re-unlocking your screen when it turns off, you can set it to not lock for a set period of time after the screen turns off... Go to menu>settings>security>Lock automatically and change the timeout.-moonfire711
33.If you go into Settings > Sounds > Auto Haptic It will enable haptic feedback on your games/apps based on sound, pretty neat!! (note: doesnt work on all games/apps, but does on many)-nonmindo
34.In relation to the haptic feedback with sound... Tap on the left side of the toggle (where the text is), and it'll open up a menu to choose which ones to enable/disable. -pizz0wn3d
35.The wiimote controller successfully pairs and works with our SGS3s! -pizz0wn3d
36.For your contacts or logs, slide left to direct call and slide right to direct text.-jaytxvo
37.while in the stock video player press the picture in picture button to pop out the video -s3xda
38.Super video does pic-in-pic -20blks
39.***Sprint Specific*** In order to turn on and off LTE ... Settings >wireless settings>more settings >network mode>lte/cdma -iphony89
40.camera quick access... allows you to touch the lockscreen and rotate the screen to open the camera... Settings > security > lock screen options > camera quick access -Cappurnikus
41.pull down the notification touch the time and it will open the world clock (might be variant specific) -Deputy13
42.I have only tested this with Windows Media Player, but I assume any DLNA equipped TV/media device would work. This is great if you want to quickly show a slideshow of photos or play some media file on your tv/computer.1) Go Settings/More Settings/Nearby Devices 2) Turn on file sharing and change any options you'd like. Since I'm on my own my Wifi network, I just disabled access control, otherwise you have to approve every device.3) Start Windows Media Player. Make sure under Stream "Allow Remote Control" is checked. You should see your phone show up under "Other Libraries" in WMP. Mine shows up as [Mobile]SCH-135.4) Go into Gallery and select a picture. If connected properly, in the upper right hand corner there will be a new little icon with a monitor and some arrows. Touch this and it will allow you to select a playback device. 5) Now the picture should show up in a maximized screen in WMP. Sometimes it takes a good 10-20 seconds. Videos take much longer, but they work and what I got was the first frame, followed by a good 20 seconds of a "Processing" notification on the Galaxy S3. When I browsed from WMP to my phone videos, it buffered for a very long time, so this "processing" notification is the buffering taking place. I don't know why DLNA needs such a long time to buffer over a home Wifi network.6) Whenever you change folders you have to click the DLNA icon again and re-select your playback device. Not sure why this is, seems like a bug...Unfortunately I did a little research and there is no way to physically copy files to your computer through DLNA, you'll have to use other methods.Make sure you turn this stuff off when you connect to public Wifi .-sluzbenik
44.When viewing videos using the stock video player, you can lock the touchscreen by pressing the power button so that the video does not get interrupted by inadvertent touches. This is especially useful if you are using your phone to entertain your baby or toddler. Also works with mx player though haven't tried it with other players -limeaid
45.Do not know if it has been mentioned already, but you can also bring the phone up to your ear and it will call that contact.-ricky babalu
46. if you are in the apps drawer, and you pinch the screen, you will see all pages of your apps and can quickly choose the one you want.-moonfire711
47.Haven't noticed this being addressed but regarding S-Beam it appears that both phones are required to utilize the same app that is involved with the file being transferred. For example, I use "quickpic" as the default image viewer and when I used s-beam to test a pic transfer, the phones connected however my buddy's phone went to the play store and more specifically went to the "quickpic" downlad page. Obviously my buddy's phone required him to dl the app in order to finish the transfer. I then opened the same file via "gallery" and reinitiated the transfer. This time the phones connected and transferred the file without a hitch. -augustorm
48. lock screen shortcuts can be edited on the swipe lock screen go to settings/security/lock screen options/shortcuts click the word shortcuts and not the toggle it will bring up the 4 shortcuts and your allowed to change which app is accessed or what order there displayed in -ironlood
49. Just found a way to substantially increase smoothness. Under Developer Options--> Limit Background Processes. I set mine to 5 and notice a difference -eyecon82

This is great, Thanks!
Currently not being productive on my S3.

23.With voice cmd turned on, you can snooze your alarm by saying snooze. -s3xda
Do I need to have S Voice turned on for this? For example, I completely disabled S Voice (due to the lag it creates) and just set my alarm through ICS/Settings. Will this still work?

Thanks for the list, awesome information

Death&co said:
23.With voice cmd turned on, you can snooze your alarm by saying snooze. -s3xda
Do I need to have S Voice turned on for this? For example, I completely disabled S Voice (due to the lag it creates) and just set my alarm through ICS/Settings. Will this still work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disabling s-voice by double clicking home button doesn't deactivate s voice, it does help with the home button lag...just create for s voice icon on your homepage...
however if you completely disable it in settings-->manage applicatoins, then im not sure

Hey, my tip about pinch to zoom in/out while using the Calendar app to quickly go from day to week to month to year view and vice versa isn't here! Haha btw, did you guys know you can rotate your phone while using the dialer? It doesn't add any functionality but it's something random I noticed this weekend.
Also, #34 applies to any toggle in Settings (including voice cmd!) except data usage/mobile data:
34.In relation to the haptic feedback with sound... Tap on the left side of the toggle (where the text is), and it'll open up a menu to choose which ones to enable/disable. -pizz0wn3d
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

I would really like to thank eyecon82 for making this thread (and bump it while I'm at it!). This is worth its weight in gold to a technologically impaired guy like me. I would also like to thank those of you that added along the way. Top notch work all

Galaxy s4 tips and tricks: Get the most out of lollipop

GALAXY S4 TIPS AND TRICKS: GET THE MOST OUT OF LOLLIPOP
Ever since the Galaxy S4 got the Lollipop update, the old beast has been chugging along just fine. We're so fond of the S4 that we thought we'd share our ultimate list of Galaxy S4 tips and tricks, specifically for the Lollipop update. The Galaxy S4 is still a great phone, but read on to see just how much greater you can make it.
1. Disable S Voice for faster navigation
S Voice can be launched by double-pressing the S4's home key. This shortcut actually slows down the home key response, however, because TouchWiz pauses momentarily after the first press, waiting to see if you press it a second time, before taking you to the home screen. Go to S Voice, press the menu soft key, select Settings and uncheck the box next to Open via the Home Key to make home key navigation faster.
2. Turn off annoying Samsung sounds
While you're at it, why not turn off some of those annoying Samsung sounds? Even if you like them I can assure you that everyone on the train, at work and in the supermarket hates them. To do the world a favor, go to Settings > My Device > Sounds and Notifications > Other Sounds and un-check the boxes for as many sounds as you can live without.
3. Use shortcuts to call or message contacts
Why use messy menu buttons when a gesture will suffice? In your contacts list you can simply swipe a contact's name to the left or right to instantly call or message them. Now you can stay in touch more easily and save time while you're doing it.
4. Access the Galaxy S4's hidden settings
There's a great app called Note 2 Hidden Settings that also works with other Galaxy devices, including the S4. It won't work with some carrier-branded models, but it's worth installing it and giving it a shot because there's heaps of cool stuff in this app.
5. Secure your lock screen notifications
Lollipop comes with lock screen notifications meaning you don't have to completely unlock your phone just to read a text or email. But perhaps you don't feel comfortable having the contents of your notifications plastered all over your lock screen for anyone see. If so, go to Settings > My Device > Sounds and Notifications. You can select which apps will display content on the lock screen in Application notifications and the level of content in While locked.
6. Use your phone to control the TV
Download the WatchOn app and use it to set up your TV guide, favorite channels, control your TV, set-top box and plenty more. You can even put it on your lock screen or the notifications shade to make sure you're always the couch commando in charge.
7. Use your voice for hands-free control
Did you know your S4 has lots of voice control options? You can use your voice to turn off alarms, take photos, play music and answer or reject calls. Just go to Settings > My Device > Voice Control and flip the switches for the commands you want to use. You can also use S Voice to set reminders or check the weather.
8. Get a better launcher
If TouchWiz feels a little slow to you, why not replace with a faster launcher such as Google Now Launcher, Nova Launcher or Action launcher? Give them a try – they're free and you can always switch back if you want to.
9. Make your own Qi wireless charger
If you want the wireless charging experience that the Galaxy S6 offers, without needing to fork out a fortune to actually get an S6, why not buy a wireless charging pack? All you need to do then is take the back off your phone and align the tab as instructed in the packaging, before replacing the phone's back panel.
10. Activate Smart stay
Smart stay uses your phone's front-facing camera to detect whether you're looking at the screen or not, and makes sure that the screen remains on for as long as you look at it. This is great if you want to have a short screen timeout but also do a lot of reading on your phone.
To activate Smart stay, go to Settings > My device > Smart screen and press Smart stay.
11. Customize your lock screen
Don't settle for a boring old lock screen, add a camera and dialer shortcut, select a clock or private message and give it some pizzazz with a custom wallpaper. Go to Settings > My Device > Lock Screen and check the box for camera, then customize your lock screen widgets.
12. Customize your Quick Settings
Why settle for the standard Quick Settings when you can curate a custom batch of the most useful toggles and switches for the way you use your phone? You can even arrange them exactly how you like. Swipe down from the top of the screen, tap the little grid in the top right corner and then the little pencil to edit and rearrange your Quick Settings.
13. Make the keyboard smarter
If you're using the stock Samsung keyboard, make sure you have both predictive text and swipe typing enabled.You'll be amazed at how much time they can save you. Go to the keyboard and long press the button to the left of the space bar. Tap the Settings cog and make sure Predictive Text is on and that Keyboard Swipe is set to Continuous Input. You could also replace the keyboard with SwiftKey or another keyboard app.
14. Use Do Not Disturb mode
Another great Lollipop feature is Priority Notifications, which is also known as Do Not Disturb mode. It lets you set times where you won't be interrupted by any but the most critical notifications or alarms. You can keep calls from your family and boss on the white list, set days and times of the week and choose between calls, messages and calendar reminders. Go to Settings > My Device > Sounds and Notifications > Interruptions and get busy.
15. Supercharge your camera
Install the Samsung Smart Camera app and connect your phone to your camera with NFC to trasfer photo faster, use your phone as a remote viewfinder (hello, selfie sticks) and more. Best of all, your camera will automatically connect to your phone when it's on.
16. Always get the best display
One of the best things about Samsung displays is that they adapt to different conditions, so you always get the best possible viewing experience, whether you're reading, looking at photos or watching a movie. Just got to Settings > My Device > Display > Screen Mode and choose Adapt Display or check out the other options.
17. Try the floating keyboard
Your keyboard isn't actually locked to the bottom of the screen. Depending on what you're doing, a smaller, floating keyboard might be more suitable. Go to the keyboard, long press the button to the left of the space bar and tap the tile with the two overlapping boxes. Your keyboard will shrink a little and be movable.
18. Save battery with smarter Wi-Fi
If you have your Wi-Fi set to disconnect whenever the screen is off, you might think you're saving battery. That's not the case. Most of us turn our screen on an average of 150 times a day, so keeping Wi-Fi connected is actually better than having it turn off and on and search for connections every time. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi, tap the soft menu key and then Advanced and set Keep Wi-Fi on During Sleep to Always.
19. Fix bugs in Safe Mode
If your Galaxy S4 is acting strangely, you might want to restart it in Safe mode until you solve the problem. To do so, simply turn your S4 off and then back on again. As soon as you see the Samsung screen, press and hold the volume down key and you will see that many apps have been disabled when it boots up. To get out of safe mode, just turn your phone off and back on again.
20. Make things simpler with Easy Mode
If you're a bit bamboozled by all the Samsung widgets and doodads in TouchWiz, give Easy Mode a shot. It'll clear things up, so you only see the most important stuff, as well as enlarge icons and make everything easier to manage and navigate. Go to Settings > My Device > Easy Mode to make the switch.
22. Always get the best photo
Let's face it, not all of us are Pulitzer Prize-winning photographers. So when a moment really maters, why not shoot a burst of pics and have your S4 choose the best one for you? Just open the camera app, tap Mode and Best Photo. Hold down the shutter to shoot a bunch of pis and let your phone choose the best one automatically.
23. Get better battery life
The Galaxy S4 doesn't have the stock Android Lollipop Battery Saver mode but it does have Samsung's Power Saver Mode. Go to Settings > My Device > Power Saving Mode and flip the switch to enable it. It works by disabling certain functions in order to conserve battery life. You can choose which functions these are in the settings.
25. Make security smarter
Why would you want to unlock your phone with a PIN or pattern when you're at home where (I hope) you can trust everyone? That's where Lollipop's cool Smart Lock feature comes in. You can save the trouble of unlocking your phone in certain places by adding a trusted face or voice, or a smartwatch or other trusted device.
26. Make Chrome easier and better
Chrome on Lollipop is a little annoying. By default your Chrome tabs will live individually in your recent apps list (accessed by long pressing the home button). If you prefer the old way – all your tabs contained in Chrome itself – go to Chrome, tap the three dots in the top right-hand corner, select Settings and turn off Merge Tabs and Apps
Press the thanks button if I helped you!
Any problems? Ask me!

munimjaffer said:
GALAXY S4 TIPS AND TRICKS: GET THE MOST OUT OF LOLLIPOP
Ever since the Galaxy S4 got the Lollipop update, the old beast has been chugging along just fine. We're so fond of the S4 that we thought we'd share our ultimate list of Galaxy S4 tips and tricks, specifically for the Lollipop update. The Galaxy S4 is still a great phone, but read on to see just how much greater you can make it.
1. Disable S Voice for faster navigation
S Voice can be launched by double-pressing the S4's home key. This shortcut actually slows down the home key response, however, because TouchWiz pauses momentarily after the first press, waiting to see if you press it a second time, before taking you to the home screen. Go to S Voice, press the menu soft key, select Settings and uncheck the box next to Open via the Home Key to make home key navigation faster.
2. Turn off annoying Samsung sounds
While you're at it, why not turn off some of those annoying Samsung sounds? Even if you like them I can assure you that everyone on the train, at work and in the supermarket hates them. To do the world a favor, go to Settings > My Device > Sounds and Notifications > Other Sounds and un-check the boxes for as many sounds as you can live without.
3. Use shortcuts to call or message contacts
Why use messy menu buttons when a gesture will suffice? In your contacts list you can simply swipe a contact's name to the left or right to instantly call or message them. Now you can stay in touch more easily and save time while you're doing it.
4. Access the Galaxy S4's hidden settings
There's a great app called Note 2 Hidden Settings that also works with other Galaxy devices, including the S4. It won't work with some carrier-branded models, but it's worth installing it and giving it a shot because there's heaps of cool stuff in this app.
5. Secure your lock screen notifications
Lollipop comes with lock screen notifications meaning you don't have to completely unlock your phone just to read a text or email. But perhaps you don't feel comfortable having the contents of your notifications plastered all over your lock screen for anyone see. If so, go to Settings > My Device > Sounds and Notifications. You can select which apps will display content on the lock screen in Application notifications and the level of content in While locked.
6. Use your phone to control the TV
Download the WatchOn app and use it to set up your TV guide, favorite channels, control your TV, set-top box and plenty more. You can even put it on your lock screen or the notifications shade to make sure you're always the couch commando in charge.
7. Use your voice for hands-free control
Did you know your S4 has lots of voice control options? You can use your voice to turn off alarms, take photos, play music and answer or reject calls. Just go to Settings > My Device > Voice Control and flip the switches for the commands you want to use. You can also use S Voice to set reminders or check the weather.
8. Get a better launcher
If TouchWiz feels a little slow to you, why not replace with a faster launcher such as Google Now Launcher, Nova Launcher or Action launcher? Give them a try – they're free and you can always switch back if you want to.
9. Make your own Qi wireless charger
If you want the wireless charging experience that the Galaxy S6 offers, without needing to fork out a fortune to actually get an S6, why not buy a wireless charging pack? All you need to do then is take the back off your phone and align the tab as instructed in the packaging, before replacing the phone's back panel.
10. Activate Smart stay
Smart stay uses your phone's front-facing camera to detect whether you're looking at the screen or not, and makes sure that the screen remains on for as long as you look at it. This is great if you want to have a short screen timeout but also do a lot of reading on your phone.
To activate Smart stay, go to Settings > My device > Smart screen and press Smart stay.
11. Customize your lock screen
Don't settle for a boring old lock screen, add a camera and dialer shortcut, select a clock or private message and give it some pizzazz with a custom wallpaper. Go to Settings > My Device > Lock Screen and check the box for camera, then customize your lock screen widgets.
12. Customize your Quick Settings
Why settle for the standard Quick Settings when you can curate a custom batch of the most useful toggles and switches for the way you use your phone? You can even arrange them exactly how you like. Swipe down from the top of the screen, tap the little grid in the top right corner and then the little pencil to edit and rearrange your Quick Settings.
13. Make the keyboard smarter
If you're using the stock Samsung keyboard, make sure you have both predictive text and swipe typing enabled.You'll be amazed at how much time they can save you. Go to the keyboard and long press the button to the left of the space bar. Tap the Settings cog and make sure Predictive Text is on and that Keyboard Swipe is set to Continuous Input. You could also replace the keyboard with SwiftKey or another keyboard app.
14. Use Do Not Disturb mode
Another great Lollipop feature is Priority Notifications, which is also known as Do Not Disturb mode. It lets you set times where you won't be interrupted by any but the most critical notifications or alarms. You can keep calls from your family and boss on the white list, set days and times of the week and choose between calls, messages and calendar reminders. Go to Settings > My Device > Sounds and Notifications > Interruptions and get busy.
15. Supercharge your camera
Install the Samsung Smart Camera app and connect your phone to your camera with NFC to trasfer photo faster, use your phone as a remote viewfinder (hello, selfie sticks) and more. Best of all, your camera will automatically connect to your phone when it's on.
16. Always get the best display
One of the best things about Samsung displays is that they adapt to different conditions, so you always get the best possible viewing experience, whether you're reading, looking at photos or watching a movie. Just got to Settings > My Device > Display > Screen Mode and choose Adapt Display or check out the other options.
17. Try the floating keyboard
Your keyboard isn't actually locked to the bottom of the screen. Depending on what you're doing, a smaller, floating keyboard might be more suitable. Go to the keyboard, long press the button to the left of the space bar and tap the tile with the two overlapping boxes. Your keyboard will shrink a little and be movable.
18. Save battery with smarter Wi-Fi
If you have your Wi-Fi set to disconnect whenever the screen is off, you might think you're saving battery. That's not the case. Most of us turn our screen on an average of 150 times a day, so keeping Wi-Fi connected is actually better than having it turn off and on and search for connections every time. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi, tap the soft menu key and then Advanced and set Keep Wi-Fi on During Sleep to Always.
19. Fix bugs in Safe Mode
If your Galaxy S4 is acting strangely, you might want to restart it in Safe mode until you solve the problem. To do so, simply turn your S4 off and then back on again. As soon as you see the Samsung screen, press and hold the volume down key and you will see that many apps have been disabled when it boots up. To get out of safe mode, just turn your phone off and back on again.
20. Make things simpler with Easy Mode
If you're a bit bamboozled by all the Samsung widgets and doodads in TouchWiz, give Easy Mode a shot. It'll clear things up, so you only see the most important stuff, as well as enlarge icons and make everything easier to manage and navigate. Go to Settings > My Device > Easy Mode to make the switch.
22. Always get the best photo
Let's face it, not all of us are Pulitzer Prize-winning photographers. So when a moment really maters, why not shoot a burst of pics and have your S4 choose the best one for you? Just open the camera app, tap Mode and Best Photo. Hold down the shutter to shoot a bunch of pis and let your phone choose the best one automatically.
23. Get better battery life
The Galaxy S4 doesn't have the stock Android Lollipop Battery Saver mode but it does have Samsung's Power Saver Mode. Go to Settings > My Device > Power Saving Mode and flip the switch to enable it. It works by disabling certain functions in order to conserve battery life. You can choose which functions these are in the settings.
25. Make security smarter
Why would you want to unlock your phone with a PIN or pattern when you're at home where (I hope) you can trust everyone? That's where Lollipop's cool Smart Lock feature comes in. You can save the trouble of unlocking your phone in certain places by adding a trusted face or voice, or a smartwatch or other trusted device.
26. Make Chrome easier and better
Chrome on Lollipop is a little annoying. By default your Chrome tabs will live individually in your recent apps list (accessed by long pressing the home button). If you prefer the old way – all your tabs contained in Chrome itself – go to Chrome, tap the three dots in the top right-hand corner, select Settings and turn off Merge Tabs and Apps
Press the thanks button if I helped you!
Any problems? Ask me!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am assuming that you DO have the permission of Kris Carlon, and you are NOT stealing his work and intellectual property rights by just copying and pasting the content of his article on Android Pit?
If not: do you know that piracy, like the copyrights violation, is not allowed on XDA?

Thread closed as a direct copy of someone else's work.

Exynos S9+ gesture control quick guide (Requires root)

I wanted to write a quick guide on how to hide the navigation bar permanently, in the easiest way possible and then use gestures to replace the nav bar soft keys.
This solution has been tested on the Exynos S9+ and you need to be rooted in order for it to work.
Steps:
1. Have root
2. Install the gesture control app of your liking, before proceeding with the next step. Set it up and make sure it works after rebooting. I would recommend either all in one gestures (free) or edge gestures (paid). I actually prefer edge gestures. Play around with the settings to get the most intuitive gesture navigation for you, I have added screenshots of my settings for inspiration.
3. Navigate to the system folder with a root explorer and open build.prop with a text editor. Add the following line to the bottom of the text qemu.hw.mainkeys=1 and save. This tells your device that it has physical navigation keys, so it should disable permanently the soft keys. To revert this simply switch the '1' with a '0', or delete the line, save and reboot.
4. Reboot your device.
I'm not a developer, I just had to piece together this simple solution for a much more natural navigation experience.
I don't notice any slowdowns or battery drain with this solution.

Reserved

useful ,thanks

May i have the link for the app? Thanks in Advance, lo.
S7 - SuperMan-Rom

borntokill said:
May i have the link for the app? Thanks in Advance, lo.
S7 - SuperMan-Rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ss.edgegestures&hl=en (paid app)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.phoenixstudios.aiogestures (free app)

I just tried the app "edge gestures" and it is well done, very customizable and works very well... apparently.
I installed the companion app "more gestures" to get a few more things to do. I wanted to swipe and hold from the right to turn off and lock the screen.
The shortcut works and it locks the screen as it should, but, for some reasons, I can't unlock my phone using fingerprint or face unlock, even though those settings are enabled. As soon as I touch the sensor I get prompted to use my pin, and if I hit the back key under the numpad, I go straight to the lock-screen, and as soon as I swipe up, I'm back with the pin and no use of the unlock sensors.
I had the same option (to swipe and hold to lock the phone) from Samsung's "one handed operation +", but I wanted to use one single app to have the 3 edges of the phone covered and this one seemed optimal for that, instead of using xda "navigation gestures" together with the Samsung's one.
As soon as I disabled this "edge gestures" app, and reinstated Samsung's and xda's one back, everything turned back to normal, face and finger unlock working again.
I wonder if I should have enabled other settings or permissions I'm unaware of, for these apps to work without conflicting with the unlock part.
Has that happened to anyone of you too??

[Discontinued] [OFFICIAL XDA] Navigation Gestures - Get iPhone X/OnePlus style gesture control

Jealous of the cool new gesture navigation feature on the Apple iPhone X, Android P, or OnePlus 5T/OnePlus 6? With Navigation Gestures, you don't have to go out and buy a new phone if you want to change the way you use your phone. This app brings gesture navigation to any Android device!
Best of all, with Navigation Gestures you can completely hide the stock navigation bar without root! This is the only gesture control app with this feature.
Swipe left, right, up, or down. Swipe up and hold. Tap. Double tap. Long press. There's a lot of ways you can interact with the gesture bar to control your phone. Don’t like how the gesture bar looks? You can customize its appearance! Here’s what you can do:
Gestures
Taps
Single tap
Double tap
Tap and hold (long press)
Swipes
Swipe up and hold
Swipe left
Swipe left and hold
Swipe right
Swipe right and hold
Swipe up
Swipe down
Split Pill
Swipe up from left
Swipe up and hold from left
Swipe up from center
Swipe up and hold from center
Swipe up from right
Swipe up and hold from right
Actions
Free
Home
Back
Recent apps
Toggle split-screen (requires Android Nougat+)
Open previous app (requires Android Nougat+)
Open Assistant
Hide pill
Premium
Pull down the notification shade
Pull down quick setting tiles
Open power menu
Skip to previous media track*
Skip to next media track*
Play/pause current media track*
Switch keyboard dialog
Launch app**
Lock screen***
Screenshot****
* Media actions are not guaranteed to work with every app. Media actions use standard Android APIs to work with most apps.
** If you notice that an app is "slow" to launch after using the pill to trigger the home button, that's because of an obscure change made all the way back in Android 4.4 KitKat. Unless you have this Xposed Module or a custom ROM installed with the patch, there's no way around it.
***Lock Screen is compatible with the vast majority of devices. How it works is like this: Makes screen brightness and display timeout minimum and then displays a fullscreen black activity until the phone actually enters sleep mode from the timeout (~5 seconds.) There are other ways to lock the screen but we decided against them, at least for this release.
****Screenshot action uses the MediaProjection API, which is normally used to record the screen. Here, we just record the screen for a single frame. This is the only way pre-Android P for it to work. Screenshots are saved to /Pictures/NavigationGestures
Appearance (all free)
Toggle pill shadow
Customize pill color
Customize pill transparency
Customize pill border color
Customize pill corner radius
Customize pill width/height
Customize pill vertical/horizontal position
Behavior (all free)
Show NavBar in Selected Apps
Hide Pill in Selected Apps
Customize vibration duration
Customize animation duration
Hide Pill After Specified Delay
Hide in Fullscreen apps
Don’t Move pill when Keyboard Shown
Show Pill in Car Mode
Larger Hitbox
Horizontal (X) Swipe Distance
Vertical (Y) Swipe Distance
Swipe and Hold Time
Compatibility (all free)
Hide Navigation Bar in Landscape
Hide Navigation Bar on Tablets
Show Navigation Bar in Fullscreen
Enable Immersive Navigation Mode with Immersive Blacklist
Experimental (all free)
Hide Pill when Keyboard Shown
Keep Pill Shown in other Overlay Apps
Use Full Overscan
Download
Download Navigation Gestures from the Google Play Store.
Download Navigation Gestures Premium Addon from the Google Play Store.
Join our beta testing group on Telegram
XDA:DevDB Information
Navigation Gestures by XDA, App for all devices (see above for details)
Contributors
MishaalRahman, Zacharee1
Version Information
Status: Stable
Current Stable Version: 1.3.0
Stable Release Date: 2018-07-09
Created 2018-05-19
Last Updated 2018-07-09

Frequently Asked Questions
Help, I uninstalled the app and I can't access my navigation bar anymore!
Please connect to your computer and run the following command:
Code:
adb shell wm overscan reset
Help, I uninstalled the app and the original navigation bar keeps hiding itself!
Please connect to your computer and run the following command:
Code:
adb shell settings delete global policy_control
Can we add a feature where the pill is in its own separate area so it doesn't overlap with certain UI elements?
No, sorry. We are already pushing the screen content down to hide the nav bar. Adding this feature would require us to push the screen content up as well. We can’t have it both ways.
There's a "white line" at the bottom of the screen!
This is NOT a bug. This is a side-effect of a change we intentionally made after version 1.0.0 because without it, many Samsung, Motorola, and Xiaomi devices were reporting major bugs (eg. black screen after unlocking which made the phone unusable.) The “white line” is caused by the navigation bar being hidden 99.99% but not 100% (ie. we hiding the navigation bar entirely except for 1 pixel.) So the “white line” is actually just your navigation bar that’s colored white. We added an Experimental Setting called "Use Full Overscan" which gets rid of the white line. Use it at your own risk.
Pill doesn't work with Samsung DeX/Samsung Good Lock!
Android prevents third-party apps from showing overlays on top of SystemUI apps like the status bar and lock screen. You can use the blacklist function in Behavior settings to make the original nav bar show in these apps.
Pill doesn't show when you open the camera from the lock screen, answer a call from the lock screen, or open a notification for quick reply from the lock screen!
Android prevents third-party apps from showing overlays on top of SystemUI apps like the status bar and lock screen. This also includes calls, apps, or notifications answered from the lock screen. The pill cannot be shown until you unlock the device.
Pill doesn't show in Facebook Messenger, Drupe, or other floating apps!
Go to Experimental Settings and select the "Keep Pill Shown in other Overlay Apps." Pick Messenger, Drupe, etc. in this list.
Pill doesn’t work with screen pinning.
We have no way of simulating a long press on the back button without root. A tentative solution we are looking into is detecting when the phone enters a pinned screen state and disabling the pill to bring back the stock nav bar.
Home action doesn't work on the OnePlus 5!
OxygenOS prevents the app from performing the home action if you both enable the software navigation bar and disable the "always enable home button" option in Button settings. To fix this, please enable the "always enable home button" option.
Pill keeps "jumping" up and down with the navigation bar!
This means you either enabled Immersive Mode manually (ie. not from the app) or another app triggered Immersive Mode which is interfering with our app. Here are some possible causes and solutions:
Nova Launcher: In the "Notification Bar" section under "Look & Feel," there may be a "Hide Navigation Bar" option. If there is, check to make sure that it is disabled.
LG G6/LG V20/LG V30/LG G7 ThinQ: Go to*Settings > Display > Home touch buttons > Hide Home touch buttons and disable the "lock/hide icon" option up top and uncheck every app in the list.
Samsung Galaxy S8/Samsung Galaxy Note 8/Samsung Galaxy S9: Go to*Settings > Display > Nav Bar > Show and Hide Button and turn off the toggle up top and uncheck every app in the list.
Feature requests
Is it possible to keep the pill in the same spot when rotating the screen?
We will be adding this as a feature in a future release.
Can we add an action to launch a shortcut/activity?
Yes, that is planned for a future release (premium.)
Can we add Tasker integration?
Yes, that is planned for a future release (premium.)
Can we add a swipe down and hold gesture?
Yes, that is on our todo list.

Problem
Hello,i cant download from playstore Premium Addon,i already pay the price,cant download the apps from playstore, plz fix it

Says item not found.
Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Sorry it looks like the regular app is on a timed release on the Play Store. We'll get it up ASAP once the developer is online

Is there improvements in performance or anything while rooted?

xx1182 said:
Is there improvements in performance or anything while rooted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's no difference with running this on a rooted device right now except it'll make setup easier (you don't need to use your PC for set up if you're rooted.)
In a future release we may allow for shortcuts/intents to be sent so you can customize the action to your heart's content (and potentially use root to do more actions.)
Also, if there's enough demand we may use input KeyEvent commands to inject button presses rather than the Accessibility API. This should give better performance but it requires root. It's not something we've implemented yet though.

Paperpaperpaper said:
Hello,i cant download from playstore Premium Addon,i already pay the price,cant download the apps from playstore, plz fix it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
room511 said:
Says item not found.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The app is now up on the Play Store. Blog post is going live in 2.5 hours from the time of this comment.

Hi !
First of all thanks for your job !
I want to report a bug on Note 8 Oreo. There's a problem with Samsung Internet and Touchwiz launcher.
I've attached a picture of the issue
Sincerly
Alex

MishaalRahman said:
There's no difference with running this on a rooted device right now except it'll make setup easier (you don't need to use your PC for set up if you're rooted.)
In a future release we may allow for shortcuts/intents to be sent so you can customize the action to your heart's content (and potentially use root to do more actions.)
Also, if there's enough demand we may use input KeyEvent commands to inject button presses rather than the Accessibility API. This should give better performance but it requires root. It's not something we've implemented yet though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, for me is no big deal. But for others, running ADB could be. I don't think it's right to not be able to skip that permission, since, you can(almost) disable completely the taskbar..

when the typing, pill is up-on the keyboard. it must always be in the bottom.

Wow.. cool :good:

@MishaalRahman: APK ?

asking for root permission on Samsung S9 plus SM-965F. without root permission app is not functioning

Great app but after I enabled Navigation Gestures. My icons/screen move to the right side. I'm using S9+ . Please advise.

mkoyak said:
when the typing, pill is up-on the keyboard. it must always be in the bottom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's by design so it doesn't interfere with the keyboard.
Licaon_Kter said:
@MishaalRahman: APK ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, we'll post the APK soon.
aryan1312 said:
asking for root permission on Samsung S9 plus SM-965F. without root permission app is not functioning
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can ignore the root prompt and follow the instructions to grant the permission manually by ADB.
dexz said:
Great app but after I enabled Navigation Gestures. My icons/screen move to the right side. I'm using S9+ . Please advise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is very strange. This seems to only be happening on Samsung phones. We asked Max Weinbach who has an S9 to test it and he never had this issue. We'll have to figure out why that happens.

Thanks for this app, I'm having fun playing with it.
Using it on Oneplus 5t oreo stable 5.1.1 magisk root, all permissions granted, premium addon installed, nova launcher beta.
When I set the vibration to 0ms when I exit that page of settings the vibration gets automatically reset to the default 50ms.
This does not seem to occur on any setting from 1ms upwards. I am interested to see if anyone else can reproduce this behaviour.
The way the pill works with SwiftKey keyboard is interesting, perfectly functional but not an ergonomic location on a longer screen for me.
Edit: ninja'd by the OP, see why you've done it that way with the keyboard now.

MishaalRahman said:
That is very strange. This seems to only be happening on Samsung phones. We asked Max Weinbach who has an S9 to test it and he never had this issue. We'll have to figure out why that happens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see now. It only happened when doing gesture up on the screen for "All Apps" the only way for me to make it normal again by turn the the screen off and turn it on again.

anyone know how to turn off that system prompt displaying over other applications on notification? kinda annoying...btw using emui 8 oreo 8.1

Working fine on my Xperia Z5 running stock nougat...
Pill on top of the Keyboard is the safest position in my opinion to avoid accidentally pressing it when tapping the space key..
I hope you can introduce more swiping features in your future updates.
Great work.
Edit:
In some games the pill disappears completely leaving no option to exit the game. What I did was to go to settings via control pannel.

Reachability cursor alternative

After updating to android 10 reachability cursor stopped working are there any other alternatives?

Would like to know too.

I have started working on a "replacement" for personal use, perhaps someone else will find it useful. It's really barebones right now with no configuration options at all.
To get the app working, first you'll need to allow "Display over other apps" by going to: Settings -> Apps & notifications -> One Hand Cursor -> Advanced.
After that, enable the app's accessibility service by going to: Settings -> Accessibility -> One Hand Cursor service.
Once this is done, it should be possible to swipe from either the left or right lower edge of the screen to bring the tracker and cursor into the screen.
The source code can be found here.
It doesn't work very well with the new navigation gestures in Android 10.

A great app.

Smaehtin said:
I have started working on a "replacement" for personal use, perhaps someone else will find it useful. It's really barebones right now with no configuration options at all.
To get the app working, first you'll need to allow "Display over other apps" by going to: Settings -> Apps & notifications -> One Hand Cursor -> Advanced.
After that, enable the app's accessibility service by going to: Settings -> Accessibility -> One Hand Cursor service.
Once this is done, it should be possible to swipe from either the left or right lower edge of the screen to bring the tracker and cursor into the screen.
The source code can be found here.
It doesn't work very well with the new navigation gestures in Android 10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It works great!
I use it in addition to the Fluid Navigation Gestures app.

I just installed it on my onePlus 6t and allowed Accessibility and Display over other apps. When I open the app, it is stuck on the Home Screen, I suppose, it says "Hello World", a pink play button in the right bottom corner. Could anyone help, please!

Raj Hannan said:
I just installed it on my onePlus 6t and allowed Accessibility and Display over other apps. When I open the app, it is stuck on the Home Screen, I suppose, it says "Hello World", a pink play button in the right bottom corner. Could anyone help, please!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't have to do anything else than enable display over apps and then accessibility and it just works.
From the sides you can swipe and point anywhere on the screen.
Opening the app is useless.

EMJI79 said:
You don't have to do anything else than enable display over apps and then accessibility and it just works.
From the sides you can swipe and point anywhere on the screen.
Opening the app is useless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much!!!!! Works perfectly!!!! Will it be on the Play Store??

Raj Hannan said:
Thank you so much!!!!! Works perfectly!!!! Will it be on the Play Store??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe, but the app needs some love before I'll put it on Play Store

Smaehtin said:
Maybe, but the app needs some love before I'll put it on Play Store
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok!

Smaehtin said:
Maybe, but the app needs some love before I'll put it on Play Store
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do try and get it up on the Play Store. It's fantastic having a one handed cursor again. Thank you!

Ur a genius, using with ROG 2 (Android10-Gesture Nav)
This app made my life so much easier as I have a big phone, maybe some feedback for upgrades if ur open to hearing;
Make cursor able to do gestures like scroll through I web pages eg. (Swipe)
Also being able to access notifications menu would be good, as cursor disappears for me once it passed top area of screen.
& Maybe a colour change for trackpad thinking maybe white or grey sort of classic look.
My Workaround:
(I know it doesn't work the best with gestures Nav enabled but I think I can get the hang of it+back is to swipe L/R but when I use your app I only need tap bottom L/R of my screen to show trackpad) + (I added to my start-up menu on phone)
Many thanks for sharing :good:
I think you made a really good app man, congrats.

FreddyFK said:
This app made my life so much easier as I have a big phone, maybe some feedback for upgrades if ur open to hearing;
Make cursor able to do gestures like scroll through I web pages eg. (Swipe)
Also being able to access notifications menu would be good, as cursor disappears for me once it passed top area of screen.
& Maybe a colour change for trackpad thinking maybe white or grey sort of classic look.
My Workaround:
(I know it doesn't work the best with gestures Nav enabled but I think I can get the hang of it+back is to swipe L/R but when I use your app I only need tap bottom L/R of my screen to show trackpad) + (I added to my start-up menu on phone)
Many thanks for sharing :good:
I think you made a really good app man, congrats.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you tap twice on the notifications bar, it expands notification and quick settings.

Smaehtin said:
I have started working on a "replacement" for personal use, perhaps someone else will find it useful. It's really barebones right now with no configuration options at all.
To get the app working, first you'll need to allow "Display over other apps" by going to: Settings -> Apps & notifications -> One Hand Cursor -> Advanced.
After that, enable the app's accessibility service by going to: Settings -> Accessibility -> One Hand Cursor service.
Once this is done, it should be possible to swipe from either the left or right lower edge of the screen to bring the tracker and cursor into the screen.
The source code can be found here.
It doesn't work very well with the new navigation gestures in Android 10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Has anyone got this working on a OnePlus device? I have enabled draw over other apps and accessibility but I just cannot get the cursor show up anyhow.

AbhishekS said:
Has anyone got this working on a OnePlus device? I have enabled draw over other apps and accessibility but I just cannot get the cursor show up anyhow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sometimes you have to disable and enable these more than once to make it work.

I just released an alternative to that app, you can find it here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.quickcursor
Thanks!