What Is Your MUST HAVE APP? - Xperia Z Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi all,
As I said above, I would like to know what is your MUST HAVE APPLICATIONS ?. Last time when I did the same on a different phone, I discovered a lot of good app that I missed out, such as Adaway, Droidwall, etc, etc, and I am sure others will benefit from it too,
And as for myself, list below are all the apps that I must have on every Android phone that I possess. On a side note, I am not working for any of them, far from marketing it, just feel the need to share.
1. Adaway - I simply couldn't stand all of the ads, because sometimes they can be way too obtrusive
2. Firewall Plus - I have been using Droid Wall previously, but recently change to Firewall Plus for Droid Wall has never been updated since like 2011.But still, it does the job.
3. Nova Launcher Prime - Stock home just couldn't get the job done for me, And I even think it is a hassle to use. What I love the most about this launcher is their gestures setting. I have set every frequently used app on gestures and opening them never take me more than 2 seconds.
4. Brilliant Quotes - I need a daily motivation, and this piece of app does it flawlessly.
5. Dolphin Browser - Nothing beats it IMO. Smooth browsing experience.
6. MX Player - This one will play anything you throw at it, and it is also the friendliest movie player out there.
7. Kingsoft Office - Miles ahead of the preinstalled office app.
8. Root Browser - EZ File explorer used to be awesome, but since there is no longer root file explorer, it is now become worthless, at least for my kind of use.
9. SMS Scheduler - You know what? I have never forgotten to wish birthdays to my dearest and beloved ones.
10. Soccer Livescores - The name itself tells you what it does.
11. SwiftKey - With this app, I am 100% certain that I type faster on my phone.
12. Titanium Backup - Do I need to elaborate? Without it, what is the point of rooting your phone?
13. Waze - Never get lost. Errr...almost
14. Whatsapp - This is where my friends are. If they change, so will I. For now, this is a must have.
15. Alarm Clock Plus - Nothing wakes me up in the morning, nothing. But not this one, you will definitely get out of your bed. I have set mine to never ever to stop ringing, and even if I want to silence it,there are 10 difficult math questions for me to solve. And after those 10, I am wide awake.
16. Mobicalc Calculator - Stock is just meh at best.
These are all my MUST HAVE APP. What about you? Please do share with all of us here.
Thanks in advance.

Not feeling like writing a wall of text so i'll just post a small list.
Adaway, viper4android, titanium backup, YouTube, rootbrowser, battlelog
Gesendet von meinem C6603 mit Tapatalk

Xposed Framework
-----Xposed Modules: App Settings, Boot Manager, XbatteryThemer
Titanium Backup PRO - Backups are Important and I can freeze and delete apks
Root Browser - I think it's sure what to to with that
CCSWE App Manager - I use light version and I hide Apps from App-drawer with it
Gravity Box - You can change a lot of things
Unicon - change Icon theme, also on stock rom
AutomateIt Pro - Automate your phone with it
Whatsapp+ - hide online status and design your whatsapp interface like you want.
Supertube Pro - Like youtube, but with background music and you can watch with smaller window(Samsung style) and with scree off listen music
Dropbox - Sure what to do with that
Gtasks - Really cool widget for tasks!
Tapatalk - Best Forum App
realcalc - Best calculator ever for me

gripfly said:
Xposed Framework
-----Xposed Modules: App Settings, Boot Manager, XbatteryThemer
Whatsapp+ - hide online status and design your whatsapp interface like you want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds interesting

bloodsuckingcomputer said:
Sounds interesting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can also download themes by other users or uploud your own one.
Also you can change Launcher Icon and some other modifications.
You can also ''modify'' the Popup with other colours etc.

Just a few that haven't already been mentioned -
Greenify (requires root) - Allows you to hibernate rogue apps that wake up your phone and drain battery.
Clipper - Replaces the default clipboard and allows you to go back multiple times over things that you have copied.
Cerberus - Anti theft software with options to locate, lock, wipe etc. This has been installed on every android device I have had. Paid.
Root Explorer - The original root explorer that was available and I still use years later. Paid, but it was cheap enough and I have had good value from it.
Most of everything else I use has already been mentioned.
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk

I like using VLC player for videos, it's in beta but is still very usable and plays any formats you can throw at it. Also, uTorrent for my torrenting needs* as well as My Class Schedule for timetabling my school subjects for the day.
*: torrenting DOESN'T automatically equate to piracy.

kingvortex said:
Just a few that haven't already been mentioned -
Greenify (requires root) - Allows you to hibernate rogue apps that wake up your phone and drain battery.
Clipper - Replaces the default clipboard and allows you to go back multiple times over things that you have copied.
Cerberus - Anti theft software with options to locate, lock, wipe etc. This has been installed on every android device I have had. Paid.
Root Explorer - The original root explorer that was available and I still use years later. Paid, but it was cheap enough and I have had good value from it.
Most of everything else I use has already been mentioned.
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would normally uninstall all of the so called rogue apps, saves me the trouble(With the special exception for KINGO ROOT)
And I also heard a lot of good things about greenify, what else does it do?, if you don't mind.

iDroid8 said:
I like using VLC player for videos, it's in beta but is still very usable and plays any formats you can throw at it. Also, uTorrent for my torrenting needs* as well as My Class Schedule for timetabling my school subjects for the day.
*: torrenting DOESN'T automatically equate to piracy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use to heavily used Ttorrent on my phone, and it was good, always get a good download rate. But not so sure how does it behave nowadays.

bloodsuckingcomputer said:
I would normally uninstall all of the so called rogue apps, saves me the trouble(With the special exception for KINGO ROOT)
And I also heard a lot of good things about greenify, what else does it do?, if you don't mind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is only for the purpose of stopping apps waking up without your specific permission.
There are some apps that wake the phone up when not needed that are still useful to have around, like Google Maps and Facebook to name 2 that cause wakes on my phone, so it allows you to still have these apps installed without them draining battery.
For more information, check out the developer's thread here on XDA.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2155737
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk

Titanium backup Pro
Tapatalk
...all the rest

Quick Reboot, and Proximity Smart Cover. (I hate wearing out buttons)
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app

shoey63 said:
Quick Reboot, and Proximity Smart Cover. (I hate wearing out buttons)
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now, this is what I'm talking about, interesting, never heard of both, gonna check it out.
Thanks

kingvortex said:
It is only for the purpose of stopping apps waking up without your specific permission.
There are some apps that wake the phone up when not needed that are still useful to have around, like Google Maps and Facebook to name 2 that cause wakes on my phone, so it allows you to still have these apps installed without them draining battery.
For more information, check out the developer's thread here on XDA.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2155737
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair enough, I do not use both of the app you mentioned, get rid of it since day 1.

must
Lux Auto Brightness - I used start on my previous Motorola RAZR XT910 and now Xperia Z - save battery
Solid explorer - for me best explorer on android

NHK world
Mimi Chan browser
Mixi
Google wallet
Skype
Bloomberg
And whatever comes preinstalled on the phone excerpt the t-mobile apps haha
Sent from my C6606 using xda app-developers app

Things that I haven't seen mentioned yet
1. SD Maid.
2. System Tuner.
3. Sygic.(free in India, paid elsewhere). (I just rip out Maps & all Gapps).
4. OSMAnd~ (from F-Droid).
5. Blank Store.
Dead Cookies leave no trails...

Applock
Call popout
iFont
Truecaller
~ Zapped Using X-Zed ~

Try WifiKill bro..
Sent from my C6603

Invoice to go.
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app

Related

To-do list for Note

I am looking for a to-do list app with following features for my g-note:
1) at the front/back of the to-do list, show what time to do it.
2) checkmark if the task is completed.
3) if the task not done on the planned day, it will show up next day. maybe with different color.
4) large widget size.
5) date should be customizable.
Anyone aware of such an app?
Try "Any.do". quite similar to what you are looking for.
Try "due today". I think it does everything you're looking for and looks nice too.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App
Try task n todos lite
Any.DO or Astrid Tasks (or whatever it's called)
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
Why use an android only app. With the note, use a better highend Web tool like toodledo.com or rtm. I use toodledo and it is great and I can use it on any device. Apps are great, but one of the best things about the note is having no frustration with using pro Web apps.
steveblue said:
Why use an android only app. With the note, use a better highend Web tool like toodledo.com or rtm. I use toodledo and it is great and I can use it on any device. Apps are great, but one of the best things about the note is having no frustration with using pro Web apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Toodledo is great. In addition I use DueToday on my android which can sync with it.
Toodledoo doesn't have a widget does it?
Sent from my superior GT-N7000 using Tapatalk
Zamboney said:
Toodledoo doesn't have a widget does it?
Sent from my superior GT-N7000 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Toodledoo doesn't have widgets as it isnt an Android App. It's a web app and a backend, but there are several apps which sync with Toodledoo.
Right now, Play Store is announcing 2Do: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.guidedways.android2do
But there are lots more:
https://play.google.com/store/search?q=toodledo&c=apps
I think Todo.ly has most if not all these features, and there is a neat little android app that syncs with the web service.
Above a certain number of tasks, or to get certain features, I think it's a subscription service tho.
Again I suggest you try toodledo first on your computer, then set it up as a bookmark on your phone. On the Note it looks great. Then if you like it, you can make it a short cut - and what do you know, something that seems like an app. Only issue is if you can get a connection. But that works on any computer device you want. Read your todo list on anyones computer if you need to. Apps are great but - I never use an app when the web will do. Same for me and google docs. I know then I have the cloud and the internet behind me. My phone dies, my data is safe and accessible anywhere on anything.
Side Note
There is a movement ( i generally support) where some folks call apple and android apps (mainly from large corporations) 'the anti-internet' - because many corporations are filtering the www world ( or own the ads) by making apps to stuff that is right there on the web anyways (a news radio station app for instance) but filters or dumbed down or controlled. They would love to get rid of the more open internet, and they worry that you might keep other windows open or you can ad block or click to other sites - so they want to filter and control you with there nice UI but filtered app. I love apps that do something, but if it is a refilter of the web - well I would rather put up for a slightly worse UI to get the real unfiltered internet. And of course with the Note ( size, pen, ...) it is easier to look at real webpages ( why I got it). google docs and toodledo are two examples of web over app.
DGT GTD
Universal 5★ app with all features your looking for and more.
Nothing really approaches it on the Market.

[App] SwitchMe - Share Your Device - MULTIPLE USER SPACES

Hi guys Im one of the developers of SwitchMe - an app that creates multiple user spaces. We have just released a new build which should fully support the T2s. Please have a look and let me know if everything is working as it should!
Thanks in advance, PR after the break:
.................................................................................................
SwitchMe - share your device!
SwitchMe is a unique application for root users that allows you to log in and out of multiple installations of Android just as you would on a desktop computer.
SwitchMe is a unique application for root users that allows you to log in and out of multiple user spaces just as you would on a desktop computer, with each profile having its own separate system settings, apps and data.
Some of the benefits of this technology:
Privacy
Securely share one device among many users, protect your accounts with passwords and log out automatically.
Kids
Create a profile for the kids, with only the apps and access you feel comfortable with.
Gaming
Overclock your profile for maximum performance in intensive games
Speed
Imagine a buttery smooth profile, with no kids games, messengers or bloatware to slow things down.
Testing
Create a sandbox profile to easily test applications and themes - no more nandroid nightmares!
Battery
Switch to a profile which only contains the essentials to save power through brute force.
Critical usage warning:
Incorrect use of this application can potentially harm your device. Before proceeding with use we strongly recommend that you perform a full nandroid backup through the device recovery.
READ THE HELP FILE CAREFULLY TO AVOID ISSUES
Without the Key, this application allows a maximum of 2 profiles and no security features.
Only the standard Android implementation of Apps2SD is currently supported. Use all others at your own risk.
Most devices should be compatible as long as they have enough free internal memory to create secondary profiles. The application will warn users if available memory is low.
These of course are only suggestions - there are plenty of other uses for the functionality SwitchMe offers.
Market link:
https://market.android.com/details?id=fahrbot.apps.switchme
The free version allows the creation of two profiles and has no security features.
Screens:
Looks cool. I'd try it out but I hate crippled apps that need a key to work properly.
Good luck.
scottx . said:
Looks cool. I'd try it out but I hate crippled apps that need a key to work properly.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And yet there you are, trying it out.
Also, the free app already gives you everything. You just have to use you brain to make it work.
Attitude... it affects the best of us.
Anything to report?
oh, this is great, now you can share the tablet with family members
R1kARD0 said:
oh, this is great, now you can share the tablet with family members
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, it does that.
Hi
very helpful app for a family with only one tablet, works almost 100% OK for us.
everytime i switch profile a android OS update is done, and after a few seconds im loged out again, after second logon it's OK
Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 GT-P5110 4.0.4 XXBLH4
Installed it on my GT2 3113 this morning and have been playing around with it. I do get the same android OS update thing as listed above when switching users. Also sometimes when the app opens it is a blank screen with no profiles or details listed. Running RomsWell V1.1 stock rooted/deodexed 4.0.4 rom
gooffeyguy said:
Installed it on my GT2 3113 this morning and have been playing around with it. I do get the same android OS update thing as listed above when switching users. Also sometimes when the app opens it is a blank screen with no profiles or details listed. Running RomsWell V1.1 stock rooted/deodexed 4.0.4 rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Write through the app please.
ftgg99 said:
Write through the app please.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will do
Thnks....
I love this app
I've noticed that if I don't use the switch screen options then the app works fine and doesn't give me the blank main page that I was experiencing previously.
---------- Post added at 01:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:02 AM ----------
Also, what folder are the additional users profile/apps installed to?
Sent from my GT-P3113 using xda app-developers app
Im looking into it.
/DATA/.PROFILES is where everything is kept.
Guys there have been reports of the app being blank sometimes. Im trying to work out if this is something to do with superuser vs supersu. If youve experienced this, please let me know and be sure to tell me which of the two youre using...
I haven't been having that problem since I disabled the "switch screen functionality" in the settings. I do use the "fast switch" option and just open the app when I want to switch profiles. I am using SuperSU v0.96
gooffeyguy said:
I haven't been having that problem since I disabled the "switch screen functionality" in the settings. I do use the "fast switch" option and just open the app when I want to switch profiles. I am using SuperSU v0.96
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You disabled the two main functions just because you sometimes couldn't see the statistics page? That seems a little extreme...
ftgg99 said:
You disabled the two main functions just because you sometimes couldn't see the statistics page? That seems a little extreme...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, not just because it didn't show statistics, but I wouldn't be able to switch users unless I rebooted the device. When the problem would occur it also wouldn't bring up the switch user screen on the lock screen after waking up. If the icon notification was enabled it just opened up the statistic screen, not the user switch screen. I would get stuck in the current users profile until I rebooted and hoped the switch user screen would show after start up.
I like the functionality of the switch user screen but with it glitching like that on my device the only sure way to be able to switch profiles is to disable all that and just go into the app/statistic screen and click switch at the bottom.
I just noticed that there is a widget for this app that allows switching profiles without opening the app.
gooffeyguy said:
I just noticed that there is a widget for this app that allows switching profiles without opening the app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think your problem is with supersu (if thats what youre using). If possible, change it to superuser or at least make sure that youve set supersu up to always grant and whatever.
Supersu is very green and i wouldnt recommend it to anyone.
I have used this app for awhile now and really love it as it allows both my girlfriend and I to separately use my nexus 7 without interfering with each others settings. However, I recently flashed a CM 10 nightly (which i really like) and the switcher no longer works, freezing during each switch attempt.
I know it says CM 10 is not supported at the current time on the app page, but are there an plans to include this support in the future? Any info is appreciated and thanks for your work.

Very 1st Things to do After Activation?

Hi everyone, just got my N3 last night and I am pretty excited about it.
I am a long time Mac Rumors member and my past phones have been ...... JB 3g, JB 3gs, JB 4, JB 4s
I am very upset with the tiny screens on my iphones and I refuse to wait another year for the 6 to come out.
So now I am a 1st time Android user and what to really check out the Android scene.
What are the first things I should do with the phone, what should I install right away? (different keyboards, apps, etc)
Is there a thread around here with tutes instructing how to transfer my contacts etc?
I surely will appreciate all replies, so thanks in advance. I really wanna get the very MOST out of this device.
edit: does Google Play offer any rebates/coupons/freebies for newly purchased devices?
Hey I would use smart switch to get your things from iPhone to your new phone but that is after you have it activated
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
XiphoneUzer said:
Hi everyone, just got my N3 last night and I am pretty excited about it.
I am a long time Mac Rumors member and my past phones have been ...... JB 3g, JB 3gs, JB 4, JB 4s
I am very upset with the tiny screens on my iphones and I refuse to wait another year for the 6 to come out.
So now I am a 1st time Android user and what to really check out the Android scene.
My N3 arrived Wednesday evening, and it's STILL not activated, (and its killing me).
The reason being, I wanna know if there is anything I should do BEFORE I call ATT and activate it.
(I do NOT want to close any windows, so is there is anything you folks recommend I do before I activate it)?
Once activated, what are the first things I should do with the phone, what should I install right away?
Is there a thread around here with tutes instructing how to transfer my contacts etc?
I surely will appreciate all replies, so thanks in advance. I really wanna get the very MOST out of this device.
edit: does Google Play offer any rebates/coupons/freebies for newly purchased devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean by call ATT and activate it? All you have to do is put your SIM card in and it is ready to go with a few account setups. After that it is up to you except for rooting and modding. Cant be done right now without voiding your warranty.
First thing you do is scratch off the att emblem since they locked the bootloader
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
XiphoneUzer said:
Once activated, what are the first things I should do with the phone, what should I install right away?
Is there a thread around here with tutes instructing how to transfer my contacts etc?
I surely will appreciate all replies, so thanks in advance. I really wanna get the very MOST out of this device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello?
Looking for some help here. This keyboard is way different than iphone, is it something you get used to, or should I install something else?
Please tell me what are some of the things I should change/install right away, (there's got to be some "must haves" no?)
XiphoneUzer said:
Hello?
Looking for some help here. This keyboard is way different than iphone, is it something you get used to, or should I install something else?
Please tell me what are some of the things I should change/install right away, (there's got to be some "must haves" no?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the keyboard, i prefer the google keyboard over the samsung one. It provides functionality similar to the iphone and is easy to switch between the iphone and android if you use them both in daily life.
As for apps, here is a small list of apps i like to have on all of my devices.
GOOGLE CHROME. Its much better than the built in browser and is able to synchronize with my desktop browsers favorites, etc.
Skype: Perfect for if you are travelling over seas at all with your device.
Google Hangouts: A good replacement for the built in SMS app.
Facebook & Twitter: If you need an explanation, you shouldn't be useing these apps.
Battery Doctor by KS Mobile: Simple app, but is helpful to save battery life and know exactly how much you have left.
Google Music: I have most of my library stored on google so it makes my life easy to have this.
Google Books: The book equivalent of my music library. Syncronizes what i have read across devices and browsers.
Kindle for Android: For the ebooks you buy on amazon.
Google Keep: Great for taking quick notes and having them on all your devices.
Dropbox: Great cloud file storage. Comes with free storage and you can pay to get more.
Google Drive: Google version of dropbox.
MX Player: This video player will play any video format you throw at it.
Google Maps: A must have for all smartphone users.
Zedge: While its quality has gone down a fair bit from what it once was, its still a great place to find ringtones and notification sounds for your android device.
GPS Status: Great for calibrating your devices sensors and ensuring that it works properly.
Now for the ROOT ONLY apps.
Titanium backup
SuperSU
Triangle Away
Hopefully this is a useful list to get you started. I have all these plus many more installed on my devices, and I find I use them all fairly regularly.
djdelusional said:
Skype: Perfect for if you are travelling over seas at all with your device.
Google Hangouts: A good replacement for the built in SMS app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I prefer Hangouts to Skype because Hangouts features free video multi-chat.
But I use Google Voice for SMS because it provides free unlimited texting. Hangouts insists on using the phone's native number rather than your Google Voice number, so you have to pay extra for a text plan or for individual messages.
Doesn't anyone else have any advice for a first time Android user?
XiphoneUzer said:
Doesn't anyone else have any advice for a first time Android user?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your new to android I'd stay away from root for a while.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I467 using Tapatalk 4
XiphoneUzer said:
Hello?
Looking for some help here. This keyboard is way different than iphone, is it something you get used to, or should I install something else?
Please tell me what are some of the things I should change/install right away, (there's got to be some "must haves" no?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel like for every-day typical phone use cases, there aren't that many gaps that stand out as needing to be filled by a third party app. You'll probably need a new music player, the defaults are crapola - but I can't be much help here; I keep my music as folders full of MP3 files (like God intended!) and play with Music Folder Player, and shun the dirty S&M ("sync and manage") apps.
There's a big list of stuff that I did when I first got the phone to get it to where I'm happy with it, but all of this was root required stuff. There are apps that come pre-loaded on android devices and can't be removed or disabled without root. Also, customizing stuff that can't be customized without root. I couldn't abide by some of the not-changable-without-root defaults. Getting rid of the "screen turns on so you can unlock it when you hit the home key" behavior is probably the most glaring example for me; my ass* was unlocking it constantly - but coming from iPhone, you probably view that as the Right Thing for home button to do.
I think most people use a custom keyboard. Swiftkey and Swype are the most popular. The phone comes with Swype, but it's an ancient version with limited support for changing the dictionary, you want the newest one.
I use Hangouts for gchat, but not for SMS. I actually prefer default app for SMS..
Settings:
Pull down status bar, long press on wifi, WiFi -> menu -> advanced settings, uncheck auto connect to AT&T hotspots (unless they don't suck where you are. Around here, they often don't have internet behind them, and just break your connectivity for the 30 seconds or so it takes for the phone to connect to them, determine that the wifi is no good, and fall back to 4G. At least this phone does that; Original note would just sit there like a fool trying to use non-functional wifi... I've also yet to find a hotspot that performs better than the 4G does. But I live in a city, so the situation may be different elsewhere).
Pull down status bar, long press on GPS. Uncheck "Use wireless networks" - on newer versions of android, this drains battery while idle; the damned thing wakes the phone periodically to check the networks around it - if the phone is nearly idle, this can halve battery life (!!!)
Pull down status bar, swipe to the left along the options at the top (woah, did you know you could do that?), tap multiwindow to enable multiwindow (this was a headline feature for the note 3, but comes disabled by default). If I long-press back button, that makes the multiwindow tab hide or unhide (once it's enabled), but I don't remember if I had to do something to get this behavior.
General must-have things:
AppOps Starter (to kill permissions from apps that request permissions you don't want to give them)
Battery Monitor Widget (gives you a realtime readout of battery usage)
ES File Explorer
If you want to pretty-ize clock + weather widgets:
DigiClock
Eye in Sky
If you work in IT or have need of these (if you aren't sure what these mean, you don't need them ):
ConnectBot (telnet/ssh client)
AndFTP (ftp/sftp client, supports scp if you pay)
RDP Client (remote desktop and VNC client)
FEAT VPN (OpenVPN client)
Hacker's Keyboard (you'll tear your hair out trying to use swype/swiftkey for terminal sessions or RDP)
If you want to root the phone:
Root it, then immediately install titanium backup and "freeze" AT&T software update, so it won't update your phone (breaking root) while you're not looking
Titanium Backup - freeze all the useless bloatware that AT&T and Samsung included (there's a list of what apps you can freeze here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmzC8GFarItSdGpOZzBfWlR4MC03aDMyZ1BDUFNqU0E - not my work)
Root Explorer
Pen Window Manager for adding apps to the pen window feature
Xposed Framework
Wanam - general huge amount of customization, including selecting apps for multiwindow.
Keyboard Manager (almost a necessity if you use ConnectBot/RDP frequently - keyboards designed for messaging and such are garbage for doing administration of non-phone systems, while hacker's keyboard is garbage for messaging and everyday phone stuff)
Terminal Emulator (gives you a command prompt on phone. Doesn't require root, but there are very few use cases for terminal on android that don't also need root)
*Well, I keep it in my front pocket, so technically it wasn't my /ass/ unlocking the phone....

[Q] Galaxy S5 vs Iphone 5s thoughts.

Hi,
I have been an IOS user for quite a while, with brief excursions into Android land usually without much success. I am trying hard this time because I actually prefer a lot of things about Android (specifically the S5) ... less restrictive, removable battery, storage etc..
However some of the things I really struggle with and wonder if anybody has any answers before are listed below !
Lock screen preview of mail and txt's , I have downloaded an app called NILS but it seems to be such a hack and is not very seamless, anybody else have a better suggestions?
Bluetooth, when I get in my car , the phone starts playing the last thing i was listening to , that's fine & is similar to the iPhone, however the iPhone knows the difference between a call and music and if I turn the car off and get out , it switches off the music (but does not hang up calls). The S5 just carries on playing whatever i was listening to. I cannot find any way of changing this behaviour (any ideas ?).
Quick access to search, with the iPhone you swipe from the top and type the first couple of letters of an app to run it , sometimes this is really useful. The closest i have found is to go into the pull down notification bar and click sfinder... yeuch , any better ideas?
Memory and CPU usage, the phone gets quite laggy and I cannot find a specific reason ... other than having to installs NILS and the call blocking app (see below). I have installed task killer now , not sure if this is the correct approach.
Do not disturb mode, (blocking) , well its crap on the S5 compared to the Iphone. None of the functionality that i am used to such as letting repeated calls through and setting specific schedules is available. I have downloaded an app called do not disturb which does most of this stuff but i am sure this is also contributing to lag and memory usage. Also annoyingly it does not return the phone to the state it was in before it activated do not disturb. What do i mean by this ? I am the kind of person that has my phone on silent 99% of the time with vibrate, when do not disturb is active i want all vibrations and screen alters disabled (it does this) , but when coming out of do not disturb it switches the phone to full sounds on.
I am trying not to be down, there is a lot to like with this phone and if I could resolve some of the above I would be much happier with it.
Hope to hear some of your suggestions.
Acdisplay for lockscreen. Used it on on RAZR Maxx but not yet on my s5
Sent from my SM-G900V using XDA Free mobile app
zero66 said:
Acdisplay for lockscreen. Used it on on RAZR Maxx but not yet on my s5
Sent from my SM-G900V using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks I will try that.
Download Apex launcher or any other launchers for lag problem, put in mind that Android uses more ram and cpu processing than IOS, that's why they keep on increasing ram, also turn off as much bloatware (apps came with phone) as possible, another very useful tip is to turn of your phone every day for few mins like your computer this will clear ram.
Welcome to the future
Don't use task killers. They don't help. Android will automatically kill off apps when it needs to. Task killers will kill off apps that will be autostarted again and this becomes a loop leading to lag and battery drain.
Hellscythe said:
Don't use task killers. They don't help. Android will automatically kill off apps when it needs to. Task killers will kill off apps that will be autostarted again and this becomes a loop leading to lag and battery drain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh thanks for this , I will try that.
Lockscreen preview of text and mails is already in touchwiz you just have to switch it on so it will show you the preview via settings.
For quick access to applications long press on the home button will bring you google now and from there you can open your apps easily.
noideaforusername said:
Lockscreen preview of text and mails is already in touchwiz you just have to switch it on so it will show you the preview via settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes for the messaging app, however I use a third party app for email, (nine), this does not seem to support this. Anyway my use case is that when my phone is lying on the desk and mails / sms etc come in , I would like it to wake up briefly and display a preview so that I can decide to ignore it or continue on with whatever it is that i was doing. NILs does this quite well, but seems like a bit of a hack.
noideaforusername said:
For quick access to applications long press on the home button will bring you google now and from there you can open your apps easily.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This works fairly well.
mah123 said:
Hi,
I have been an IOS user for quite a while, with brief excursions into Android land usually without much success. I am trying hard this time because I actually prefer a lot of things about Android (specifically the S5) ... less restrictive, removable battery, storage etc..
However some of the things I really struggle with and wonder if anybody has any answers before are listed below !
Lock screen preview of mail and txt's , I have downloaded an app called NILS but it seems to be such a hack and is not very seamless, anybody else have a better suggestions?
Bluetooth, when I get in my car , the phone starts playing the last thing i was listening to , that's fine & is similar to the iPhone, however the iPhone knows the difference between a call and music and if I turn the car off and get out , it switches off the music (but does not hang up calls). The S5 just carries on playing whatever i was listening to. I cannot find any way of changing this behaviour (any ideas ?).
Quick access to search, with the iPhone you swipe from the top and type the first couple of letters of an app to run it , sometimes this is really useful. The closest i have found is to go into the pull down notification bar and click sfinder... yeuch , any better ideas?
Memory and CPU usage, the phone gets quite laggy and I cannot find a specific reason ... other than having to installs NILS and the call blocking app (see below). I have installed task killer now , not sure if this is the correct approach.
Do not disturb mode, (blocking) , well its crap on the S5 compared to the Iphone. None of the functionality that i am used to such as letting repeated calls through and setting specific schedules is available. I have downloaded an app called do not disturb which does most of this stuff but i am sure this is also contributing to lag and memory usage. Also annoyingly it does not return the phone to the state it was in before it activated do not disturb. What do i mean by this ? I am the kind of person that has my phone on silent 99% of the time with vibrate, when do not disturb is active i want all vibrations and screen alters disabled (it does this) , but when coming out of do not disturb it switches the phone to full sounds on.
I am trying not to be down, there is a lot to like with this phone and if I could resolve some of the above I would be much happier with it.
Hope to hear some of your suggestions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally if it were me I would try another company. I have a 5s and tried the s5. The s5 is just not a good example of what android is. Hardware to software the s5 is not done very well at all. Good luck with your choice.
Sent from my XT1060 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
thegrants82 said:
Personally if it were me I would try another company. I have a 5s and tried the s5. The s5 is just not a good example of what android is. Hardware to software the s5 is not done very well at all. Good luck with your choice.
Sent from my XT1060 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Completely disagree. I love my S5 and the HW integration.
But each to their own.
mah123 said:
Yes for the messaging app, however I use a third party app for email, (nine), this does not seem to support this. Anyway my use case is that when my phone is lying on the desk and mails / sms etc come in , I would like it to wake up briefly and display a preview so that I can decide to ignore it or continue on with whatever it is that i was doing. NILs does this quite well, but seems like a bit of a hack.
This works fairly well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Install Push Bullet and be amazed. It mirrors any notifications on your phone onto your PC via chrome. That way you don't been to look at the phone. I work at a desk all day and can leave the phone where ever and always know if I have an SMS, call, email or anything else. Don't forget Google now also works with Chrome.
thegrants82 said:
Personally if it were me I would try another company. I have a 5s and tried the s5. The s5 is just not a good example of what android is. Hardware to software the s5 is not done very well at all. Good luck with your choice.
Sent from my XT1060 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree a bit with your response. And that's why I am also checking out the Xperia Z1 Compact. Once you go from the Galaxy S5 to the Z1C you will notice a huge difference in speed for opening and closing apps. I am even using Nova launcher, google calendar and avoiding any TouchWiz apps, but still the lag is disappointing.
mah123 said:
Memory and CPU usage, the phone gets quite laggy and I cannot find a specific reason ... other than having to installs NILS and the call blocking app (see below). I have installed task killer now , not sure if this is the correct approach.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For lags, you should try to put off the opening of S voice with the home button, because when you press it, it wait for second press for opening s voice app... or not. My S5 is really smooth now, hope this gonna help you.
HitMile said:
For lags, you should try to put off the opening of S voice with the home button, because when you press it, it wait for second press for opening s voice app... or not. My S5 is really smooth now, hope this gonna help you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this , yes I did this , made a difference.
@mah123 First step, do whatever you can to separate yourself from Apple products, for good this time. Just messin, but I'll continue on:
I see that you have a lot of little details you don't like about the S5/Android. Luckily, you're on the Android platform, where you can tweak just about anything you want. For what you're interested in you'll want to have a look at Tasker, the mighty automation app from Play Store. It's $3.49 but if you don't want to pay that just download the apk from Google search. Just make sure to get it from XDA or one of the apk blogs. With Tasker you can fix your bluetooth issue by detecting when bluetooth is detected and then use command pause music. Tasker should help you fix all your other issues as well. For email the easiest fix is to use a special color on your notification LED or specific vibrate pattern to know when you have email. You can also show an overlay using a "scene" (Tasker's definition of a popup or app window) on top of the lockscreen. Handy :thumbup: But if you need help using Tasker you can do a lot of things: there are plenty of guides all over the Internet, you can google search your problem with the word "tasker" at the end, you can PM me (yes, I'm friendly), you can ask a question over at the Tasker Noob thread here on XDA (I also monitor this thread and I will answer your questions there). Welcome to Android and have fun!
--
Say thanks if I was of help!
Sent from my SCH-I605 using XDA Free mobile app
aarongillion63 said:
@mah123 First step, do whatever you can to separate yourself from Apple products, for good this time. Just messin, but I'll continue on:
I see that you have a lot of little details you don't like about the S5/Android. Luckily, you're on the Android platform, where you can tweak just about anything you want. For what you're interested in you'll want to have a look at Tasker, the mighty automation app from Play Store
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.
Fantastic thanks !
I own both phones. In the last few years I have owned the latest Samsung and Apple flagships (iPhone 4 and Galaxy S2, iPhone 5 and Galaxy S4, and iPhone 5S and Galaxy S5).
Both platforms are great and they have their cons and pros.
I am an iOS Developer. I have my name in both Cydia tweaks and App Store. To be honest I felt in love with iOS when I used it for the first time. I like Android, but not as much as iOS yet.
I find the quality of iOS blows Android out of the water. Third app quality is much better on iOS than on Android, based on what I have seen. In terms of software in general, I think iOS is much better. It may be restrictive, but nothing that can't be beaten with jailbreak. Android's big plus is freedom and yes, I like customizing my phone.
In terms of hardware Samsung blows Apple out of the water. I love the camera and that it is Water Resistant. Design wise the iPhone looks prettier, but personally I don't care about those aesthetics.
The one thing I absolutely hate about most Android phones are the hardware buttons. When I type in landscape I keep hitting the sensitive buttons accidentally, many times this result in losing a wall of text I just typed (my palm hits the back button accidentally all the time). I wish these could be disabled when typing or that they could be replaced with software buttons.
Sent from my SM-G900H using XDA Free mobile app
There are many things that iOS does 'better' than android, or at least, its a mix of what people of become accustomed too and some are just better. So, when people do make the switch to android, or indeed WP etc, it can be an uphill struggle as those things that are 'better' are maybe less intuitive over on the android side.
However, you have to look at the bigger picture. Android is far far more customisable, even as stock. With the addition of TouchWiz and Sense etc, they bring a lot of features that in themselves are 'better' than iOS.
There are many people that go the other way (Android to iOS) and struggle with some of its inability to control and customise.
What I'm saying is.... give it time, and do not judge android on its lacking in one or two areas, try and look at it from a bigger perspective.
**When I say 'better'... I mean its what each individual sees as better, I'm not saying that it is**
aarongillion63 said:
For what you're interested in you'll want to have a look at Tasker, the mighty automation app from Play Store. It's $3.49 but if you don't want to pay that just download the apk from Google search. [ / QUOTE ]
Tasker is an excellent program. It should be paid for and not stolen.
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a very good discussion. I find that generally programmers favor Android because of it's similar OS structure to a PC (I'm talking about the coding behind it all and C/Java), and common consumers and Apple computer owners favor iOS. This is a generalization and personal opinion. I know there is the outlier of Apple programmers, I've tried to get into it myself, but my problem I've ran into is that Objective C is overly complicated, just to accomplish simple things. Anyway, even if you don't develop apps, you may favor Android as a coder thanks to Tasker. I've found myself addicted to Tasker as far as tweaking/programming goes, without the need to use Android SDK. Then, you can still export Tasker projects to apks if you want. Tasker can make a good visual-sdk app creation tool.
iresq said:
Tasker is an excellent program. It should be paid for and not stolen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True. :thumbup:
Sent from my HTCONE using XDA Free mobile app

root your phone with towelroot and then save your battery with DroidWall

this guy just saved me from switching to verizon after being on att before it was cingular. i cant have a non rooted S5 because of the battery consumption from all the web traffic and the bloatware. Bloatware slams the memory and CPUs and consume web traffic making your wifi radio work. warm up my pocket. i can feel myself getting cancer.
if i disable my wi-fi adapter my S5 will last 3 days of low phone calls, tons of text, few pictures and some hours of music. i use an app called DroidWall to block network traffic. I used to use it only on my 4G connection to limit use of bandwidth (still do by the way and saves gigs a month thanks to Facebook and Google updates), but will now use it to limit what apps can talk on wifi when i want them. Droid wall needs root. The other saver is Es File Explorer. It works without root, but with root you can manually remove or disable bloatware. best of all you can disable it from startup so you use when want. you can simply disable it (read up) so you dont actually uninstall it and install it back if you need it for some reason
go the website below and download the app to root your phone, install it, open and click the 'make it rain button'
go to the play store to get droid wall and es file explorer, will need a few more apps to make root work (read up).
here is his first post with all the links and instructions, i take no credit for this guys awesome work and i will probably donate him $100 for saving my phone.
let me know if you have any other questions about what i have done. my phone just went from lasting barely a day with not much use to lasting two days with low use (i havent had root long)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2783157&nocache=1
Don't worry, you don't have to leave your house
When: 10 AM PDT tomorrow(6/15/14)
Where: In this thread, in #towelroot on freenode, and at towelroot.com
Software live at https://towelroot.com RIGHT NOW!
Please report bugs to my gmail geohot+towelroot or in this thread.
New version will be released later today hopefully fixing them.
Definitely invited: AT&T GS5, Verizon GS5, GS4 Active, Nexus 5
May have some troubles at the door but invited: AT&T/Verizon Note 3
Possibly invited: Every Android phone with a kernel build date < Jun 3
Stay tuned right here for updates. I'm coming for that bounty.
v3 is live! More support. Reboot on your own time. modstrings
What's a modstring?
A way to support your obscure phone!
Since I don't own every phone, you can fix it yourself
http://towelroot.com/modstrings.html
And modstrings have their first success!
On LG L34C use "1337 0 0 0 4 0"
Eventually the server will push these if people find enough
Still no real HTC/Moto support from phones without writable system.
If someone is willing to give me one of these phones for testing I'll add good support.
Same deal for Exynos.
Killed bugs:
Note 3 with kernel 3.4.0-722276 is FIXED! Redownload.
Fixed Note 3 with kernel 3.4.0-636608 thanks to analytics.
Download failed issue should be fixed.
Fixed Sprint Note 3 with kernel 3.4.0-951486
Nexus 5 v2 issue fixed
Known bugs:
Note 3 with kernel 3.4.0-257432 doesn't seem to work. Updating to 722276 should fix.
Newest Moto and HTC don't currently work because /system is write protected.
Detected as Andr.Exploit.Ratc by some virus scanners. It is an Android exploit. Will not fix.
Does it trip KNOX?
Most probably not. My phone says "KNOX WARRANTY VOID: 0x0", but no promises.
What's your paypal?
[email protected] if the tool works for you.
I also have a bitcoin: 1DFhk6fs26AafaNiQyEgdGM7NSaLzVN2VE
What's the hash of the apk file?
towelroot.com has https now!
People having DNS issues should clear their cache.
Will this brick my phone?
Most probably not. towelroot alone hasn't bricked a phone yet.
The stupid decisions you make once you have root are all your own however.
I rooted, what's next?
Tweet about #towelroot with #doyoueventowelrootbro
Thanks for the thought and suggestion, sounds promising! So what do I want to disable? Or what do you have it set to? All apps?
Awsome
The Gods Approve This Post, From The Ghost Of Sparta's S5 active.
*AdAway*
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using XDA Free mobile app
Thanks for this.
kalans said:
Thanks for the thought and suggestion, sounds promising! So what do I want to disable? Or what do you have it set to? All apps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i am not going to suggest what you should disable, you should probably try this on an app by app basis and see if you break any process or applications while disabling apps. Its best to freeze or disable them then to uninstall. no telling what will happen if you uninstall an important system process.
somehow i have disabled an app that prevents my gear from getting email notifications. so i am trying to figure that out myself. as soon as i make some progress, will share what i have done as a suggestion.
looks like droid wall only works with the menu button. the att s5 doesnt have a menu button, so i recommend using AF wall:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dev.ukanth.ufirewall
ngravatt said:
looks like droid wall only works with the menu button. the att s5 doesnt have a menu button
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its does have a menu button. Just hold down the recent apps button and that will act as a menu button.
Yeah, I like af better.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using XDA Free mobile app
with the AF firewall limiting apps using my 4g and disabling, freezing the following apps my battery is still at about 70% as opposed to 40% and the end of an 8 hour work day. i also have the gear 2 on all 8 hours to read my email and text messages (and tell time!), so bluetooth and the wifi is always on. Dont even have to use power saving mode
frozen/disabled apps
blurb, dualclock, headlines, knoxagent, knoxsetup, mobile print, onlinehelp, kidsmodeinstaller, sounddetector and travelservice.
all the AT&T apps except the wifi, chaton, chrome, device help, google drive, drive mode, flipboard, google books/movies/newstand/text to speech, isis wallet, my AT&T, play games, s health, samsung billing, samsung print service, yellow pages.
phone works great. check my exchange mail every 15 min, but leave the 4g and GPS off unless i need it.
keep in mind i just froze these apps, didnt uninstall them because i have plenty of space.
i did have samsung account disabled, but realized i couldn't update my gear apps, so i had to unfreeze with Titanium Backup, and then the apps updated fine.
this works for me, cant promise it wont break something you use.
anyone know of any other obvious apps i can disable to save more battery?
You could run the extreme debloated rom and add what you need. Check their logs, it's super extensive!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using XDA Free mobile app
ngravatt said:
looks like droid wall only works with the menu button. the att s5 doesnt have a menu button, so i recommend using AF wall:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dev.ukanth.ufirewall
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But holding down the Recent Apps button works as the menu button, wouldn't that just work?
mikeeey said:
But holding down the Recent Apps button works as the menu button, wouldn't that just work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it does, I think he may have not noticed at first. I've ran with both apps now, but I like af better.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using XDA Free mobile app
correct. i didnt know you access the menu button though the previous app button. AF seems to have some more features and allows the live/current logs to show on the screen, even allowing you to filter what is shown on the live logs. i can actually see now when a call is being forwarded from my work phone when i have the live logging on and AF is enabled.

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