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SO I often find that on these forums peoples good work needs to be brought together in a nice little package. I have done ZERO developing, but a few good blokes have done some framework edits, and a few apps made, and now here we have it...
NO MORE SOFTKEYS, ENTIRE SCREEN USAGE, and some amazing alternatives to the softkeys
*** requires root ****
Tutorial:
1. Find an alternative you like (MUST DO THIS FIRST OR COULD BE STUCK WITHOUT ANY BUTTONS!!!!):
-I personally use "GMD gesture control", its wonderful, youtube it. They also have a lite version you can try. For full version it costs 5$ but its wondeful. four finger pinch is home, 3 finger swype down is back, and you can add custom geatures. Highly reccomended
-button savior, this and the other 2 to follow are more traditional hide nav, bring nav back. I havn't used them but they have good reviews
-gesture LMT
-gesture+pie LMT
2. I'm aware this is from samsung nexus forum, but me and many others can confirm it works the same for the nexus 7. Download the apk that pushes the modified framework. even the app warns you to have a secondary means of "buttons" before you continue. But simply instal app, open app, and click the uninstall nav bar. THEN... reboot and your set
-download the link "FullScreenToggleV2.apk -Support4.1 XDA link"
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1497558
I'd just make a backup of the rom and revert back to that if you don't link. But me likey, me likey so much Thanks for all the great work boys
By 'DELETE Nav bar' do you mean the Notification bar or are you calling the softkey area the Nav bar? With a custom launcher, such as Nova, you can hide the notification bar. Interesting idea, but I think I want the softkeys.
Edit: I see that the area is commonly called the navigation bar. There is another good thread on this topic in this forum which just calls for a build.prop edit if you are rooted.
So I just recently got my moto x, everything seems really nice and smooth. But I feel some basic things are left out.
For example, it would be nice to have a power widget without making another click on the top right just to access it. And when I do I feel like some things are left out.
Looking for basic things like easy toggle for screen rotation and GPS.
Another thing I'm looking for is an easy way to reboot phone (holding power only allows me to turn off), a quick way to take a screenshot, and even a 'holding back button force quits app' would be helpful.
Now I was thinking of maybe getting apps that do what im looking for (if available) or should I go with a ROM that can do all those?
I'm not crazy into themeing or looks I just want the method thats fast, responsive, quick AND still allow me to use motorolla functions, like the way it handles notifications by shaking the phone or twist twice to get camera, I love that and don't want to lose it.
Any suggestions?
1dtms said:
So I just recently got my moto x, everything seems really nice and smooth. But I feel some basic things are left out.
For example, it would be nice to have a power widget without making another click on the top right just to access it. And when I do I feel like some things are left out.
Looking for basic things like easy toggle for screen rotation and GPS.
Another thing I'm looking for is an easy way to reboot phone (holding power only allows me to turn off), a quick way to take a screenshot, and even a 'holding back button force quits app' would be helpful.
Now I was thinking of maybe getting apps that do what im looking for (if available) or should I go with a ROM that can do all those?
I'm not crazy into themeing or looks I just want the method thats fast, responsive, quick AND still allow me to use motorolla functions, like the way it handles notifications by shaking the phone or twist twice to get camera, I love that and don't want to lose it.
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stay stock, root if you can and install xposed with gravity box module, this will allow you to add those features to the stock rom
if you can't/don't want to root here are some tips for getting along better with your x
for the quick settings - use two fingers to pull down the notification shade (xposed / gravitybox will allow you to customize the tiles in the quick settings page)
Screenshot - volume down and power (hold together for ~3seconds)
reboot - there are apps on the play store that can give you a shortcut for a reboot (or again Xposed will give you the advanced power menu that you are missing)
Kill apps - press the recents button and swipe the app away
I hope you find this helpful.
Teksu said:
Stay stock, root if you can and install xposed with gravity box module, this will allow you to add those features to the stock rom
if you can't/don't want to root here are some tips for getting along better with your x
for the quick settings - use two fingers to pull down the notification shade (xposed / gravitybox will allow you to customize the tiles in the quick settings page)
Screenshot - volume down and power (hold together for ~3seconds)
reboot - there are apps on the play store that can give you a shortcut for a reboot (or again Xposed will give you the advanced power menu that you are missing)
Kill apps - press the recents button and swipe the app away
I hope you find this helpful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright, sounds good I am rooted so thats a plus.
So I wont get an increase in speed/response by going to a ROM than?
I'll just get Xposed and add my power widgets (hoping screen rotation is one of them)
And that's really great, I didn't know that you can press power + vol down by default or that swiping apps away kills the process (i thought it just clears it from your most used)
1dtms said:
Alright, sounds good I am rooted so thats a plus.
So I wont get an increase in speed/response by going to a ROM than?
I'll just get Xposed and add my power widgets (hoping screen rotation is one of them)
And that's really great, I didn't know that you can press power + vol down by default or that swiping apps away kills the process (i thought it just clears it from your most used)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly i havent checked out any rom for the X, i have done it on previous devices because the battery life was ****, but i dont feel like i need a custom rom with this device, infact it would probably break things i like, such as active display and touch-less control.
yeah its always cool learning new things i didn't know about the two finger shade pull-down till i lost root on my droid maxx.
Xposed has other great modules as well, such as;
"Gravitybox" - the must have, just about everything you want from a custom rom
"moto tether" to easily enable wifi tethering
"preference injector" will put your modules into the settings page, to make it feel more like their cooked in
"Greenify" to keep those pesky background processes at bay
"root cloak" incase you want to use apps that don't like when your rooted (verzions ISIS payment app doesnt like root)
...Just to name a few.
I was worried about the battery life with switching to the moto X DE, but this thing rocks!
I would also suggest checking out Eclipse ROM. It's stock based so you don't so you don't lose any of Moto's goodies like active display but it adds most/all of the things your looking for using X Control as well as getting rid of the bloat. I'm running it via safestrap and I love it.
I would go with Eclipse!
Eclipse blur ROM. The benefit over a stock ROM using gravity box vs. using eclipse blur ROM is that eclipses ROM is all code. Not a hack and slash overlay code.
I think I might have to go with a ROM because I went here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2431768&highlight=stopped
to try and install xposed and it kept giving me crashes
So which ROM will still allow me to use "ok google now" and twist twice for camera and touchless notifications?
Tasker and the stick power toggle widget will do all/most of what you ask. If there's not something you really need root for, why go through all the hassle?
1dtms said:
I think I might have to go with a ROM because I went here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2431768&highlight=stopped
to try and install xposed and it kept giving me crashes
So which ROM will still allow me to use "ok google now" and twist twice for camera and touchless notifications?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://repo.xposed.info/module/de.robv.android.xposed.installer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjiXfQkuKng
you'll have to do to downloads inside xposed and grab gravitybox, the video doesnt show this
Teksu said:
http://repo.xposed.info/module/de.robv.android.xposed.installer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjiXfQkuKng
you'll have to do to downloads inside xposed and grab gravitybox, the video doesnt show this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Teksu Thank you!'
It worked and I see a lot of options I was originally looking for!
One last thing I suppose, by default kitkat has 5 screens. I'm only using 3. How can I remove/delete the extra screens?
I couldn't find it in gravity box (from quick glance), is there another module to add that can do this or what would you suggest?
1dtms said:
Teksu Thank you!'
It worked and I see a lot of options I was originally looking for!
One last thing I suppose, by default kitkat has 5 screens. I'm only using 3. How can I remove/delete the extra screens?
I couldn't find it in gravity box (from quick glance), is there another module to add that can do this or what would you suggest?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you should use a different launcher. You want something like stock launcher grab the Google now launcher or formerly called Google experience launcher, there is a xposed module for the Google now launcher which you to customize. Or use nova prime launcher. That's what I use and I love it, fast easy and simple.
Download Google now launcher.
http://www.androidauthority.com/google-now-launcher-renamed-343048/
MOTO X Slapped
1dtms said:
Teksu Thank you!'
It worked and I see a lot of options I was originally looking for!
One last thing I suppose, by default kitkat has 5 screens. I'm only using 3. How can I remove/delete the extra screens?
I couldn't find it in gravity box (from quick glance), is there another module to add that can do this or what would you suggest?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[email protected] said:
I think you should use a different launcher. You want something like stock launcher grab the Google now launcher or formerly called Google experience launcher, there is a xposed module for the Google now launcher which you to customize. Or use nova prime launcher. That's what I use and I love it, fast easy and simple.
Download Google now launcher.
http://www.androidauthority.com/google-now-launcher-renamed-343048/
MOTO X Slapped
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I preffer Nova launcher, but if you go with GEL (google now launcher, or google experience launcher, whatever you wanna call it) There is a xposed module that adds some options like that, though as i don't use it, i can't confirm that you can edit the number of home screens.
Edit: somehow totally missed that Hovax mentioned the xposed module in the previous post.
Teksu said:
I preffer Nova launcher, but if you go with GEL (google now launcher, or google experience launcher, whatever you wanna call it) There is a xposed module that adds some options like that, though as i don't use it, i can't confirm that you can edit the number of home screens.
Edit: somehow totally missed that Hovax mentioned the xposed module in the previous post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I decided to go with something simple (instead of downloading module and another apk just for reducing 2 screens) and went with Nova launcher (i like the description that it's performance driven, i hope thats true).
So now I got gravity box module and I love it! Does exactly what I want it to do with the power buttons when you swipe from the top and what I love even more, it gives me an option to swipe on a corner to instantly bring up the toggle buttons (instead of swiping down and than clicking the button or using two fingers). And the performance is smooth and not noticing any slowdowns. Which is exactly what I'm looking for. Fast, smooth, simple, and functionality.
Unless there is a ROM thats faster than it already it is right I think I'm sold with stock + gravity box (and nova launcher to do something as simple as reducing home screens)
1dtms said:
Well I decided to go with something simple (instead of downloading module and another apk just for reducing 2 screens) and went with Nova launcher (i like the description that it's performance driven, i hope thats true).
So now I got gravity box module and I love it! Does exactly what I want it to do with the power buttons when you swipe from the top and what I love even more, it gives me an option to swipe on a corner to instantly bring up the toggle buttons (instead of swiping down and than clicking the button or using two fingers). And the performance is smooth and not noticing any slowdowns. Which is exactly what I'm looking for. Fast, smooth, simple, and functionality.
Unless there is a ROM thats faster than it already it is right I think I'm sold with stock + gravity box (and nova launcher to do something as simple as reducing home screens)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can set nova launcher animations to faster than light and its really fast. You can also set gestures for things, I have swipe up on the screen so I can get to the app drawer so I don't have to have the little icon. If your on Verizon check out eclipse ROM.
MOTO X Slapped
Hey guys, just wondering what process would I follow to add the nav bar to the note 4. I know its gonna be a waste of screen real estate but I really prefer the nav bar over having to reach the physical home button.
Mu5ic92 said:
Hey guys, just wondering what process would I follow to add the nav bar to the note 4. I know its gonna be a waste of screen real estate but I really prefer the nav bar over having to reach the physical home button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would really like this too. Unfortunately I have only been able to get it by either (1) using AOSP/CM roms, and (2) using Dynamic Kat rom. DK is the only Touchwiz based rom that I have seen with the feature. It works, but it is not customizable and does not utilize the swipe up "navring" feature.
There are some apps that mimic the navbar, but they don't work well on the Note 4 because they just put the bar on top of other screen elements (apps, home screen) instead of pushing everything else up.
Mu5ic92 said:
Hey guys, just wondering what process would I follow to add the nav bar to the note 4. I know its gonna be a waste of screen real estate but I really prefer the nav bar over having to reach the physical home button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
whittikins said:
I would really like this too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
have you guys tried adding this line in your build.prop?
qemu.hw.mainkeys=1
Can you edit the build.prop on an unrooted phone?? I was just looking for info on this too.
Can you give any more info on editing it?
Thanks!
UnexplainedBacon said:
Can you edit the build.prop on an unrooted phone?? I was just looking for info on this too.
Can you give any more info on editing it?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no there is no way you can edit system stuff without being rooted. You have to be rooted and then using any root explorer, I like solid explorer, you can edit build.prop. qemu.hw.mainkeys=1 can go anywhere in there so just add it at the end of build.prop
I just found this thead. They seem to be saying its not possible as the UI elements for the nav bar are not included in the OS.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-4/themes-apps/adding-navbar-softkeys-t2924918
I've tried the buildprop edit but when I reboot it shows me a SYSTEMUI CRASH and I have to revert back to my nandroid backup. I don't think there's anyway around it being on a rooted TW Rom. *Hyperdrive ROM
Any other way to get the NavBar with a TW featured ROM?
AFourg said:
I've tried the buildprop edit but when I reboot it shows me a SYSTEMUI CRASH and I have to revert back to my nandroid backup. I don't think there's anyway around it being on a rooted TW Rom. *Hyperdrive ROM
Any other way to get the NavBar with a TW featured ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same. It just constantly force closes if you use the build.prop method.
As I stated previously, you can use Dynamic Kat rom which is Touchwiz and includes the option to use on-screen buttons.
UnexplainedBacon said:
I just found this thead. They seem to be saying its not possible as the UI elements for the nav bar are not included in the OS.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-4/themes-apps/adding-navbar-softkeys-t2924918
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see it was reported by those who have 5.0.1 touchwiz that navbar soft keys are possible on that build so you'll have to wait for tmobile to release it to find out
I use Pie Control from the play store. You need to swipe in the the sides or the bottom to activate it. There are a lot of options for customization as well. It also makes one handed use much easier. No root required.
And get rid of a few annoyances in the mean time?
EDIT: SOLUTION it cost me half a sunday if not more.
I have a stock Moto X 2013, Europe version. I was very happy with it, apart from a few minor annoyances. Untill I received the Lollipop update months ago.
Missing features or new annoyances since Lollipop:
Wake display by waiving your hand. This was in my opinion a killer feature.
SOLUTION: This website which presents a solution using TASKER. Untested
Shutdown menu - extremely annoying if you just want to reboot
Enable flight mode via Shutdown menu, since the menu is gone, you miss this option as well
Mute phone with 1 button, the volume down button. The alternative, selecting MUTE also disables screen or glow notifications. There is NO way to only mute sound/vibration a Moto X 2013 with Lollipop. You have a SMARTphone that cannot be muted like any other phone!
Bluetooth and mobile data toggles have been removed. OMG even Windows Phone 8 has it.
Lockscreen: swipe to right for camera. Gone.
White popup (general Lollipop annoyance): if you swipe it away, the notification is gone from the bar, you cannot read it/respond from the notification bar after swiping it away.
Minor but not dealbreaker features I would like to have: hide NFC and Bluetooth icon in the notification bar, be able to hide app icons and/or rearrange them in the app drawer.
What do I need to do to get all these features back? I want to stick to the stock experience as much as possible. Custom ROMs with tons of customisation features is not what I am waiting for. A custom ROM with near-stock experience and fixes for the issues mentioned above would be welcome.
But if it is possible to solve all of them with XPosed and/or Tasker, that would be fine. Unfortunately I searched these forums for 3 days now and I cannot find a dedicated Xposed topic with this info (there is 1 but it has little useful info). I hope others have a similar experience and found a solution!
zilexa said:
And get rid of a few annoyances in the mean time?
I have a stock Moto X 2013, Europe version. I was very happy with it, apart from a few minor annoyances. Untill I received the Lollipop update months ago.
Missing features or new annoyances since Lollipop:
Wake display by waiving your hand. This was in my opinion a killer feature.
SOLUTION: This website which presents a solution using TASKER. Untested
Shutdown menu - extremely annoying if you just want to reboot
Enable flight mode via Shutdown menu, since the menu is gone, you miss this option as well
Mute phone with 1 button, the volume down button. The alternative, selecting MUTE also disables screen or glow notifications. There is NO way to only mute sound/vibration a Moto X 2013 with Lollipop. You have a SMARTphone that cannot be muted like any other phone!
Bluetooth and mobile data toggles have been removed. OMG even Windows Phone 8 has it.
Lockscreen: swipe to right for camera. Gone.
White popup (general Lollipop annoyance): if you swipe it away, the notification is gone from the bar, you cannot read it/respond from the notification bar after swiping it away.
Minor but not dealbreaker features I would like to have: hide NFC and Bluetooth icon in the notification bar, be able to hide app icons and/or rearrange them in the app drawer.
What do I need to do to get all these features back? I want to stick to the stock experience as much as possible. Custom ROMs with tons of customisation features is not what I am waiting for. A custom ROM with near-stock experience and fixes for the issues mentioned above would be welcome.
But if it is possible to solve all of them with XPosed and/or Tasker, that would be fine. Unfortunately I searched these forums for 3 days now and I cannot find a dedicated Xposed topic with this info (there is 1 but it has little useful info). I hope others have a similar experience and found a solution!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a question, shouldn't it be in the Q&A?
1) This can be restored by flashing the 4.4.4 firmware
2) Xposed -> GravityBox (Power)
3) Xposed -> GravityBox (Power)
4) Tasker?
5) Xposed -> GravityBox (QuickSettings), or if you mess with the settings for either of those they may pop up in the quick toggles after some time
6) Xposed -> GravityBox (QuickSettings)
7) Xposed -> GravityBox (Notification Ticker)
Status bar icons can be hidden in GravityBox (Statusbar)
The drawer changing can be done with XGELs (Google Experience Launcher)
If this information helped you get it working, be sure to pay it forward by donating if you can
I am definitely going to unlock bootloader, root and install Xposed, see if I can get all of this back. Saves me the risk of potentially unstable ROMs and saving a lot of time testing different ROMs. Thanks a lot!
And yes, I believe projects like Xposed absolutely deserve a donation. I just finished flashing my own HTC One M7, it will also have Xposed (first time going to use it). The Motorola is owned by the lady. I will definitely donate if it works for me.
Wave-to-wake is present in some roms, for example the modded stock rom
There is also the lockscreen with the swipe for the camera.
In order to modify the power menu, you can use APM+.
For the toggles use Gravity Box.
aledex said:
Wave-to-wake is present in some roms, for example the modded stock rom
There is also the lockscreen with the swipe for the camera.
In order to modify the power menu, you can use APM+.
For the toggles use Gravity Box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know, but why would I go to all the trouble to install that ROM (which would include wiping my phone) if I can reach all those goals with XPosed/GravityBox
I have stock Lollipop 5.1 European version about:
5 - bluetooth toggle exists, IIRC it only appears if you use it; mobile data toggle also exists, just need two clicks - one on mobile data tile and one on toggle
6 - don't know about secure screen options but if you don't use password/pin/other you can swipe left for camera and right for dialer
7 - you can swipe that popup up to just hide it and without dismissing or use one of this app to remove/modify them "Heads-up Notifications" "HeadsOff - TickerOn" even without root
I believe that the Nexus Experience rom (NX ROM) offers most, if not all of the features that you're looking for, and it offers a very stock experience. The only reason that I don't run it is because I've grown accustom to tapping gently on my phones shoulder when it's sitting on my desk to activate the Active Display to see what time it is or what notifications I've been ignoring. With NX ROM, Active Display works great, but it's not as sensitive. So I have to tip my phone up, or sideways, to about 15 degrees before Active Display activates with. A very minor issue, but I'm very picky.
As far as I remember, it has the hand wave feature, power off/reboot/airplane mode menu, all kinds of toggles, and I believe volume down to mute as well. It doesn't do swipe right for camera, but you can swipe from bottom right corner, or from bottom left (customizable) to activate the camera. Not sure about the white popup thing because I didn't use it that long.
Thanks for all the suggestions.
I am extremely annoyed by Google removing useful functionality, harming productivity and introducing new design which is clearly not meant for OLED screens (all white). But with all these suggestions I can hopefully stick with the Moto X for a long time, since no brand but Sony will bring us high end <5" phones.
Bomberlt said:
I have stock Lollipop 5.1 European version about:
5 - bluetooth toggle exists, IIRC it only appears if you use it; mobile data toggle also exists, just need two clicks - one on mobile data tile and one on toggle
6 - don't know about secure screen options but if you don't use password/pin/other you can swipe left for camera and right for dialer
7 - you can swipe that popup up to just hide it and without dismissing or use one of this app to remove/modify them "Heads-up Notifications" "HeadsOff - TickerOn" even without root
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also have the European version, but I have a completely different experience. Swiping heads up notification always removes the notification from the statusbar (on all Lollipop phones, not just Motorola). On my HTC One M7 with GPE+ ROM I could lower the popup to 1sec allowing me to access the notification in the statusbar when needed. Works fine.
Another Lollipop bug (not even fixed in Android 6.0.1) is that the dialer shows ALL contacts of ALL your accounts (Google, Exchange, Outlook, Facebook, Skype etc) regardless if they have a phone number or not. The Contacts app does allow you to select specifically which contacts to show per group per account. In 4.4.4 this also applied to the dialer, since 5.0 it does not anymore. Google it and you will see people going nuts about this. A Google employee replying it will be "fixed" in M.. which is nuts since most phones with this issue will never receive an M upgrade.. also, now that M is available for Nexus, it's not fixed. The only solution: find a better dialer in Play Store.. this nums me completely... a phone OS should have at least a good dialer.. and apart from this issue the dialer works fine.
SOLVED
SOLVED:
Documentation + all links below in case anyone or myself ever need to do this again.
The most important part explained in detail:
- uninstall any phone drivers from other phones, uninstall Android SDK etc
- install Motorola USB drivers (Motorola Manager)
- install Minimal ADB & Fastboot in C:\adbfb and install mfastboot in that same folder, use mfastboot instead of fastboot. Scroll down in the Minimal topic to find the link to the Fastboot guide. It lists the command to flash recovery (TWRP): NOTE !!! unplug the phone from the PC right after flashing recovery and use the volume down button to scroll to Recovery in Bootloader, use VOLUME UP to select recovery after uplugging, not the shutdown button and do not reboot first (I used shutdown button and rebooted and spend 2 hours figuring this out)!
- copy all required files (the ROM plus its addons) to c:\adbfb.
- Flash using TWRP, first the ROM, then the addons, then factory reset via TWRP.
Short overall steps:
1. bootloader unlocked via the Motorola site (official method)
2. installed TWRP 2.8.6.0 (the newer one has an issue)
3. installed the modded/debloated stock ROM
4. also installed all the addons for that ROM, listed in that same first post.
5. After first boot and initial setup, Copied Xposed Installer, AdAway and installed them via Amaze File Manager (Play Store).
6. Installed the Xposed modules: GravityBox, Moto Checkbox, Sensify, BTAudio. Used GravityBox and Moto CheckBox to get most features back and personalise Quicksettings and some other great tweaks.
7. Used Sensify to install the HTC Sense Launcher (read the first post to install the correct version!!) which is basically stock launcher WITHOUT persistant Google Search Bar WITH ability to rearrange/group/hide apps in the app drawer and with black background, good for our OLED screen. No free launcher in the Play Store is as simple and plain as this one with these features (Nova Prime can do it but it costs €5 and adds a huge load of features I never need).
8. Wave-to-Wake is still not present in the debloated ROM but I will use the Tasker workaround. Haven't tested this yet.
9. To get the maximum out of your battery and have apps that are easier on the eyes, create a backup using TWRP and carefully follow the instructions of Team Blackout (Black Chrome, Black Calendar, Black Hangouts, Black Keep, Black Whatsapp etc). Haven't tested this yet.
10. Play Store > Settings: disable auto-update in Play Store, also disable the notification of updates.
Hey guys,
considering the Mate S but don't really like the way recent apps menu looks and works. Did anyone replace it with something more stock like?
Does the app Fancy Switcher work with the Mate S, could somebody check this please?
And what about the lock screen - has anybody replaced that with an alternative lock screen app? Will the fingerprint scanner still unlock the device using an alternative lock screen?
Thx for your answers,
vercetti.
vercetti said:
Hey guys,
considering the Mate S but don't really like the way recent apps menu looks and works. Did anyone replace it with something more stock like?
Does the app Fancy Switcher work with the Mate S, could somebody check this please?
And what about the lock screen - has anybody replaced that with an alternative lock screen app? Will the fingerprint scanner still unlock the device using an alternative lock screen?
Thx for your answers,
vercetti.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, here in the UK on the latest build for Lollipop I was unable to install Fancy Switcher, as it said it wasn't compatible with my device.
I'm not very keen on the stock recents however I believe the marshmallow update change's this from 4 apps on a screen to a single app per screen
Lock screen, not very nice and ability to set apps as sensitive to stop them displaying the app sender or message (for example in WhatsApp) which is something I really miss from previous Lollipop and Marshmallow that I had on a HTC One M8 running Google Play Edition. I've tried 'Next' lock screen app from Microsoft but unable to unlock with fingerprint so its probably only a function that works with the stock lock screen. As Marshmallow has native support for fingerprint sensors maybe the update will bring additional functionality however we will have to wait and see.
I did register for Marshmallow beta testing but don't appear to have been selected unless rollout is slow.
I like the phone but almost wish I had waiting and tried a Mate 8. The extra battery size and already on Marshmallow may make it a better choice.
I've always been a stock android or custom ROM person however I quite like some features of the EMUI skin...just wish there were a few more customisations and built in features that were enabled as standard...like the ability to change the cycle date of your mobile data plan.
Gavin
hey gavin,
thx for the nice reply.
the recent apps menu in marshmallow makes it even worse if only 1 app is available per screen. to get to the 5th app you'd have to swipe 5 times (compared to now with just one swipe)! that really sucks - 1 app per screen?!?
too bad about fancy switcher, that would look nice if it worked. i found switcher so far but it doesn't work 100% on my note 2. would you try that one out for me?
lock screen - how are notifactions presented? would you have a screenshot? and they can be swiped away right from the lockscreen?
thx for your help,
vercetti.
hey,
i just saw a video on youtube of emui 4 and the recent apps menu could be seen for short time.
it's improved a lot for my taste: yes, you can only see one app but you flick it to the left and all the others appear. so you only need one swipe to make the other apps slide into appearance and you can swipe them away if they're not wanted anymore.
so yes, you only see one app once the menu is opened but it's seemless once you start swiping.
here's the link to the video. there are probably much better videos, i just came across this one.
the recent apps menu appears on 00:10 seconds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPgATGXaFcA
greetz,
v.
p.s. in the 5 seconds you see the person using the recent apps menu it looks very laggy/unresponsive but i suppose it's a demo or prototype phone. i'm sure it works fine.
vercetti said:
hey,
i just saw a video on youtube of emui 4 and the recent apps menu could be seen for short time.
it's improved a lot for my taste: yes, you can only see one app but you flick it to the left and all the others appear. so you only need one swipe to make the other apps slide into appearance and you can swipe them away if they're not wanted anymore.
so yes, you only see one app once the menu is opened but it's seemless once you start swiping.
here's the link to the video. there are probably much better videos, i just came across this one.
the recent apps menu appears on 00:10 seconds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPgATGXaFcA
greetz,
v.
p.s. in the 5 seconds you see the person using the recent apps menu it looks very laggy/unresponsive but i suppose it's a demo or prototype phone. i'm sure it works fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had just tried Switchr, not sure if I was using it correctly but when I swiped in from the side it said "No Recent Apps" although I had just opened WhatsApp and Clock.
With regards to Lock Screen, I have't got a screenshot at the moment, but what I can say is you can swipe left to remove the lock screen notification or swipe right to open the app that the notification has come from, this presents the numeric pad for you to enter your unlock pin, but just touch the fingerprint reader and the phone unlocks.
Regards
Gavin
brumgav said:
I had just tried Switchr, not sure if I was using it correctly but when I swiped in from the side it said "No Recent Apps" although I had just opened WhatsApp and Clock.
With regards to Lock Screen, I have't got a screenshot at the moment, but what I can say is you can swipe left to remove the lock screen notification or swipe right to open the app that the notification has come from, this presents the numeric pad for you to enter your unlock pin, but just touch the fingerprint reader and the phone unlocks.
Regards
Gavin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thx Gavin,
that's exactly what happens with my note 2 when i install Switcher. The only thing that worked is to set up favorite apps within the Switcher app. Then it will always show you the icons of those apps. But without a preview of the app, just the icon.
I found a few more videos on youtube with Emui 4.0 and i'd be fine with their latest version of the recent apps menu. And it's just a matter of time til the Mate S gets the marshmallow update.
About the lockscreen: so even if i don't activate a pin code, sliding a notification to the right to open the app will still bring me to a numberpad where i should enter a pin? and then i'd have unlock that with the fingerprint ID? sounds very weird. i can't just slide the notifation to the right and it opens the app diectly?
thx,
v.
vercetti said:
Thx Gavin,
that's exactly what happens with my note 2 when i install Switcher. The only thing that worked is to set up favorite apps within the Switcher app. Then it will always show you the icons of those apps. But without a preview of the app, just the icon.
I found a few more videos on youtube with Emui 4.0 and i'd be fine with their latest version of the recent apps menu. And it's just a matter of time til the Mate S gets the marshmallow update.
About the lockscreen: so even if i don't activate a pin code, sliding a notification to the right to open the app will still bring me to a numberpad where i should enter a pin? and then i'd have unlock that with the fingerprint ID? sounds very weird. i can't just slide the notifation to the right and it opens the app diectly?
thx,
v.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I got that slightly wrong...it appears you can not dismiss a notification from the lockscreen by sliding left, however once unlocked you can dissmiss all notification by double tap on fingerprint reader
If you are using the fingerprint ID you have to set a PIN....but what I meant was if you slide the notification to the right...it brings up the screen to unlock so you can either enter the PIN or you can press the finger print reader....you dont have to do both of them.
I guess if you dont set a PIN or fingerprint then it will just open the app but i prefer the security of having my phone locked securely with fingerprint.
brumgav said:
I think I got that slightly wrong...it appears you can not dismiss a notification from the lockscreen by sliding left, however once unlocked you can dissmiss all notification by double tap on fingerprint reader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
too bad you cannot get rid of the notifications right off the lockscreen.
instead unlock -> pull down status bar -> double tap fingerprint
If you are using the fingerprint ID you have to set a PIN....but what I meant was if you slide the notification to the right...it brings up the screen to unlock so you can either enter the PIN or you can press the finger print reader....you dont have to do both of them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and this will get me to the app? in whatsapp for example, will it jump into the conversation where the new message has been posted or it will simply open whatsapp and present the conversation list?
thx,
v.
vercetti said:
too bad you cannot get rid of the notifications right off the lockscreen.
instead unlock -> pull down status bar -> double tap fingerprint
and this will get me to the app? in whatsapp for example, will it jump into the conversation where the new message has been posted or it will simply open whatsapp and present the conversation list?
thx,
v.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When on the lock screen - you can't pull down the status bar or the quick settings tiles at all.....(now that is dissappointing) as I would like to be able to quickly disable mobile data something without unlocking or turn off GPS without unlocking.
With WhatsApp it takes you straight to the conversation that the message was posted in.
brumgav said:
When on the lock screen - you can't pull down the status bar or the quick settings tiles at all.....(now that is dissappointing) as I would like to be able to quickly disable mobile data something without unlocking or turn off GPS without unlocking.
With WhatsApp it takes you straight to the conversation that the message was posted in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thx on the Whatsapp-notification-clarification
Yeah, i heard that you can't pull down status bar on lockscreen. That is really a pity.
But the doubletap to wake and/or the fast fingerprint scanner can perhaps compensate this issue. Double tap and then pull down the status bar. Oh wait, double tap probably only wakes the device up again, right? That'll just take you to the unlock screen which, then again, has to be unlocked...
Lots of little "problems". Maybe i could get used to them. I'm sure there are more than just the lock screen, right?
How are you getting along coming from AOSP?
Have you rooted? That would be my top priority. Changing DPI is a must to me.
greetz,
v.
vercetti said:
Thx on the Whatsapp-notification-clarification
Yeah, i heard that you can't pull down status bar on lockscreen. That is really a pity.
But the doubletap to wake and/or the fast fingerprint scanner can perhaps compensate this issue. Double tap and then pull down the status bar. Oh wait, double tap probably only wakes the device up again, right? That'll just take you to the unlock screen which, then again, has to be unlocked...
Lots of little "problems". Maybe i could get used to them. I'm sure there are more than just the lock screen, right?
How are you getting along coming from AOSP?
Have you rooted? That would be my top priority. Changing DPI is a must to me.
greetz,
v.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The double tap on the fingerprint scanner only works when the phone is unlocked. Once unlocked u can swipe down on the fingerprint scanner to bring down notification bar and then double tap fingerprint scanner to clear all the notification, this is really nice feature.
I really miss some of the AOSP things but its outweighed by some the fact of having a fingerprint scanner...The guest mode is great, either set a different PIN (or for a family member register one of their fingerprints) and if they want to use your phone they can use it in guest mode so they can only see, Apps that you allow them to see, and galleries that you allow them to see), plus you can also lock Apps so that they require a fingerprint to open which is good too, perhaps for your banking app or something like that.
I did root, but unrooted in order to allow an OTA update to be installed.
I also wiped the phone and converted it to a chinese variant which brings lots of chinese bloatware (uninstalled) but some extra features like permissions manager, virus scanner, mobile data plan cycle date manager..
I'm back converted to a european variant now though becuase I registered to be MM beta tester although I dont seem to have been accepted yet, unless they havent released to the UK yet. I'm still waiting for it to come OTA.
I'm really hoping that the MM update and EMUI 4.0 update bring lots of new features.
I brought an iPhone 6 Plus a month ago to have a look at it, as I had the opportunity to buy one, have a play and sell it without making a loss and I admit I really quite liked some of its features...considering the CPU the iPhones are so fast but I hated the notification centre, Android really have a great notification system and I prefered being able to customise lots of features, particulary with ROMs like Cyanogen. I sold it and after seeing the Mate S online thought it looked great and thought performance would be better....for example graphics performance isn't very good at all...but I only play things like Clash of Clans, Boom Beach, Sim City not nothign that requires heavy frame rates. I'm sure it would handle games liek Asphalt okay but have't tried.
I have seen youtube videos comparing Galaxy S6 and Mate 8 (yes the bigger Mate S with better CPU) however the S6 still wsa very powerful on graphics.
Like I said, hopeing the MM and EMUI update brings some improvement however, for jsut a normal phone user that uses phone on train during morning commute for 40 minutes I'm more than happy with it. Finger print sensor on the rear is perfect, I've barely opened the front cover of my phone case and just natural position of my hand and first finger is perfect so the phone is unlocked ready for me. I think my thumb was at risk of being strained on my HTC One M8 which I had pattern unlock....when I look back I don't know how I managed to keep doing that pattern so many times, and also the risk that a pick pocket could learn my pattern over time.
Hope this is helping you.
brumgav said:
The double tap on the fingerprint scanner only works when the phone is unlocked. Once unlocked u can swipe down on the fingerprint scanner to bring down notification bar and then double tap fingerprint scanner to clear all the notification, this is really nice feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey, sorry for the mixup: i didn't mean the double tap on the fingerprint scanner but the feature "double tap to wake" which is somewhere in the emui settings. with that you simply doubletap the screen to wake it from standby but i'm guessing this won't unlock it, it will just activate the lockscreen.
I really miss some of the AOSP things but its outweighed by some the fact of having a fingerprint scanner...The guest mode is great, either set a different PIN (or for a family member register one of their fingerprints) and if they want to use your phone they can use it in guest mode so they can only see, Apps that you allow them to see, and galleries that you allow them to see), plus you can also lock Apps so that they require a fingerprint to open which is good too, perhaps for your banking app or something like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
those are all very nice features, yes. and the fingerprint scanner is also one of my reasons why i'm looking to upgrade.
i also think the camera results are good enough and that especially the camera app itself is nice (pro mode too).
i'm looking for a 5,5" screen with fingerprint scanner on the back (one reason why the oneplus2 doesn't match my interest even though otherwise it seems to be a nice phone too - its fingerprint sensor is on the home button like with the samsung models).
build quality is also great.
i usually would never go for a phone that doesn't have lots of custom roms available by the time i buy it. but somehow i think i'll be making an exception here. with an AOSP custom rom i would lose all the fingerprint sensor features, the camera app (its features and resulting images) and other EMUI features that i feel might come in handy (like you summed it up in your last post). so having this phone with an AOSP rom would make it sort of pointless in a way. the features we both miss from AOSP is the price we need to pay in order of getting all the mate s features. we just can't have it both i'm afraid
I did root, but unrooted in order to allow an OTA update to be installed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's my plan. root it as soon as i get it. and once the marshmallow update is available i'd set it back, go stock, update to marshmallow and then root it again (hope it won't take long for someone to figure out how to root on marshmallow).
I also wiped the phone and converted it to a chinese variant which brings lots of chinese bloatware (uninstalled) but some extra features like permissions manager, virus scanner, mobile data plan cycle date manager..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
perhaps there are certain apps (root) that provide these features, instead of using the chinese mate s rom?
I'm back converted to a european variant now though becuase I registered to be MM beta tester although I dont seem to have been accepted yet, unless they havent released to the UK yet. I'm still waiting for it to come OTA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
probably not out yet...
thought performance would be better....for example graphics performance isn't very good at all...but I only play things like Clash of Clans, Boom Beach, Sim City not nothign that requires heavy frame rates. I'm sure it would handle games liek Asphalt okay but have't tried.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not really a gamer, so i don't worry too much about the limiting graphics performance.
Hope this is helping you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes indeed, thanx a whole lot, i appreciate it very much.
greetz,
v.
vercetti said:
hey, sorry for the mixup: i didn't mean the double tap on the fingerprint scanner but the feature "double tap to wake" which is somewhere in the emui settings. with that you simply doubletap the screen to wake it from standby but i'm guessing this won't unlock it, it will just activate the lockscreen.
those are all very nice features, yes. and the fingerprint scanner is also one of my reasons why i'm looking to upgrade.
i also think the camera results are good enough and that especially the camera app itself is nice (pro mode too).
i'm looking for a 5,5" screen with fingerprint scanner on the back (one reason why the oneplus2 doesn't match my interest even though otherwise it seems to be a nice phone too - its fingerprint sensor is on the home button like with the samsung models).
build quality is also great.
i usually would never go for a phone that doesn't have lots of custom roms available by the time i buy it. but somehow i think i'll be making an exception here. with an AOSP custom rom i would lose all the fingerprint sensor features, the camera app (its features and resulting images) and other EMUI features that i feel might come in handy (like you summed it up in your last post). so having this phone with an AOSP rom would make it sort of pointless in a way. the features we both miss from AOSP is the price we need to pay in order of getting all the mate s features. we just can't have it both i'm afraid
that's my plan. root it as soon as i get it. and once the marshmallow update is available i'd set it back, go stock, update to marshmallow and then root it again (hope it won't take long for someone to figure out how to root on marshmallow).
perhaps there are certain apps (root) that provide these features, instead of using the chinese mate s rom?
probably not out yet...
not really a gamer, so i don't worry too much about the limiting graphics performance.
yes indeed, thanx a whole lot, i appreciate it very much.
greetz,
v.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem, your welcome.
I just wish there was more stuff going on for this device, ROMs, support, chat etc...its very quiet hardly anyone replies to things in this forum.
brumgav said:
No problem, your welcome.
I just wish there was more stuff going on for this device, ROMs, support, chat etc...its very quiet hardly anyone replies to things in this forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, no development...
But it's understable: most developers are proabably located in USA and hardly anyone owns a mate s there. also the processor is kirin and not qualcomm. not much info coming from huawei about their kirin processors (which the developers would need).
i have another question about looks:
i saw that there are many themes available from huawei and that they change many parts of the user interface. what happens with these themes if i use an alternative launcher, say nova launcher?
will nova launcher override the background pic of the lockscreen or generally the way the lockscreen looks or does the lockscreen stay untouched by nova? same goes for the notifications that appear once you pull down the status bar. will the background of the notification "curtain" stay unchanged or does nova change different things here? colors and icons in settings also are changed when using different huawei themes - do they stay intact when using an alternative launcher?
All my questions short: does Nova (or any other alternative launcher for what it matters) only change what it is known for - leaving everything else the way you set it up with one of the hundred huawei themes? hope yoou know what i mean.
ok, for better demonstration: take the attached pic here for example. from left to right will only screen #2 and #3 be changed and the lockscreen #1, quick toggles #4 and whatsapp #5 remain unaltered with the chosen huawei theme still intact?
thx,
v.
vercetti said:
Yeah, no development...
But it's understable: most developers are proabably located in USA and hardly anyone owns a mate s there. also the processor is kirin and not qualcomm. not much info coming from huawei about their kirin processors (which the developers would need).
i have another question about looks:
i saw that there are many themes available from huawei and that they change many parts of the user interface. what happens with these themes if i use an alternative launcher, say nova launcher?
will nova launcher override the background pic of the lockscreen or generally the way the lockscreen looks or does the lockscreen stay untouched by nova? same goes for the notifications that appear once you pull down the status bar. will the background of the notification "curtain" stay unchanged or does nova change different things here? colors and icons in settings also are changed when using different huawei themes - do they stay intact when using an alternative launcher?
All my questions short: does Nova (or any other alternative launcher for what it matters) only change what it is known for - leaving everything else the way you set it up with one of the hundred huawei themes? hope yoou know what i mean.
ok, for better demonstration: take the attached pic here for example. from left to right will only screen #2 and #3 be changed and the lockscreen #1, quick toggles #4 and whatsapp #5 remain unaltered with the chosen huawei theme still intact?
thx,
v.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll try and take a look at a different launcher and the themes thing later tonight when home from work.
Just a quick point though, the lockscreen notifications only work with a particular lockscreen type called Magazine Unlock... This is a type of lockscreen that cycles through a gallery of images....not sure if the images are customisable.
Here is a snapshot of a normal lockscreen with limited notification details compared with the magazine lockscreen. You can see one has the message details and the other is very basic with just an icon.
hey, now that sucks! only magazine lockscreen gives you more info on notifications? all the others simply show the icon?!? wow, that is really disappointing...
thx for trying later today, can't wait!
from a quick internet search I think it's possible to stop the switching pix in the magazine lockscreen. also which pix should be used. so you can actually control which and also how many (or only 1) are used.
The Magazine lockscreen doesn’t necessarily cycle background images. You can set whatever single image you want. I have it set to the same as my normal wallpaper, so it looks like it just changes icons when you unlock.
Sadly the lockscreen is one of the worst features of EMUI. You can't pull down the notification bar, you can't dismiss notifications by side swiping, and you can't touch to open the notifications. The notifications also doesn't quit fit the EMUI theme, they are more material design. Some notifications won't show at all (yes, I turned it on), like Soundcloud. You do however get music control for Spotify, but this is a completely different lockscreen (which can't be changed). And then your notifications won't show up. I don't know how Huawei managed to scrap the stock lockscreen, which works very well and looks nice, and replace it with something far worse. You can install lockscreen apps, but you can't use them with the fingerprint scanner, so it's not really an option imho.
The app switcher, which was mentioned in the OP, I actually prefer to the stock android one. The most useful feature is that you can long press the app switcher icon to return to the last app (like Alt+Tab). As far as I understand, this not a stock feature, but from Cyanogen.
vercetti said:
i have another question about looks:
i saw that there are many themes available from huawei and that they change many parts of the user interface. what happens with these themes if i use an alternative launcher, say nova launcher?
will nova launcher override the background pic of the lockscreen or generally the way the lockscreen looks or does the lockscreen stay untouched by nova? same goes for the notifications that appear once you pull down the status bar. will the background of the notification "curtain" stay unchanged or does nova change different things here? colors and icons in settings also are changed when using different huawei themes - do they stay intact when using an alternative launcher?
All my questions short: does Nova (or any other alternative launcher for what it matters) only change what it is known for - leaving everything else the way you set it up with one of the hundred huawei themes? hope yoou know what i mean.
ok, for better demonstration: take the attached pic here for example. from left to right will only screen #2 and #3 be changed and the lockscreen #1, quick toggles #4 and whatsapp #5 remain unaltered with the chosen huawei theme still intact?
thx,
v.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Nova launcher. It will override the icons from the EMUI themes. Nova does however not influence the lockscreen at all, nor the pulldown meny, settings menues or other apps. So yes to your last question.
Thx for clarifying this suprman.
Lockscreen doesn't sound very good unfortunately...
which theme and lockscreen do you use?
I read in older Huawei threads that one can change the lockscreen style. "halo" style got rid of the 4 standard shortcuts on the bottom (which to my knowledge are also not modifiable...) and instead let's you set up 4 custom shortcuts. but maybe huawei did away with this feature nowadays.
which design (theme) do you use?
thx,
vercetti.
suprman said:
The Magazine lockscreen doesn’t necessarily cycle background images. You can set whatever single image you want. I have it set to the same as my normal wallpaper, so it looks like it just changes icons when you unlock.
Sadly the lockscreen is one of the worst features of EMUI. You can't pull down the notification bar, you can't dismiss notifications by side swiping, and you can't touch to open the notifications. The notifications also doesn't quit fit the EMUI theme, they are more material design. Some notifications won't show at all (yes, I turned it on), like Soundcloud. You do however get music control for Spotify, but this is a completely different lockscreen (which can't be changed). And then your notifications won't show up. I don't know how Huawei managed to scrap the stock lockscreen, which works very well and looks nice, and replace it with something far worse. You can install lockscreen apps, but you can't use them with the fingerprint scanner, so it's not really an option imho.
The app switcher, which was mentioned in the OP, I actually prefer to the stock android one. The most useful feature is that you can long press the app switcher icon to return to the last app (like Alt+Tab). As far as I understand, this not a stock feature, but from Cyanogen.
I use Nova launcher. It will override the icons from the EMUI themes. Nova does however not influence the lockscreen at all, nor the pulldown meny, settings menues or other apps. So yes to your last question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the comments, that summarised what I was going to so with the themes later.
Did you know you can open the app from the lockscreen by swiping it to the right...and then touching fingerprint sensor?