Database Develop

4.2 Lockscreen - a step backward?

Hi all,
I cannot but tell you this huge doubt that has been haunting me since I got my Nexus 4: is this new 4.2 lockscreen really an improvement?
For me, it can be considered as a step forward (widgets) and two steps backward (camera and Google Now).
Let me explain:
Step back 1: the camera is now accessible only by swiping the screen to the right
Step back 2: Google Now is hidden as a tiny, little, dotted ring in the far bottom of the screen (see attached image)
Step forward: widgets to the left screen
This is all related to the new circle lock widget, that now allows you only to unlock the phone by dragging the center to whatever position in the borders (see attached image).
And you wanna now why Google did this? I'm strongly convinced they did it because of Apple's lockscreen patent. No joke and no flame intended here. If you read the patent, it clearly says that
The device is unlocked if contact with the display corresponds to a predefined gesture for unlocking the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, with this upgrade the "predefined gesture" exists no more. Before Android 4.2, the only way you could slide to unlock was to move from point A (center) to point B (right): that's exactly what we call a "predefined gesture". Now you can slide to unlock from point A (center) to point B (right), or point C (left), or point D (bottom), and so on. In Android 4.2 the user is free to unlock to whatever position he or she feels like, Google is safe from Apple lawtrolls, but my impression is that we all lose here.
If this is not the reason, I can't figure out why they did this.
Honestly, who cares to unlock to whatever position? It is an automated gesture, I hardly see anyone saying "Oh, thank God, I really needed to swipe left and now I can, good job Google".
Now, instead of having three of the most useful apps in one place, and unlocking them immediately, we have to break this process in three different procedures. This is not immediate, this is awful and I'd like Google to revert to how things were before. They can leave the widgets, but the circle lock widget has to be restored as we have seen it in 4.1.
What do you think? Is this new lockscreen really this big improvement or, like me, do you see more cons than pros?

overall, im ok with it. like the google now thing is fine. but sliding left and right can sometimes be bothersome, but it wont kill me

It is just the start. They will build on it.
sent via xda premium with nexus 7-Xbox live-loneleppard add me

I was worried as well, After using it on my GNex i have to say i like it, Alot of 3rd party apps have updated and are usable like Hd Widgets and Falcon for twitter. Im sure many more will follow.Getting to the camera and google now still only take 1 swipe. I see where you are coming from but adding functionality is hardly a step back. You dont have to use widgets and getting to Gnow and the camera are just as simple

i really do like the google now being down there. its where the home button actually is, which makes sense since you do drag up from the home button to get to google now quickly when on any screen (besides the lock screen of course). a bit more organized and less confusing for those who are coming to this phone for the first time

I just want my clock widget to get better from the black eye it's got.

What I'm saying is that the overall third party widget idea is more than welcome, but Google could have done much better by keeping Google Now and the Camera app within the lock circle and giving more space to widgets: that would have been accessible not only by swiping to the left, but also to the right.

0.0 said:
i really do like the Google Now being down there. its where the home button actually is, which makes sense since you do drag up from the home button to get to Google Now quickly when on any screen (besides the lock screen of course). a bit more organized and less confusing for those who are coming to this phone for the first time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know, at first I thought they had eliminated Google Now completely, then a friend of mine told me that it was in fact hidden behind that little dotted circle.
Every time you unlock in 4.1, you see a giant Google Now logo; in 4.2, if you want to get access to it in the lock screen, you have to go figure it out.

UltimateGoblin said:
You know, at first I thought they had eliminated Google Now completely.
A friend of mine had to tell me that it was in fact hidden behind that little dotted circle.
Every time you unlock in 4.1, you see a giant Google Now logo.
In 4.2, if you want to get access to it in the lock screen, you have to go figure it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but youre used to it being on the lock screen, like sliding it up. im saying more for those who are new to the phone. they may be like "oh, sliding up on the home button gives me google now. cool!" then they will think that, and when going to the lock screen, it'll be the same process for them. now thats only my speculation. but i understand what you mean

It looks like a bug for me!!! The 4.1 lockscreen was way better!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

Old lockscreen found running on 4.2 Nexus 4
Thought this might interest you, also I would love to know how this is possible.
Here in the UK I tried out a Nexus 4 in a Carphone Warehouse store yesterday. We opened the box for the first time, booted up the phone and it presented us with the 4.1 version of the lockscreen .
The thing is, the phone was running on Android 4.2, I checked the settings, it was confirmed to be Android 4.2.
I am desperately trying to find a way to restore the old lock screen. The camera loads slower, the widgets are rubbish and I hate the new clock typeface.
Does anyone else know how this could be possible? The phone was unboxed and came straight from Google.

alexmasters said:
Thought this might interest you, also I would love to know how this is possible.
Here in the UK I tried out a Nexus 4 in a Carphone Warehouse store yesterday. We opened the box for the first time, booted up the phone and it presented us with the 4.1 version of the lockscreen .
The thing is, the phone was running on Android 4.2, I checked the settings, it was confirmed to be Android 4.2.
I am desperately trying to find a way to restore the old lock screen. The camera loads slower, the widgets are rubbish and I hate the new clock typeface.
Does anyone else know how this could be possible? The phone was unboxed and came straight from Google.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you read reviews on the device, they were running 4.2 without the lockscreen widgets. the OTA implemented the functionality. idk why everyone thinks its bad. im ok with it. maybe the devs will include the option to have the old lockscreen in a custom ROM in the future

0.0 said:
if you read reviews on the device, they were running 4.2 without the lockscreen widgets. the OTA implemented the functionality. idk why everyone thinks its bad. im ok with it. maybe the devs will include the option to have the old lockscreen in a custom ROM in the future
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh now that is interesting, I'm very surprised Google didn't allow people to retain the old lock screen. One can only hope they listen to complaints and roll out an option to toggle widgets, customise clock typeface, etc.
I find accessing the camera by swiping to be a slower experience than before. It makes all that work speeding up the shutter seem a little pointless.
Not only that but sliding between widgets is very awkward when you have a phone case on. Step backwards indeed.

Initially I didn't like it, but it's kinda grown on me now. And I actually like the look of the clock with the hour in bold :victory:

If it's ever too humid or I'm too sweaty, making the phone that easy to unlock one way or another leads to some nasty accidents in the pocket. One time I ended up pocket calling two people over 20 times in the period of an hour. And that was with the original slide to unlock. It was so bad I had to put a pin lock on it temporarily.

For those complaining about the bold hour font on the clock you can easily download a mod to change it.
I didn't like the two flashing boxes that appeared for the widget screens so I downloaded a mod and now I just see the clock and the pattern unlock.

mshaw03 said:
For those complaining about the bold hour font on the clock you can easily download a mod to change it.
I didn't like the two flashing boxes that appeared for the widget screens so I downloaded a mod and now I just see the clock and the pattern unlock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sounds great, which specific mod is that good sir?

I dont Understand why People are complaining about Smth so small
Sent from my Apple iPhone using Tapatalk 2

The lock screen is too buggy
Posted from my Sweet Lil' Nexus

arzbhatia said:
The lock screen is too buggy
Posted from my Sweet Lil' Nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? I haven't found any bugs whatsoever in 4.2 so far.

Recent Apps Menu & Lock Screen - AOSP Style

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?

Useful tips and tricks Mate 20 Pro

Hey guys,
I wanted to create a thread to share some tips and little tricks I've found and to everyone to share what you found to make the overall experience better, so here's what I've found, most of them you have to be using EMUI launcher (I gave up Nova so I can use native gestures):
1. To unlock when you use fingerprint but it doesn't recognize it at first try, face unlock will kick in and most of the time you'll see a screen saying "slide to unlock after successful facial recognition" the little trick is: you don't have to lift finger from screen then slide, so to make a smother experience I'm trying to make an habit to unlock to do this movement: press+hold+slide(as soon as you see screen turn on) and it unlocks 95% of the time.
2. Raise to wake works better and faster if you stop your natural movement ABRUPTLY and at the end of me movement the phone is tilted a little in upright position when it is in front of you. If I don't do this I just keep staring like a fool for a few seconds at the always on display and end up using fingerprint sensor or power button.
3. GESTURES:
*For the back gesture you have to start from the very edge to work, if you're using a case try to tap on the actual case then slide
*Similar for the home/recents gesture try to place your finger outside the screen on the small black bezel/chin then slide
*For the home gesture just slide and release quickly but to make the recents gesture work better, slide up then the little trick is (okay this is a big deal for me so I'll just bolds) to turn HORIZONTALLY (see screenshot attached for example path) as soon as you turn horizontally it'll lock recents app (you'll feel the vibration) if you just slide up and don't do the little turn you have to wait a while until it locks
UPDATE: I think it works even better and faster if you slide straight up around 1/6 of the screen then slightly straight down.
4. There's no double tap to lock which is something I missed but if you're using EMUI launcher there's is a lock scren widget which you can use to lock the screen without any delays like third party apps usually do with 5 seconds timeouts. Pretty handy little icon!
5. If you're using native launcher and want to rearrange icons, first press and hold in an empty area then you can select several icons to move in batches to a folder or even moving one by one you don't have to tapal and hold for a long time before you can start sliding to move icon (see screenshots).
6. For additional gestures (previous app, start split screen, google assistant, show volume slider, etc.) I'm using the "Edge gestures" app, obviously horizontal functions do not work because it will trigger the native "back" gesture instead but vertical gestures work pretty well without delay (see screenshot).
7. Best browser experience I've found since Samsung internet browser is unusable (4-8 seconds delay to switch tabs) is:
Yandex browser + Adguard extension app
because of this MUST haves for me:
*It actually blocks ads
*It supports split screen
*It's fast
*It has controls on the bottom of the scren instead of on top for a lot easier one hand operation
8. Use "SystemUI tuner" app to hide icons on status bar such as bluetooth, NFC, wifi, etc and make room for notifications
9. Use NCleaner app to hide unwanted permanent notifications such as "X app is displaying over other apps"
10. This isnpretty general and not just of this phone but in case someone uses youtube frequently and uses original app, do yourself a favor and download YouTube Vanced (from vanced website) and vidmate if you need to download videos.
I might be returning this phone and going back to Note 9 because of the awful screen, tinny speakers, terrible ram management, not so great signal strength in my area and all the EMUI bugs but I'll update this post if I find extra tips, please share what you've found!

11. How to avoid EMUI system from closing apps running in the background:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/mate-20-pro/how-to/guide-how-to-avoid-emui-closing-apps-t3862911

I'd suggest Brave for ad-blocking browser instead.

vwite said:
7. Best browser experience I've found since Samsung internet browser is unusable (4-8 seconds delay to switch tabs) is:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Samsung Internet Browser Beta and get only about 1 second delay to switch tabs (with Adblock extension installed).
Maybe if the number of open tabs is large the delay might increase.

randomA said:
I'd suggest Brave for ad-blocking browser instead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried this before but didn't like it, I don't remember if it was controls on the very top of the screen or that it didn't support split screen, but what advantages does it have compared to Yandex with AdGuard?
themissionimpossible said:
I use Samsung Internet Browser Beta and get only about 1 second delay to switch tabs (with Adblock extension installed).
Maybe if the number of open tabs is large the delay might increase.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mmm, that's weird, I tried both the regular and the beta and tried uninstalling and installing them again and both take a very long time to open the tabs menu, even with only one tab opened. On my Note 9 it also has around 1 second delay (for opening all tabs, if you just swipe on bar to switch to next or previous tab is faster) so I think that's normal but 4-8 seconds is unusable for me
On the mate 20 pro I am on build .122, which one do you have?

9.0.0.122 patch02
Mate 20 Pro no brand

vwite said:
I've tried this before but didn't like it, I don't remember if it was controls on the very top of the screen or that it didn't support split screen, but what advantages does it have compared to Yandex with AdGuard?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you earn BAT for using it, it's a chrome fork (basically a chrome clone), has a builtin ad-suppressor , doesnt track you, etc. without having to donwload other apps/extensions.

themissionimpossible said:
I use Samsung Internet Browser Beta and get only about 1 second delay to switch tabs (with Adblock extension installed).
Maybe if the number of open tabs is large the delay might increase.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suggest kiwi browser. Adblocking, bottom bar, black theme, open source, chromium based, super fast

henihazbay said:
I suggest kiwi browser. Adblocking, bottom bar, black theme, open source, chromium based, super fast
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Amazing find, thank you! I already switched back to Note 9 so I'm using samsung browser beta again but this is the first chrome based I've tried that has the option to show bar on the bottom of the screen, I'll test how ad blocking works but I might actually switch from samsung broswer to this! Night mode is also nicer since it changes the colors but doesn't decrease brightness

vwite said:
.
I might be returning this phone and going back to Note 9 because of the awful screen, tinny speakers, terrible ram management, not so great signal strength in my area and all the EMUI bugs but I'll update this post if I find extra tips, please share what you've found!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny thing is I'm having none of those issues you mentioned. Ram management is great, screen is great and the speakers are good enough. I knew EMUI would be this phones Achilles heel so it my expectations were properly set.
Sent from my HUAWEI LYA-L0C using XDA Labs

HI, I tried Tip #6 but for me Edge Gestures does not work for me at all.
Not one Gesture does work on my phone.
EDIT: SORRY ... my fault ... it works

'1. To unlock when you use fingerprint but it doesn't recognize it at first try, face unlock will kick in and most of the time you'll see a screen saying "slide to unlock after successful facial recognition" the little trick is: you don't have to lift finger from screen then slide, so to make a smother experience I'm trying to make an habit to unlock to do this movement: press+hold+slide(as soon as you see screen turn on) and it unlocks 95% of the time.'
Much easier to go to Settings > Security & Privacy > Face Recognition and then selecting Direct Unlock. This way, it will unlock the screen direct from Face Recognition without having to slide.

This is an accident find but haven't read about it anywhere - apologies if it's widely known.
Long pressing the "trash can" in the Recent Apps section brings up All Apps - nice shortcut.

ero69 said:
This is an accident find but haven't read about it anywhere - apologies if it's widely known.
Long pressing the "trash can" in the Recent Apps section brings up All Apps - nice shortcut.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I didn't know that. Cheers.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

where can I find NCleaner?

charliebigpot said:
where can I find NCleaner?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.easy4u.ncleaner

Nice tips.. Any other tips?

vwite said:
Hey guys,
(...)
9. Use NCleaner app to hide unwanted permanent notifications such as "X app is displaying over other apps" (...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is really nice!

mrnovanova said:
Funny thing is I'm having none of those issues you mentioned. Ram management is great, screen is great and the speakers are good enough. I knew EMUI would be this phones Achilles heel so it my expectations were properly set.
Sent from my HUAWEI LYA-L0C using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree - no issues at my end too.

One thing I just found out that in face unlock settings There is a require eye contact setting. I've tried closing my eyes and asked a family member if my screen unlock, it doesn't and as soon as I opened them it unlocked.
Sent from my HUAWEI LYA-L09 using XDA Labs

Immersive mode

Hi everyone, I was wondering if anyone has found a way to get full immersive mode.
I know you can hide the navbar but I'd love to hide the status bar as well and make it so that apps go around the camera hole.
I don't want to hide the hole but want to put the whole screen up so that I don't see in every app the time and all the status bar icons. Thanks a lot!

I want that too, but apparently no app is able to do that on my Galaxy S10. Hope to see that feature available soon!

Good lock with quick star... but I can't hide galaxy watch bluetooth icon...

renton82 said:
Good lock with quick star... but I can't hide galaxy watch bluetooth icon...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wanted to hide the status bar, to shift the whole screen up, not just hide the icons ☺ however I did download some cool goodlock things thanks for reminding me that goodlofk is still a thing

Nova Prime can do itView attachment 4724540
Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

renton82 said:
Good lock with quick star... but I can't hide galaxy watch bluetooth icon...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does it work with apps as well? I guess this is not that doable since I'd be probably missing some buttons that are over there...

JohnPyn said:
Does it work with apps as well? I guess this is not that doable since I'd be probably missing some buttons that are over there...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, of course

Please send immersive mode requests to Samsung via feedback, or by emailing them. Right now the adb commands create annoying black bars instead of extending the screen.

I currently don't have my S10 yet, but use 'SystemUI Tuner' on my OnePlus 6 to do immersive mode.

Doesn't work with s10 it appears a black bar...

jhericurls said:
I currently don't have my S10 yet, but use 'SystemUI Tuner' on my OnePlus 6 to do immersive mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
renton82 said:
Doesn't work with s10 it appears a black bar...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Technically you could remove the black back by going into Settings>Display>Full Screen apps and selecting all to be full screen instead of auto. However this makes removing the status bar useless since even though you don't get the black bar you still do get a bar that's the color of the app. Green for whatsapp for instance. So you're not actually getting any more screen real estate, just hiding the status bar which I find it easier to do through adb instead of any other app which requires you to give more permissions hence to type more in the terminal.
I'm looking for a way to hide the status bar and have the screen go up and around the camera cutout, just like it works on any other phone which doesn't have a camera cutout

JohnPyn said:
Technically you could remove the black back by going into Settings>Display>Full Screen apps and selecting all to be full screen instead of auto. However this makes removing the status bar useless since even though you don't get the black bar you still do get a bar that's the color of the app. Green for whatsapp for instance. So you're not actually getting any more screen real estate, just hiding the status bar which I find it easier to do through adb instead of any other app which requires you to give more permissions hence to type more in the terminal.
I'm looking for a way to hide the status bar and have the screen go up and around the camera cutout, just like it works on any other phone which doesn't have a camera cutout
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you find a way to do this?
Sent from my SM-G9700 using Tapatalk

kurosawa79 said:
Did you find a way to do this?
Sent from my SM-G9700 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm afraid not, still looking. I tried several apps and adb. Even wscan command on adb which was something I used to shift the screen down to hide the navbar before pie. Nothing seems to work

JohnPyn said:
I'm afraid not, still looking. I tried several apps and adb. Even wscan command on adb which was something I used to shift the screen down to hide the navbar before pie. Nothing seems to work
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange because apps can go full screen, like Netflix and YouTube Vanced. Just that stubborn black shaded status bar won't shift.
Sent from my SM-G9700 using Tapatalk

kurosawa79 said:
Strange because apps can go full screen, like Netflix and YouTube Vanced. Just that stubborn black shaded status bar won't shift.
Sent from my SM-G9700 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that's the same thing I thought of. I guess on apps you would lose some keys for instance on WhatsApp the ability to make calls... But I still would want to hide the status bar

Samsung makes these awesome panels but makes its almost impossible to remove the static elements opening us up to burn in. Toss us a bone Samsung or use a different display tech!

kurosawa79 said:
Strange because apps can go full screen, like Netflix and YouTube Vanced. Just that stubborn black shaded status bar won't shift.
Sent from my SM-G9700 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best I can get Netflix is about ¾ of way through the cam cut out, can't get it all the way to the edges of the screen
Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

I opened myself 2 threads about this on xda and one on reddit XD this is soooooooo important to me but no one seems to really care about it much! no one could help how can it be, that folks buy a S10 because of it's infinity display which has very little top and side bezels but are completely fine with a huuuuuuuge statusbar that's just a software bezel because of the bad software.... don't get me started about the possible burn in issues or uneven wear.
the usual adb command don't work
Sammy's own settings in the settings app where you can choose between automatic and fullscreen does nothing
the only thing that worked for me was app cloner so far. I cloned apple music, relay, spotify and tumblr and the difference that it makes is soooo huge!!!! Sammy has to do something about this. Getting all that space back, seeing the content scroll behind and around the punch hole and up to the frame which let's you notice how thin the top bezel really is.... yes on most apps some element get's get blocked by the punch hole, but if you are familiar with the app and know that there is something you can still touch it and it works, or what I do is, triggering one handed mode for a second pressing it and move on. for me that would work. Sammy should put a disclaimer saying, can cause some issues with certain apps and let us use all the apps we wan't in fullscreen/immersive mode. It sure does look better and that's the way I'm gonna be using my S10 after rooting.
please if you have more tips how to get immersive mode, let me know.

chieco said:
I opened myself 2 threads about this on xda and one on reddit XD this is soooooooo important to me but no one seems to really care about it much! no one could help how can it be, that folks buy a S10 because of it's infinity display which has very little top and side bezels but are completely fine with a huuuuuuuge statusbar that's just a software bezel because of the bad software.... don't get me started about the possible burn in issues or uneven wear.
the usual adb command don't work
Sammy's own settings in the settings app where you can choose between automatic and fullscreen does nothing
the only thing that worked for me was app cloner so far. I cloned apple music, relay, spotify and tumblr and the difference that it makes is soooo huge!!!! Sammy has to do something about this. Getting all that space back, seeing the content scroll behind and around the punch hole and up to the frame which let's you notice how thin the top bezel really is.... yes on most apps some element get's get blocked by the punch hole, but if you are familiar with the app and know that there is something you can still touch it and it works, or what I do is, triggering one handed mode for a second pressing it and move on. for me that would work. Sammy should put a disclaimer saying, can cause some issues with certain apps and let us use all the apps we wan't in fullscreen/immersive mode. It sure does look better and that's the way I'm gonna be using my S10 after rooting.
please if you have more tips how to get immersive mode, let me know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi I don't understand why app cloner makes a difference. Can you explain?
Sent from my SM-G9700 using Tapatalk

kurosawa79 said:
Hi I don't understand why app cloner makes a difference. Can you explain?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes of course! like I mentioned before I always use my apps in immersive mode but for once I own a device that's not rooted yet and therefore hasn't a dozen of custom roms with the ability to tweak settings. And because the usual adb commands do nothing I remembered that app cloner had a bunch a display settings which you can mess with. And viola! It has an option to flag apps as immersive mode apps and it actually works! It seems to use a different hook/way to force apps into immersive mode and the result is just beautiful!!! Now you can really enjoy the Display of the S10.
Let me tell ya, after using apps in immersive mode for a hot minute and going back to the stock way sammy intended for us to use the S10, I have to say sammy did only a half hearted job on this. Yeah hardware side is nice but the software side is lacking and not utilizing the hardware. It seems like they didn't now any better and settled on a huge arse statusbar. Maybe because this isn't iOS where developers can develop for specific hardware not like on android.
The Downside? some elements do get in the way and require some kind of a workaround. In this case I settled on using one handed mode which brings the top half part of the screen down revealing those blocked elements by the punch hole. This works so far very good and I'm already used to it. Some elements peak out behind the punch hole so you already know there is something, in this case you can still touch that area because even the punch hole has a digitizer in that area.
S10+amoled theme+Substratum black theme+apps in immersive mode= In my opinion the best way to use this device and forget/never notice punch hole ever.
This should be a bigger deal and more people should talk about this. xda should cover this on the Frontpage.
Here are some screens:https://imgur.com/a/AGJQILu

Question Anyone's At A Glance On Home Screen Jacked -Up Too?!

So there's been some changes with beta build #5, and I'm reading my GA is gonna hook me up with some Krazy Kool custom features to jazz up my At A Glance field(I know, field is the best I could grab but it's not a widget becuz you can't kill it)?!
I hope she thinks of something soon cuz I'm left with this glorified calendar/schedule events thing that's there for the duration (see shots below). Can't even scrape what's left off the glass?! Lol, jk
p.s. Let us all not forget, we wanted beta so we got it.
p.s.s. for the record, the actual At A Glance widget is about midway down on my home screen, as I put it there just for illustrative purposes to accurately reflect what the other critter used to look like back in the day!

Yes, seems it's a bug with latest beta. Hopefully fixed with final version.

Lpen21 said:
Yes, seems it's a bug with latest beta. Hopefully fixed with final version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking it was just incomplete, they rushed it or something cuz they got like 3 toggles built into features? Me, I'm maybe a lone-wolf on this, but I've always liked this one from Google(widget whatever), and back a few now that At A Glance sorta spun off of the Google Now launcher theme, didn't it? The little frog dude that pops into the scene, is kinda kool when you close the app(or screen)and go back and tap the weather side of the widget!
(I'm probably the only one on that note)? smh

The three toggles are for customization, I think you will be able to add or turn off calendar, weather etc. It even looks like we will be able to remove at a glance altogether and add your own widget if you go to home settings and tap on cog it has option to disable but currently not working

Lpen21 said:
The three toggles are for customization, I think you will be able to add or turn off calendar, weather etc. It even looks like we will be able to remove at a glance altogether and add your own widget if you go to home settings and tap on cog it has option to disable but currently not working
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds pretty cool and besides what were they thinking putting something permanent on our home screens....how dare they?