widget for speed dial contacts - Xperia Z5 Themes and Apps

I got myself this cover:
http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/accessories/style-cover-window-scr42/
i now I cannot seem to find a widget or an app of some sort that would allow to call at least my favourite contacts (if the whole phone book is a problem) with the cover closed. There is an app for the clock, calendar, music, but no contacts? Am I missing it, is there a third party app? It is somewhat annoying to open the cover just to make a call.

Never heard about such, but this would be good for me too. On other hand almost used to open cover for calls.

I didn't even consider that it would not be available. It's the main Phone function. And usually nobody needs a 5 inch screen to make a call. On the other hand my mums S6 has this and am even more frustrated. Hopefully somebody will soon come up with something.

I've got the SCR42. I agree that the speed dial widget would be a great idea. However, I I don't think it would work because the widget system with this cover seems rather pointless to me. If you try to tap on any of the widgets it tells you to open the cover anyway to get to the app, so even if there was a speed-dial widget you would have to touch it and then open the cover to unlock and then it would take you to speed dial.
I assume that this is for security reasons but makes the SCR42 widget idea rather pointless.

Not True. Camera works. Also it is not impossible to make calls with cover closed. My car Bluetooth does it all the time.

Those with the src-42 have issues when answering with the cover closed? The "Swype to hang" button on screen keeps going forwards and backwards bleeping as well. Should not the screen go off straight away when nearing it to the ear?

Related

[Q] Touchless Control Uses

I've been thinking about giving a Moto X a try recently and I had a few questions for those of you who own one.
Other than while driving, what are some of the unexpected uses you have found for touchless control? In theory it sounds great, but a couple of the things I can think which would be really handy (throwing it into cupholder in car and turning on bluetooth with voice, pausing Netflix stream that is beng chromecasted) can't be done because of limitations of Google Now/Search, rather than Touchless Control itself.
Also, most people seem to love active notifications. However, if the clock flashes every so often without notifications, it seems like one would occasionally not notice a real notification unless you actually glance at it, rather than something you see out of the corner of your eye and know you need to check on. Also can they be prioritized? Like the messaging icon will appear rather than gmail if you have both, because it is higher priority?
Thanks for any information.
evolvd said:
I've been thinking about giving a Moto X a try recently and I had a few questions for those of you who own one.
Other than while driving, what are some of the unexpected uses you have found for touchless control? In theory it sounds great, but a couple of the things I can think which would be really handy (throwing it into cupholder in car and turning on bluetooth with voice, pausing Netflix stream that is beng chromecasted) can't be done because of limitations of Google Now/Search, rather than Touchless Control itself.
Also, most people seem to love active notifications. However, if the clock flashes every so often without notifications, it seems like one would occasionally not notice a real notification unless you actually glance at it, rather than something you see out of the corner of your eye and know you need to check on. Also can they be prioritized? Like the messaging icon will appear rather than gmail if you have both, because it is higher priority?
Thanks for any information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The clock flashing threw me off when I first got it yesterday afternoon - I didn't know why it was flashing, and was afraid something was messed up. After a few moments though it does slow down/stop...or at least on mine it did.
And notifications (when you have multiple) I believe are set in order of receiving them. For instance, my G+ photo upload was ready for backup, and I got a Hangout SMS. The SMS took priority, while the G+ photo upload was smaller at the bottom. So I don't think it's based on "priority" but rather "which one is more recent".
Hope that helps.

New Watches

Except for having android wear the new Samsung and LG watches don't seem to represent any major improvement over the gear. They still have a 1 day battery life and neither one has a camera. As strange as it may seem, I find the gear camera very useful.
My understanding is the LG has a 36 hour battery life with the screen on all the time. So, you can see the time constantly like a regular watch. It gets brighter if you engage the interface.
I wish the Gear did that.
I think I only get about 2 hours of screen on time for the Gear.
screen on
screen on is nice although the screen is a lower resolution. I think the lg spec page indicates battery life is 1 day, but testing will tell.
The resolution looks good enough for the screen size in this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBWNZTYPbzA
I'd take always on screen with that resolution over the screen time of the Gear with the higher resolution any day,
Actual watch is kinda ugly though
moto
yea, they're really pushing the round moto as the "beautiful" watch, but price is supposedly above $300.
I actually like the look of the gear live, the way the metal curves over the wrist look kinda cool. Plus at £169 it's not that expensive really, the only thing I want confirmation on is can we answer calls on it ? I like being able to take a call while driving or working.
Sent from my SM-T320 using Tapatalk
Actually, I like the look and interactions with the notifications on the LG better than the Gear.
Not sure if all Android Wear UIs will be the same, or some customisation will be done by each brand.
LG G Watch Unboxing and Initial Setup: http://youtu.be/TLYgU3XErGU
Sent from my SM-N900 using XDA Free mobile app
hoddy4 said:
yea, they're really pushing the round moto as the "beautiful" watch, but price is supposedly above $300.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will gladly pay more than $300 to add the moto to my watch collection.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using XDA Premium HD app
No speakers on any of the first 3 Android Wear watches. They have mics so you can voice interact with the watch, but you wont be able to conduct a call from any of the watches.
Bladder61 said:
No speakers on any of the first 3 Android Wear watches. They have mics so you can voice interact with the watch, but you wont be able to conduct a call from any of the watches.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So can they do the following?
Make a call
Can we load music, movie, ringtones
Can we add apps like google play music
Otherwise, what can we use that 4gb internal storage for
Tia,
Ian b
richlum said:
The resolution looks good enough for the screen size in this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBWNZTYPbzA
I'd take always on screen with that resolution over the screen time of the Gear with the higher resolution any day,
Actual watch is kinda ugly though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, the Gear 1 is able to keep the screen on all the time (but it kills your battery sooner ofcourse)
I am on Null_23 and installed "Studio Clock" from Play Store.
This clock (it's an app, no widget or watchface) has the option to keep the screen on, which works perfectly.
1 click on the screen makes it brighter.
After a few seconds it dims the screen again.
EDIT : Ok, just tested a little more : watch will stay on untill a notification comes in. After that it will switch off.
no microphone and no camera
no microphone and no camera equals no go for these new phones relative to the gear.
hoddy4 said:
no microphone and no camera equals no go for these new phones relative to the gear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The new Android Wear watches do have mics. Its the primary way you interact with "OK Google". The watches are always listening and from reviews respond instantly to "OK Google" even in a noisy room.
I still think the hardware on our Gear 1 is superior to the AW devices. Hopefully we may get some Devs that can figure out how to get AW on our watch.
hoddy4 said:
no microphone and no camera equals no go for these new phones relative to the gear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think he ment speaker and not microfoon.
The new Gear watches don't have a speaker for calling.
In fact, as far as I have seen, they can't be used for calling whereas our Gear 1's are able to
thanks for the correction. the point is that the gear hardware is in some ways superior to the new ones.
You have to think of Android Wear devices as "Nexi." They are the wearables equivalent of AOSP meaning they're all functionally the same. Everything they do (so far) is tied to Google Services which is great if you're "all in" with Google as the main provider for what you do on your phone. The Tizen Gear's are a better choice if you are more dependent on some of the Samsung apps and services. Android Wear is really just Google Now on your wrist. At least as it currently stands. And once a notification is dismissed it's gone which, based on how I use my current Gear, wouldn't thrill me.
The watch starts off dark (and dims after 5 seconds; this is immutable for now). To wake up the always-on display, you can press the lock button, twist your wrist (and wait a beat or two), or tap the display. If notifications await you, they show up in card form, which you can swipe away to dismiss or swipe up to expand. Swiping to the left reveals finger-friendly icons for making the next move, like opening the notification in your phone or launching into navigation.
You can swipe down from the top to view the date and your battery life meter, or mute and unmute the phone. A long press calls up wallpaper motifs, most of which Google supplied, though a few are Samsung's own. Holding on the lock button invokes the Settings and its various options.
Still, most of what you do on the Gear Live you do with your voice: setting alarms and reminders, navigating, and composing a text message or email to contacts. Samsung, by the way, has splashed out with adding its own stopwatch interface in addition to Google's. You can ask to see your heart rate, which triggers the monitor to do its thing; you can likewise demand to see how many steps you've taken.
Notification displays come in the form of miniaturized Google Now cards and pass along information like stocks, weather, sports scores, and social interactions. You can also control a music player and field phone calls. Notifications are larger and easier to read than notifications seen on Samsung's other wearables, but this is more controlled by Google than by Samsung, whose customized contributions are heavily curtailed with Android Wear.
Google's voice-driven interface has its ups and downs: we did manage to execute several voice commands, including sending short texts and email messages. But, one drawback popped up immediately: you can't approve or abort a message if Google's voice engine misinterprets you, or if you change your mind. Grammarians also won't like the usual issues that come with voice transcription -- mainly irregular capitalization and punctuation you have to voice yourself.
Android Wear is meant to be always-on: in the default mode, the Samsung Gear Live (and LG G Watch) have displays that are bright and colorful, but power down into dimmer, black and white displays that always stay lit to some small degree. As a result, our early impression on battery life isn't good. We got less than 24 hours of use on a full charge. Making the screen go fully dark after a few seconds should help, but then you'd need to wake it up to see the time or do anything else. Battery life seems like it could be a major drawback on the first generation of Android Wear watches.​http://www.cnet.com/products/samsung-gear-live/
Use Outside
BarryH_GEG said:
You have to think of Android Wear devices as "Nexi." They are the wearables equivalent of AOSP meaning they're all functionally the same. Everything they do (so far) is tied to Google Services which is great if you're "all in" with Google as the main provider for what you do on your phone. The Tizen Gear's are a better choice if you are more dependent on some of the Samsung apps and services. Android Wear is really just Google Now on your wrist. At least as it currently stands. And once a notification is dismissed it's gone which, based on how I use my current Gear, wouldn't thrill me.
The watch starts off dark (and dims after 5 seconds; this is immutable for now). To wake up the always-on display, you can press the lock button, twist your wrist (and wait a beat or two), or tap the display. If notifications await you, they show up in card form, which you can swipe away to dismiss or swipe up to expand. Swiping to the left reveals finger-friendly icons for making the next move, like opening the notification in your phone or launching into navigation.
You can swipe down from the top to view the date and your battery life meter, or mute and unmute the phone. A long press calls up wallpaper motifs, most of which Google supplied, though a few are Samsung's own. Holding on the lock button invokes the Settings and its various options.
Still, most of what you do on the Gear Live you do with your voice: setting alarms and reminders, navigating, and composing a text message or email to contacts. Samsung, by the way, has splashed out with adding its own stopwatch interface in addition to Google's. You can ask to see your heart rate, which triggers the monitor to do its thing; you can likewise demand to see how many steps you've taken.
Notification displays come in the form of miniaturized Google Now cards and pass along information like stocks, weather, sports scores, and social interactions. You can also control a music player and field phone calls. Notifications are larger and easier to read than notifications seen on Samsung's other wearables, but this is more controlled by Google than by Samsung, whose customized contributions are heavily curtailed with Android Wear.
Google's voice-driven interface has its ups and downs: we did manage to execute several voice commands, including sending short texts and email messages. But, one drawback popped up immediately: you can't approve or abort a message if Google's voice engine misinterprets you, or if you change your mind. Grammarians also won't like the usual issues that come with voice transcription -- mainly irregular capitalization and punctuation you have to voice yourself.
Android Wear is meant to be always-on: in the default mode, the Samsung Gear Live (and LG G Watch) have displays that are bright and colorful, but power down into dimmer, black and white displays that always stay lit to some small degree. As a result, our early impression on battery life isn't good. We got less than 24 hours of use on a full charge. Making the screen go fully dark after a few seconds should help, but then you'd need to wake it up to see the time or do anything else. Battery life seems like it could be a major drawback on the first generation of Android Wear watches.​http://www.cnet.com/products/samsung-gear-live/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The gear is very difficult to view outside. I hope the new watches improve on outside useability. Also, I don't understand why the use of solar power is not used to increase battery life since these devices (unlike a phone) are often in sunlight. I'm not sure if the technology is not ready or the cost is still too high, although the I know that I would be willing to pay more for significantly better battery life.
hoddy4 said:
The gear is very difficult to view outside. I hope the new watches improve on outside useability. Also, I don't understand why the use of solar power is not used to increase battery life since these devices (unlike a phone) are often in sunlight. I'm not sure if the technology is not ready or the cost is still too high, although the I know that I would be willing to pay more for significantly better battery life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Solar power seems like a cool idea but at the current technology, the rate at which it recharges the battery under regular exposure to sunlight is very very slow. It would barely make a difference. Plus not a lot of people like to be out under the direct light (cancer and crap, y'know).
Another idea would be the watch being able to recharge by shaking (like some flash lights). We move our arms a lot but I don't know how much kinetic energy is needed for it to be effective.
Gear Manager and Battery Life
I am somewhat surprised by the apparent differences in gear battery life when using different versions of the gear manager. I haven't by any means done a scientific study, but different versions seem to effect battery life more than others. Don't know why this is.

Received mine today, some negative points so far....

Ok sorry to sound a percy pessimist but here are some little gripes so far.. I'm totally understanding that its still early days yet and software may well be improved over time and also I may well be being dim and not knowing where some settings are etc. If so then please by all means let me know!
* Cradle/dock VERY awkward to attach.
* Does nots seem to have the cool "bypass phone lockscreen if watch is attached" feature which was demo'd in I/O.
* Doesn't seem to be a way to open apps or do anything on the watch if you are not in a position to talk. (other than the list of "example" searches you can see if you don't talk to the watch quick enough.
* I don't seem to be getting vibration notifications
* doesn't seem to be a way of using your own photos for the photos watch face
* doesn't seem to be a way of editing the call reject text messages
* strap is very awkward to put on and for the heart rate monitor you need to have it on pretty tight which is tricky to do one handed with the kind of clasp it has.
* **the movement to wake the watch is a bit hit or miss. it doesnt seem to be just a matter of flicking the wrist or moving up to face.** (this is beginning to be a problem. it is pretty random if it wants to wake up from movement or not. cant work out if it dependant on which watchface or not). i reallllllllllly don't want to have to touch the watch to see notifications etc.
* to even entertain viewing it outside, you have to manually crank the brightness up to max else it is pretty much unreadable. and thats in the UK sunshine!!!
other than that, it seems to be a nice watch.
i feel like i just wasted 180 quid
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
thefunkygibbon said:
Ok sorry to sound a percy pessimist but here are some little gripes so far.. I'm totally understanding that its still early days yet and software may well be improved over time and also I may well be being dim and not knowing where some settings are etc. If so then please by all means let me know!
* Cradle/dock VERY awkward to attach.
* Does nots seem to have the cool "bypass phone lockscreen if watch is attached" feature which was demo'd in I/O.
* Doesn't seem to be a way to open apps or do anything on the watch if you are not in a position to talk. (other than the list of "example" searches you can see if you don't talk to the watch quick enough.
* I don't seem to be getting vibration notifications
* doesn't seem to be a way of using your own photos for the photos watch face
* doesn't seem to be a way of editing the call reject text messages
* strap is very awkward to put on and for the heart rate monitor you need to have it on pretty tight which is tricky to do one handed with the kind of clasp it has.
* **the movement to wake the watch is a bit hit or miss. it doesnt seem to be just a matter of flicking the wrist or moving up to face.** (this is beginning to be a problem. it is pretty random if it wants to wake up from movement or not. cant work out if it dependant on which watchface or not). i reallllllllllly don't want to have to touch the watch to see notifications etc.
* to even entertain viewing it outside, you have to manually crank the brightness up to max else it is pretty much unreadable. and thats in the UK sunshine!!!
other than that, it seems to be a nice watch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The lockscreeen unlock feature relies on Android L, not the watch.
The strap is replaceable. I have 2 Silicone ones from Amazon ready to go.
And this is Google Now on your wrist. Yes it's first generation and has plenty to improve upon. But it's essentially meant to be Google Now on your wrist.
Just be happy you got yours! Haha. I'm refreshing the UPS page like a mad man (had it delivered to work.... But I received the day off. Hahaha)
STILL way way better than that Tiezen BS Samsung tried out... Be positive!!
(Keep in mind I have a gear 1 and love it)
Yep, cradle is annoying
Vibrate is very slight I hardly ever notice it
All apps need to support wear before they can be interacted with (contacts, emails, messages etc if using a non google product)
Strap clasp doesn't feel very secure
love how light it is
has google now integration which so far has been hit and miss 70/30
always on face is cool (except still emits light in dark rooms)
Alix8821 said:
The lockscreeen unlock feature relies on Android L, not the watch.
The strap is replaceable. I have 2 Silicone ones from Amazon ready to go.
And this is Google Now on your wrist. Yes it's first generation and has plenty to improve upon. But it's essentially meant to be Google Now on your wrist.
Just be happy you got yours! Haha. I'm refreshing the UPS page like a mad man (had it delivered to work.... But I received the day off. Hahaha)
STILL way way better than that Tiezen BS Samsung tried out... Be positive!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah i had a feeling it might be a L feature. although its a bit annoying as i had the same feature with my Pebble using an app called Pebble Locker which basically bypassed the requirement for entering a pin etc if the watch was connected to the phone. So its defintely possible without L. hopefully someone will make a quick little app to do that
I will be ordering a metal braclet style strap sometime soon, like i had on my pebble. much more comfortable.
Brendo said:
(Keep in mind I have a gear 1 and love it)
Yep, cradle is annoying
Vibrate is very slight I hardly ever notice it
All apps need to support wear before they can be interacted with (contacts, emails, messages etc if using a non google product)
Strap clasp doesn't feel very secure
love how light it is
has google now integration which so far has been hit and miss 70/30
always on face is cool (except still emits light in dark rooms)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah the vibrate is VERY slight. it took me a while to realize it was doing it. I hope they add an option to change the intensity of the vibration as I'm pretty sure it is capable of a more stronger vibe.
thefunkygibbon said:
yeah i had a feeling it might be a L feature. although its a bit annoying as i had the same feature with my Pebble using an app called Pebble Locker which basically bypassed the requirement for entering a pin etc if the watch was connected to the phone. So its defintely possible without L. hopefully someone will make a quick little app to do that
I will be ordering a metal braclet style strap sometime soon, like i had on my pebble. much more comfortable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. App will be out soon. I already have 5 exclusive Wear apps ready & waiting. Hahha.
I wish they gave us the nicer strap from Gear 2. Not this BS from Gear Fit... Oh well.
This is a starter watch... Moto 360 & after will only get better & better. As will the software. LOVE that Google is keeping control.
Coming from Gear Neo; initial observations:
1. Watch has more metal and feels more premium
2. Watch strap is larger, will accommodate larger wrists but the clasp is junk compared to the neos.
3. OS is a little overwhelming right now, which I actually think is good. After 30 minutes, I am still cant do much- Iam not concerned with "watch cant do" xxx yet.
4. I have had 2 OS updates in the first hr.
5. Gear Manager seems to be a little more straight forward than Wear Manager but it is too new to make a final call on that
6. Watch is fast! "Okay google, what is the capital of NY?" is recognized and answered immediately.
7. Interface is smooth as silk
I use skiplock to bypass the lock screen. Works with WiFi networks and Bluetooth devices
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
thefunkygibbon said:
Ok sorry to sound a percy pessimist but here are some little gripes so far.. I'm totally understanding that its still early days yet and software may well be improved over time and also I may well be being dim and not knowing where some settings are etc. If so then please by all means let me know!
Here's my opinions after receiving the watch today. See if you have the same thoughts, thefunkygibbon:
I was quite pleased that it is not really big
the set up process was easy enough but took quite a while - I think mainy due to downlaoding a firmware udate
there's quite a learning curve in using this new OS
the watch is a bit useless at the moment because it is constantly disconnecting so it is just a simple watch - I need to find out how to correct this
I noticed the battery on my phone goes down fast when the watch is connected.
It really sucks that there is no auto brightness
the notifications work really well and look great with the picture backgrounds
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can start apps without voice by going to the Google voice prompt then swiping all the way down to Start...
Archon810 said:
You can start apps without voice by going to the Google voice prompt then swiping all the way down to Start...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Feels to me like we are missing a launcher. Voice control is great, but there are times it just won't work and the method above is cumbersome.
Any other negative points? I want to buy a gear live soon...but I rather hear the reviews first. I'm guessing the problems listed all here are going to be on the LG G watch and the Moto 360 since most of the complaints seem to be Android wear related.
Be careful w attaching or taking off charging cradle. Reports show breaking off or breaking piece off phone. Thought mine coming in today but, scheduled for tomorrow.
Ian B
Just a couple quick notes:
- I noticed that I can somewhat bypass the lockscreen. I'm currently on 4.4.4. (S4 - KangaKat) When I have the watch open the app on my phone or perform an action on the phone, I can simply press the home button (or side power button) and I do not have to swipe my pattern.
- Vibration notifications SHOULD be working. There were two system updates that were done when I first connected the watch. Perhaps that's the issue?
- I am able to see that I have a notification without turning on the watch. When I swipe it up, I get more details, which I can then swipe away, so that the next notification with show on the screen. I think this is just a matter of managing the notifications and making sure that you are top of them. Swiping them away & handling them as they come in.
- Yes, outside sucks. Today is pure sunlight, I was having trouble seeing it with a setting of 3. I was able to view it better when I put my hand over it. Not much different from trying to look at portions of my phone's screen in the outdoors with a similar brightness.
All in all, I'm pretty satisfied and I understand that this is first gen. I am hoping that through some proper feedback to google / developers, we start to see some software updates & applications developed that further the watch's capabilities. For now, though the notifications are great....although I wish I could not have it send work emails to the watch. The thing vibrates non-stop.
ElPajaro14 said:
Just a couple quick notes:
- I noticed that I can somewhat bypass the lockscreen. I'm currently on 4.4.4. (S4 - KangaKat) When I have the watch open the app on my phone or perform an action on the phone, I can simply press the home button (or side power button) and I do not have to swipe my pattern.
- Vibration notifications SHOULD be working. There were two system updates that were done when I first connected the watch. Perhaps that's the issue?
- I am able to see that I have a notification without turning on the watch. When I swipe it up, I get more details, which I can then swipe away, so that the next notification with show on the screen. I think this is just a matter of managing the notifications and making sure that you are top of them. Swiping them away & handling them as they come in.
- Yes, outside sucks. Today is pure sunlight, I was having trouble seeing it with a setting of 3. I was able to view it better when I put my hand over it. Not much different from trying to look at portions of my phone's screen in the outdoors with a similar brightness.
All in all, I'm pretty satisfied and I understand that this is first gen. I am hoping that through some proper feedback to google / developers, we start to see some software updates & applications developed that further the watch's capabilities. For now, though the notifications are great....although I wish I could not have it send work emails to the watch. The thing vibrates non-stop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can't you blacklist apps? or do you use the same app for work and personal email?
adiliyo said:
can't you blacklist apps? or do you use the same app for work and personal email?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not seen yet that you can blacklist apps. Since it uses native notifications, the only way I can see to prevent this would be to disable email notifications altogether Not something I want to do. I will either just have to have the notification sit there and disappear as I check my emails / dismiss the notification. Hopefully, there are some changes in the future on this.
ElPajaro14 said:
I have not seen yet that you can blacklist apps. Since it uses native notifications, the only way I can see to prevent this would be to disable email notifications altogether Not something I want to do. I will either just have to have the notification sit there and disappear as I check my emails / dismiss the notification. Hopefully, there are some changes in the future on this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i thought i read somewhere you could blacklist apps though the wear manager app
here you go #7 on that list
http://www.androidcentral.com/first...e-today-here-are-10-more-things-you-need-know
I'm the wear manager you can blacklist apps.
adiliyo said:
i thought i read somewhere you could blacklist apps though the wear manager app
here you go #7 on that list
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct. I missed that completely. I have muted my email application, let's hope tomorrow is a little more quiet. Thanks for pointing that out!

Your thoughts on Android 5.0?

So the finial version has come out. Im sure a lot of you guys have updated to it. Plus a lot of you have been using the Dev version along the way.
What are your guys thoughts?
I like the the new version but also there are still tons of things are are bugging the *poop* out of me.
I thought this was going to be "THE" version that appeased almost all android fans. Fixed a lot the issues since 2.3 while bringing a lot of new features.
1st the things i dont like.
1. Battery % WHY THE *heck* do we still not have an option to turn on a battery % next to the battery icon?????!!!!!!!
2. Hangouts picture (when syncing with FB) not always showing up bug is still present.
3. I like the new light colors with white and grey but why did they choose that color of teal. Im not super excited about that but i do like the white backgrounds.
4. Multitask menu. I dont like how EVERYTHING is in there. And why do we STILL NOT HAVE A CLEAR ALL
5. Google Now launcher. I like it and dont like it. Dont like how everything is so big and dont like how i cant have the middle space be my default. But Nova fixed that. Plus im rooted so i changed my DPI
6. Battery life. Ive only used it for 1 day (going on 1 day) but it seems my battery life is worse then on 4.4.4
7. Battery menu. Dont like anything about it.
Things i do like.
1. Material design (in most places) animations and universal layout for apps is nice.
2. Lockscreen notifications although i dont like how EVERYTHING is on there but im still messing with the menu for this feature.
Im still playing with it and im sure it will get better as apps update (what took them so long) but over all im kinda disappointed with the amount of hype 5.0 got.
Same here, like it but meh it's not there yet, hoping for apps updates etc. And my battery life is slightly worse too
I like it so far, but smart lock seems buggy as hell. I've got my Moto 360 set up as a trusted device, and even went so far as to set up face unlock, and still, I'm prompted for a passcode more often than not. There really needs to be a rescan option -- or, better yet, just make it work like it's supposed to.
Battery life seems worse for me too but I will give it another few days before really making that decision
Make sure you turn WiFi always scanning off. I am getting better than the Dev preview because of the fixed WiFi drain bug. I like it though.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
You cant know anything about battery one day after update, after update system still need some time to "sit on place" and its drains battery.
Where is material design music. Sadly it doesn't animate when I press the play button. I really like what was was shown in the demo .
jt3 said:
I like it so far, but smart lock seems buggy as hell. I've got my Moto 360 set up as a trusted device, and even went so far as to set up face unlock, and still, I'm prompted for a passcode more often than not. There really needs to be a rescan option -- or, better yet, just make it work like it's supposed to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have my moto 360 set up as a trusted device and I never need to unlock my phone. Only on reboot. rest of the time works perfectly.
Im not using face unlock though.
hmmm...
i don't like how you'not able to delete multiple contacts + separation of the phone numbers from the emails.
photos app gather all the jpg files that are in the sdcard which kinda sucks (dude, i don't need my album art in my photo gallery.) + you need Google+ enabled to be able to just look at the photos.
multitask is OMG.... really really nice effect but damn, is there any real need to "mark" every menu page i open? (oh, where's the "clear all" button?)
camera is ok but there is no 0.03 seconds of the new API. pictures are taken as slow as before.
material design is not bad but it shines on multiple layers only.
keyboard is really cool looking and although it'll take some time to get used to "button-less buttons" i do like it.
and battery, well, i can't say since it's only 1 day of use.
still, i think it's going to be ok (i still hate those wakelocks though... ) and last but not least, Chrome... i still miss "text wrapping" that's why i use Opera
all in all, i don't hate it, i'm not thrilled about it but i'm sure it'll "grow on me".
UI looks definitely great,performance and battery haven't improved, nor got worse. But it's too early to comment on that.
No toggle in quick settings to cycle through sound modes(sound/silent,vibrate), dafuq Google? I'm certainly missing Xposed.
very annoyed about the removal of the stock email app, i dont want to comingle gmail and my work stuff.
gjw00 said:
very annoyed about the removal of the stock email app, i dont want to comingle gmail and my work stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can DL the stock email app from the play store now
Really? I cant find it. Ended buying 'nine'
I really like having all my emails in gmail app. First day of use, I'm going to get 4hrs sot without messing with settings. It runs really smooth with hells kernel. I would like the pull downs yo have more options, but all in all, I'm happy.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
#sharath said:
UI looks definitely great,performance and battery haven't improved, nor got worse. But it's too early to comment on that.
No toggle in quick settings to cycle through sound modes(sound/silent,vibrate), dafuq Google? I'm certainly missing Xposed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's one of my main nits as well.
I've used Power Toggles for quite a while now. Short simple and to the point and it lets me toggle between sound vibrate or silent settings easily.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.painless.pc
Not my app but one I swear by.
not available in australia. jesus christ
jt3 said:
I like it so far, but smart lock seems buggy as hell. I've got my Moto 360 set up as a trusted device, and even went so far as to set up face unlock, and still, I'm prompted for a passcode more often than not. There really needs to be a rescan option -- or, better yet, just make it work like it's supposed to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't had to enter my PIN once since I set up smart lock with my 360 and face yesterday. Works great!
You can't use the Photos app if you disable the Google+ app. So.... now I have to open the camera app and scroll through my pictures one by one to view them. Super!
I kinda don't like it.
1: The color scheme is not consistent throughout, which really irritates me. While you spend most of your time in a launcher (I use Nova pesonally) or in apps, some of those apps are system apps, and it seems like almost all of them have had color changes, they don't look good and don't even make sense.
2: Some of the features are cool, and even sound great...but they are commonly riddled with "omg, no way!" points of frustration. Smart-lock...would be AWESOME if it would just freaking work when connected to a specific wifi network! For example...in prior versions I had used tasker and secure settings to disable the lock screen and have a significantly longer screen timeout whenever I was connected to my home wifi. Tasker works just fine for the other things I use it for, such as reading my text messages outloud...but only when I'm connected to my home wifi or headphones. But the pin lock errors out, every single time. Root works, tasker and secure settings are configured exactly as they were before, and they both even have administrative rights. It still fails every time, and I get the toast message pop up. I wonder if it is because Google is worried that your neighbor might name their wifi network to the same as yours is, and have it be an open network so when they steal your phone they would automatically be able to get into it. If that is the case...well, that should be easy to fix, one make the service only work with password protected networks, and I'm also sure they could just only have it work when the network name is also reporting the same mac address. But I digress.
3: Lightflow. Ugh, enough said. You might say this is not a lollipop specific thing, but the guy posted an inquiry on this on the support thread since it was an complication with the new notification system, and they responded back saying they fixed it, and it has still not been pushed out by Google yet!
4: I find myself unable to quickly remove notifications from the lock screen and even when the phone is unlocked in some instances. For example, if I am copying lots of individual files over wifi from my computer, and there are multiple "copied" notifications as a result, the first few can be swiped away, but the rest can't! I have to click on them, and then close it. Kinda annoying.
5: One of the only reasons why I really wanted Lollipop were for the improvements to the lockscreen notifications. I envisioned being able to stop using dashclock entirely, and also having an all around easier time with notifications while the phone was locked. Nope! Sure, the basic functionality is good, I can read text messages without an app for it, and that's great...but I have to say I really miss having the unlock ability from just turning the phone on and swiping. Now I have to turn the phone on, press the padlock to get the phone to switch to the pattern lock, then do the pattern lock. That extra step is really quite annoying for me. I'd prefer to have the "extra step" be to SEE THE NOTIFICATIONS. You know, just like how it used to be with dashclock. (You would know you had a notification by the little icon right next to the time and you would swipe down from there to read them) Maybe I'm crazy, but I unlock my phone a lot more often than I have notifications to read. Especially since I can't get the pinlock automatic toggle to work when I am connected to my home wifi!
6: Most lock screen icons are blocked...and for good reason. But some of them are not. For example, in power toggles I have always used an icon that automatically makes a 14 minute timer, and another one for 29 minutes. I use this for my breaks at work of course. (The icon triggers a task in the "Trigger" app that does this) This works from the lockscreen...which sounds great because I can set that timer without having to unlock my phone...but it has also been deactivated by mistake when the phone was in my pocket. Ugh!
7: I don't like the "swipe down" from either the lock screen or from notifications bar option. A lot of this is because I am really used to using powertoggles for this, and this duplicates a lot of that functionality, but
I knew this was going to happen, I have been complaining about software "improvements" at work for the last year and a half. If something is working, don't break it!
---------- Post added at 09:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:35 PM ----------
svanheulen said:
You can't use the Photos app if you disable the Google+ app. So.... now I have to open the camera app and scroll through my pictures one by one to view them. Super!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out Quickpic. I've been using it for ages, and it has always been amazing. It's super fast, very customizable...and just plain works!
gtg465x said:
I haven't had to enter my PIN once since I set up smart lock with my 360 and face yesterday. Works great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I've figured out the issue. I use "Gravity Screen" to shut my device down when I put it in my pocket. It seems that if Gravity Screen puts the device into standby, it also locks the screen in such a way that Smart Lock is disabled. Since that's normally how I shut off my device, I was seeing this almost every time. I'm hoping that the dev can fix this, because I'm really not used to touching my power button.
On another note. I wouldn't mind the email integration with Gmail, except that there's no way to label my various Exchange accounts. I have two separate Exchange accounts that I must monitor, and both simply show as a random-colored circle with a letter "J" (which is the first letter of each email address). I can't even change the color to something that would help distinguish the accounts. I just have to remember that random-color-J #1 equals one account, and random-color-J #2 equals another. It's very annoying. A combined inbox certainly wouldn't hurt, either.

Screen Off Memo Question

Once you've saved a screen memo (like a shopping list in my case - I saved it by accident by inserting the s-pen), can you still get it back on your screen off memo? Now when I take my s-pen out with the screen off, I get a blank memo. I really wish there was a way to get it back to the screen off memo so I could use it while shopping without using much battery or opening my phone. Thoughts?
you can pin it clicking pin icon, recall later double clicking the pin, but if your main concern is battery, well the phone is running, screen is on regardless if it's full on or in screen off memo mode and background apps are running, so not much of a difference. You're better off picking up dark theme and dark wallpapers and have lower battery usage screen off or not. If you want to be really scientific about it, download program to monitor and record battery usage, write on paper what time what mode your phone was and what was battery drain exactly and compare. Personally, I think there are much more effective ways to save battery, like above mentioned dark theme or manually killing unused apps.
YDMV
pete4k said:
you can pin it clicking pin icon, recall later double clicking the pin, but if your main concern is battery, well the phone is running, screen is on regardless if it's full on or in screen off memo mode and background apps are running, so not much of a difference. You're better off picking up dark theme and dark wallpapers and have lower battery usage screen off or not. If you want to be really scientific about it, download program to monitor and record battery usage, write on paper what time what mode your phone was and what was battery drain exactly and compare. Personally, I think there are much more effective ways to save battery, like above mentioned dark theme or manually killing unused apps.
YDMV
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But once it's been saved and it's only found in your Samsung notes, can you still pin it? I don't see the option.
A black screen would certainly be way less battery than the white one, but really it's about convenience. I can not even unlock my screen and still get to my grocery list versus having to unlock it. Small thing I know, but it is definitely more convenient when pinned.
Sorry, I don't know if and how you can pin already saved note to AOD display.
pete4k said:
Sorry, I don't know if and how you can pin already saved note to AOD display.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems like you can't.
That's annoying. It's as if you can't put your s-pen away for fear of the auto save.
I think the original idea was to have a way to make quick hand note, like writing somebody's phone number you just met on the street, or quick memo at the meeting and I used it in such a way many times, nothing more. You can pin saved note to the home screen and reach it there easily, after opening the phone. One reason your idea may never be implemented could be security, you never know what important info people could have there and having that info so visible may be against current trend of securing things. You may use it for nothing more than shopping list, but for example I used it to write complicated passwords to bank accounts and computer networks etc.
Also, it seems screen off memo is Samsung Note series exclusive feature, so it may be trial and error for them to figure what exactly people want and do with it. Taking away Action memo and it's advanced features, which was available on older Notes and no more suggests to me they still trying to figure it out.
pete4k said:
I think the original idea was to have a way to make quick hand note, like writing somebody's phone number you just met on the street, or quick memo at the meeting and I used it in such a way many times, nothing more. You can pin saved note to the home screen and reach it there easily, after opening the phone. One reason your idea may never be implemented could be security, you never know what important info people could have there and having that info so visible may be against current trend of securing things. You may use it for nothing more than shopping list, but for example I used it to write complicated passwords to bank accounts and computer networks etc.
Also, it seems screen off memo is Samsung Note series exclusive feature, so it may be trial and error for them to figure what exactly people want and do with it. Taking away Action memo and it's advanced features, which was available on older Notes and no more suggests to me they still trying to figure it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, in general.
I saw people suggesting in reviews that it could be used as a grocery list and I liked the idea. I saw one review showing someone using it at the store actually. Maybe it was staged.

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