I'm looking for an app that behaves like a launcher, but isn't an actual launcher/home app: multi screen, can use widgets, has an app drawer, etc, but doesn't specify itself as a launcher program.
Basically, I want to use is as one of the sides in a split screen configuration, but any app that defines itself as a home screen app android will treat differently and give most of the screen real estate to when it's running.
Google fails me because any search terms I can come up with to search for such an app just gives me useless listicles of 'the best android launchers!'
Any suggestions?
Are you seeking such action?
Split Screen Launcher - Apps on Google Play
Launch two apps on the screen
play.google.com
ze7zez said:
Are you seeking such action?
Split Screen Launcher - Apps on Google Play
Launch two apps on the screen
play.google.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, that's an app that just launches apps in split screen. I want basically a launcher that runs as an app and not a home screen.
Well, you still want your "splitable" Launcher to handle the home button/intent, so I think the only answer is to patch Android so that the Home app can be split screened.
There's some logic in there for older apps ("this app is too old and can't operate split screen"), probably some for Home activity.
Renate said:
Well, you still want your "splitable" Launcher to handle the home button/intent, so I think the only answer is to patch Android so that the Home app can be split screened.
There's some logic in there for older apps ("this app is too old and can't operate split screen"), probably some for Home activity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really -- I'm ok with using a completely different app for my actual home screen. I effectively just want an app to behave exactly like a launcher, only not to tell Android it is a launcher.
I realise this may not exist. If it doesn't I'll probably just find an open source one and modify it accordingly; I was just hoping it was already a thing.
dnfm said:
(...) launcher that runs as an app (...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://www.reddit.com/r/androidapps/comments/v9phh4/_/ibz42jl
Take your favorite launcher. Use ApkTool. Edit AndroidManifest.xml and remove:
<category android:name="android.intent.category.HOME"/>
Build it back with ApkTool then sign it.
Of course this can not coexist with your "Homey" version unless you change the package.
Renate said:
Take your favorite launcher. Use ApkTool. Edit AndroidManifest.xml and remove:
<category android:name="android.intent.category.HOME"/>
Build it back with ApkTool then sign it.
Of course this can not coexist with your "Homey" version unless you change the package.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya I figured it might be that easy, but my Android dev experience has been limited to writing a widget. Thanks for the heads up. I think I'll end up doing this.
Related
I installed Launcher Pro. I read that you can switch between launchers with a selection. I thought you could do it by press on screen, like when adding a widget, and it would be there. But it isn't.
I have searched through the settings, and can't seem to find it.
Any thoughts?
ewingr said:
I installed Launcher Pro. I read that you can switch between launchers with a selection. I thought you could do it by press on screen, like when adding a widget, and it would be there. But it isn't.
I have searched through the settings, and can't seem to find it.
Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
download home switcher from the market or go here
settings/applications/manage applications/select your home screen program
I dont have an android phone yet so someone correct me if i'm wrong ^^
You can download HomeSwitcher from the Market
Without a switcher, you can go into Settings/Applications/Manage Applications/LauncherPro/Reset Defaults. Then next time you hit the Home button, it'll ask you again which one you want and if you want to set one as default again.
Croak said:
You can download HomeSwitcher from the Market
Without a switcher, you can go into Settings/Applications/Manage Applications/LauncherPro/Reset Defaults. Then next time you hit the Home button, it'll ask you again which one you want and if you want to set one as default again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol beat ya to it
Croak said:
You can download HomeSwitcher from the Market
Without a switcher, you can go into Settings/Applications/Manage Applications/LauncherPro/Reset Defaults. Then next time you hit the Home button, it'll ask you again which one you want and if you want to set one as default again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool, Thanks.
Uh, now how do you use it? So then I guess I just need to have an icon for it on the desktop.
I did think I saw somethign that brought up a list just by pressing on the screen. Maybe a different app, or settings. I'll continue to investigate that...but thanks again. I can do what I need!
What a great site this is. I hope to return the favor of helpful answers as time goes on.
I installed launcher pro but the contact button says the application is not installed (little head icon on launcher pro)...
What contact application do I need to isntall for that functionality?
centex99 said:
I installed launcher pro but the contact button says the application is not installed (little head icon on launcher pro)...
What contact application do I need to isntall for that functionality?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Long press on the icon and you can change the shortcut options (which app to use, which icon to use, etc)
Whats the app need to be for the phone...
If I select "Phone" application... it doesnt' quite operate like the stock launcher...
When on a phone, the stock launcher when you click on the phone icon, goes to the dialer/call information... when you launch the phone application, it goes to the keypad but not the current call window...
you can get to the current call window by going to the status screen adn clicking on the little green phone during an active call though...
any ideas?
I installed launcher pro beta, but I can't figure out how to add a clock widget!
madjsp said:
I installed launcher pro beta, but I can't figure out how to add a clock widget!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't use the "Samsung Widgets" outside of TouchWiz. Go to the market and search for clock widgets. There are dozens, free and otherwise.
Thanks! This is my first android phone so this is all new to me!!!
Drachen said:
You can't use the "Samsung Widgets" outside of TouchWiz. Go to the market and search for clock widgets. There are dozens, free and otherwise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Samsung, this is pathetic!
Wasted 2 hours of my life dealing with your stupidity.
heres the solution (problem was launcher pro):
1. grab the homeswitcher from market
2. set touchwiz crap as default.
3. reboot phone.
from then on, kies acts normally, phone gets detected normally etc etc etc.
thanks for wasting my time samsung.
edit: even after this i had probs, seems i need to reboot phone everytime i need to connect it. on first connect after fresh reboot it seems to work. goodluck. (very very very poor software as expected from samsung)
edit2: this is a bug fest! who coded this samsung? some student? jesus this soft is so bad it kills all the experience. what a piece of junk. barely works. flaky. buggy. samsung, fire your software team asap. they suck. only a true amateur can output this kind of garbage. this is below badly coded visualbasic garbage.
moonrock said:
Long press on the icon and you can change the shortcut options (which app to use, which icon to use, etc)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's the action to execute TWlauncher ? (I mean the TouchWiz app-drawer)
I would mixup LauncherPro homes with TW horizontally scrolling apps
I wonder if there's a way to strip out the touchjizz widgets and use them in launcher pro or something, or make them available for any launcher replacement. I actually like the calendar clock widget.
I'll try picking touchjizz apart tomorrow at work if I get some extra time.
kodea said:
Samsung, this is pathetic!
Wasted 2 hours of my life dealing with your stupidity.
heres the solution (problem was launcher pro):
1. grab the homeswitcher from market
2. set touchwiz crap as default.
3. reboot phone.
from then on, kies acts normally, phone gets detected normally etc etc etc.
thanks for wasting my time samsung.
edit: even after this i had probs, seems i need to reboot phone everytime i need to connect it. on first connect after fresh reboot it seems to work. goodluck. (very very very poor software as expected from samsung)
edit2: this is a bug fest! who coded this samsung? some student? jesus this soft is so bad it kills all the experience. what a piece of junk. barely works. flaky. buggy. samsung, fire your software team asap. they suck. only a true amateur can output this kind of garbage. this is below badly coded visualbasic garbage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you are on jf6. Updates have become available. Try a froyo Rom. Also there is a nicely modded touchwiz launcher in the themes and apps section.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897
Sorry if it has been asked before, but is it possible to automatically start an app at the startup? Effectively, I am looking to create a single app custom build for a project, so need to be able to start the app on power up.
Also, would like to remove as many as possible of standard modules to decrease the start up time (my app doesn't need much).
Any pointers would be appreciated.
If you want to hide normal, Android screen, then create your app as launcher and remove default one.
Brut.all said:
If you want to hide normal, Android screen, then create your app as launcher and remove default one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, so any app can be setup as a launcher? Does it require implementing some interfaces or tweaking some config files? Any source code examples? Is there any difference in implementing it for different Android versions?
Any advice is really appreciated!
I do not know what rights it would need exactly, but setting your application to run as a Launcher (Home) you would probably need to declare that in the manifest. Once it is running on the phone, you clear Launcher or Home defaults and then you hit the home button when on the home screen. From there (if declared correctly) you can set it as the default home.
Again, i have never done it and this is from Android coding and usage experience only helping me have an educated (?) guess.
Unconnected.
Thanks for the advice.
I managed to setup my app as the "Home" app, however, when I reboot the phone, first thing I see is the "Screen locked" screen... Anyway, to get rid of it?
If you want to start something at boot, you have to create a broadcast receiver and capture the "android.intent.action.BOOT_COMPLETED" intent. You can then run whatever you need to when the intent is fired.
maniacx21 said:
If you want to start something at boot, you have to create a broadcast receiver and capture the "android.intent.action.BOOT_COMPLETED" intent. You can then run whatever you need to when the intent is fired.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, tried that - the same problem, the Screen Locked screen comes up first on startup. If I unlock then yes, my app has started and in foreground.
So no way to get my app loaded _before_ the Locked screen?
Err, you could make your app a screen unlock app...
(look at the source of the unlock app at AOSP)
The_Double said:
Err, you could make your app a screen unlock app...
(look at the source of the unlock app at AOSP)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I'm already calling .disableKeyguard() in onReceive() for the BOOT_COMPLETED.
However, the problem is that the device displays the Locked screen BEFORE my app gets BOOT_COMPLETED - so the app can unlock and start fine, but my goal was to go directly from the boot logo into my application without seeing any Android stuff...
Anyway to get this effect without having to have a own custom ROM?
No SDK method, as far as I know, of doing what you want. Might have to look into custom ROMs.
OK, so seems like a Custom ROM is a must.
Now, it looks like Huawei's devices (u8110/Pulse Mini and u8120/v845) could be a good base for that with the source available and custom ROMs already in existence.
So the idea is to package the single App that will be starting on BOOT_COMPLETED taking over the screen and buttons.
So the ROM needs to be modified to:
1) remove all unnecessary apps and libraries
2) customise bootlogo and bootanimation
3) on startup the ROM should go straight from bootanimation into the App (so, no display of the home screen at all)
4) on press&hold Power down - go straight into shutdown without extra confirmation dialogs
Can someone point out if 3) is possible/easy and any references to the Android source code for the bootup & power down would be great?
=GO Launcher HD for Android 2.x=
Here is the beta version of GO Launcher HD for Android 2.x, which is the tablet version of GO Launcher.
We need you guys to help us use it and tell me what you feel about the new features.
Tips:
1. Available for tablet devices with Android 2.0 or up.
2. Same functions with GO Launcher HD v1.07.
3. Please use v1.07 version on your tablet with Android 3.0 or up.
This is only beta version, if there’s any problems or bugs please send feedback to us through “Menu->Feedback”.
Download: http://61.145.124.93/soft/3GHeart/golauncher/pad/GOLauncherHD_2.x_beta2.apk
--------------------------------------------------------------------
=About this post=
Hey xda guys, here is GO Launcher Dev Team and I'm the product manager who is in charge of GO Launcher EX.
We will bring out GO Launcher v3.0 in near future which includes a lot of new features.
I will release every beta version here and hope that you can tell me how you feel about our new features.[/FONT]
=Newest Version on Market=
Now the newest version is v3.01.
Market page: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gau.go.launcherex
--------------------------------------------------------------------
=Newest Beta Version=
Next version is v3.02 and there are some new features mentioned below:
1. (New) Combined interface of launcher and locker theme preview
Download: please click here
--------------------------------------------------------------------
=About GO Launcher=
GO Launcher is the most popular home app in Android Market. It allows users to customize home screen, change themes, use smooth transition animation as well as various widgets and screen locks. It brings you a fresh and extraordinary mobile operation experience.
=Features=
- Thousands of personalized themes
- Various widgets and screen locks (weather, switcher, calendar…)
- Extremely smooth transition animation
- Smooth flipping operation
- User-defined folder to easily categorize apps
Many options in preferences to help you customize you phone!
=Tips=
1. How to get themes, widgets and lockers?
a) Search ‘go launcher theme’, ‘go widget’ or ‘go locker’ in Android Market.
b) Use GO Store via menu button in GO Launcher.
2. How to set transition animation?
Use ‘Effects settings’ via button in GO Launcher.
3. Icons are too small?
Use ‘Icon Size’ option in ‘Preferences->Visual settings->Icons’ to make icons bigger.
3. Long press the app icon to enter editing mode on home screen and app drawer.
4. Glide up to open menu and glide down to pull down notification.
5. The widgets in the screenshots belong to GO Widget, attainable from Android Market or GO Store.
=Important=
1. GO Launcher is a totally free app without any charge.
2. If you cannot set ‘GO Launcher’ as the default home app, download ‘Home Manager’ to fix it.
3. ‘DIRECTLY CALL PHONE NUMBERS’ permission?
It's required by the feature to create shortcuts of ‘person’ and ‘direct dial’. GO Launcher won't make unattended phone call and cost your money.
5. ‘READ CONTACT DATA’ permission?
It's required by the feature to create 'person' shortcut as well as to add contact folder.
Our commitments are respecting user privacy and delivering cool experience. Please help us by rating this app and recommending to the others.
Want an extreme makeover to your phone? Try it out!
Owned by and Visit 3G.cn Through Your Mobile.
Copyright 2004-2011 All Rights Reserved.
wow this launcher is getting better and better.
download it now.
This has always been bugging me, but how does GoTeam actually make a living out of giving the app for free? Personal data sale?
Nice to see dev team developing
Go laucher is best for me, if scrolling would be a bit more smooth would be awesome.
I've said this elsewhere, but I'll take the opportunity to say it again here
I am still using v2.60 for one simple reason. Up to v2.60, when you exit an app you go straight back to the home screen. After 2.60 you go back to the app drawer. I prefer the old behaviour (and I'm not the only one who does) - why not make it an option in the settings, so the user can decide what they prefer?
I have a request, could you please make it an option to remove the home button on the app drawer?
DnaPolymerase said:
This has always been bugging me, but how does GoTeam actually make a living out of giving the app for free? Personal data sale?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL that made me laugh irl... I sure hope not
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk
Downloaded and I installed. Everything looks good so far. I def notice a difference with the transitions; feels much smoother. Keep up the good work.
Sent from my Galaxy Note (SGH-i717) using XDA Premium.
Is this version or future versions going to be based on Android 4.0 source code? Because currently it lags a lot on leaked ICS roms. Not trying to be selfish, of course.
sent from Epic 4G Touch w/ICS
Whoa...someone that can actually hear my voice. Don't know how many times I have tried to reach out to Go to have this changed.
Moving apps from the app drawer to the home screen is horrible!!!
Change it so if you are in the app drawer and your tap and hold on a app you have two options when you slide it to the left or to the right. One being the home screen, the other being the all screens mode. Takes way too long to customize my home screens the way its set up right now.
DnaPolymerase said:
This has always been bugging me, but how does GoTeam actually make a living out of giving the app for free? Personal data sale?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, no personal data sale!
We sell themes to get money and GO Launcher is totally free.
Magic Stick said:
Nice to see dev team developing
Go laucher is best for me, if scrolling would be a bit more smooth would be awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try to uninstall the previous version and try the beta2 please.
We do something to improve the scroll performance.
emd2009 said:
I have a request, could you please make it an option to remove the home button on the app drawer?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's hard to do this.
No plan to do this in near future. But we will bring you a new design app drawer.
interpole00 said:
Is this version or future versions going to be based on Android 4.0 source code? Because currently it lags a lot on leaked ICS roms. Not trying to be selfish, of course.
sent from Epic 4G Touch w/ICS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, use the feedback button in menu to tell us where you feel lag in GO Launcher.
synergeticink said:
Whoa...someone that can actually hear my voice. Don't know how many times I have tried to reach out to Go to have this changed.
Moving apps from the app drawer to the home screen is horrible!!!
Change it so if you are in the app drawer and your tap and hold on a app you have two options when you slide it to the left or to the right. One being the home screen, the other being the all screens mode. Takes way too long to customize my home screens the way its set up right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, we will bring out a new-designed app drawer in near future.
Change the method of moving apps to homescreen.
bugujun said:
Change the method of moving apps to homescreen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats the only method I use. Others are too long and time consuming.
Can you please add an option to disable and hide the dock?
Also when you guys remake the app drawer, can you make it so we can drag an app from the drawer into a special area that will hide the app?
Absolutely love Go Launcher. It is the best out there.
However I would appreciate it if I were able to use my phone's built-in app transitions (opening an app from the homescreen and back) instead of the "zoom" ones Go Launcher forces on me. I hope you guys are considering adding this to a future version. Go and LauncherPro are the only launchers I know of that have this behavior and LauncherPro hasn't been updated in about a year.
Please consider letting us have this choice. You guys do great work and I'm thrilled to hear about 3.0!
Sent from my Droid Incredible using the XDA app.
Is transparent status bar working?
DEFYing the Android planet with ICS
It's cool but not going to do it in near future.
Hi, I have a fire HD 10. There is an app called split screen launcher which I would like to use. After choosing the apps I would like to use together, the next step is to add to the home screen but I cannot do this. I have nova launcher installed and from what I searched in Google you cannot add a bookmark to the homescreen.... Is there a workaround?
Zeathon said:
Hi, I have a fire HD 10. There is an app called split screen launcher which I would like to use. After choosing the apps I would like to use together, the next step is to add to the home screen but I cannot do this. I have nova launcher installed and from what I searched in Google you cannot add a bookmark to the homescreen.... Is there a workaround?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can modify the framework-res.apk to activate split screen
Find in res/values/bools.xml
Code:
//Replace to true
<bool name="config_supportsMultiWindow">false</bool>
Thanks for the reply. Wasn't really looking to root my device at the moment, thought I could get away with it just by installing an app that creates a shortcut.... Its crazy you cant create a shortcut
What is the Best launcher with cool transitions
Could try nova launcher lawn chair and ruthless those are the only ones I can think of I know there are more
Nova, by far
Lawnchair beta 4. Everything else is just overhead imho.
Anyone running nova on the march update? I saw mention of a fix for animations or something similar when using 3rd party launchers. I wonder if they fixed the issue of not being able to use split screen with 3rd party launchers IF you have animations disabled.
boorog said:
cool transitions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
None as third party launchers break animations with gestures
I've been using Nova since Android v5
iRhyiku said:
None as third party launchers break animations with gestures
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you're hitting on what I said. The Nova developers replied in the nova thread here on XDA that this break is on the android side. Any third part launcher will not allow for split screen if animation duration scale is set to "off" or "0." This is ridiculous and google needs to fix it. There is a mention of fixes with third part launchers in the march update change log. I double it has to do with this specific issue, but I can hope.
I was using Microsoft Launcher for quite some time. Then switched back to Nova. There really is no competition.
Anyone who is used to the triple launch actions (tap, swipe up and swipe down) for every icon on homescreen would find it very difficult to switch to another launcher. I like to keep my home screen clean and uncluttered, and this feature helps me launch 36 apps with just 2 rows of apps (6 in each), including the dock.
Ofcourse, there are so many other features. I can't imagine how people use stock launchers on their devices.
TheMystic said:
I was using Microsoft Launcher for quite some time. Then switched back to Nova. There really is no competition.
Anyone who is used to the triple launch actions (tap, swipe up and swipe down) for every icon on homescreen would find it very difficult to switch to another launcher. I like to keep my home screen clean and uncluttered, and this feature helps me launch 36 apps with just 2 rows of apps (6 in each), including the dock.
Ofcourse, there are so many other features. I can't imagine how people use stock launchers on their devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you do this?
There's a new beta version of Nova that works with gestures and animations etc. Running it myself at the moment
bird333 said:
How do you do this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I second this. Can you provide screen shots or something?
bird333 said:
How do you do this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is a feature available with Nova launcher when you long press on any app icon. You'll need the Prime license for swipe actions though.
TheMystic said:
It is a feature available with Nova launcher when you long press on any app icon. You'll need the Prime license for swipe actions though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ah, i see. What are your swipe actions? It looks like the swipe actions are launcher/OS action like open quick settings though...so for example you have a swipe up action on photos set to open, say, your messaging app? That seems goofy. what's the utility of that? that'd be a lot of stuff to remember: swipe up on photos to open messaging, swipe right on photos to open facebook, swipe down on settings to open brace browser, etc.???
If the swipe actions did things internal to that app like a swipe up on photos opened a certain folder or that app's settings that might make sense. Maybe I'm not understanding correctly.
Schroeder09 said:
ah, i see. What are your swipe actions? It looks like the swipe actions are launcher/OS action like open quick settings though...so for example you have a swipe up action on photos set to open, say, your messaging app? That seems goofy. what's the utility of that? that'd be a lot of stuff to remember: swipe up on photos to open messaging, swipe right on photos to open facebook, swipe down on settings to open brace browser, etc.???
If the swipe actions did things internal to that app like a swipe up on photos opened a certain folder or that app's settings that might make sense. Maybe I'm not understanding correctly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Swipe actions can do a whole lot of things such as launching an app, launching a shortcut provided by an app (such as launching a contact, conversation, composing an email, running a backup, etc.), launching a system activity, etc.
TheMystic said:
Swipe actions can do a whole lot of things such as launching an app, launching a shortcut provided by an app (such as launching a contact, conversation, composing an email, running a backup, etc.), launching a system activity, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok, that makes more sense. thank you.
Bxperiaz3 said:
There's a new beta version of Nova that works with gestures and animations etc. Running it myself at the moment
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been running this pretty much since it was released with Nova Google Companion and have had no issues.
Bxperiaz3 said:
There's a new beta version of Nova that works with gestures and animations etc. Running it myself at the moment
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what version? I'm on the 8.0.3 beta. Turning animation duration scale means you can't use split screen in the app drawer. A nova developer addressed this issue here on XDA, confirmed it, and said it's an android issue. It will work if animations are enabled. Are yours enabled?
I was on Nova for a long time. From the past couple of years I've been in Niagara Launcher. It fits my needs. Here is a screenshot of the launcher on my device
boorog said:
What is the Best launcher with cool transitions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've used Nova for years...won't use anything else. But, I set my animations to .5x in developer mode, so I don't see any "cool transitions".