Related
Please star this issue tracker:
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=22746&colspec=ID Type Status Owner Summary Stars
It takes too much effort to use bookmarks in Ice Cream Sandwich. The menu does not give an option to go to the bookmarks. Instead you must go to the open tabs selection screen first. That's far too much effort for something that is used often. As well as the menu, the bookmarks are not listed in the Quick Controls option either.
Please add them on the next update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Long-press the back button
or use the "labs" shortcut feature
jstegeman said:
Long-press the back button
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good tip thanks
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Long-press the back button will default to the "History" tab.
You must swipe to the right to go to the "Bookmark" tab.
And you must do this every time you want to access the bookmark.
Every single time ... Long-press, swipe right, press bookmark ... repeat ...
That's not efficient, long pressing and swiping then press
jstegeman said:
Long-press the back button
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which one? The "Quick Control" ?
There is no option in the Quick Control to access the bookmark!
rashad1 said:
or use the "labs" shortcut feature
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have a GN, but I agree, that looks like an issue. I like having 1 touch access to my bookmarks. It might get kinda tedious doing what you described
I agree this is an issue, but as a work around, I put all of my commonly used ones as widgets in a single slot on my home screen. That way I can always just hit home, then hit the favorite link.
I do this on my iphone as well, so it's nothing new for me, and I would likely use it this way even if they were easier to get to.
Most of these issues will probably go away once we get all of the decent 3rd party browsers working for ICS (Dolphin, etc)
The Ics 4.0.3 browser has direct access to your Bookmarks via the quick controls. Finally.
Hopefully we'll end up being able to choose our own quick controls..
I agree with this thread, a button to get to the bookmarks with 1 click is necessary.
Yes this is very annoying oversight. Hopefully will be addressed promptly.
This problem is addressed in 4.0.3. This version adds a bookmarks selection in the quick controls.
You can see it in this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4omtsG1b7g&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
Here's a screenshot as well.
What can you do now with the Quick Controls? Can you list all of them?
Thanks.
rashad1 said:
or use the "labs" shortcut feature
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's not there.
---------- Post added at 03:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:12 AM ----------
jstegeman said:
Long-press the back button
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
somebody deserves death by inches for doing this. idiots.
Just got my One X and had a quick glance before tea. You guys found any cool features or tips/tricks? Decent apps maybe?
Share the wealth.
I can't recommend the xda app enough
I've changed my keyboard to swiftkey x and love it more compared to stock. Just feels easier to type with all this screen space. Only thing I can really recommend so far, I haven't entirely got it all setup how I'd like yet as I've been switching between my sg2.
Sent from my HTC One X using XDA
One nice touch is pinch / zoom in the message app. Sometimes if I go out without my glasses, under certain lights I struggle. Just being able to resize text on the fly without messing with setting options is great.
Although it's a little bit old now, I love quick controls on stock browser. Enough to make me stick with it over chrome....for now anyway.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
Definitely replace the browser! I like Smart Keyboard Pro but there are many good ones.
Neat tricks in sense... in the gallery there is a dropdown box to browse your/other peoples facebook galleries without having to use that steaming pile of a facebook app. Soundhound integration into radio app/widget is nice. Love the lockscreen when you get an sms/email etc.
M.
"guest mode"
anybody knows how to enable it? cannot seem to find it
some valuable 3rd party apps:
1tap cleaner - configurable to auto clean cache as frequent as every hour
screen off & lock - i personally put it on the dock so i don't have to always reach the power button
wifi file explorer - wireless data transfer
screebl - even you set your screen timeout to 15seconds, the screen won't time out as long as you handle your phone to the angle/axis you set on the configuration, good for reading on internet or books
I love the fact you can take pic from recorded video, brilliant.
Screenshot power+home...
Lovely as we had to struggle to take a Screenshot back in my IncS days
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
Two finger scrolls on Phonebook / gallery / music list to fast jump on the indexes
williamyi said:
Two finger scrolls on Phonebook / gallery / music list to fast jump on the indexes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i didnt know about this!!
yup I think its what they call HTC gestures, wish they ate detailed somewhere
but one thing I suspect gestures mode seems to confuse the browser
OK, here's are two cool ones for you:
1. Quick Uninstall: from the app drawer, tap & hold on any "un-installable" app, you'll see the the bar at the top of the screen change to Cancel and Uninstall. Drag to Uninstall, confirm.... DONE. Compare this to Android's default behaviour!
2. Go to the Gallery app, pick a pitcure, tap Edit->Effects. Apply any effect, first, then tap Edit at the top right corner. You get to adjust Exposure, Sharpness, Contrast, Saturation, Vignette, add and combine MORE filters etc... and when you're done, you can save your adjustments as a NEW PRESET!
Awesome, yes?
---------- Post added at 10:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:43 AM ----------
williamyi said:
Two finger scrolls on Phonebook / gallery / music list to fast jump on the indexes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This one has been around since Sense 3.0. You don't even need to scroll, just tap with two fingers at the relevant spot on the screen (tap on the bottom will take you to bottom entries, top to top entries!). You can also use it in:
- People - Scrolls by letter
- Dialer - Scrolls by letter
- Most other apps scroll by Date: Gallery, Messaging, Mail...
Cheers
hamdir said:
yup I think its what they call HTC gestures, wish they ate detailed somewhere
but one thing I suspect gestures mode seems to confuse the browser
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what type of confusion you are referring to mate?
Don't forget to change the Keyboard to Swiftkey!
If you don't want to buy the app : there is currently a free beta running for Swiftkey 3.0 -> http://vip.swiftkey.net
shirreer said:
OK, here's are two cool ones for you:
1. Quick Uninstall: from the app drawer, tap & hold on any "un-installable" app, you'll see the the bar at the top of the screen change to Cancel and Uninstall. Drag to Uninstall, confirm.... DONE. Compare this to Android's default behaviour!
2. Go to the Gallery app, pick a pitcure, tap Edit->Effects. Apply any effect, first, then tap Edit at the top right corner. You get to adjust Exposure, Sharpness, Contrast, Saturation, Vignette, add and combine MORE filters etc... and when you're done, you can save your adjustments as a NEW PRESET!
Awesome, yes?
---------- Post added at 10:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:43 AM ----------
This one has been around since Sense 3.0. You don't even need to scroll, just tap with two fingers at the relevant spot on the screen (tap on the bottom will take you to bottom entries, top to top entries!). You can also use it in:
- People - Scrolls by letter
- Dialer - Scrolls by letter
- Most other apps scroll by Date: Gallery, Messaging, Mail...
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow I did not know about that too!! Love such small nifty functions
I know ICS added the data usage feature where you can track and set limits for mobile data, but it seems HTC have extended on that to include a minute monitor and also SMS/MMS.
Very handy for people that don't want to be hit with a big bill
H-Cim said:
Don't forget to change the Keyboard to Swiftkey!
If you don't want to buy the app : there is currently a free beta running for Swiftkey 3.0 -> http://vip.swiftkey.net
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Surely its swipe all the way. It's the best keyboard out there
@home said:
Surely its swipe all the way. It's the best keyboard out there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NO WAY MAN ... swift key all the way
v3 is even better
knightrocker said:
NO WAY MAN ... swift key all the way
v3 is even better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol - I'll stick to swyping
knightrocker said:
NO WAY MAN ... swift key all the way
v3 is even better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm with you on that. Been using SwiftKey for a long time, and the new beta has somehow managed to improve on an already amazing keyboard. Plus the new Cobalt theme looks gorgeous on the One X's screen.
[quote="home]Surely its swipe all the way. It's the best keyboard out there
[/quote]
I can't really get away with swiping to write. I used to use Swype back on Symbian/S60, but I much prefer SwiftKey's predictive text. Once you've used it for a little while (and it's learned from your emails/texts/social networking), you only really have to type the first couple of letters of a word for it to supply what you want. And if you're really predictable (or boring?) like me, once you've got the first word or two you can get through the bulk of a sentence with only one tap for each subsequent word. I struggle without it now, because it removes so much thought from typing on the phone keyboard.
Although we are kind of straying away from the 'nice features of the phone' discussion
first android phone coming from ios for the last many years
1. sms- how do i get notifications? i don't want that little icon on the top taskbar, i want a popup like the iphone so i will immediately know. i don't even get a notification in the lockscreen which i want. also quick reply somehow? same as missed calls, i want a big notification popup
2. contact/sms page- how do i get rid of the picture profile squares? it makes each line so "thick" and takes up too much room
3. quick way to put it to silent/vibrate only mode like iphone?
4. how do you actually exit an app? it seems like when i press any of the softkeys on the bottom (home or back) it just minimizes it and still has it running in the background
5. if i reflash rom, will i lose all my apps and settings? which rom do you suggest?
6. what are the advantages of giving me root access? examples or what i can do?
7. one big feature of iphone ios 5 is group sms, can android group sms with iphone users?
8. must have apps?
1. For SMS popup thing, you can go and download another messaging application like GoSMS from the market and set it's settings.
2. That can't happen, download GoContacts from the market?
3. Hold the volume down button or set a volume toggle on the homescreen
4. Click on multitasking, swipe left or right to close an application.
5. Yes, you will. You can backup all your apps and system data through Titanium Backup from the market, google how to do that. I recommend AOKP.
6. Better speed, stability, customizations etc.
7. No, just download whatsapp
8. Don't know what you'll like
Are you sure you wanted to leave iPhone? There are apps out there to do what you are asking for with pop ups, etc.... there are also SMS apps you can install to replace the standard one. Hands cent comes to mind for that.
To quickly go to vibrate press and hold power button. A window will open with the option for vibrate, airplane mode and power off options....
Hope this helps some what. I've had an iPhone 3G and 4. I came to Android for the freedom of not being locked into Steve Jobs view of how I should use my phone. I don't miss it. Give it time and you should see the same thing.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
if ur that new to android... i dont think u should start flashing roms right now!!
read more, do more research cuz i dont want u to start another thread by telling us u brick ur phone.. wont start up.. those kinda things
Oh... forgot. Android is a true multitasking system. Apps will run in background. I have heard if you press the back button instead of home to exit an app it will stop it. Don't know if that is true. Usually the os takes care of the processes for you.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
Learn to use your phone and become adjusted to the Android eco-system before you start talking about rooting.
Also, use GoSMS.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
arzbhatia said:
1. For SMS popup thing, you can go and download another messaging application like GoSMS from the market and set it's settings.
2. That can't happen, download GoContacts from the market?
3. Hold the volume down button or set a volume toggle on the homescreen
4. Click on multitasking, swipe left or right to close an application.
5. Yes, you will. You can backup all your apps and system data through Titanium Backup from the market, google how to do that. I recommend AOKP.
6. Better speed, stability, customizations etc.
7. No, just download whatsapp
8. Don't know what you'll like
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you for your reply
as for #3, is there another way to exit without going to that screen and swipe 1 by 1? because just now as i'm learning about my phone and opening up a bunch of stuff, i go to my multitask screen and have like 10 things i want to swipe and it's kinda annoying to do it 1 by 1
unknown00 said:
thank you for your reply
as for #3, is there another way to exit without going to that screen and swipe 1 by 1? because just now as i'm learning about my phone and opening up a bunch of stuff, i go to my multitask screen and have like 10 things i want to swipe and it's kinda annoying to do it 1 by 1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
u call swiping 1 by 1 annoying?? u press multitask button once.. and u ready to swipe already..
from what i see, i think u used iphone before... and when u want to close apps, u have to double click home button... then hold down 1 icon.. then press X
i see how u define annoying now...
unknown00 said:
thank you for your reply
as for #3, is there another way to exit without going to that screen and swipe 1 by 1? because just now as i'm learning about my phone and opening up a bunch of stuff, i go to my multitask screen and have like 10 things i want to swipe and it's kinda annoying to do it 1 by 1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I believe someone above said, there is no real reason to "kill" apps, or close them down completely.
My understanding is that apps are kept in a suspended state in the background after you back out of them, or hit the home button. They don't really chew any battery or resources, but by keeping them in the RAM the app opens faster the next time you need it, or remembers what you were doing/where you were within the app.
If the phone needs to free up that space for an active app, or services that you are using, then it will close it fully/remove it from RAM to make space and keep the phone running smoothly.
Again, this is my understanding... and if I'm wrong I'm happy to stand corrected by more knowledgeable users.
As for a previous question about what "must have apps", I am a fan of Light Flow (which you can get in a free version) for customising the notification LED.
unknown00 said:
thank you for your reply
as for #3, is there another way to exit without going to that screen and swipe 1 by 1? because just now as i'm learning about my phone and opening up a bunch of stuff, i go to my multitask screen and have like 10 things i want to swipe and it's kinda annoying to do it 1 by 1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're looking at Android from an iOS users perspective. Don't even worry about closing apps. Android is set up to know when to end processes/close apps. Even if you do completely close an app it'll just take longer to start that app when you need it again. Let the OS handle that stuff.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
king23adrianc said:
if ur that new to android... i dont think u should start flashing roms right now!!
read more, do more research cuz i dont want u to start another thread by telling us u brick ur phone.. wont start up.. those kinda things
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely listen to this advice. You can wind up with a 500$ paper weight
Sent from my i9250 (GSM) Galaxy Nexus.
[email protected]
i don't think i'll flash to custom rom until 4.0.5 so i'll have enough time to play with it. more questions
1. speaking of roms, i see 4.0.4 is coming out. i go to settings and try to update but it says non available? is there a quick seamless way to upgrade? also, if i upgrade to stock 4.0.4 will i lose all apps?
2. how do i get notifications to appear on the lock screen? i hate how the lockscreen just has the time and doesn't show anything else (except that tiny thin taskbar line on top)
3. i want to be able to delete/mark as read/etc emails without actually going into a native app? for example, from that taskbar notification dropdown or preferably from the lockscreen, is there a way to delete an email?
4. when i get a notification or any kind, all i get is a ring and vibrate. i want the screen to turn on and have the notification show (kinda like #2, a popup on lockscreen of what the notification is)
unknown00 said:
i don't think i'll flash to custom rom until 4.0.5 so i'll have enough time to play with it. more questions
1. speaking of roms, i see 4.0.4 is coming out. i go to settings and try to update but it says non available? is there a quick seamless way to upgrade? also, if i upgrade to stock 4.0.4 will i lose all apps?
2. how do i get notifications to appear on the lock screen? i hate how the lockscreen just has the time and doesn't show anything else (except that tiny thin taskbar line on top)
3. i want to be able to delete/mark as read/etc emails without actually going into a native app? for example, from that taskbar notification dropdown or preferably from the lockscreen, is there a way to delete an email?
4. when i get a notification or any kind, all i get is a ring and vibrate. i want the screen to turn on and have the notification show (kinda like #2, a popup on lockscreen of what the notification is)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It appears that you want your android phone to be an iPhone. That is something that it will never be. They are two completely different eco systems and are capable of completely different things.
1. Updates are not available for every phone at the same time. Google/Android/Carriers do have an annoying habit of releasing updates to certain phones in certain area's/countries at different times. You will eventually get the notification that an update is ready. Just be patient. With Android, you need to be patient.
2. Personally, i am not sure there is a fluid way to make this happen, however i am sure someone can correct me. There lock screen replacement apps like WidgetLocker but i dont know if they enable large notifications.
3. again, as far as i am aware, there is no way to mark as read or delete an email without actually going into the native application. When the notification comes through you can dismiss it by swiping left or right (like you do in the multi-tasking section) but you will still have to enter the native app to delete or reply.
4. Try SMS pop up, but again, this is not and iPhone...
I saw earlier you asked about Rooting etc... TREAD CAREFULLY. This can be dangerous if you dont understand the terminology and as you have been in such a closed system that is iOS, learn more about Android before going down this road. When you are ready I would keep an eye on the following sites...
i) Androidpolice.com
ii) galaxynexusroot.com (great tutorials and videos)
iii) galaxynexusforum.com (only about the gnex)
Hope this helps
---------- Post added at 05:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:55 PM ----------
I also just found this thread which will give you all the information you need if you are new to the joys of modding.
Thanks to Dakota0206 for putting this great post together
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1442184
another quick question - everyone talks about oh if you root if you flash and mess up you will get in trouble etc etc, can't you just "reflash" to stock if you screw something up?
unknown00 said:
another quick question - everyone talks about oh if you root if you flash and mess up you will get in trouble etc etc, can't you just "reflash" to stock if you screw something up?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, if you brick your phone it won't even boot. How would you "re flash" if you can't get into recovery. You're really trying to run before crawling. Slow it down, read & research you'll be happier at the end of the day.
Sent from my i9250 (GSM) Galaxy Nexus.
[email protected]
unknown00 said:
first android phone coming from ios for the last many years
1. sms- how do i get notifications? i don't want that little icon on the top taskbar, i want a popup like the iphone so i will immediately know. i don't even get a notification in the lockscreen which i want. also quick reply somehow? same as missed calls, i want a big notification popup
2. contact/sms page- how do i get rid of the picture profile squares? it makes each line so "thick" and takes up too much room
3. quick way to put it to silent/vibrate only mode like iphone?
4. how do you actually exit an app? it seems like when i press any of the softkeys on the bottom (home or back) it just minimizes it and still has it running in the background
5. if i reflash rom, will i lose all my apps and settings? which rom do you suggest?
6. what are the advantages of giving me root access? examples or what i can do?
7. one big feature of iphone ios 5 is group sms, can android group sms with iphone users?
8. must have apps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Install handcent and use it, it has a pop up notification anywhere when you get a text. And it has better options too, and has identical iPhone theme and look. Disable the stock SMS app in its settings.
Use volume down to quickly turn on silent. Better option is to use a dedicated widget from the market. A custom rom has better options though enabled just by holding the power button.
To exit apps you leave it with back button. This let's the os claim that process for free ram. Home button backgrounds an app to multitask. So always leave an app with back button when you're done.
unknown00 said:
i don't think i'll flash to custom rom until 4.0.5 so i'll have enough time to play with it. more questions
1. speaking of roms, i see 4.0.4 is coming out. i go to settings and try to update but it says non available? is there a quick seamless way to upgrade? also, if i upgrade to stock 4.0.4 will i lose all apps?
2. how do i get notifications to appear on the lock screen? i hate how the lockscreen just has the time and doesn't show anything else (except that tiny thin taskbar line on top)
3. i want to be able to delete/mark as read/etc emails without actually going into a native app? for example, from that taskbar notification dropdown or preferably from the lockscreen, is there a way to delete an email?
4. when i get a notification or any kind, all i get is a ring and vibrate. i want the screen to turn on and have the notification show (kinda like #2, a popup on lockscreen of what the notification is)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2. In the lock screen, you can swipe down the notification bar to see the notifications you have.
3. I don't think there is any way to do that. I think it's a security measure on Google's part so other apps can't "hijack" your email management.
4. Not a direct solution but I would recommend getting the app Light Flow. This lets you customise the LED to light up different colours depending on which type of notification you have. You don't even need to turn the screen on in that case.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
unknown00 said:
another quick question - everyone talks about oh if you root if you flash and mess up you will get in trouble etc etc, can't you just "reflash" to stock if you screw something up?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can always go back to stock. Its very difficult to permanently brick a nexus. Its pretty safe as long as you follow directions.
Edit: and for notifications this phone has a colored led light. You can set each notification to different color. Green I have new Google voice, blue I have new text, white is new Gmail, etc.
Ruxin said:
As I believe someone above said, there is no real reason to "kill" apps, or close them down completely.
My understanding is that apps are kept in a suspended state in the background after you back out of them, or hit the home button. They don't really chew any battery or resources, but by keeping them in the RAM the app opens faster the next time you need it, or remembers what you were doing/where you were within the app.
If the phone needs to free up that space for an active app, or services that you are using, then it will close it fully/remove it from RAM to make space and keep the phone running smoothly.
Again, this is my understanding... and if I'm wrong I'm happy to stand corrected by more knowledgeable users.
As for a previous question about what "must have apps", I am a fan of Light Flow (which you can get in a free version) for customising the notification LED.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're pretty much spot on with that. Unused RAM is wasted RAM. The Galaxy Nexus has a whopping gig a RAM, so the next time you'll need to physically close apps will probably be 2 or 3 years from now. Plus, Android's memory management is much better than iOS'.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA
Also, for multitasking, just install system panel. Any app you see labeled "cached" is frozen and ready to be opened should you go back to that app. Cached apps are doing nothing, so you don't have to kill them. Just leave them be. You really don't have to kill anything ever. I never do and things work great.
As a long time Android user, I (like most others) had a bit of a hard time getting used to using the Fire Phone's FireOS. Having used the OS for a couple of weeks now, it's not quite so bad once you get used to a few things and learn a few new tricks. Just wanted to start a thread for collecting these types of things that will help others making the transition to FireOS. I'm purposely omitting the fact that google play store can be side loaded whenever possible (sideloading the play store is something I highly recommend everyone with this phone do) so that I can focus on tips and tricks that actually relate to transitioning to FireOS.
Side panels Most everyone at this point is probably aware of the extra info panels that can be accessed by swiping in from the left or right edge of the screen. I have mixed feelings on this myself, as it's used well in some apps (like swiping from the right edge while typing a text message to add pictures), and not very well in other apps (and yet not at all in some apps). Additionally, it's not always obvious if an app does support this feature, or if a certain app will put these options in either the left panel, right panel, or both.
Back Button There is no back button on the Fire Phone. This was a cause of confusion at first. The back button has been replaced with a "swipe up" from the bottom of the screen to go back. This can be a bit finicky at times, but I've found that if I start a short swipe up from the top edge of the home button, it works nearly every time. Additionally, some apps seem to treat this a little differently, as from time to time I will see "back" and "menu" soft-buttons appear at the bottom of the screen when this gesture is used.
Screen Shots You can take a picture of whatever is on the screen by pressing the power and volume down buttons at the same time
App Switcher This is usually accessed on a NORMAL Android phone by long holding the home button. In FireOS, the same is accomplished by double-tapping the home button (the long hold in FireOS brings up voice search). This is the fastest way to switch between apps and gets you around having to navigate the carousel. Also, while in the app switcher, you can swipe individual apps up to kill the process AND remove them from the carousel. I like the Fire Phones implementation here much better than stock Androids. You can double-press the button very fast and this is much less disruptive to workflow while multitasking than pausing for a long press. I think Amazon implemented the switcher and action of the home button beautifully.
Home Button I initially found the behavior of the home button weird. On first press (from a running app), it will take you to the carousel. Additional presses from this point will cycle between the Carousel and the app tray.
App Tray Aside from subsequent presses of the home button, the app tray can be slid up by touching and dragging the bottom row of quick launch icons upward while in the carousel. Likewise, you can continually drag the app tray downward to eventually reach the carousel at the top. It will seem more logical if you picture in your mind that the Carousel sits at the top of the app tray.
Another App Tray annoyance is the lack of alphabetical sorting of apps. While I've found no way to do this automatically, apps can be dragged and dropped in the app tray in any order you like. Apps can either be dragged on top of eachother to create collections (folders), or dragged in between other apps for changing the sorting order. A bit of a pain initially, but pretty easy to keep up with once you get your current collection sorted initially.
Lastly, to get the most from your 4 quick launch icon slots - you can use collections (folders) there as well! This is a feature I'm really using a lot lately to make navigating and the lack of a normal launcher much easier! For example, currently I have the following 4 quick launch collections: "Communication","News","Organize" and "Media". Within the "Communication" collection, I have Phone, Contacts, Messaging, Email, Facebook, Messenger, and Snap Chat. Within the "News" collection, I have Yahoo, Silk Browser and Weather. Within "Oganize" I have Notes, Calendar, and Our Groceries. Within Media I havePhotos, Music, Prime Music, Instant Video, Plex and Netflix. Since using collections in the quick launch area, I find that I rarely ever use the app tray, as my most frequently used apps are right there, easily accessible from the Carousel.
Facebook Mesenger If you're used to using the floating chat heads, and missing them in FireOS, here is a tip. Go to messenger, and enter the settings. Navigate to "Chat heads", ensure the switch is set to "On" and that the "Hide when using apps that take up the full screen" checkbox is NOT checked. For some reason the FireOS launcher/carousel is treated like a full-screen app.
Music Fire phone comes with a "Music" app. But don't confuse this with Amazon's own "Prime Music" app - they are actually two different apps! For those that use the prime music service, do yourself a favor by installing "Prime Music" right from the Amazon App Store. Why this isn't on the phone by default is beyond me!
Cellular usage data As most of us have to keep tabs on our data usage, I find this to be a nice built-in feature (though not the easiest to find). You can set your monthly limit and view current usage under "Settings->Wi-Fi & Networks->See your cellular data usage"
Carousel I'm not a huge fan of the carousel, though I'm finally starting to adapt to it.
EDIT: I'm starting to become a huge fan of the carousel. It has forced me to become organized, and the ability to do simple actions (delete emails for example) without opening an app is just awesome once you get used to it.
There is one cool feature, and that's "pin to front". You can make any number of apps appear at the beginning of the carousel by long-pressing and selecting "pin to front". This has limited utility, as this is only efficient for pinning a few frequently used apps to the front of the list, but still useful once you start using it.
Also, the dragging and dropping apps from the app tray works to replace the default quick launch apps that appear at the bottom of the carousel.
For non-app items (books, music, etc) that appear in the carousel, long-pressing will reveal an addition option of "Pin to app grid", which will pin the book/music/whatever into the app grid for easy access just as if it were an app.
For Pinned items, you can reorder them kind of crudely with a long press and using the "Move to front" option
Status Bar By default, the status bar auto-hides. You set it to always be visible in Settings->Display
Lock Screen This actually has a very little-knows and very cool feature called a "Locket". This allows you to add a number of photos that can easily be accessed from the lock screen. The utility of this isn't immediately obvious, so consider this scenario:
You bump into an old friend in the mall and they ask how your family is doing. Instead of pulling out your phone, getting to the app tray, pulling up the "Photos" app and searching for pictures to show - you can use the locket feature to do this much more efficiently.
To setup and/or access the photo locket feature, from the lock screen, simply swipe from right to left (instead of swiping up to unlock). This enters the photo locket, where you can add more photos, or swipe left and right to view the collection of photos in your locket. It's actually a really neat feature and has some real utility (I can't count how many times I've had to fumble through navigating through my entire photo collection to show pictures of my kids to someone I haven't seen in a while. This really makes it easy)
Silk Browser Another thing I'm not very keen on - though if you plan on using stock FireOS, learning to properly use the app will help.
EDIT: Ok, the browser is growing on me now.
It can be a bit confusing since there is a menu button in the upper-right hand corner, a different menu in the left panel (accessed by swiping in from the left edge of the screen), and other options such as tab switching that are only visible at the bottom of the screen only at certain times. I'll try to detail some of the common functions here:
Bookmarking pages Bring up the page you want to bookmark, then use the menu button in the upper-right hand corner to add the bookmark
Desktop View Use the menu button in the upper right-hand corner and navigate to "Request another view", which will allow you to select the desktop view
Clearing browsing history Access the menu in the left panel, and go to settings, then "Your Data" -> "Clear Browser Data". From here you can clear just history, or anything else such as cookies, etc. You can also clear sites from the history list one at a time by using the left panel menu->History and long pressing the entries you wish to delete.
Tab Management This took me quite some time to figure out. Sometimes I would notice the tab switcher at the bottom of the browser, other times I wouldn't. To make these tab controls visible again, simply start scrolling the current web page back towards the top of the page and the tab controls will appear.
Private Browsing Mode This keeps websites from saving to your history, saving cookies, etc. Like other options, it's not easy to find in the Silk browser. To go into private browsing mode, use the Tab Management above to enter the list of tabs. On this screen you will find the option for private browsing.
Offline Reading One interesting feature that is useful (but poorly implemented) is "Reading Lists", which stories/web pages for offline reading. It's confusing, because you use one menu system to save to the reading list, and yet another menu to access the saved items. To save a page for later viewing, use the menu button in the upper right-hand corner and choose "Save to Reading List". To access the actual reading list to either read, or remove items, use the left panel menu->"Reading List"
Default Search Engine The search engine can be changed from the default (Bing) to either Google or Yahoo by going to the left panel->Settings->Search Engine
Cloud Photos Prime members get unlimited storage for backing up photos. Unfortunately, it's poorly implemented in FireOS and ONLY allows for automatic uploading of ALL new photos at this time. But what if you want to be able to specifically select only the photos you want stored on the cloud? Unfortunately in stock FireOS this isn't yet possible. However, if you have installed the Google Play Store or are familiar with side loading, look for the "Amazon Cloud Drive Photos" app - which oddly enough is published by Amazon for general Android devices, but not available to their own Fire Phone via their own App Store. At any rate, this is how to get around the limitation of the default implementation.
I'd love to hear tips from others and continue learning to use FireOS more efficiently. The tips I outlined above have made this a very usable OS for me, even though I flat out hated it at first. I'll try to keep up adding tips and tricks from others to this master list.
Edited the first post a bit. FireOS is really starting to grow on me and I'm actually more productive now on my Fire Phone than I was on my Galaxy Note II. Amazon still has some work to do on FireOS - but once you get the hang of it its a nice efficient OS
Found another tip. I'll add it here and to the original post:
For non-app items (books, music, etc) that appear in the carousel, long-pressing will reveal an addition option of "Pin to app grid", which will pin the book/music/whatever into the app grid for easy access just as if it were an app.
Thanks. Your tips made a real night and day difference between using Fire phone.
jondecker76 said:
Found another tip. I'll add it here and to the original post:
For non-app items (books, music, etc) that appear in the carousel, long-pressing will reveal an addition option of "Pin to app grid", which will pin the book/music/whatever into the app grid for easy access just as if it were an app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks JonDecker. Your tips made a difference of actually liking and using Fire phone. Couldn't find such information anywhere else.
Not a problem
After being with the phone for quite some time now, I actually cringe when I have to use my wife's LG G2 for anything. Once you learn a how to use FireOS , it's really pretty good!
Good stuff!!! I personally think that the interface is not that bad... and it is very smooth and quick... i like the phone. No tricks from me at the moment but i will share if i found any ?
Sent from my SD4930UR using XDA Free mobile app
If you have NFC turned on and tap it against your PC (with NFC as well) you can share the whats currently on your phones screen. I found this by accident. The screen shot pop's up in your pc's browser.
Increasing Battery Life
I have found that disabling Dynamic Perspective increases the duration of my phone charge significantly. This can be done by going to Settings (swipe from top) > Display > Configure low motion settings > Dynamic Perspecitve.
I'm glad to see a thread dedicated to this. I'd like to share a review I wrote on this phone a while ago as I feel it adds to the already terrific thread topic.
Below, in no particular order, is a list of things I hated out of the box. Following will be my feelings, along with tips & tricks, on the same items.
1. The Home Screen - I didn't like how the apps were randomly scattered on the home screen. It was difficult for me find what I was looking for.
2. No Google Play Store - I understand the logic behind this from a business prospective. However, from a consumer prospective, there are apps I use on a daily basis that were not available in the Amazon App Store. As bad as this sounds, it means I'd have to change my life style to accommodate this device. One thing that kind of floored me on this is that Google doesn't block the Amazon App store on their OS.
3. The grid - It scrolls up and down, where I've been used to scrolling left to right. Also, there is no way to easily sort the applications by alphabetical order. It simply displays them as they are installed.
4. The lack of soft keys - I've been accustomed to soft keys to open the menu, go home, view recently used apps, and to go back.
5. Notifications - The notification bar doesn't keep a log of icons of notifications. For example, if I get a KIK message it drops down, previews it, and vanished. Unless I open up the notification panel there is nothing to remind you of this. This bothers me as I often don't review them straight away and forget it even happened.
6. Keyboard - There is absolutely no way to install another keyboard. I've been a long time user of Swift Key and I keep find myself hitting the period instead of the space bar.
Due to the above I decided to try to make the phone a bit more what I'm used to. This was easy as I simply had to side load a few apps. This mainly included the apps that were not in the Amazon App Store along with a launcher to replace the Amazon Home screen. After installing several launchers I found one that I was happy with as it permitted me to use custom Widgets. I used it this way for a week or so and was happy to have my old Style back.
Now that I didn't feel held back, or limited by the device, I wanted to give it a go on how it was intended to be used. I changed my default home launcher to the Fire OS launcher. After using it a bit, and exploring it, it's my default launcher with no plans of going back to the standard Android Launcher! Below are the same 6 items listed above, but including how I feel about them now. It will also include what I consider to be tips & tricks, things I wish I knew out of the box.
1. The Home Screen - The use of Dynamic Perspective to access menus is amazing! The apps that are created for this OS have beautiful home screen widgets that I'm not sure I could go with out now. I love the fact I can read SMS messages on the home screen, emails on the home screen, a flip of the wrist shows me the current weather, my upcoming appointment and reminders, and much more. Although there is no easy way to change the apps listed, you can pin apps to the front. So simply pin the app that you want listed last first, and the first app last. This will put them in the order that you'd like.
2. No Google Play Store - As others have mentioned, installing the Google Play Store is very simply on this device. There is no downgrading required. Simply side load a few APK files. I won't go into detail on this as it can be found in a lot of other places.
3. The grid - I don't mind scrolling up and down now. It's second nature now. However, you still can not sort the apps. You must go through the tedious process of moving them one at a time by clicking and dragging it. I did this so they are sorted alphabetically. If I install a new app I now simply drag it where I feel it should be.
4. The lack of soft keys - I'm so used to swiping up now it's odd to use a traditional Android phone's back button! The physical home button works fine, especiall8y now that I discovered the "Quick Switch" menu by double pressing the home key.
5. Notifications - I've toggled all the options regarding notifications in the settings. My original complaint still exists. This was a HUGE set back for me with this device. Luckily, with a lot of trial and error, I found an app that works well for me. It's call NotifierPro Free. I configured it so a bar drops down and stays under the status bar. I also configured it so these notifications remain until I swipe them away. This has been a HUGE help in allowing me to adapt to this device.
6. Keyboard - There is still no way to change the default keyboard, even after side loading one. Amazon told me they made an update to their Kindles which allows the use of changing keyboard applications, so there will be an update that allows the Fire Phone to do the same.
Tips & Tricks / Q & A
1. Switching between running apps quickly.
- To do this simply press the home button twice quickly. You will be presented with a menu called "Quick Switch" where your most recently used apps can be found.
2. How do I quit apps that I'm not using at the moment to extend battery life and free resources?
- If you double click the home button to access the "Quick Switch" menu you can swipe up which will close the app, remove it from the quick switch menu, along with removing it from the cluttered home carousel.
3. Can I group applications together?
- Yes you can! Inside the home menu click and drag an application over another. It will ask you to give the new collection a name and they are then in a group. This is a great way to keep things together and sorted. You can also drag these "collections" into the home screen dock.
4. Any tips for the Camera?
- Yes! I've read about this "best shot" feature, but it didn't seem to do anything for me once I enable it. However, which viewing the photos you already have taken you will have a "best shot" option you can click on. This will show you the 3 photos the camera took, allowing you to select the one that you like the best.
- Burst Feature - The Amazon pages states you can click and hold the camera button to take a burst of photos. This doesn't work for me as it opens up Fire Fly. However, if you press and hold the soft key this feature works.
5. Amazon App Store or Google Play Store?
- I suggest you use the App from the Amazon App Store if available. Some of these apps are created specifically for the Fire Phone and give home screen widgets that the standard app does not support. For example, if you install KIK from the Amazon App Store it allows you to read messages on your home screen, where if you install it from the Play Store it does not.
6. Is the battery really as bad as people say?
- Maybe originally prior to the newest update. The newest update bring out amazing battery life, compared to my old phone at least. I can easily get through an entire day on a single charge. This is under moderate use such as messaging, emailing, browsing eBay, the web, and normal app use. I do not use the device to watch movies or television shows.
As I continue finding things about this phone that I feel are worth mentioning, I'll be sure to update this review. Outside of that, if you have bought this device but initially installed the Google Home Launcher, I strongly suggest you open your mind and give the Amazon Home Launcher a shot. It's truly amazing.
Can you post a link to "notification pro free"? I can't find it in the amazon store and my google-fu is failing me.
ractar28 said:
Can you post a link to "notification pro free"? I can't find it in the amazon store and my google-fu is failing me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure if it's against any site rules, so I'll PM you.
---------- Post added at 05:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:40 AM ----------
ractar28 said:
Can you post a link to "notification pro free"? I can't find it in the amazon store and my google-fu is failing me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My apologies, and thanks for pointing this out. I had the app name wrong. It's actually NotifierPro Free!
Look at alternative markets or use a website to remotely download apks from the google appstore.
I have 1mobile market installed on my phone and it has it and it works.
Btw. Go Launcher Ex + Go Notifier works for notification badges (unread count at the app icon) and all widgets (you have to pull them onto the screen after every restart though) but has not wallpapers.
I use it, since I disliked the huge bar that Notifier used.
Now it almost feels like normal Android, I just wish I could deactivate the standard lockscreen... I already tried a lot of stuff via ADB, but I guess it needs root for it.
Since I do not want to root my phone as long as there is not notification bar like in stock android, I am fine now.
ractar28 said:
Can you post a link to "notification pro free"? I can't find it in the amazon store and my google-fu is failing me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like having found this thread, I had my fire phone for about a month now and I still can't get used to not having the back and menu soft buttons. Otherwise I do like the phone quite a bit and that is having to use it along with my Galaxy Note 3 work phone.
Button Mapper 1.40 introduces support for Motion Sense on the new Pixel 4/4XL.
The way this works is you swipe your hand in the air over the phone to perform an action. You can swipe in any direction, but swiping left or right seems to work best. I originally planned to remap each direction separately, but found this was too unreliable to be practical for most.
Motion Sense must be enabled in System Settings, and the "Reach to check phone" option must be enabled, or this won't work.
The motion gestures will work with the screen off, on the lockscreen and on the homescreen. The sensor is not active within other apps.
Setup
For non rooted devices, requires one-time adb setup to allow Button Mapper to read logcat output.
Rooted devices can work right away.
Options
Turn on screen: For rooted users, there is an option to turn the screen on before performing an action.
Play sound on action: Makes a sound whenever a swipe action is performed. This is helpful to indicate that the swipe was detected, especially when the screen is off.
Disable while music is playing: This will stop Button Mapper from performing the assigned action while music is playing. This allows you to continue using the built-in previous and next track gestures while listening to music. When not listening to music, Button Mapper will resume remapping.
Tips
A good way to test this out is to assign the "Toggle flashlight" action. It's a quick visual to help you get a feel for how the motion sensing works.
Download
XDA Labs (always latest version)
https://labs.xda-developers.com/store/app/flar2.homebutton
Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=flar2.homebutton
Note: Many users will not yet find the latest Button Mapper 1.40 on the Google Play Store. Download from XDA Labs if you can't wait.
Thanks for this, got the update via play store and sent some coffee your way.
I swear no matter what device you jump on you always come through with something great!
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
Awesome, just purchased. Only thing I can't figure out - how to map power button? It doesn't detect it when I press to add button - assuming because it turns screen off? If there's a way to do this that'd be awesome, guessing I'm just missing something
wrongway213 said:
Awesome, just purchased. Only thing I can't figure out - how to map power button? It doesn't detect it when I press to add button - assuming because it turns screen off? If there's a way to do this that'd be awesome, guessing I'm just missing something
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The power button can't be remapped.
Very clever use of the LogCat!
Can't wait to get a ton of Google surveys so I can afford this app haha. Looks very intriguing, great work!
You get a P4 Flar2?
krabman said:
You get a P4 Flar2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Temporarily
flar2 said:
Temporarily
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Brilliant, many thanks for this! :good:
I've given it a try but it doesn't work for me:
- I have "Reach to check phone" enabled
- I ran "Enable Active Edge Remapping" using Button Mapper Setup
- I assigned "Toggle flashlight" as action and toggled on "Play sound on action"
- I went back to my homescreen.
Nothing is happening. Did I forget something?
StrangerWeather said:
Brilliant, many thanks for this! :good:
I've given it a try but it doesn't work for me:
- I have "Reach to check phone" enabled
- I ran "Enable Active Edge Remapping" using Button Mapper Setup
- I assigned "Toggle flashlight" as action and toggled on "Play sound on action"
- I went back to my homescreen.
Nothing is happening. Did I forget something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same here, used motion sense to toggle flashlight but its not working, phone is rooted and the app has permissions
edited : actually it works but it needs the soli to be enabled (like when u open spotify and its shows u the light at the top of ur screen, swiping will enable the flashlight)
need an option where u can swipe to toggle flashlight while screen is locked if possible or when you are on your home screen
so technically the motion sense if off when screen is locked or on home screen
---------- Post added at 04:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:32 PM ----------
i noticed too that skipping songs is much more consistent, its like 100% success rate
StrangerWeather said:
Brilliant, many thanks for this! :good:
I've given it a try but it doesn't work for me:
- I have "Reach to check phone" enabled
- I ran "Enable Active Edge Remapping" using Button Mapper Setup
- I assigned "Toggle flashlight" as action and toggled on "Play sound on action"
- I went back to my homescreen.
Nothing is happening. Did I forget something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no idea why, but for me it works all the time except when I open an app.
sta3b said:
same here, used motion sense to toggle flashlight but its not working, phone is rooted and the app has permissions
edited : actually it works but it needs the soli to be enabled (like when u open spotify and its shows u the light at the top of ur screen, swiping will enable the flashlight)
need an option where u can swipe to toggle flashlight while screen is locked if possible or when you are on your home screen
so technically the motion sense if off when screen is locked or on home screen
---------- Post added at 04:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:32 PM ----------
i noticed too that skipping songs is much more consistent, its like 100% success rate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point, it does work when soli is enabled in Spotify. I like the click as well when changing songs.
@flar2 is there a way of getting this to work outside of Spotify?
StrangerWeather said:
Good point, it does work when soli is enabled in Spotify. I like the click as well when changing songs.
@flar2 is there a way of getting this to work outside of Spotify?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, skipping songs is WAY more consistent
For non rooted devices, requires one-time adb setup to allow Button Mapper to read logcat output. <<<<<<
Could someone let me know the adb command please?
EDIT: got it (I think)
adb shell pm grant flar2.homebutton android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
adb shell pm grant flar2.homebutton android.permission.READ_LOGS
StrangerWeather said:
Good point, it does work when soli is enabled in Spotify. I like the click as well when changing songs.
@flar2 is there a way of getting this to work outside of Spotify?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're rooted you can try my OsloBridger app.
sta3b said:
same here, used motion sense to toggle flashlight but its not working, phone is rooted and the app has permissions
edited : actually it works but it needs the soli to be enabled (like when u open spotify and its shows u the light at the top of ur screen, swiping will enable the flashlight)
need an option where u can swipe to toggle flashlight while screen is locked if possible or when you are on your home screen
so technically the motion sense if off when screen is locked or on home screen
---------- Post added at 04:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:32 PM ----------
i noticed too that skipping songs is much more consistent, its like 100% success rate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It works with Pixel 4 XL live wallpapers.
Just out of curiosity. Is it possible to make the motion sense scroll the page up and down?
What is the ADB commands for the non-rooted phones, please? Thank you!
jamiejames said:
Just out of curiosity. Is it possible to make the motion sense scroll the page up and down?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes
pinoyz said:
What is the ADB commands for the non-rooted phones, please? Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pm grant flar2.homebutton android.permission.READ_LOGS