Overview
Plasmalite is a suite of handy things for Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+/Note8 devices, designed to make life easier. Originally started as a simple project to input the corresponding navbar button via swiping up, it has grown exponentially since then. Plasmalite is a hybrid design; consisting of both an app, and a shell backend dubbed the “PlasmaCore.” The app’s user-interface is divided into modules. Each module has its own screen that is accessible via the pullout-menu that runs along the left side of the app.
Features
Root not required
Designed exclusively for the S8, S8+, and Note8
Some features may work better with a bigger (wider) screen
Adds a total of over 105 customizable triggers (SwipeUp: 35 + SideSwipe: 10 + SideSqueeze: 9 + TopTap: 12 + Bixit: 11 + HardPress: 10 + AOD: 6 + General: 12)
Individual vibration control for almost all triggers
Can operate without accessibility services (back and recents will take longer to press, so this is not recommended - see FAQ question below for more details)
If enabled, only the bare minimum accessibility services are requested. Plasmalite only needs this to issue the command to “press” Back, and Recents because unlike the Home button, they have no hardware equivalent. This means it doesn't cause lag.
Works in Secure Folder (when auto-grant accessibility services is enabled)
Designed to reduce false positives by detecting the acceleration of your swipe. This means a slow swipe up won’t do anything, thus allowing you to open a hidden navbar, etc.
A multitude of shortcuts to make life easier (more detail in the following sections)
Works best with the navbar hidden or removed (via 0px mods found elsewhere)
Make better use of your screen - gives you added screen real-estate, since toggling the status bar can be done with one easy gesture. As a result, it also helps prevent AMOLED burn-in in those areas.
No ads. Ugh, I hate ads.
REQUIRES your ability to run a command via ADB
What can it do?
SwipeUp (left, center, right, left-left (diagonal), left-right (diagonal), center-left (diagonal), center-right (diagonal), right-left (diagonal), right-right (diagonal), center wide-press, 2-fingers up left side, 2-fingers up home, 2-fingers up right side, 1-finger up both sides, left corner (either corner can be set to automatically switch to Input Method Chooser while the keyboard is open), right corner, both corners, corner horizontal swipe left, corner horizontal swipe right, 3-fingers up, double-tap bottom edge when screen is on to power off)
SwipeUp & Hold adds more functionality (long-hold – left, center, right; longer-hold – left, center, right; longest-hold – left, center, right; bump swipes – left, center, right)
SwipeUp High adds even more (swipe up to at least the middle of the screen – left, center, right)
SideSwipe adds swipe-in gestures to the right side of the screen (Swipe Up - fast, slow; Diagonal Swipe Up Left - fast, slow; Straight Out Swipe Left - fast, slow; Diagonal Swipe Down Left - fast, slow; Swipe Down - fast, slow)
SideSqueeze adds the ability to squeeze the sides (Normal Squeeze - While Screen On, While Homescreen Open, While Camera Open, While Lockscreen Open, While Screen Off; Long Squeeze - While Screen On, While Homescreen Open, While Camera Open, While Lockscreen Open)
TopTap offers functionality to the top of the screen (double tap status bar – left, center, right; long-press status bar – left, center, right; swipe down a side – left, right; swipe across radius – left, right; swipe across top – left, right; 3-finger swipe down turns screen off)
Bixit remaps the bixby button (normal press, long-press, longer-press, longest-press, panic press, double-tap, triple-tap, instant press, and camera mode)
HardPress is only for users without navbars, who therefore have lost the stock ability to use the hard press area while the screen is on. (hardpress, hardpress & swipe (left, left-up (diagonal), swipe up, swipe right-up (diagonal), swipe right), hard press & hold (long, longer, longest), hard double-press)
Always-On Display customization (left of AOD widget, right of widget, above widget, on widget, below widget, home button area)
Double-tap to wake via the AOD features just mentioned
Automatic Autorotation
Low Battery Shutdown
HoldDown actions – These special actions can do something when first triggered, and then reverse it when you release. Eg. turn on the flashlight when 4-fingers are down, then turn it off when you let go. Or, open the status bar and close it when you release.
A variety of other gestures, as found on the [General] tab, such as: power button long-press; power button double-press; home button long-press; power button + volume down; 4-finger tap anywhere; wide-tap anywhere; open the hidden status bar with one swipe; 3-finger swipe down from the top of the screen will turn it off (works best when the status bar is hidden); automatic autorotation; double-tap on the lockscreen; 3-finger tap on the lock screen; automatically start an app (and optionally press “play”) when headphones are plugged in; passive fingerprint sensor gestures; rolling the volume buttons with your thumb will input tracknext/trackprev.
Where do I get it?
Plasmalite is available via direct download from pocketdevelopers.com. It is not available at this time on the Play store due to uncertainty over Google’s restrictions on apps that use accessibility services, and specifically the violations that could arise from that. There is also concern that it would be inundated with bad reviews from people who do not understand that ADB is REQUIRED. However, should it end up on the Play store at some point, anyone who purchased it via PayPal will be entitled to a free code to redeem towards the store version.
Plasmalite comes with a 7-day trial, during which time all features are unlocked. This allows you to thoroughly test and see if it suits your needs. Once the trial has ended, all features will be locked except for the following:
3 basic SwipeUp zones (left, center, right)
Low battery shutdown
SwipeOff
Fingerprint gestures
Full licenses may be instantly purchased for $5 USD via PayPal. In addition to unlocking all features, you will also be entitled to all future updates of Plasmalite for your device series (as explained in the FAQ). Once the transaction has completed, you will be emailed a license key that can be used on any compatible devices of that series. The key is in the form on a text file that can be saved in your default download directory, or the root of internal storage. From that point Plasmalite will find it and apply it as soon as the app is opened. You can then delete the key - but save the email in case you need it again.
How do I install it?
Currently Plasmalite only officially supports Android 7.x (Nougat). However with this version stable, work on Oreo compatibility will promptly begin.
Install the APK as usual, once that is done the app will provide instructions on how to start the backend (aka "PlasmaCore") via ADB. If you don't have ADB installed on your computer, or don't know how to use it, that is beyond the scope of this guide. There are many, many tutorials on various forums and YouTube with instructions on how to do this - it's very easy!
Due to its powerful design, the core must be started via ADB once PER BOOT of your device. This is because it needs to run at the ADB user-level, which cannot be ascended to via an unrooted device by itself. It can only be started with a computer using the ADB command. However once started, this “spark” can be maintained for as long as your device is running – Plasmalite (both core and/or app) can be fully updated without needing ADB again. But once your device reboots for whatever reason, the PlasmaCore will be unable to start until you issue that ADB command again. This may be a deal-breaker for some, but for others (like myself) who only reboot once every few weeks, it is only a minor inconvenience - especially compared to how helpful Plasmalite is.
Is there anything I should know?
The PlasmaCore is a separate ~2 MB file that is downloaded when you first run the command via ADB.
The core is updated separately from the app. In the future it may become part of the apk.
Starting the core will also automatically grant WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS and READ_LOGS to the app. These are needed for the app to function. There is no need for you to grant these manually.
What if I have a 0px navbar mod installed, and the PlasmaCore isn’t running because I rebooted or my battery died?
Plasmalite was originally only intended as a way to make the buttons on the navigation bar easier and quicker to access, but it is also ideal for use in situations where you have no navbar at all (eg. 0px mods, or other apks you can install to remove the navbar completely). Unfortunately, this presented a very bad scenario: what if you rebooted away from a computer, and now had no way to input back, home, or recents? Fear not!
Since Plasmalite normally needs the PlasmaCore to be running, special consideration and development has gone into providing a simple fail-safe should you need to reboot your device while away from ADB. Should the PlasmaCore not be running, Plasmalite will seamlessly switch over to a rudimentary set of 3 actions along the bottom – Recents | Home | Back (or whatever you have the three main zones set to on the [SwipeUp] tab). By default Plasmalite starts on boot, so this will ensure that don’t end up without a way to navigate. During this time a notification will be displayed reminding you to start the core via a computer to enable normal functionality. To be clear, almost no other functions will work until the core is started.
Upcoming features (in no particular order)
Make daily update check optional
Make a better action chooser (it’s just a list now, the ability to assign a custom app is coming)
Oreo support
Where can I get help? Or report a bug?
You can reply to this thread, use the official Google group, or paid users may send an email. If you would like to report a bug, or request a feature, click here and create an issue in the system.
What if I am rooted?
You can still use Plasmalite, however for some there still may be no way for you to start it without a computer. Results have been varied - so far an Exynos S8+ user rooted via Magisk has had success with the button the [Extras] tab.
Can I disable all Bixby-related packages and still use Bixit?
Yes. Bixit does not need any Bixby packages or services to be running in order function.
Tell me more about Accessibility Services
It is common knowledge that granting accessibility privileges to some apps will introduce lag throughout an Android system. However, not many people realize that apps can request varying levels of feedback. For example, an app can request to be notified when window content changes, or when lists are scrolled, or when things are tapped. Depending upon what is requested, a LOT of data can be generated, and that is what causes the lag.
Plasmalite requests nothing. This is because Plasmalite needs nothing. In this case, declaring the accessibility service is just a formality for being able to “press” recents, back, appswitch, and screen split. This can be confirmed when you grant accessibility privileges and Android shows you what Plasmalite has requested. As a result of not asking for anything other than the bare minimum, there is no lag or stutter. It is recommended to enable and use accessibility services (Command Mode: 3) to enjoy near-instantaneous “presses.” Otherwise, “Direct” mode takes about 1 second.
Hopefully future versions of Android will provide a way for apps to request only the ability to press virtual buttons, and then Google won’t have to accuse developers of abusing the entire Accessibility Services system.
What is the future of Plasmalite?
I have devoted many months of time into the development, testing, and dog-fooding of Plasmalite. Spending over 1,000 hours and countless all-nighters thinking of new features, teaching myself Java, implementing them, using them for long periods of time, then tracking down and fixing the inevitable bugs. It is my first app, and has been my passion-project for quite some time. I have every intention of maintaining Plasmalite. I do not anticipate losing any functionality, but however unlikely it may be, it is a possibility if Samsung changes certain things.
One of my primary goals is to earn enough money to finance the purchase of more devices for development, such as an S9+, and eventually other devices such as a Pixel 2, etc.
Should Plasmalite evolve beyond the S8 line, current plans are to license per device model/series. Eg. S8 series (S8, S8+, Note8), S9 series (S9, S9+, Note9), Pixel 2 series (Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL), etc. Given the broad spectrum of capabilities Plasmalite offers, the technical overhead to adapt between devices is quite substantial. It is not as simple as just tweaking an APK to add support for more devices. For example, various gesture apps go months, or even years, without updates. By comparison, Plasmalite requires work nearly every week. I have been internally developing Plasmalite for months now, with work being done almost every single day. But I find development to be satisfying, so thinking of and implementing new features is something I gravitate towards when I have any free time.
Given how late into the S8 series’ lifetime it now is, anyone who purchases a license for the S8 series will be entitled to a free license of their choosing in the future. To clarify: if you support me today and in a few months you upgrade to an S9 (or Pixel) device, as soon as there is an S9 (or Pixel) version of Plasmalite you will be entitled to it for free.
XDA:DevDB Information
Plasmalite, Device Specific App for the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 (2017 Phone)
Contributors
ffolkes
Version Information
Status: Beta
Current Beta Version: 1.015
Beta Release Date: 2018-02-26
Created 2018-02-12
Last Updated 2018-02-26
Reserved
Reserved
Related
And get rid of a few annoyances in the mean time?
EDIT: SOLUTION it cost me half a sunday if not more.
I have a stock Moto X 2013, Europe version. I was very happy with it, apart from a few minor annoyances. Untill I received the Lollipop update months ago.
Missing features or new annoyances since Lollipop:
Wake display by waiving your hand. This was in my opinion a killer feature.
SOLUTION: This website which presents a solution using TASKER. Untested
Shutdown menu - extremely annoying if you just want to reboot
Enable flight mode via Shutdown menu, since the menu is gone, you miss this option as well
Mute phone with 1 button, the volume down button. The alternative, selecting MUTE also disables screen or glow notifications. There is NO way to only mute sound/vibration a Moto X 2013 with Lollipop. You have a SMARTphone that cannot be muted like any other phone!
Bluetooth and mobile data toggles have been removed. OMG even Windows Phone 8 has it.
Lockscreen: swipe to right for camera. Gone.
White popup (general Lollipop annoyance): if you swipe it away, the notification is gone from the bar, you cannot read it/respond from the notification bar after swiping it away.
Minor but not dealbreaker features I would like to have: hide NFC and Bluetooth icon in the notification bar, be able to hide app icons and/or rearrange them in the app drawer.
What do I need to do to get all these features back? I want to stick to the stock experience as much as possible. Custom ROMs with tons of customisation features is not what I am waiting for. A custom ROM with near-stock experience and fixes for the issues mentioned above would be welcome.
But if it is possible to solve all of them with XPosed and/or Tasker, that would be fine. Unfortunately I searched these forums for 3 days now and I cannot find a dedicated Xposed topic with this info (there is 1 but it has little useful info). I hope others have a similar experience and found a solution!
zilexa said:
And get rid of a few annoyances in the mean time?
I have a stock Moto X 2013, Europe version. I was very happy with it, apart from a few minor annoyances. Untill I received the Lollipop update months ago.
Missing features or new annoyances since Lollipop:
Wake display by waiving your hand. This was in my opinion a killer feature.
SOLUTION: This website which presents a solution using TASKER. Untested
Shutdown menu - extremely annoying if you just want to reboot
Enable flight mode via Shutdown menu, since the menu is gone, you miss this option as well
Mute phone with 1 button, the volume down button. The alternative, selecting MUTE also disables screen or glow notifications. There is NO way to only mute sound/vibration a Moto X 2013 with Lollipop. You have a SMARTphone that cannot be muted like any other phone!
Bluetooth and mobile data toggles have been removed. OMG even Windows Phone 8 has it.
Lockscreen: swipe to right for camera. Gone.
White popup (general Lollipop annoyance): if you swipe it away, the notification is gone from the bar, you cannot read it/respond from the notification bar after swiping it away.
Minor but not dealbreaker features I would like to have: hide NFC and Bluetooth icon in the notification bar, be able to hide app icons and/or rearrange them in the app drawer.
What do I need to do to get all these features back? I want to stick to the stock experience as much as possible. Custom ROMs with tons of customisation features is not what I am waiting for. A custom ROM with near-stock experience and fixes for the issues mentioned above would be welcome.
But if it is possible to solve all of them with XPosed and/or Tasker, that would be fine. Unfortunately I searched these forums for 3 days now and I cannot find a dedicated Xposed topic with this info (there is 1 but it has little useful info). I hope others have a similar experience and found a solution!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a question, shouldn't it be in the Q&A?
1) This can be restored by flashing the 4.4.4 firmware
2) Xposed -> GravityBox (Power)
3) Xposed -> GravityBox (Power)
4) Tasker?
5) Xposed -> GravityBox (QuickSettings), or if you mess with the settings for either of those they may pop up in the quick toggles after some time
6) Xposed -> GravityBox (QuickSettings)
7) Xposed -> GravityBox (Notification Ticker)
Status bar icons can be hidden in GravityBox (Statusbar)
The drawer changing can be done with XGELs (Google Experience Launcher)
If this information helped you get it working, be sure to pay it forward by donating if you can
I am definitely going to unlock bootloader, root and install Xposed, see if I can get all of this back. Saves me the risk of potentially unstable ROMs and saving a lot of time testing different ROMs. Thanks a lot!
And yes, I believe projects like Xposed absolutely deserve a donation. I just finished flashing my own HTC One M7, it will also have Xposed (first time going to use it). The Motorola is owned by the lady. I will definitely donate if it works for me.
Wave-to-wake is present in some roms, for example the modded stock rom
There is also the lockscreen with the swipe for the camera.
In order to modify the power menu, you can use APM+.
For the toggles use Gravity Box.
aledex said:
Wave-to-wake is present in some roms, for example the modded stock rom
There is also the lockscreen with the swipe for the camera.
In order to modify the power menu, you can use APM+.
For the toggles use Gravity Box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know, but why would I go to all the trouble to install that ROM (which would include wiping my phone) if I can reach all those goals with XPosed/GravityBox
I have stock Lollipop 5.1 European version about:
5 - bluetooth toggle exists, IIRC it only appears if you use it; mobile data toggle also exists, just need two clicks - one on mobile data tile and one on toggle
6 - don't know about secure screen options but if you don't use password/pin/other you can swipe left for camera and right for dialer
7 - you can swipe that popup up to just hide it and without dismissing or use one of this app to remove/modify them "Heads-up Notifications" "HeadsOff - TickerOn" even without root
I believe that the Nexus Experience rom (NX ROM) offers most, if not all of the features that you're looking for, and it offers a very stock experience. The only reason that I don't run it is because I've grown accustom to tapping gently on my phones shoulder when it's sitting on my desk to activate the Active Display to see what time it is or what notifications I've been ignoring. With NX ROM, Active Display works great, but it's not as sensitive. So I have to tip my phone up, or sideways, to about 15 degrees before Active Display activates with. A very minor issue, but I'm very picky.
As far as I remember, it has the hand wave feature, power off/reboot/airplane mode menu, all kinds of toggles, and I believe volume down to mute as well. It doesn't do swipe right for camera, but you can swipe from bottom right corner, or from bottom left (customizable) to activate the camera. Not sure about the white popup thing because I didn't use it that long.
Thanks for all the suggestions.
I am extremely annoyed by Google removing useful functionality, harming productivity and introducing new design which is clearly not meant for OLED screens (all white). But with all these suggestions I can hopefully stick with the Moto X for a long time, since no brand but Sony will bring us high end <5" phones.
Bomberlt said:
I have stock Lollipop 5.1 European version about:
5 - bluetooth toggle exists, IIRC it only appears if you use it; mobile data toggle also exists, just need two clicks - one on mobile data tile and one on toggle
6 - don't know about secure screen options but if you don't use password/pin/other you can swipe left for camera and right for dialer
7 - you can swipe that popup up to just hide it and without dismissing or use one of this app to remove/modify them "Heads-up Notifications" "HeadsOff - TickerOn" even without root
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also have the European version, but I have a completely different experience. Swiping heads up notification always removes the notification from the statusbar (on all Lollipop phones, not just Motorola). On my HTC One M7 with GPE+ ROM I could lower the popup to 1sec allowing me to access the notification in the statusbar when needed. Works fine.
Another Lollipop bug (not even fixed in Android 6.0.1) is that the dialer shows ALL contacts of ALL your accounts (Google, Exchange, Outlook, Facebook, Skype etc) regardless if they have a phone number or not. The Contacts app does allow you to select specifically which contacts to show per group per account. In 4.4.4 this also applied to the dialer, since 5.0 it does not anymore. Google it and you will see people going nuts about this. A Google employee replying it will be "fixed" in M.. which is nuts since most phones with this issue will never receive an M upgrade.. also, now that M is available for Nexus, it's not fixed. The only solution: find a better dialer in Play Store.. this nums me completely... a phone OS should have at least a good dialer.. and apart from this issue the dialer works fine.
SOLVED
SOLVED:
Documentation + all links below in case anyone or myself ever need to do this again.
The most important part explained in detail:
- uninstall any phone drivers from other phones, uninstall Android SDK etc
- install Motorola USB drivers (Motorola Manager)
- install Minimal ADB & Fastboot in C:\adbfb and install mfastboot in that same folder, use mfastboot instead of fastboot. Scroll down in the Minimal topic to find the link to the Fastboot guide. It lists the command to flash recovery (TWRP): NOTE !!! unplug the phone from the PC right after flashing recovery and use the volume down button to scroll to Recovery in Bootloader, use VOLUME UP to select recovery after uplugging, not the shutdown button and do not reboot first (I used shutdown button and rebooted and spend 2 hours figuring this out)!
- copy all required files (the ROM plus its addons) to c:\adbfb.
- Flash using TWRP, first the ROM, then the addons, then factory reset via TWRP.
Short overall steps:
1. bootloader unlocked via the Motorola site (official method)
2. installed TWRP 2.8.6.0 (the newer one has an issue)
3. installed the modded/debloated stock ROM
4. also installed all the addons for that ROM, listed in that same first post.
5. After first boot and initial setup, Copied Xposed Installer, AdAway and installed them via Amaze File Manager (Play Store).
6. Installed the Xposed modules: GravityBox, Moto Checkbox, Sensify, BTAudio. Used GravityBox and Moto CheckBox to get most features back and personalise Quicksettings and some other great tweaks.
7. Used Sensify to install the HTC Sense Launcher (read the first post to install the correct version!!) which is basically stock launcher WITHOUT persistant Google Search Bar WITH ability to rearrange/group/hide apps in the app drawer and with black background, good for our OLED screen. No free launcher in the Play Store is as simple and plain as this one with these features (Nova Prime can do it but it costs €5 and adds a huge load of features I never need).
8. Wave-to-Wake is still not present in the debloated ROM but I will use the Tasker workaround. Haven't tested this yet.
9. To get the maximum out of your battery and have apps that are easier on the eyes, create a backup using TWRP and carefully follow the instructions of Team Blackout (Black Chrome, Black Calendar, Black Hangouts, Black Keep, Black Whatsapp etc). Haven't tested this yet.
10. Play Store > Settings: disable auto-update in Play Store, also disable the notification of updates.
Device Settings Menu Guide, Tips & Discussions
Part 3 - Display, Lock screen, Biometrics and security
If you're new to this series or want to see the index, please read the Introductory Post first.
Display
Auto brightness: When you change brightness in Auto mode, your device is smart enough to learn your usage patterns to determine the best level according to the environment as per your preferences. 'Reset usage patterns' in case you think your phone is drunk when in Auto mode.
Blue light filter: Learn why you should use it here. I've set it to 'Turn on as scheduled' > 'Sunset to sunrise'. You can toggle it from the notification panel as well.
Night Mode: (Pie update) Enable it to make use of true blacks on your AMOLED screen, save battery and put less strain on eyes. I know you want it to only enable at night, so hop up to developer mode and set 'Night mode' to Automatic. I don't know why Samsung has put up such a useful mode here.
Screen mode: I've set it to 'Adaptive Display'. Do play with other modes and toggle them when needed. Customize 'Full screen colour balance' (and Advanced) when 'Adaptive Display' is enabled in case you don't like the default setup.
Font size and style; Screen zoom: I've set 'Screen Zoom' to 'Small' and 'Font Size' to Level 2 in order to get more content in a screen view. Please tell if there's any better font on Galaxy Apps.
Screen resolution: By default, you don't get the resolution enabled what your Note9 is capable of. I've changed it WQHD+ for getting the most out of the best display in the market. I've the resolution set to HD+ in Medium Battery Saver mode in case I'm on Survival mode.
Full screen apps: I customize it when needed for an app.
Screen timeout: Mine is set to 10 minutes. You know, pro users!
Home screen: Self-explanatory and I use Nova Launcher. Do enable 'Quick-open' notification panel.
Edge screen: Do you need a seperate guide for this? Or can anyone provide a link to one. If you use it right, this can make your life much simpler.
Edge panels: You can set a maximum of 9 panels. Explore options of each panel and try more of them from the Store. I've enabled Apps edge (also make app pair and folders), People edge (upto 10), Smart select (take portion screenshots, make screen GIFs, pin a screen's content), Clipboard edge (auto-categorizes items), Reminder, Device maintenance (useful to review device performance OTG), Tasks edge (explore all available tasks), Quick tools (must have), Calendar. Tap Menu and 'Reorder' the panels as per your needs. In 'Edge panel handle', I've set the Transparency to highest and Size to smallest. I've dragged the handle to Right near power button so that I can always guess where the handle is.
Edge lighting: For me, it feels great to have it for some very important notifications that too 'when screen is off'. Do note that if you enable it for screen on as well, it will disable heads-up notifications. Play with 'Edge lighting style' as it shows the effect generated as you customize one. For me, {effect=basic, color=app_color, transparency=low, width=narrow} works. You can customize the lighting color for each app separately as well. In 'Manage notifications', you can define those apps for which you want this effect enabled.
Menu > Quick reply: Do define a reply because it can be useful in cases where you can't or don't prefer to type or check messages.
Navigation bar: I've enabled 'Hard press Home button' (great alternative to physical home button) and set the pressure to lightest (since I don't want to hurt my screen). With Pie, you can enjoy the immersive display by setting 'Navigation type' to 'Full screen gestures' and disabling 'Gesture hints'. I eventually got used to this. You can use Nav bar button on Quick Settings by dragging down the notification panel to toggle showing navbar then.
Accidental touch protection: Really useful because I keep my phone screen faced to my leg side when inside pocket so that it's protected from the outside cruel world.
Screensaver: In case phone is your life even when it wants to get charged peacefully.
Lock screen
Screen lock type: I use Pattern with Biometrics (Intelligent Scan and Fingerprints or sometimes Fingerprints only). Fingerprints remain the best security and battery-efficient method till date atleast for me. Use Iris for more security than regular face recognition. Also, with Iris, your device won't get unlocked while you're sleeping or with your photo. Use 'Intelligent Scan' for bit more ease (read about it here).
Smart Lock: It's a Google feature that can unlock your phone via On-body detection, Trusted places/devices and Voice Match. I used it once with On-body detection but couldn't impress me. Read about it here.
Secure lock settings: Disabled 'Make pattern visible'. Set 'Lock automatically' to 15 seconds in case I want to turn on the screen immediately without unlocking it. Anyways, 'Lock instantly with power key ' is enabled when I explicitly want it to get locked. Use 'Auto factory reset' carefully as someone could initiate this by simply making incorrect attempts. I've enabled 'Lock network and security' especially for theft use-case.
Always On Display: For customizing it, go to 'Clock style' below. Guide on AOD here and video here. With Pie, you now have new display mode as 'Tap to show' AOD for 30 seconds. I've set it to 'show as scheduled' such it doesn't glow when I sleep. Also, I get an idea that it's time to get to bed when AOD stops showing up (same for wakeup).
Content to show: 'Home button and clock' feel elegant for me.
Double tap Home button: Changed to 'Quick launch Camera' since I want it more often and I can turn on the screen by hard pressing anyways.
Auto brightness: Enabled. If you are okay with manually controlling this brightness less often by double tapping the AOD clock, disabling can save you some battery.
Show always; Set schedule: If you often check clock at night, you can enable the former. I've disabled AOD during my night sleep schedule so that I additionally get a hint when it's already time to go to bed and whether it's time to get up or not.
Turn off to save battery: Enabled. Do you need AOD in survival mode too?
Clock style: You can customize AOD with different clock styles, pictures, GIFs, Calendar and roaming clocks. Blue 'colour' gives a soothing effect every time I look at the clock for me. Similarly, you can customize your Lock Screen clock style here.
Roaming clock: I had to disable it as every operator in India puts SIM to Roaming mode when you're out of your circle (mostly defined to a state) and I get two identical clocks whenever I travel out of state.
FaceWidgets: Enabled all available choices and will decide about the reordering or need of each of them after I arrive at the use-cases. Same goes for you maybe.
Contact information: Do fill it. I've include my name and number on it. Can be useful when stolen, lost or misplaced. You can include email or alternative mobile number as well since the primary number would probably be in the device itself.
Notifications: I've kept the defaults. 'Hide content' if you don't want people to read your notifications. I rather do this on per-app basis (like messages for OTPs, sensitive apps). 'Notifications icons only' makes it similar to AOD style notifications and I want description of notifications once I go over my AOD screen. Toggle 'Transparency' if you find it difficult to read notification over the wallpaper or want your wallpaper to expose. 'Auto-reverse text colour' makes it easier to adapt with the wallpaper. You can define 'Where to show' your notifications here (AOD or Lock screen or both).
App shortcuts: Define the two shortcuts you see on the bottom screen corners while on lock screen. You can choose any app though default (phone and camera) works for me.
Biometrics and security
Biometrics: You can remove biometrics data and configure 'Samsung Pass' to use these here. You can enable 'Screen-on' scan for making the device scan for your face/iris as soon as screen turns on. This increases brightness immediately while it's scanning (can be annoying) and will drain some battery. 'Samsung Pay' works only with 'Fingerprint' and 'Iris Scanner'. Try different ' preview screen mask' for 'Iris Scanner'. In 'Fingerprint Scanner', you can add as many as 4 fingerprints (reserve one for Secure Folder). Put your finger on the reader and you can see the detected one highlited.
Screen transition effect: Disabled as I want things at fastest.
Google Play Protect: Enabled. Read more here.
Find My Mobile: 'Remote controls', 'Google location service' and 'Send last location' enabled. This should be the first things to review once you buy the device. Prepare yourself with a demo on findmymobile.samsung.com.
Security update: Shows the patch level and gets updated with 'Software Update'.
Samsung Pass: Similar to 'Google Smart Lock' for passwords but with biometrics and less support as of now.
Install Unknown Apps: Allow/Disallow existing apps to install apps from APK.
Secure Folder: The replacement for Samsunh My Knox. Must use feature to serparate your very private and confidential part of the phone. Guide here and video here.
Secure startup: Disabled for me. Should be enabled if you want your SIM, notifications, alarms and anything related to device startup not to start without passing the lock screen after the device boots up. For the kind of short-term memory loss I have, I want to call my phone or want it recieve inputs if in any case it gets misplaced with maybe low battery.
Encrypt SD card: Okay, so your phone is secured by Knox or 'Device encryption'. What about your SD card? Anyone can take it out and access your data, right? Encrypt it here and it won't be accessible to any device beside yours. Be careful to decrypt it in case you want to use it somewhere else or even when you are going to format your device.
Other security settings: 'Set up SIM card lock' disabled (same reason as in 'Secure startup'), 'Make passwords visible' disabled, 'Security policy updates' auto update enabled (Here is what are these), 'Send security reports' enabled. Set 'Device admin apps' with care (Learn about them here in case you haven't). You need to remove an app from here before uninstalling it. 'Creditial Storage' for CAs and user certificates (Learn more about CAs here). 'Pin windows' is a very useful feature for me. In cases where you need to give your device to someone (for like watching a movie or seeing the gallery), if this is enabled with 'ask for pattern before unpinning', when you 'pin' that app (video player or gallery), people will have to pass the lock method to get out of that app. Configure which apps can have 'Usage data access', 'Notification access' and 'Do not disturb permission'.
Location:
Allow apps and sites to detect your device's location. I've enabled it since I use too much location-specific content. You can turn it off if you suspect your dad working in NSA (approx locality can still be tracked through IP, use VPN).
Locating method: Change the method as per your requirements. I use 'High accuracy' while you can use 'Battery saving' to save a significant amount of battery that GPS uses. I simply turn off 'Location' from the notification bar when not needed or during survival mode.
Improve Accuracy: You can turn this off for WiFi and BT in case you don't want apps to override your decision of not making them search for WiFi or BT when you have explicitly turned them off!
Recent Location Requests; Location Services: Do review the apps that your girlfriend may have installed in your phone; Do review Google Location History and Sharing settings.
App permissions; Permission usage monitor: You can review the 'Permission History' here and enable/disable notifications for permission access on per-app per-permission basis. You suspect an app tracking your location occasionally and want to prove this instead of not granting it the permission? You can do it here.
-- Reserved for FAQs --
Why are you posting this??
There's a very good "USER MANUAL" on the "Samsung"-site available:
User Manual Samsung Galaxy Note9
henklbr said:
Why are you posting this??
There's a very good "USER MANUAL" on the "Samsung"-site available:
User Manual Samsung Galaxy Note9
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have commented the same query on each of my parts. I have already answered you here where the similar discussion is already going on. Let's discuss there and keep this thread clean. Also, the 'why am I posting this' is already described in the Introductory Post.
thanks, op for the posts, very useful
Device Settings Menu Guide, Tips & Discussions
Part 4 - Advanced features, Device maintenance, Apps
If you're new to this series or want to see the index, please read the Introductory Post first.
Advanced features > S Pen
This section is exclusive to Note series so you should definitely give some time exploring it.
S Pen remote: Displays availability of the S Pen and its charging level. Configure Pen button actions for each compatible App and master control. I've tweaked it a little bit to make 'Scroll up/down' for Chrome and 'Single press' to 'Skip' while 'Double press' to 'Play/Pause' for Music. You can always tap 'Reset S Pen' in Menu in case you want to get back the default settings.
Unlock with S Pen remote: If enabled, you can unlock your phone with your S Pen in case it was taken out while the device was unlocked. In case you've enabled it, please keep an eye on your S Pen.
Screen off memo: Very useful when enabled. Here you can change the colour from the signature colour to classical white. I like the golden colour that comes with the Ocean Blue. However, this golden colour may seem weird to you when you open S Notes with the white background so you can force display Black text in S Note app itself that keeps the golden colour while writing.
Air view; Direct pen input; Pointer; Shortcuts: Very useful features. Review them. 'Learn about S Pen features' on the bottom or watch this 30-min video.
Floating icon: I don't like any over-the-screen icons so have disabled it. You can always open the Shortcuts menu by tapping the S Pen button while it's near the screen. I've also set 'Do nothing' 'when S Pen is removed'.
Alarm: Works when the screen is off since if it's on, you probably be using the remote feature.
Power saver: Although it's enabled for me, internet says it has negligible battery effects. If disabled, the device won't allow you to use another S Pen if your device's one is inside.
Sound; Vibration: Enabled since I don't like accidents. 'Oper Air command' in 'Removal' also helps in this case.
Advanced features
Accessories: Enable 'Fast wireless charging' here.
Smart stay: Too many ideal conditions required for it to work and may take a lot of battery power. Disabled.
Games: Explore 'Game Launcher' after enabling it from here. You can also hide your games from appearing in the menu while they are categorized by Game Launcher.
One-handed mode: A much-needed feature when you're OTG (on-the-go). I had changed the 'Gesture' to 'Button' after accidentally enabling this mode many times. On Pie, if you hide the navigation bar, you cannot check 'Button' mode anymore. OHM is also a shortcut in my Edge panel that is easily accessible from one hand.
Finger sensor gestures: Open/close notification panel or launch Samsung Pay using the fingerprint sensor. Make this a habit. Looks cool.
Device assistance app: Set to Google. Explore settings for the DAA - it was really cool to see Hindi (India) as an option there. Analyzing on-screen text/images is a very useful feature. Read the guide here and here on how to use Google Assistant like a pro.
Multi window: One of the best features and legacy of Samsung and for Note, it's a must-use one. By default, you can use SSV (Split screen view) by selecting it for the required app in recents. 'Use Recents button' is much faster. 'Pop-up view action' can interfere if you generally drag down the notification panel from near the corners (enabled for me).
Smart capture: Very useful screenshot features that you may need just after capturing one. Enabled.
Palm swipe to capture: I never bothered about it but with Note9, I started using it to save presses on my hardware buttons as well not needing to pick up the device in case I want a screenshot.
Direct call; Smart alert; Easy mute; Swipe to call or send messages: Tradional and useful Samsung features. All enabled.
Dual Messenger: You can use two seperate accounts for compatible apps (WhatsApp, Facebook) and restrict your contacts for the second ones. Suggested in case you have multiple accounts. For more James Bond feel, use 'Secure Folder'.
Panic mode: Can be helpful before you try show your Ninja Skills. However, I have accidently triggered it many times and since sending photos is enabled, it's kinda wierd! Still Enabled.
Direct Share: Helps you save an extra tap while sharing something. Ninja guide here.
Video Enhancer: Helps you flaunt the best screen more. In case you are not the natural-colours kind of, Enabled.
Touch sensitivity: In case you use screen protectors or live in Antarctica (gloves), Enabled. Disabled for me.
Device Care
Info: Add a home screen or edge panel shortcut to it as it's gonna be really useful. Tap 'Optimize Now' once in a while. It includes the virus scanning, memory cleaning, storage cleaning and battery optimization. Read below for more on these.
Battery:
Battery Usage: Do review this once in a while in order to identify culprits. 'Refresh' for real-time monitoring. In ideal case, all of your compatible apps should be set to 'Optimise battery usage'. In case any of them not working fine in the background and you need them to, disable the optimization for the app.
Power saving mode: Try all the modes (MID/MAX) once before you get into the Bear Grylls mode. MID will help you while you're travelling while MAX when you want to extend that last single digit juice. Do you want me share my settings?
App power monitor: When you tap 'Save Power', you manually make the apps 'Sleep'. They may wake themselves up again.
Unmonitored apps; Always sleeping apps: Select the apps you want always/never be able to run in the background.
Menu > Advanced Settings:
Notification settings: Get notified for 'unused apps' for days you specify in 'App power monitor' (disabled), 'Battery-draining apps' (enabled) and 'Unstable apps' (enabled).
App power monitor: Monitors apps to prevent excessive usage. You can 'Put unused apps to sleep' and specify the 'sleep delay' to let the feature automatically sleepify your apps (enabled, 1 day).
Fast cable/wireless charging: Enable or disable fast charging. You can disable 'Fast cable charging' in case you more often charge it overnight.
Performance Mode: Customize profiles for phone's performance (Screen resolution, Video Enhancer, UHQ upscaler, Game Launcher). You can then toggle these modes from the notification panel.
Storage: Love to see 512 GB here but only when it's the denominator. You can clean unnecessary data here by tapping 'Clean' or you can use apps like Files Go or SD Maid. User Data is also categorized so you can review and remove files of different types. 'Storage settings' summarizes device storage and you can tap the items to get to respective apps or apps settings. 'Get more space' helps you to delete Large, Unused, Duplicate and Unnecessary files.
Memory: Tap 'Clean Now' to clear your RAM. Likewise, for battery, these apps may appear here again.
Device Security: The virus scanning is powered by McAfee. Since it's disabled by default, enabling it never hurts.
Apps
All of your apps settings including Usage, Battery, Storage (Clear Data/Cache), Uninstalling and Force stopping, Notifications settings, Permissions, Defaults and Version/App details in store. I use 'Sort by size' with 'Show system apps' to occasionally review the apps taking the most storage. Change your 'Default apps', 'App permissions' and 'Special access' in the Menu. You can set 'set default apps automatically' as well. In 'Set as default', I've disabled 'Open links in app' even if they're not installed since I get annoyed when I have not installed an app because I want to browse on Chrome only (reduce usage of separate apps whenever possible). Read about 'Instant Apps' here (you can use these even without installing them). In case you mess up with the defaults and notifications, tap 'Reset app preferences'.
-- Reserved for FAQs --
Why are you posting this? ?
There's a very good "USER MANUAL" on the "Samsung"-site available:
User Manual Samsung Galaxy Note9
henklbr said:
Why are you posting this? ?
There's a very good "USER MANUAL" on the "Samsung"-site available:
User Manual Samsung Galaxy Note9
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have commented the same query on each of my parts. I have already answered you here where the similar discussion is already going on. Let's discuss there and keep this thread clean. Also, the 'why am I posting this' is already described in the Introductory Post.
Paras Lehana said:
You have commented the same query on each of my parts. I have already answered you here where the similar discussion is already going on. Let's discuss there and keep this thread clean. Also, the 'why am I posting this' is already described in the Introductory Post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But this many different threads? Consider consolidating them?
dottat said:
But this many different threads? Consider consolidating them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Talk about consolidation...... Have you counted how many battery life/issue threads exist?
Sent from my SM-N960U using XDA Labs
dottat said:
But this many different threads? Consider consolidating them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sir, 5 separate threads for almost everything you could discuss about the device!
I was also skeptical about this and even started in my mind with writing only one thread. But I wanted these kind of threads to be a contribution of the community not only the original post. The original post is only intended to be a reference post that will grow more with participation. And if this would be the case, I think it would add to the clutter if everyone is going to discuss variety of stuff in single thread. Anyways, need recommendation on this and I can consider consolidation as well.
As mentioned in the title, does anyone know of any existing gesture applications that mimics the power/fingerprint reader button of the Samsung Galaxy S10e? specifically the swipe down to show the notification panel. I know the xz1c is not a large device and I can certainly reach the top edge one handed, however I think it's still nice to utilize the power button for this or other features.
Sent from my G8441 using Tapatalk
you can try fingerprint scanner apps available on the play store, and use tasker shortcuts to achieve this. the fingerprint scanners are not always reliable though, and need to be removed from doze / battery optimization to work consistently
alternatively, if rooted you can try the Xposed Edge module. I swipe down the side edges of my device to pull the notification bar down, and it works very well
Hi,
The following are few tricks for unrooted stock miui 12. These are somewhat basics and possibly known methods. Please feel free to share your thoughts or share something that hasn't been included.
1. Double tap lock screen on third party launcher
- Install OneKeyLockScreen-signed from https://drive.google.com/file/d/15kfzoSnz6WOSh8KD2LTNT297nEfOPexd/view?usp=drivesdk This is not my work so credits to OP / dev.
- Grant necessary permission
- Set double tap gesture on launcher settings
- Screen will be locked instantly, no 10 seconds waiting time nonsense. Fingerprint unlock works.
You can also use "Button shortcuts" in Settings to turn off (and lock) screen using long press
2. Add media / volume control on quick ball
- Install Media Volume Control from https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.krdevteam.mediavolumecontrol
- Open Quick Ball settings
- Replace one of current shortcuts with "App"
- Select (Media) Volume Control
3. If Quick Ball isn't your cup of tea, you can use "Shortcutter" or "Tiles" to add available shortcuts to quick settings tiles.
4. Add Accessibility Menu to nav bar, as an alternative to Quick Ball
- Go to "Accessibility"
- Turn on "Accessibility Menu"
- It will show up on bottom right corner, comprises of a handful shortcuts including volume panel, toggles etc
- The downside is, it's not one-hand operation friendly.
- On the other hand, if you use Control Center with third party launcher, selecting 'Toggles' will show Control Center.
This particularly useful since swipe down gesture on the right side of home screen will show notifications i/o CC
5. User friendly debloat tool with GUI (executable JAR), credits to dev
https://github.com/Szaki/XiaomiADBFastbootTools
Thnaks man! I love the 3rd one! I was looking for it the first time i got pro!