Develop Bugs

Wishlist / can this be fixed without days/weeks of research or will I have to switch?

Okay, so I made the jump from iPhone 4S to SGS3 T-999 at the beginning of September this year and my experience has been less than fun. Disregarding all the hardware issues, as far as software is concerned, I've been spending hours every day trying to find software that works reliably. Here's my rant of the biggest problems right now, if you have any ideas, I'd really appreciate hearing back! I was looking forward to digging into mods/hacks, etc on Android later down the road but with these basic functions that I depend on daily in my phone not there yet, I'm starting to wonder if I need to just switch back to iOS until Android is more developed. I actually used be on Android in the days of the S2 for about 2 months, but had to ultimately switch back to iOS because I simply didn't always have the time to download 20-30 clock apps to find one that works decently or test out mods and hacks for basic functions. Sure, it's fun to test try out mods and such but when your phone feels like it's broken, that's no good.
>Stock camera app doesn't allow taking pictures/video/flash at a certain level of battery. wtf, why samsung?! I have yet to find a camera app that does video/photo as well as the stock camera app.
>Image compression & resize tool for when e-mailing photos/images quickly...like in iOS would be great, or even something that actually works would be better. Note to Samsung--most people don't want or need to get an e-mail of your 8mp picture taken on your cell phone.
>Audiobook player that saves my spot
>Least buggy PDF reader with search, annotations and highlighting
>Tethering that works (no luck so far with fox fi and a few others, I'm using T-mobile MyMonthly 4G)
>File transfer over USB on my Mac (Latest version of lion, macbook pro 2.4ghz c2d pre-unibody)
>Find my iPhone equivalent with a web interface as opposed to just text message operation
>iOS clock app equivalent. I have downloaded probably more than 2 dozen timer/clock/alarm apps and none of them do it all while staying on in the background and not randomly closing. Also would be great if I didn't lose my timer if the app or phone has to be restarted/killed.
>Make a complete backup on my Mac instead of backing it up to my SD card and then having to copy that to my computer.
This list used be a lot longer...but with much sweat I have found some solutions or learned to cope, but not for everything that is vital^...

salils said:
Okay, so I made the jump from iPhone 4S to SGS3 T-999 at the beginning of September this year and my experience has been less than fun. Disregarding all the hardware issues, as far as software is concerned, I've been spending hours every day trying to find software that works reliably. Here's my rant of the biggest problems right now, if you have any ideas, I'd really appreciate hearing back! I was looking forward to digging into mods/hacks, etc on Android later down the road but with these basic functions that I depend on daily in my phone not there yet, I'm starting to wonder if I need to just switch back to iOS until Android is more developed. I actually used be on Android in the days of the S2 for about 2 months, but had to ultimately switch back to iOS because I simply didn't always have the time to download 20-30 clock apps to find one that works decently or test out mods and hacks for basic functions. Sure, it's fun to test try out mods and such but when your phone feels like it's broken, that's no good.
>Stock camera app doesn't allow taking pictures/video/flash at a certain level of battery. wtf, why samsung?! I have yet to find a camera app that does video/photo as well as the stock camera app.
>Image compression & resize tool for when e-mailing photos/images quickly...like in iOS would be great, or even something that actually works would be better. Note to Samsung--most people don't want or need to get an e-mail of your 8mp picture taken on your cell phone.
>Audiobook player that saves my spot
>Least buggy PDF reader with search, annotations and highlighting
>Tethering that works (no luck so far with fox fi and a few others, I'm using T-mobile MyMonthly 4G)
>File transfer over USB on my Mac (Latest version of lion, macbook pro 2.4ghz c2d pre-unibody)
>Find my iPhone equivalent with a web interface as opposed to just text message operation
>iOS clock app equivalent. I have downloaded probably more than 2 dozen timer/clock/alarm apps and none of them do it all while staying on in the background and not randomly closing. Also would be great if I didn't lose my timer if the app or phone has to be restarted/killed.
>Make a complete backup on my Mac instead of backing it up to my SD card and then having to copy that to my computer.
This list used be a lot longer...but with much sweat I have found some solutions or learned to cope, but not for everything that is vital^...
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I don't understand what "basic" functions you are having issues with? Other than the camera not working after a certain %, it's not like a PDF reader with annotations and highlighting is a "basic" function.. nor are rely any of the other things on your list except maybe image compression.
That being said, I don't know a camera solution for Touchwiz but on AOSP there are no restrictions to when you can take a picture with regards to battery.
Repligo Reader is a great PDF reader. I don't know about search but I can highlight and annotate.
You need to download the app Android File Transfer to transfer via USB on your Mac.
If you're in Monthly4G, tethering is not included. This is an issue with your plan. If you want to tether, root your phone.
There are plenty of "find my android" apps out there, that work exceptionally well. I use Avast!.
AOSP also has a timer and stopwatch built in, so maybe you should try that.
You cannot backup your phone directly to your computer.
I am more than happy to help you, as I am sure most people here are, but I think you need to lower your expectations on "basic" features..
Sent from my SGH-T999

joshnichols189 said:
You need to download the app Android File Transfer to transfer via USB on your Mac.
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Don't be so sure. I spent an hour trying to get that to work when I first got my phone, gave up and used Airdroid but for the big stuff I have to use my PC.

psykhotic said:
Don't be so sure. I spent an hour trying to get that to work when I first got my phone, gave up and used Airdroid but for the big stuff I have to use my PC.
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Well he didn't mention anything about it, so I figured he might not know about it.
Sent from my SGH-T999

psykhotic said:
Don't be so sure. I spent an hour trying to get that to work when I first got my phone, gave up and used Airdroid but for the big stuff I have to use my PC.
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Yeah, I spent several hours trying to trouble shoot this and just decided it would be easier to use vmware and try to dig up a copy of windows xp i had lying around...ugh..
joshnichols189: Thank you for your help!
By basic, I guess I wasn't necessarily referring to all stock functions...but on the iPhone I found many apps on the App store that accomplished this task competently. Primarily I used Good reader, but there were others so it seemed like something that wouldn't be difficult to come across. I have found a few apps that provide such a function but end up missing others or are too buggy to use. I will have to check which apps specifically I tried with no success if that will help...will look into Repligo Reader, thanks!
As for tethering: I was able to get it to work on an S2 (i9100) running gingerbread using my MyMonthly4G plan using the native tethering feature. I've rooted my phone sucessfully but haven't gotten around looking into custom roms and such..still using stock (but rooted). If you or anyone here knows any especially good tethering solutions for rooted t-999 users running stock it'd be super helpful to hear.
I will have to do research on AOSP.

salils said:
Yeah, I spent several hours trying to trouble shoot this and just decided it would be easier to use vmware and try to dig up a copy of windows xp i had lying around...ugh..
joshnichols189: Thank you for your help!
By basic, I guess I wasn't necessarily referring to all stock functions...but on the iPhone I found many apps on the App store that accomplished this task competently. Primarily I used Good reader, but there were others so it seemed like something that wouldn't be difficult to come across. I have found a few apps that provide such a function but end up missing others or are too buggy to use. I will have to check which apps specifically I tried with no success if that will help...will look into Repligo Reader, thanks!
As for tethering: I was able to get it to work on an S2 (i9100) running gingerbread using my MyMonthly4G plan using the native tethering feature. I've rooted my phone sucessfully but haven't gotten around looking into custom roms and such..still using stock (but rooted). If you or anyone here knows any especially good tethering solutions for rooted t-999 users running stock it'd be super helpful to hear.
I will have to do research on AOSP.
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Be sure to try Repligo, I believe they have a free/lite version! I wasn't able to tether when I was on Monthly4G so maybe it is different now. If you are rooted you should look at the WiFi Tether for Root app. I believe you can find it easily with a Google search. Also be sure to look into AOSP, you might like it more but if not you can always revert!
Sent from my SGH-T999

Just download wifi tether from play store and that will definitely tether anything you want.
Sent from my SGH-T999

The camera would need to be modded. Someone will likely do this at some point.
Theres a full office suite on sale for .25 that may take care of your pdfs and then some. OfficeSuite pro.
For file transfers, you can use SGS3 Easy UMS. It only works for external sdcard though. Many people have been trying to do the same for internal but no luck yet as far as I know. Search for it on xda.
Also on file transfering, have you looked at a wireless transfer solution? I use SwiFTP and love it. Gives me access to the entire file system on my phone, including /system.
There are quite a few find my phone types like youre looking for that get good reviews. Check cerebrus. Haven't used it on this phone but liked it in the past.
My favorite alarm clock app is Alarm Clock Plus. Been using it for a few years now. No stopwatch or timer but hoping the dev adds em in the future.
For the backup, are you talking about a nandroid type backup or apps and data? Nandroid, no backing up straight to computer. Im pretty sure there are apps thatll backup your data and apps like that though. Never used any though. (And theres always adb!)
Tip: when people see a thread with this many questions and youre not experiencing a critical problem, it can look a bit overwhelming and seems like you may be demanding answers without really looking for them yourself. (Not saying thats your case and not trying to be an ass). Additionally at first read/glance it looks like it could be a lot of work to help you for what many might consider to be simple problems. In the future dont wait so long and ask everything at once. Ask your questions as they come and you cant find the answers yourself.
I saw your thread when it was first posted but didnt reply because I knew it would take much longer than I could spend at that moment.
One last thing, if people perceive you to be threatening to leave for the iphone if you dont get what you want, you are much less likely to find help now or in the future.
Like I said, im not trying to be an ass or belittle or anything like that. Just telling you what some (many?) people may think when they just glance over your thread.
Sorry for the little rant, but I am trying to help you.
Btw, if you're having such bad hw issues you may have a defective device. Majority of people have no problems.
Good luck!
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

Defending the Huawei ascend P6

One common line nearly every reviewer had to say was about the possibility of the headphone jack pin getting lost. And im like so what, at least it comes with a pin and better than not having anything.

warea said:
One common line nearly every reviewer had to say was about the possibility of the headphone jack pin getting lost. And im like so what, at least it comes with a pin and better than not having anything.
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I think it is very good idea..

Now I've got my BlueTooth headphones, I can leave this in.
I can't see why people complained. You don't see iPhone users walking around with their SIM removal tool in their hand do you? No. They leave it at home in the box. When using wired headphones I did just that.
I bought my P6 when they were first released, paying full price (SIM Free), while I'm 'miffed' that the price has dropped, I still think it was an excellent 'phone and at the new lower price it is a steal. Had Huawei managed to keep the price high but spend some money advertising the 'phone they could have sold extremely well. Personally I think the EmotionUI interface is a good one. Less menus and buttons to press, a combination of the best of IOS and Android. If they could add some functionality to the lock screen it could be even better.

Do you guys think we coudl also put a pin push botton in it for making easier photo's with the camera ?

...

I also remember complaining about the theme from what i saw online. But after buying the device and just changing into the other themes that comes with it and nice wallpaper of my selection, it was enough to see that the theme was great Its just that Huawei used a dull, boring, cheap looking theme as default. With a good theme, the awesomeness of the screen also become more apparent.
Whats more, i just added a dozen or more new themes from the emotion UI website, and it looks even more awesome. A totally new feel on every theme and seems like id take years before i even finish using them all enough.
No need for any third party launchers for me at least, just like they advertised it in their teasers :good:
Good job Huawei :good:

For those who want an app drawer, they can just add a folder onto the bottom fixed row where the app drawer traditional stays. The bottom row has room for 5 although by default there is only 4 apps. So a 5th folder can be squeezed in between and becomes your app drawer.
Me personally though haven't found any need for an app drawer yet. And with the creative idea of folders, I actually like that i have a choice.

I don't like the no-app-drawer launcher, it feels like a shanzhai (Chinese word, means cheap copy) of iOS, and I hate putting everything on desk
I use apex and ss launcher, it's a pity then I can't use the themes, some themes are really beautiful
anyway, as a Chinese, I'm glad you like this Chinese phone

stanley_opt said:
I don't like the no-app-drawer launcher, it feels like a shanzhai (Chinese word, means cheap copy) of iOS, and I hate putting everything on desk
I use apex and ss launcher, it's a pity then I can't use the themes, some themes are really beautiful
anyway, as a Chinese, I'm glad you like this Chinese phone
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I felt it as iOS copy initially and went about complaining. But after buying the device and making my own customization of theme or using alternate themes dont feel that way at all anymore.
My personal take on app drawer is that its just a matter of transition effect. The real usage I agree though is to differentiate frequent used apps from the others. But with the option of folders then that can be solved more efficiently. Either make an app drawer folder and dump all into it or make a couple of folders on homescreen for your frequent used apps and arrange them according to app type. So basically eliminates the need for app drawer, allows users more choice, reduces the doubling of app shortcuts.
I have used the samsung touchwiz as well as Sony UI including its new one on my bros Xperia Ultra. I havent liked them and found them too empty and limited in customization that got me bored of it quite quick. On my samsung device i visit the app drawer like once in a month and have all frequent used apps like a mess on my homescreen thumbnails. The EMUI feels more organized and neater to me. And on the sony, i see that they have a new side tab that opens up on the app drawer section through which apps can be arranged according to frequent use and alphabetical order and some other minor options. To me that is just another waste of space and needless tool because the app drawer by nature would distinguish frequent used apps from that apps kept on homescreen. So no need another round of it.
But maybe many users planned to use launchers anyway and hence they want the p6 to be stock as much as possible ? Or maybe users used an iphone and feel this is all too common and find the app drawer more new and different ? Either way i personally don't want EMUI taking step backwards and feeling like all other phones and would prefer them finding new creative better ways to get around needs. For example, the ability to create folders within folders, for someone who need more specific ordering of apps or if they want to make the folder feel like an app drawer. The ability to arrange apps on homescreen according to recent used, most used, alphabetical order, etc. Or some scrollable bottom tray so that more apps can be fit into it. And things like that. But all of this has to be considered with regards to ease and not eating too much RAM. So if you have some new smart ways of making what you need possible and better then you can send that as feedback (see topic here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2440424) for their upcoming EMUI 2.0.
Good to have you on the forum. How well is the P6 doing in China ?

Okay i found something negative about the phone that music listeners might want to watch out. Since the headphone jack is on the sides, those headphones which got a straight jack (like the S4 headphones i use) just totally sticks out and looks weird. lol. While the Huawei headphones got a L jack that totally fits fine in terms of jack placement, but the headphones itself don't fit my ears. Stays loose and sounds weak. So you would have to buy a new headphone with L shaped jack. :good: But i might just go for a Bluetooth headset :good:

Device is sleek and good looking but WiFi and Phone signal loss (I think it's the device driver crashing) it's more than annoying... :|

matticala said:
Device is sleek and good looking but WiFi and Phone signal loss (I think it's the device driver crashing) it's more than annoying... :|
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untick avoid poor wifi signal..

GalaxySIIII said:
untick avoid poor wifi signal..
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It is already unticked... Anyway cellar line crashes also (red cross)
I'm on B111 and many reported this
Inviato dal mio HUAWEI P6-U06 con Tapatalk 4

matticala said:
It is already unticked... Anyway cellar line crashes also (red cross)
I'm on B111 and many reported this
Inviato dal mio HUAWEI P6-U06 con Tapatalk 4
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Click to collapse
am on same testing .. B116SP01 seems to be better

Which is the best 3D launcher for GNote PRO 12.2?

Hello, as of today, which is the best 3D launcher for the GNOTE PRO 12.2? I used TSF Shell and SPB Shell 3D on my Note 2. The transition effects looked very cool. However, they don't look good on my large screen Note PRO 12.2. Probably the effects were developed with small screens in mind. I tried Next Launcher 3D and EX, there seems to be a bug as my device got long pauses. On two occassions, I had to force boot my device.

petercohen said:
Hello, as of today, which is the best 3D launcher for the GNOTE PRO 12.2? I used TSF Shell and SPB Shell 3D on my Note 2. The transition effects looked very cool. However, they don't look good on my large screen Note PRO 12.2. Probably the effects were developed with small screens in mind. I tried Next Launcher 3D and EX, there seems to be a bug as my device got long pauses. On two occassions, I had to force boot my device.
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I bought SPB Shell over 3 years ago and it's been abandoned for well over a year now. Can NOT recommend using it. I've also bought TSF, and the others, and Next Launcher looks the best so far if you want a 3D'ish environment.

tdetroit said:
I bought SPB Shell over 3 years ago and it's been abandoned for well over a year now. Can NOT recommend using it. I've also bought TSF, and the others, and Next Launcher looks the best so far if you want a 3D'ish environment.
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Same here, bought SPB years ago when it was probably the only 3D Launcher on the market. I think the company that developed it was bought out by Yandex because for a while they changed the name. I haven't checked out the Yandex Launcher in a while, it was the updated version of SPB.

Been using Nova launcher on all my devices and am really happy with it. Nice smooth effects and lots of customization available. Liked it so much I paid for it. Active development on it.

rhricik447 said:
Been using Nova launcher on all my devices and am really happy with it. Nice smooth effects and lots of customization available. Liked it so much I paid for it. Active development on it.
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I have a question about that one for I've been thinking about installing it on my own Galaxy Note Pro because it looked like one a beginner with launchers can manage and not too heavy on resources - and it supports icon packs. Sorry if this 'should' be self-explanatory. The Nova website does not offer me even a FAQ, let alone a complete tutorial for beginners. I want to use my own wallpapers, not theirs and I don't want to be stuck with just a choice of ready-made themes. I just want to customize what I want where I want. Will the Nova launcher allow me to do this? I have spent the last 2 days with my search engines trying to get the answer to this one question, so I'm afraid to install any launcher at all until I know.

Just install it and try it. You're not going to hurt anything, and if you decide you don't like it, then uninstall it and you'll be right back where you started. Using a 3rd party launcher doesn't do anything different except change the look and feel of your device. It's not going to mess anything up, if you don't like it you can uninstall it to go back exactly like it was previously, but be sure you go through all of the settings and mess around with it first. Look and see exactly what you can do differently. Don't just install a launcher like Nova, come to the first screen you see, and then decide you don't like it. It's kinda like taking a car for a test drive before buying it. There are tons of launchers available today, probably 10 times as many as 2 years ago. I've tried many of them. Some people like certain effects, some people like a minimalistic launcher, some people like tons of widgets, different icons, etc. Everyone likes their launcher for different reasons, but like I said, I've used many, I still try something new if I see it, but I've always gone back to Nova.

Rolldog said:
Just install it and try it. You're not going to hurt anything, and if you decide you don't like it, then uninstall it and you'll be right back where you started. Using a 3rd party launcher doesn't do anything different except change the look and feel of your device. It's not going to mess anything up, if you don't like it you can uninstall it to go back exactly like it was previously, but be sure you go through all of the settings and mess around with it first. Look and see exactly what you can do differently. Don't just install a launcher like Nova, come to the first screen you see, and then decide you don't like it. It's kinda like taking a car for a test drive before buying it. There are tons of launchers available today, probably 10 times as many as 2 years ago. I've tried many of them. Some people like certain effects, some people like a minimalistic launcher, some people like tons of widgets, different icons, etc. Everyone likes their launcher for different reasons, but like I said, I've used many, I still try something new if I see it, but I've always gone back to Nova.
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Thanks for such an encouraging message. (just got told I reached my limit for the thanks button today) If an experienced and knowledgeable user comes back to Nova so consistently, I feel yet more confident about trying it. I don't suppose there's any point in asking you, since you know that launcher so well, if you were able to use your own wallpapers? Because you're not going to tell me! :laugh:
I really do have to get over being a chicken about this and dive in. It's too easy to get into real states of apprehension when I spend all my time by myself on this mountaintop and have such a vivid imagination for disasters and doom - well, alone except for my dogs and cats, who've been thinking me an idiot already for years and won't offer me any advice.
My internet connection in this least-populated county in the state isn't stable or fast enough to deal with widgets that need to update online. I like looking at them but I can't run them, same problem with news feeds. I have the stock weather and still end up checking it on my phone mostly since that is faster. System widgets only tell me what it would be little bother to go check on myself. I even wasted my money getting windowblinds on my PC because I never remembered to use it much. I put weird icons on document files so I can find them when my eyes blur on text titles late at night; it's never just for looks. I change colors to relieve my eyes when I'm staying up on the computer and tablet too long, like now. I do like to be able to find things easily and put them where they're handy for that's what I do in my house too, so I can reach for them in the dark and grab them without mishap. So that's what I'll shop for in a launcher: compulsively neat organization for doomer hermits who already spend too much time looking at a monitor.

Yes, you can use any wallpaper you wish.

Rolldog said:
Yes, you can use any wallpaper you wish.
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Click to collapse
Thank you, dear. I installed Nova this morning. Now, I'd like to put another launcher on my Note 4, so I can learn about that one at the same time, perhaps something a bit lighter. Slowing down the operation of my phone could be considered more directly dangerous to my security out here than hanging up my tablet so I'll go for simpler there. Have you a recommendation? That CM Launcher advertises itself as 'light and fast' but it also comes laden with 'security apps' and cleaners that I'm not so sure I want to bother with. I don't do much online browsing with the phone, at least not for long and I don't use social media on it. I also never share my devices because there's nobody around for miles anyway. I'd rather a launcher just be a launcher.

One Launcher that I like a lot, I use it on my phone but it won't work on my tablet because I use my tablet in landscape mode, is Buzz Launcher. Using this Launcher, you can go into their Buzz Launcher themes and download from about 500,000 different themes that other people have created. You can have as many as 9 different screens, all with different themes, and you can use their layout, their widgets and/or icons, and customize it to work with your apps. So, if you download a theme someone on the other side of the earth developed, you click on the icons they have, and if they used an app that you don't have, like if you use a different browser, the after you press on an icon, you can select the browser you use. This way, you can customize their entire themes to work with your specific phone and your specific apps. I change my themes fairly regularly, since it only takes a couple of minutes, and I feel like I have a different phone everyday.

Rolldog said:
One Launcher that I like a lot, I use it on my phone but it won't work on my tablet because I use my tablet in landscape mode, is Buzz Launcher. Using this Launcher, you can go into their Buzz Launcher themes and download from about 500,000 different themes that other people have created. You can have as many as 9 different screens, all with different themes, and you can use their layout, their widgets and/or icons, and customize it to work with your apps. So, if you download a theme someone on the other side of the earth developed, you click on the icons they have, and if they used an app that you don't have, like if you use a different browser, the after you press on an icon, you can select the browser you use. This way, you can customize their entire themes to work with your specific phone and your specific apps. I change my themes fairly regularly, since it only takes a couple of minutes, and I feel like I have a different phone everyday.
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I wish I had seen your post before I got misled by all the complaining in the reviews for that one! In fact, they ought to be paying you to write about their app's features for you've done a much better job than they did at the playstore. There seemed to be an issue of things 'disappearing' for no good reason, themes and icons and such and people were annoyed after having spent hours to download them. Then, 'folder contents get changed every time the phone restarts.' And then there's the 'upsidedown heart butt' icon that apparently no one can get rid of that has caused some consternation, lol. Oh, and multiple 'crashes' too. As usual, few indeed even say what kind of phone they have. I'm inclined to try it anyway now, since you like it and I rather liked their community-based approach to begin with.
So, what I downloaded to the phone yesterday, just to check it out, was one I haven't seen mentioned yet, (maybe just because I don't know where to look) Microsoft's Arrow launcher. I won't mind the howls of laughter. Just plain curiosity, for I haven't tried any of their stuff for android. This is another one that will only work on my phone, not for tablets. I know how annoying they can be on PC's, like everyone else who spends a lot of time on one. They remind me of certain supermarkets that like to constantly rearrange things so that every time I go in, I can't find anything and we all know Microsoft plays the same game with every new OS. They don't really want us getting to know the guts of their systems too well, do they? I was interested in finding the launcher to be free, since their Office apps clearly are anything but and in seeing if they can build an android app that isn't a resource-hogging monster. We'll see.

I've never used Arrow, but sometimes, it's necessary to go into a widget that has been designed and change the settings to customize it to your layout, your location, your calendars, etc, and I'm pretty sure the people who complain get frustrated because they can't figure out how to scale the widget, customize the information, change the icons, update the location, etc, and then they just give up. I usually try to save a couple of homepacks with widgets I like, and then I might try combining them into my own layout and custom icons too.
Getting recommendations isn't worth much, most of the time you have to try it out for yourself. For example, if you asked someone about a new movie that was just released because they just saw it, they might say it was horrible. You might go see it anyway, you find out it's scary, you love scary movies, the person who's advice you got hates scary movies, so it boils down to personal opinion.

Rolldog, may I hear more about 'homepacks and widgets?' If you have a few widgets that you like, do you, and can you, generally keep them with most other launchers you try out? Something you said before, I think it was you, about, if I got tired of a new launcher, I could go right back to Touchwiz and find my widgets and layout just where I left them, stuck in my mind and has me wondering about that little detail: why wouldn't the widgets still be there anyway, no matter what launcher I used? I ought to know all that already but I've had some 'rural life' issues keeping me too busy to spend much time with my devices or even read about them online. But I sure did a lot of shopping on the playstore, paid apps too and pretties for Nova! I'll have to watch that; it's too easy to do when I have a card on file and my budget will suffer. I have managed to discover that the ads in 'free' apps were draining my resources much more than getting the widgets I would like so if I really want something, I support the developer and ditch the ads with the constant 'phoning home' they have to do.
That 'Next' launcher has some nice 3-D effects doesn't it? But it isn't cheap, I notice.

[General Guideline] Battery Conservation At Its Best!

I've always been a lover of Android in the regards of how customizable it is. I've released a few custom roms in my time, mostly for the Galaxy S5 since the battery life on it was kind of honestly terrible when it came out. My roms were all based on Android 4.4.2 as 5.0 just seemed to kill a lot of my battery saving techniques. I figured I'd make a small post about my favorite ways to save on battery.
By the way, sorry if this is an incorrect section. Feel free to move it if needed. Been awhile since I've been on here...
Simple Methods
These methods don't take any special 3rd party app installs or file tweaks. These are simple adjustments you can make in your Settings application right on your device!
If you aren't using your GPS/Bluetooth/Wifi, Turn it off!
A lot of people just leave these things running constantly even when they aren't needed. I look at my fathers S3 and always cry a little inside because EVERYTHING is turned on. The reason its bad to leave these on even when not being used is because Wifi and GPS scan for a connection/location every 180 seconds (depending on phone model). This KILLS battery life so much. It takes a lot to power that little gps, and honestly even more to power that scan for Wifi to connect to. If you're feeling gutsy, you can even turn off your Data connection, but you'll still get text messages and such. Just can't browse facebook.
Haptic Feedback
You know, when you touch your screen and it vibrates. Doesn't seem like much but think about how much you use your phone. How many text messages are you typing? Facebook posts? Twitter posts? Your phone is basically constantly vibrating as you tap tap tap away at that little virtual on screen keyboard. Can we go back to hardware keyboards please?
Screen Wallpaper
This is a biggy, especially on high end phones. That HD screen takes a lot of power, but most of these screens on our phones like the Nexus, Galaxy, and high end LG's all have high end AMOLED screens. These screens work in a really cool way honestly. The darker the color on your screen being displayed, the less power the screen needs to actually show that color. White takes the most power, so if you have a brightly colored wallpaper and are wondering why your phone is dying quickly, this is definitely contributing. I always personally use a textured black background. 100% black (#000000 for you nerds out there) uses literally no power to display. The pixels actually turn off to display that color. The more 100% black in your background, the less battery power you use to display that background.
Screen Timeout Timer
Not using your phone? Turn off the screen. That easy. My timer is set to 30 seconds. I don't have a pass code on my phone because frankly, I don't care if someone gets into it. There's nothing weird on my phone that I know of. This is just one of those simple things that generally slip the mind of some people.
Fancy Features
Do you really need Multi-Window or that fancy Toolbox setting turned on? Just use your multi-tasking and switch back and forth. I use multi-window rarely. It feels like a gimmick to me personally.
Themes and Design
This harbors back to what I said about the whole "the darker the better" above with wallpapers. Using Material Design on your Android 4.4 or 5.0 will save on life because the colors are darker over all for almost everything. Anything white is going to use more power... Sound familiar? Alright, racist jokes aside, this is the truth. More power to display brighter colors. If you have the option, change the theme. A lot of apps have a built in theme changer. Things like Custom Launchers, GO SMS, Textra and many more have the customize ability to set those bright colors at bay.
Multi-Tasking, can you live without it?
This is a BIG saver on your battery, but also one you might realize you really might want to skip. I do a lot with my multi-tasking. Switching from Mobile Chrome to Text messages to a game I'm playing, this can take its toll. Turning off Multi-Tasking entirely isn't exactly the easiest to do either. You need to enable your Developer Settings on your device. If you're curious, go into your Settings App, open About Phone/Device, and tap repeatedly on Build Number. This should unlock Developer Settings. Once in there, you can scroll through and you'll find something with a name like "Limit Background Processes." If you tap on that, you'll be able to control just how many background apps can be running at a time before it starts auto-closing apps. I believe standard limit is fairly high, so setting it to 2 or 3 should help on battery usage.
Installed Apps
This is a big one. There's a lot of apps out there that when using them, or even NOT using them, they eat your battery, RAM, and processing power, alive. They just kill it. The Facebook's apps, Messenger and Facebook itself, were rated in the Top 5 for worst battery hogging apps of 2012, 2013, 2014 AND 2015. Delete those 2 apps and simply use your web browser to login to your facebook. Also, Mobile Chrome is a huge battery hog. Switching web browsers can help a lot. You can see which apps are using the most battery in your Settings by looking at the "Battery" section in your Settings app. Also, don't fall for the "Battery Saver" apps. They use more battery than they're worth and often just "emulate" some of the things I listed here that you can do yourself.
That's really about it for what you can do on a non-rooted devices without 3rd party apps. In the next section, I'll go over a lot more options with Root options and 3rd party apps.
Rooted options and 3rd Party Apps
This is the section that you'll want a little experience with. Backing up your phone entirely before continuing may be a smart option. Check XDA for the easiest way to back up your device before continuing.
Are you rooted? Kill that Bloatware!
A HUGE plus in Rooting is the fact you can remove a lot of the crap-ware that companies like Samsung, Verizon, AT&T, LG and many more of the cell phone companies out there install on your device. Not sure what you can delete? Look for things with something like "Samsung" in its app name. Or, you can go on the Play Store and grab an app called Root App Deleter. This is what I use. It has a nice Junior mode, for those who are new to this, and a Pro mode, for those experienced users. This will help you identify what you can and can't delete.
Type of root You have
There's always some sort of exploit to get root opportunity on a device, but what a lot of people don't know is that most of the Root exploits out there are called "live root" exploits. What is a "Live Root?" Well, that means the process of needing root is constantly being ran and controlled in the background while you may not even realize it. Running a Live Root will usually make your device run hot and slower. A big complaint of a lot of Rooters. Within the last few years, root exploits have gotten better, and there aren't as many Live Root exploits left, but for some devices, its the only way. To know if you have a Live Root, simply check your settings and see if your Android System is using a lot of battery power. That'll tell you. The best and I'm pretty sure only non-Live Root exploit out at the moment is KingRoot and TowelRoot. TowelRoot I trust more than KingRoot because KingRoot was made to attempt to work with ALL devices, where as TowelRoot was mainly focused on 1 specific Kernel version and Android version. Thank you GeoHot for TowelRoot. What a LIVE Saver.... get it? ... I'll see myself out.
Custom Roms
A lot of Custom Rom dev's out there focus on MORE instead of less, and those are the roms I usually steer clear of. These "more" options use a lot of battery power, even though they usually claim it uses less. The best Roms to install, in my opinion, are the ones that don't have many "new" features applied. Build.prop edits are alright, things like init.d support don't hurt anything, that usually helps honestly. The simple Debloated Dex'd Base roms are the best. You can always customize it later. A great example of a good base rom that gets good battery life is one I released a long time ago when the S5 was released. I'll leave the link below to XDA. The project is dead, but I may revive it
XDA BoxxiRoms v2.0.2
I'm in no way bashing custom rom development. New features are always awesome to have. They're cool, they bring new life to an old device.
PixelBatterySaver...
This is the ONLY app I trust to SAVE battery life because I've proven myself how well it works. While I said above that Apps don't work and use "more power than they're worth," this is the exception. This app, when activated, leaves a black mesh over your screen. and turns off pixels, but its enough that you won't notice during regular use. There's also multiple levels you can use. If you're interested in this, check it out on the play store and give it a go
Pixel Battery Saver Playstore
This is just the tip of the Iceburg for what I know honestly. I'll post more soon.

Can you help with galaxy s4 as well? Battery drains too fast..
Btw are you still using your s5 or still have it?
Sent from my unknown using XDA Free mobile app

blandead said:
Can you help with galaxy s4 as well? Battery drains too fast..
Btw are you still using your s5 or still have it?
Sent from my unknown using XDA Free mobile app
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Click to collapse
Use my S5 daily and actually just released a new ROM in the Verizon Galaxy S5 section for it based on NCG firmware and ROM.
There's many more ways to avoid battery drain than I have posted here, but these were the best top of the line ways I could think of. That being said, also check your battery for any pops and bubbles in the plastic wrapping around it OR for it being bloated in anyway. If you have had that S4 for a long time, its probably time for a new battery, which you can find on Amazon for probably less than 10 bucks.

S10 Customization Guide v2 [No Root]

This guide was designed for S10 series, but the majority of the Guide of course is applicable to all android Pie devices as if based on apks and adb debugging, you shall test at your own desire. For adb debugging to be enabled, go to: About Phone > built number > tap until you unlock "developers option" go back and and inside "developers options" enable "adb debugging" from there.
First and foremost, I would like to express how I am amazed with the level of customization you can do without root on a Samsung nowadays, as I've been an android/samsung user for quite some time its really something to consider.
Okay, now lets cut the chase. What I really did is to put together different applications, tips and miscellaneous information together in order to achieve what I felt the most customized Device possible without root and that I think lots of users could still absorve all or at least part of this guide in their own devices.
1) First, what I did what to go through the Battery Optimisation Guide by @Corv0, which honestly speaking led me to an average of 9-10 SoT.
1.1 Even though people talk alot how they liked OneUI I cant change from Nova Launcher, its simply the ultimate Launcher experience. I recommend getting the prime version, totally worth it and you get it for life.
1.2. If you are used to Adway, you know we can't live anymore without it, but in times without root, Blokada is for me the best alternative. I also found it better and more stable than Adhell and does not need key update every now and then, thats lame!
2)If you like music and once used Ressurection Remix roms, you must have fallen in love with Pulse music bar. It simply reinvigorates the navigation bar. As an alternative I must suggest the well known Navbar app. For me its a must to change navigation bar color and enable their music visualizer.
3) If you once used xposed in a samsung, you might remember the Samtweak, and now you can have it in Pie without the need of root with great function like 180 degrees reverse (which I find very useful when using headphone jack so it does not bother you against the chest for instance), volume warning, navigation and status bar hide, etc
4) Another must in S10 plus is to use Button Mapper. Some may talk about Bixby Action app, but Button mapper is the ultimate deal with many more options, check video link.
5) Okay this is more of a personal preference, which is my case I can say: sometimes I use it, sometimes I don't. If you didn't like/ didn't get used to the front camera cutout I strongly suggest to use Status Bar and change status background color to black. I find it do the job of hiding the front camera pretty decent and improved a lot indoor and low light experience as you cant see the cutout almost never.
6) Last (so far) but not least important, if of course the installation and usage of Nice Lock (for the ones without access to Good Lock). I think we may can it as an official customization app for samsung devices. It almost made me remember Rice tweaks app. I personally like to use 7.1) Task Changer mod to change recent apps back to vertical. 7.2) Navistar to fully customize the navigation bar with different icons and 2 more buttons. The rest I didn't really use it but I suggest you install them all and see what's useful to you.
I will record a video and post it here (probably tomorrow) to show all these changes and tweaks I did and how they actually appear on my device.
------- v2 (April 26th):
Actually these are "tweaks" I had already done before v1 but simply forgot to mention on the original post however to keep things in order I will continue the numbering:
7) Bloatware removal, this is another must you have to do, specially when talking about samsung, with is known for the amount of apps its included from stock. And within this link you can easily do it through adb shell. Big thanks to @Neo3D for this amazing guide.
7.1) Once you "debloat" your device, make sure you deinstall/deactivate youtube standard version as well, and install the well known and amazing Youtube Vanced (Non Root version of course). In addition, set it as standard so it will be fully integrated to the links.
Well those are my suggestions for the customization of s10 without root (so far). If you have more tips please comment down below.

Video is up, check comment for exact cue by "tweak": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_giH6O6-Pdo

Great guide for the S10 XDA gang! Kudos

Nice guide.
Thanks
Sent from my SM-G9750 using Tapatalk

Doesn't bloat removal cause more battery drain? I mean when the phone tries to find a certain package and cannot it is starting to heat up and etc

I started out early in the process and I was able to get Adhell running .... Seems like maybe my battery was worse after Adhell. Wondering if you guys thought, based on this guide, I should get rid of Adhell and go more this direction (for ad blocking and app/bloatware freezing) ?

FlatOutRU said:
Doesn't bloat removal cause more battery drain? I mean when the phone tries to find a certain package and cannot it is starting to heat up and etc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should be the other way around bro...
jcrompton said:
I started out early in the process and I was able to get Adhell running .... Seems like maybe my battery was worse after Adhell. Wondering if you guys thought, based on this guide, I should get rid of Adhell and go more this direction (for ad blocking and app/bloatware freezing) ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried both and found blokada much more stable. You can try and compare yourself, its way easier to install and get it running as well.

Also, using Blokada and it works well...

Knox bloatware removal
if the s10+ com.samsung.android.knox.containercore isn't installed at 0 then how can I remove the number one bloatware I so desired to remove?

BossEgan said:
if the s10+ com.samsung.android.knox.containercore isn't installed at 0 then how can I remove the number one bloatware I so desired to remove?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Search Cswm app manager (for Samsung) on play store

Good!!