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Is the concept of Android's navigation bar broken?

https://plus.google.com/+MarcKrenn/posts/eo6GWmCsrHk said:
(This is an open letter to the Android Design Team regarding the current state of the navigation bar. Long read ahead, you've been warned )
Dear Android Design Team,
I've always been a strong believer in Android's navigation concept and I'm confident it's a corner stone of Android's success. Sure, it might not be the most elegant or transparent solution ("What exactly will happen if I tap on the Back-button?"), but it just works perfectly 99% of the time and that's quite an achievement!
I personally see Android's Back- and Home-button as the ESC-button of the smartphone and tablet generation - even more than Apple's ever so awkward one-button-does-all-solution. Back and Home not only act as universal panic button and therefore reduces the user's fear of doing something wrong but they also make Android more consistent, easier to use across all the different apps (you don't have to search the app-dependent Back-button/solution - if there is one) and they reduces the user's cognitive load, freeing up their cognitive resources for more important tasks.
However, the way we access those wonderful functions - Back, Home and Recent Apps - is completely broken, for three main reasons:
1. Roughly speaking, it's always there when I don't need it, significantly reducing the active screen estate by 48dp, and when it's not there - for instance in fullscreen apps - I realize I'd need it. Yikes! Yes, it sounds paradoxical, but if you think about it, you come to the conclusion that the navigation bar probably doesn't belong on the screen.
Now, I know your reasoning behind the decision to scrap hardware navigation buttons altogether, but maybe the current visualization and placement of the navigation bar is just not optimal.
2. Talking about the placement of the navigation bar, it's probably the worst aspect about it's current implementation. Placing the bar on the bottom of the screen makes it nearly impossible to reach it without hassle - at least when navigating the phone with one hand, which should be considered the standard way of using a phone. At best, the over 90°-movement of your thumb looks and feels awkward, however for most people, especially younger and older ones, reaching the Back-button with their thumbs is just an impossible task. And the bad news don't stop here: The bigger the screen, the worse it gets, making 5"+ phone impossible to navigate with one hand, no matter how great your motor functions are.
I know, it isn't as aesthetically pleasing as the current implementation, but for the sake of ergonomics the current navigation bar should rather be located at the top of screen rather than at the bottom. And the order of the buttons should be altered: The Back-button, which is undeniable the most used one, should be the easiest to reach, so it should belong to the top right (for righties at least).
3. As mentioned above, the current Back-button doesn't provide any visual cues of what's going to happen next, when tapped. The user might ask himself:
"Will I go back within my current app, or will it send me back either to another app or my home screen?"
Since those cues are missing, people have to either remember their previous navigational history as a mental map (unnecessary cognitive load!) or they simply won't know what is going to happen if the tap the button, resulting in fear of doing something potentially wrong.
...
Here's my proposal
Okay, now let's stop criticizing the current implementation, since we all know it's easy to criticize but way harder to come up with better solutions. I tried my best though and came up with a different approach to navigating the Android OS. It's in a form of a video mockup and you can watch it enclosed to this post. Please read my annotations in this video.
I'm using this very kind of navigation - sans the visualization, of course - since I got my Nexus 4 over a year ago, using an app called GMD Gestures while hiding the navigation bar.
And well, it's a blast. It's way faster, ergonomic and simply better than any other current solution available right now - like, for instance the "pie navigation" implemented in some ROMs, which has some major interference with existing apps. I'd like to ask you to try it out yourself using GMD Gestures. After a day you won't go back to the standard navigation bar, I promise.
To wrap it up, here's a short list of pros and con of my proposal:
Pros:
+ coherently visualized, making it more graspable compared to other solutions
+ again, more ergonomic than the standard implementation
+ apps are always fullscreen and there's no need to swipe the navigation bar up when needed
+ 99% software based - only a tiny physical or visual cue must be added to the hardware itself to mark the start area of the gestures
+ conception-wise it integrates nicely into the idea of the beloved card-style apps like Google Now, G+,...
+ only very minor interference to current apps
+ adapts nicely to the various requirements of differently skilled users (see video annotations)
Con:
- small learning curve, like with all gestures, but you guys have never been too afraid of that, right?
...
It'd be really cool to hear back from you guys and pals just to let me know what you think. Thanks for reading and watching my stuff and I wish you
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,
Marc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Picked that one up on G+ and I think he might be on something. You may check out the comments here.

Amazing concept!!! I would love to see this implemented in a rom. The only problem is the learning curve for regular users.

Great!
Just great!! :good:

Learning curve too steep. This is good for "power users" but not for everyone.

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

gravitybox vs x-blast

The interfaces for both of these apps
are going to be very similar: just a list
of things you can tweak. The real
differences are going to come in what
exactly you can tweak.
The organization on both is pretty
standard, and once you get it all setup,
you likely won’t need to go back into
the app for much. Interface really isn’t
a deciding factor here, but at least you
know what you’ll be working with.
 So What Can They Customize?
Short answer: nearly everything. These
modules are both fantastic solutions for
customizing your Android device
without flashing a custom ROM.
Your best bet once you download one is
just to run through every section and
see what you can change — you’ll likely
run into a customization you didn’t
even know existed, but soon will wonder
how you ever lived without it.
Above you can see the options for
customizing the status bar in both
apps. You get mostly the same types of
things with a couple of noticeable
differences. For one, XBlast has
gestures available for the status bar.
GravityBox, while it supports a double
tap on the status bar to turn off the
screen, doesn’t support other gesturing
like swiping left or right or long-
pressing.
However, GravityBox has Notification
Heads Up, a feature that gained hype
recently with the announcement of
Android L and the new pop up
notifications. If either of those tickle
your fancy, you may want to pick one
over the other.
Moving onto the lockscreen is where
XBlast really shines. GravityBox has its
fair share of lockscreen tweaks for sure,
but XBlast outdoes it with the ability to
change the unlock icon, the color
around it, the size, and many other
parts of the lockscreen like showing
notifications on it. XBlast pretty easily
takes the cake here.
Each app has so many of its own
customizations that it would takes
pages and pages to elaborate on all of
them. If you’re curious about the
smallest of the tweaks available in
each, like XBlast’s ability to customize
your build.prop or GravityBox’s ability
to tweak the Google Experience
Launcher, download each of them
individually and give them a shot.
However, don’t have both activated at
once or you’ll run into some wonkiness.
 Multitasking Tweaks
Both of these apps take a slightly
different route for multitasking. There
are other ways of getting multitasking
on your device , but having it baked into
the module is super convenient.
XBlast takes this approach in three
different ways: a Circle App Launcher,
an Appbar, and Gesture Anywhere.
Circle App Launcher displays a cool
ring-like effects along one of the sides
of the screen that you can scroll
through to access other apps. Appbar
simply makes a list of apps appear on
the side of the screen. Both are
controlled by a swipe in from the
outside of the screen, and they make
for super simple multitasking.
They’re very customizable, from the
transparency to the size of the
activation area, and they work
surprisingly well. Circle App Launcher
can be seen below on the left, and
Appbar on the right.
For this kind of multitasking, XBlast is
your module.
GravityBox, on the other hand, has its
own kind of special feature: Pie
Controls. Pie Controls are useful if you
want to hide the onscreen navigation
keys and only access them from a
swipe up from the bottom (or in from
the side if you prefer). It comes from
the famous PAC ROM , and it has made
a name for itself as a staple of the
rooting and tweaking community.
You can customize the heck out of the
Pie Controls in GravityBox’s settings,
and it’s a fantastic way to save screen
real estate if your device has onscreen
keys. Plus, with the multitasking button,
you can reach Android’s built-in
multitasking super quickly anyway.
Above, you can see the Pie Controls in
action. On the left is what happens
when you swipe up quickly — releasing
from the swipe will press the button
your finger is on when you lift up,
making it pretty dang fast. However, if
you hold it and wait without lifting, it
greys out the background and gives you
some system info, especially helpful if
you like to live in fullscreen mode
without a notification bar.
If you like XBlast but still want Pie
Controls, check out another Xposed
module called Ultimate Dynamic
Navbar, which we’ve reviewed . It can
help complete your customization
experience.
 Who Is The Winner?
You tell us. Let us know in the
comments which Xposed module you’re
using and why.
As for me, I would have to recommend
XBlast. It’s available on a wider range
of devices (Android 4.0+) and it has
significantly more customizations like
lockscreen notifications, quiet hours,
multitasking, and build.prop mods. Still,
I love GravityBox and have used it for a
while on my own device. Try both out
and see which you like best.

Is this a poem?

Feature Requests - (I see you essential team)

Since you guys peruse here and reddit.
-Stay awake while reading/holding
The same way the sony xperia series detects the phone is upright and being held, delays the screen time out.
- Setting to adjust the bottom round corner overlays
There two overlays at the bottom of the screen. Would be great to add some setting stop adjust.
-Hide Navbar
Similar to the GS8 That give you granular control over when it's hidden.
-Auto Pin unlock
Again the on the xperia series, the check mark is removed, so once you put the correct pin the phone accepts and unlocks.
More to come....

So most of the things suggested above are actually pretty gimmicky, imo.
Only thing I miss coming from other phones is gesture support for things like camera and flashlight with screen off. Double tap power for camera works fine, but no way to get to flashlight without turning the screen on, pulling down quick toggles, and clicking flashlight. Maybe holding down the volume down button with screen off?
Moto has the best gestures, then oneplus, then everyone else. Unfortunately, there is hardware support required for these to work without killing the battery, so totally understand if we never get gestures like these.

Those are pretty lame requests.. Essential runs AOSP.
A request that are needed & needs addressing:
- manual mode for camera
- hdr auto toggles the flash on??
- release system images already
- beta program/Oreo
- timely security updates (just getting October?)
- fix touch issues and scrolling
- fp scanner causing lockups
Let's get the OS polished and working better before we add more features

tlxxxsracer said:
Those are pretty lame requests.. Essential runs AOSP.
A request that are needed & needs addressing:
- manual mode for camera
- hdr auto toggles the flash on??
- release system images already
- beta program/Oreo
- timely security updates (just getting October?)
- fix touch issues and scrolling
- fp scanner causing lockups
Let's get the OS polished and working better before we add more features
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean, those requests of yours are already what they're doing, and bug fixes. So like duh list.
As for essential running aosp. They do, and they are already adding stuff on top.
The elegant solution for the status bar is to run devices in full screen, then manually
bring back the nav bar and status bar. So options for that would just be additional to what they are doing.
The rounded corners. They are already overlaying black corners on top. So options for that would just be additional to what they are doing.
Double click power button for cam isn't aosp last I checked.
So hence "feature requests" not just another list asking for "do it faster". :good:

Fix the camera.
Show us you can do this and smash the naysayers. Please don't just throw in the towel and let companies like Razer come in and show you up.
I would like Oreo like everyone else, but keep the guns pointed at the cameras.
There's seriously no rush to race to Essential phone 2.
You have reduced the price and now have the stage yet again. (Not to mention a ton of dedicated customers waiting with faith and phone in hand. )
Seize the moment an knock it out of the park.
This is the perfect time for you to take gobs of consumers away from the Pixel line. Google is against the ropes with its own set of issues.
Now that your price is set where margins are thin, its time to prove your name. Fix the camera and move units like crazy to get it in as many hands as possible.
Essential Phone 2 will help when you user base confidently upgrades ans recommends your product.
I bought an Essential phone for tight finish. (Software & Hardware)
Oreo will clean up a lot of peoples wants.
Again though, make the hardware work to it full potential.
Essential, you put yourself in this position with Stock android promises coupled with exceedingly high end hardware.
If I wanted bells/whistles with headaches, I would have zero troubles finding and OEM for that.
I essentially want you to focus on the hardware and leverage what you have to a higher standard and level.
Fix the EIS
Bring the camera levels to LG G6 results since the parts are the same.
Fix the Camera Icon (The only one you created) - Its ridiculously amateur and sticks out like a sore thumb.
Keep up the AMA's
Stay focused and steady.
Don't just kick the can down the road.
Another point:
I feel you should point out and lean your American roots. Lots of consumers purchase phones from offshoot companies that are created outside of the USA. Subsequently, many of them have been busted by running data collecting and or malicious algorithms.
You will not have more attention than you do now. Get cracking on it and show us what your made of.
Show us you can do this!

I agree totally with Maven1975 this phone is an awesome piece of equipment, I think that the weak link is the stock camera app and the way it processes the photos taken (compression) I have been able to take some pretty good looking photos with the stock app, but both The GCam port and FV-5 take far better pics but why?
Over the past year I owned the G6 which took some really nice pics, I sold it to purchase the S8 which took some amazing pics but I just couldn't deal with the UI of either of those phones even with the themes and the S8 wasn't user friendly for myself because of how I hold a phone I need me some side bezels with how I hold phones. I ended up getting the U11 and I love HTC and the UI but the phone was "big" but it took the best pictures out of the three.
Then the Essential PH-1 came out with it's awesome form factor and amazing quality and design I figured hey it has the same image sensor as the G6 with newer hardware and dual camera setup I bought into the"Image Fusion" hype and figured the photos should be somewhere in between the G6 and U11
Fix the camera, give us a Pro/Manual Mode and Release the System Image
I love stock Android, so keep the updates quick and the owners of this high quality phone will be some of your best advertisement "bang for the buck"
Become part of the development community and make this a "flash happy" phone ..... I come from a time when the HTC Hero had so many options for flashing different roms and apps it was so pleasing make the Essential PH-1 an ICON like the Hero

Android 11 for Fold 2

Does anyone have a port of a rom from say the S20 for Android 11 on the Fold 2 I want those new features.

Would have been nice if Samsung did a Android 11 beta with the Fold 2 as well and not just the S20.

I hear you. You would think Samsung's most expensive phone would get the best service. Samsung should have a team working to get it out FIRST. I know they had to make some major changes, but Android 11 adds a lot of the multi screen stuff native.
Samsung said the the phone needs extra attention so it will be later. (From a Samsung Tweet).

AquaticXi said:
Does anyone have a port of a rom from say the S20 for Android 11 on the Fold 2 I want those new features.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let the S20 owners "test" all the bugs in the beta and give us Fold2 owners a stable build for Xmas

JagXK8 said:
Would have been nice if Samsung did a Android 11 beta with the Fold 2 as well and not just the S20.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Note line doesn't even get the beta.

It's simply because the S20 series phones have the largest user base, so it makes sense to target them for the best possible and consistent bug reporting.
Samsung users don't really see the huge benefits of each iteration of Android, because generally new features have already appeared within OneUI. Seems Google take on cool Samsung features each year
So I am much more interested in what OneUI 3.0 is going to bring to the table (following info is from September 2020, so more features and amendments are likely since this release):
One UI 3.0 based on Android 11 – Beta Changelog September 2020
Home screen
Touch and hold an app to add an associated widget
Turn the screen off by double-tapping on an empty are of the Home screen. You can turn this on in Settings > Advanced features > Motion and gestures.
Lock screen
Dynamic Lock screen now has more categories,, and you can select more than one.
Lock screen widgets are improved.
Quick panel
See your conversations and media more conveniently in their own sections when you swipe down from the top of the screen.
AOD
Always On Display widgets are improved.
Accessibility
Get quick access to the most important accessibility settings during device setup.
Get recommended accessibility features based on what you use.
Set the Accessibility shortcut more easily in settings.
Sound detectors now work with your SmartThings devices such as TVs and lights to give you more visible alerts when the doorbell rings or a baby is crying.
Samsung Keyboard
You can find the keyboard in settings more easily under General management in Settings, and the settings have been reorganized to put the most important ones first.
Samsung DeX
You can now connect to supported TVs wirelessly.
New touchpad multi-gestures let you change screen zoom and font size more easily.
Internet
Added ability to block websites from redirecting you when you tap the Back button.
Added warnings and blocking options for websites that shot too many pop-ups or notifications.
Rearranged menus to make things easier to find.
Added several new add-ons, including one that translates websites.
Added option hide the status bar for a more immersive browsing experience.
Increased maximum number of open tabs to 99.
Added ability to lock and reorder tabs.
Improved design for tab bar which is now supported on all devices.
Ended support for Samsung Internet edge panel.
Contacts & Phone
Added the ability to edit multiple linked contacts at one time.
Added an option to help you quickly delete duplicate contacts.
Enhanced the search experience.
Extended the storage period of the Trash bin from 15 to 30 days.
Phone/Call background
Added the ability to customize the call screen with your own pictures and videos.
Messages
Created a Trash bin to store recently deleted messages.
Call & Text on other devices
Added the ability to turn Call & text on other devices on or off with Bixby Routines.
Calendar
Events with the same start time are now shown together in month and agenda view.
Reorganized options for adding and editing events.
Improved layout for full screen alerts.
Reminder
Improved layout for full screen alerts
Digital wellbeing and Parental controls
Added trends to your weekly report. You can see how your usage has changed since the previous week and check your usage time for each feature.
Added phone usage time while driving to the weekly report.
Added a lock screen widget so you can check your screen time without unlocking your phone.
Added separate profiles for personal and work modes so you can track your screen time separately.
Camera
Improved auto-focus and auto exposure functionality and usability.
Improved stabilization when taking pictures of the moon at high zoom levels.
Photo editor
Added the ability to revert edited pictures back to their original versions.
Bixby Routine
Grouped preset routines help you get started quickly and learn how to build your own routines easily.
You can now see what actions are reversed when a routine ends.
New conditions have been added, such as a specific start time, the disconnection of a Bluetooth device or Wi-Fi network, a call from a specific number, and more.
New actions have been added, including talking to Bixby and accessibility actions.
You can add a customized icon for each routine and add routines to the Lock screen for quick access.
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Hex Themes users have to think that way used for theme installation is hacky. There is a big chance new iteration of OneUI will block it and there will be no way to apply it any more.

I wish OneUI would let you use Icon Packs from the Google Play Store, like OxygenOS on 1+ phone does. These icons from the Samsung Theme store are pretty terrible and they dont cover as many icon as the Icon Packs do.

CtK4949 said:
I wish OneUI would let you use Icon Packs from the Google Play Store, like OxygenOS on 1+ phone does. These icons from the Samsung Theme store are pretty terrible and they dont cover as many icon as the Icon Packs do.
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It can be initially tedious but using Nova Launcher allows you to customize your icons. So if you have some preferred set of icons (even like iOS ones from the JB community) you can manually apply them and save a back up.

burrzoo said:
It can be initially tedious but using Nova Launcher allows you to customize your icons. So if you have some preferred set of icons (even like iOS ones from the JB community) you can manually apply them and save a back up.
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The problem is that Nova forces the cover display to mimic the main display layout, which forced either poor use of the real estate on the main display, or extremely cramped cover display. On top of that, Nova + native gestures don't work too well and is a bit buggy. I've learned to appreciate Samsung's default home and use GoodLock + hex to make small changes.
But if OneUI were to allow us to use icon packs from the play store - I'd be absolutely besotted and would never even think about using Nova again. I hate ugly icons so much that I'm using Samsung's browser (which admittedly isn't bad at all since it works well on the Fold 2) because I hate looking at Google's ugly icon on my dock. I'll occasionally use Nova since it's already setup, but I miss bug-free native gestures + the awesome animations that come with the stock launcher.

burrzoo said:
It can be initially tedious but using Nova Launcher allows you to customize your icons. So if you have some preferred set of icons (even like iOS ones from the JB community) you can manually apply them and save a back up.
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I would use Action Launcher, but it doesn't work that well on this phone.
Sent from my SM-F916U1 using Tapatalk

AhsanU said:
The problem is that Nova forces the cover display to mimic the main display layout, which forced either poor use of the real estate on the main display, or extremely cramped cover display. On top of that, Nova + native gestures don't work too well and is a bit buggy. I've learned to appreciate Samsung's default home and use GoodLock + hex to make small changes.
But if OneUI were to allow us to use icon packs from the play store - I'd be absolutely besotted and would never even think about using Nova again. I hate ugly icons so much that I'm using Samsung's browser (which admittedly isn't bad at all since it works well on the Fold 2) because I hate looking at Google's ugly icon on my dock. I'll occasionally use Nova since it's already setup, but I miss bug-free native gestures + the awesome animations that come with the stock launcher.
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I'm looking into cloning KLWP as I've heard you can use a separate Preset on the cover so as not to have the issue you spoke about (& still use Nova).
Sent from my SM-F916U1 using Tapatalk