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I really don't ever see this changing because google will never take control of their product. But over the past few weeks I have been noticing that the only phones people really know about are the iphone and samsung s3. Like if i tell people about what a nexus is and why it's better they just look at me crazy like I'm trying to pitch them and I'm the one out of touch.
Google releases a 300 dollar phone that is hard to order, on half the carriers,lacks storage and LTE and they this is going to work. It makes me sick that touchwiz is the face of android. I wonder how google feels about this.
I don't really care much what stupid people think my phone's awsome, wooohooo
n7'd from my n7
Google releases a 300 dollar phone that is hard to order, on half the carriers,lacks storage and LTE and they this is going to work. It makes me sick that touchwiz is the face of android. I wonder how google feels about this.
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Google is new to the hardware market. Sure, they sold already 4 Nexus devices, but the Nexus One, Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus are developer / nerd / android lover devices and not a device for everyone like the Nexus 4.
Google made mistakes, though. Really bad mistaked. The ordering is bad, no 32 GB Nexus 4, Android 4.2 is bad and create weird issues. I hope a 4.2.1 update will come soon and fix the problems with my Nexus 4 (USB OTG, Random ANRs, Touchscreen Sensivity).
Samsung spent a ton on marketing. They deserve to get some fruit from their labors.
Sent from my HTC Sensation using Tapatalk 2
Remember when HTC was the face of Android? Remember when Sense (not the Windows version) was first unveiled along with the HTC Hero? How about the Evo and it's massive (at the time) 4.3in screen? Samsung being in the spotlight now only pushes the other manufacturers to work harder on their new devices and marketing schemes. The other big Android companies will also get their time to shine at some point, but that's not what the Nexus line is about. The Nexus line is really built for Devs, people like us who frequent XDA, and for Google to set the standard for what OEMs should strive for.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Nope.
Samsung have amazing build quality, some people don't like plastic but the build quality is second to none. The amount of sales and the few returns they have proves this and Apple don't choose Samsung to make the insides of their products because they suck.
Also TouchWiz is great, I don't see why people hate on it so much. Samsung make their phones easy to load new roms, they don't try to stop you from doing it like some. Also when I try to go back to stock Android after using TouchWiz.... I can't because stock Android, even 4.2 is missing so many amazing features. I mean the Note 2's Pen functionality and the PiP and multiple windows is worth TouchWiz alone.
Pointless thread - nothing to do with the Nexus 4
Should be in the Android forum
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
About as much as I care that Microsoft is the face of the operating system market.
The general population can keep using what they want, there is always going to be power users who want to tweak and automate everything they can to work best for them.
I'll happily use my AOSP ROMs and Gentoo while the general population happily uses Touchwiz and Windows.
People need to stop saying that the Nexus line is for developers and geeks. That really hasn't been true for years now. That ended when carriers started selling Nexus branded phones in retail stores and online (pretty much since the Nexus S). The Galaxy Nexus was just some weird "Galaxy S II.5" phone offering the stock experience and the Nexus S was the precursor to the Galaxy S II.
This is the Nexus 4 General forum, for news, tips, guides, howtos, etc relating to LG & Google's Nexus 4.
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No doubt Android L will becoming to the S5 sometime nearer Christmas, but should they ditch touchwiz in favor of a more stock looking android and give you the option to download things you want ie the camera software, or even a touchwiz launcher should you wish to use it.
Basically making it more like how Motorola works with the Moto X ect.
That way those of us that want a more stock looking setup will be happy as we be able to choose what we want to install, plus it would make it alot better when it comes to updates as won't have to wait nearly as long as we have to do now when a new version or update is released.
Should Samsung go this route, i think it make google happy if they did.
ixon2001 said:
No doubt Android L will becoming to the S5 sometime nearer Christmas, but should they ditch touchwiz in favor of a more stock looking android and give you the option to download things you want ie the camera software, or even a touchwiz launcher should you wish to use it.
Basically making it more like how Motorola works with the Moto X ect.
That way those of us that want a more stock looking setup will be happy as we be able to choose what we want to install, plus it would make it alot better when it comes to updates as won't have to wait nearly as long as we have to do now when a new version or update is released.
Should Samsung go this route, i think it make google happy if they did.
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Don`t think thats going to happen i think. They will maybe restyle TW more and make it even flatter and neutral but they will keep adding the features/gimmicks because they think it adds value to android. And thats allright if users only had the option to turn off these features they don`t need that would add real value for most of us.
I don't think Samsung should completely ditch their skin and added software, but they should at least remove some of the useless features and tone it down a little bit. Also a new name would be nice. Touchwiz just sounds awful, I've never been a fan of it.
I come from Sense 5 and I don't dislike touchwiz, it's far better than stock and I don't think Samsung will leave it
As said above as long as you remove it, it's fine. I've always been on Nova Launcher
We must consider Terrain Home as alternative! It's not bad :cyclops:
It won't happen.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
IMHO I like TW. But I've installed solo launcher which is I can switch the launcher anytime.
ixon2001 said:
No doubt Android L will becoming to the S5 sometime nearer Christmas, but should they ditch touchwiz in favor of a more stock looking android and give you the option to download things you want ie the camera software, or even a touchwiz launcher should you wish to use it.
Basically making it more like how Motorola works with the Moto X ect.
That way those of us that want a more stock looking setup will be happy as we be able to choose what we want to install, plus it would make it alot better when it comes to updates as won't have to wait nearly as long as we have to do now when a new version or update is released.
Should Samsung go this route, i think it make google happy if they did.
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Nope, diversity is a good thing a Google stated more than once that it likes what OEMs do with Android.
And no, you can't choose between stock camera and TW camera, "skins" are more like completely different versions of Android.
Plus we all know that what delays updates more is the crap carriers throw on users' heads.
xaznxplaya said:
As said above as long as you remove it, it's fine. I've always been on Nova Launcher
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Touchwiz is not just a launcher though. I think touchwiz gets a rough ride due to its past history. I posted a similar post today. Touchwiz used to be bad back in the days of s1. Now though it's actually quite good. It adds a lot of useful features, a lot of which are what effectively makes an s5 an s5.
Remove it and you just have a glorified Nexus. In my opinion if that's what you want you should juts save money and buy one instead of buying Samsung
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
Goldie said:
Touchwiz is not just a launcher though. I think touchwiz gets a rough ride due to its past history. I posted a similar post today. Touchwiz used to be bad back in the days of s1. Now though it's actually quite good. It adds a lot of useful features, a lot of which are what effectively makes an s5 an s5.
Remove it and you just have a glorified Nexus. In my opinion if that's what you want you should juts save money and buy one instead of buying Samsung
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
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Agreed but TouchWiz is still ugly though
Jonny said:
Agreed but TouchWiz is still ugly though
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The fact that you can't move the app button in the dock kills it for me. I have to resort to a third party launcher to get that functionality.
I hate touchwiz but this is obviously a very subjective subject.
I don't like the colours, or the way it sits heavily on top of what is the fastest, cleanest version of android (AOSP)
I personally don't use any touchwiz features either except from quick glance (which is actually more of a hassle than useful so I might just disable it) however I'm running alliance with all the other bloat disabled. I do however like allshare with the way it connects seamlessly to my (Sony!?) TV and suppose air view can be handy when scrobbing through video.
If stock android included allshare and air view I would be set!
No they shouldn't. It's what makes Samsung devices different from other devices, just like how Sense makes HTC devices different from other devices. If you don't like touchwiz, buy another device or flash another ROM or build your own ROM
---------- Post added at 12:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:49 PM ----------
trevagreene said:
The fact that you can't move the app button in the dock kills it for me. I have to resort to a third party launcher to get that functionality.
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just flash another region's firmware.
Hellscythe said:
No they shouldn't. It's what makes Samsung devices different from other devices, just like how Sense makes HTC devices different from other devices. If you don't like touchwiz, buy another device or flash another ROM or build your own ROM
---------- Post added at 12:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:49 PM ----------
just flash another region's firmware.
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yea, but that only allows the ability to change the icons in the dock, but not the actuall app draw icon in the dock. That is hard locked to the right.
Honestly they should give out the software as a factory thing, but make the stock AOSP available on their website with all the drivers and junk included. That way people who wanted the stock experience could have that, and people who wanted the TW experience could have that. It would honestly be the best of both worlds.
Sparatan117 said:
Honestly they should give out the software as a factory thing, but make the stock AOSP available on their website with all the drivers and junk included. That way people who wanted the stock experience could have that, and people who wanted the TW experience could have that. It would honestly be the best of both worlds.
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But why should they when there are other devices that come with AOSP?
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Because it's your device?
If you're going to sell a device to people, make it so they can do whatever they want with it. Don't tell them " here you go, now you can only do what we want you to do with it" like Apple. That's like saying " you can buy this horse, but you can only ride it with this saddle."... doesn't that seem inherently wrong?
No not when there is a stable full of similar horses with no saddles that people can pay a lot less to go and ride
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Sparatan117 said:
Because it's your device?
If you're going to sell a device to people, make it so they can do whatever they want with it. Don't tell them " here you go, now you can only do what we want you to do with it" like Apple. That's like saying " you can buy this horse, but you can only ride it with this saddle."... doesn't that seem inherently wrong?
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ya but samsung still has to warranty it, what if your custom software breaks the camera and because there are the drivers out there, you think your phone has a problem
samsung would have had to fix a mistake brought upon by yourself and samsung as a company can not do that, they need consistency, something that they can easily fix if its broken with software they know and approve of. its kind of like modifying a car, if you mod a car, you run the risk of losing warranty, if honda were to warranty cars that blew up because they were modified, honda would go out of business, its basically the same thing here
I completely understand why Google did this but one thing I liked about the N5 was how it had features other phones didn't. One big one just went bye-bye. http://gigaom.com/2014/08/01/the-go...ailable-for-almost-all-modern-android-phones/
GNL has been available for other devices for a while now.
The apk has been floating around the web since the N5 was released or shortly there after.
I still think the nexus line of devices are still very unique in that they get the fastest updates and developer support is second to none!
If there is a particular developer's work you like to follow, make sure to support him/her to show them your appreciation! :thumbup:
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk 2
Agreed with giant22000. N5 is best
peach007 said:
Agreed with giant22000. N5 is best
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Don't get me wrong, I love the N5 and have been nothing but pleased with it since I got mine. I liked the fact that I had a launcher that others did not and could not have without going out of the way to get it. Now it is much easier to install for users and I would expect it to pop up more in the wild than previously seen.
pistl_pete said:
Don't get me wrong, I love the N5 and have been nothing but pleased with it since I got mine. I liked the fact that I had a launcher that others did not and could not have without going out of the way to get it. Now it is much easier to install for users and I would expect it to pop up more in the wild than previously seen.
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I felt like that with the new google camera. I thought they were just going to update it for the N5 but they ended up releasing it for a lot of phones. However, maybe that will speed up new updates for it since it's not just for one phone.
PsychDrummer said:
I felt like that with the new google camera. I thought they were just going to update it for the N5 but they ended up releasing it for a lot of phones. However, maybe that will speed up new updates for it since it's not just for one phone.
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Only the Nexus 5 can use "HDR+" (HDR isn't anywhere near the same as "HDR+"), which is closed source (and also limited to Google Camera).
This has been available for a while now. I was running it on my Galaxy Nexus back in the day and, when it hit Google Play, many GPE devices were able to install it too. Now it’s even available on a lowly iPhone (some more detail at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Now).
I'll file this thread under "slow news day."
Honestly I hardly ever used the GNL
Lethargy said:
Only the Nexus 5 can use "HDR+" (HDR isn't anywhere near the same as "HDR+"), which is closed source (and also limited to Google Camera).
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Yeah good point. I mean I'm over it now lol. I remember being a bit upset about the lens blur. Even though a lot of cameras have that feature already.
The launcher is by far the furthest thing from making the Nexus 5 what it is.
TheLastSidekick said:
The launcher is by far the furthest thing from making the Nexus 5 what it is.
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This. I actually don't like it at all. Nova all the way.
I hated the exclusive feature of GEL or GNL whatever it's called. Let it be open to all(without side loading)
Why are you upset that others have the option of the launcher ... Sorry but that seems childish
O.T. Less unique is also impossible. Something is either unique or not. There is no halfway.
You bought a phone with unlimited customization capabilities and you whine that the stock launcher for it, the phone that is the DEVELOPMENT device, for the entire Android ecosystem, has been made available to other Android devices?
First World Privilege Problems?
Kids these days...
The nexus series is always unique as it always gets the latest & the greatest android. Google had no plan of making the launcher a nexus 5 only thing. Even in the worst case, I'm sure Google would have at least supported the launcher on the older nexus phones officially. All of it was a part of Google's plan. First they saw how people received the launcher on the nexus 5. Following all the hype, they eventually made it available to all the devices out there.
Remember, Google's primary aim is to make all of its services available to all of its users. That's why they built android. They used android to reach their users & to make their services available to them easily & efficiently.
This really only applies to most of us that mod or like to customize our phones. IMO those people probably already use GOOGLE NOW Launcher anyways on whatever custom ROM they are running. I really dont see how this makes the phone less unique. Apps are not unique, the actual phone is what makes it unique than other phones on the market.
my 2 cents
Recently moved to the N6 and one of the things I really miss is Samsung's Kies Air application.
Are there any work arounds to make it work on the Google Nexus 6? I've installed it and it knows this is not a Samsung phone. Wondering if there might not be a way to trick it?
I'm currently testing AirDroid but it is just not at nice. I do not need to use a PC client with it, I just connect via web browsers.
Thanks for any info!
Samsung kies is proprietary software to Samsung. So no you won't ever see it on the nexus.
What are you looking for exactly? You mention air droid but then you don't mention anything further than that.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
I just prefer the Kies software. I like the layout etc. I mostly use it for texting, checking call logs, transferring files etc. It's a nice all in one solution.
Also yes I know it's proprietary Samsung software, hence why I asked if there was a workaround, hack or tweak. I've seen other proprietary apps that have been modified before to work on all carriers or all versions of android on any brand of phone before etc so I thought maybe someone knew of a work around for Kies.
Oh so you're looking for a app that could do the same. Pushbullet is a good alternative but isn't as feature packed.
And no, there isn't a way to get Samsung kies on nexus. It's proprietary software and requires work to be done on the device side and the computer side. People here on nexus devices tend to despise anything proprietary to companies as nexus users prefer aosp and open source.
Companies make their proprietary software exclusive to their own devices to make people come back or stay.
Find alternatives on the play store is your only choice if you wish to stay with the nexus.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
MightyText has a nice UI
Hello, just wondering what I can do to get my snapdragon note as close to stock android as possible. I've changed the launcher, but I'm not aware of many other things to do to the phone - there aren't a huge amount of custom ROMs available yet, and changing the skin only goes so far. Is there anything I can do to essentially remove touchwiz and move away from samsung's UI?
You bought a Samsung phone, now you want a stock android experience... Buy a Google pixel !
Sent from my Galaxy Note8 using XDA Labs
if Samsung had done the hardware for a pixel phone, that would have been an easy buy - I'd just rather have a phone with basically no hardware drawbacks and hope I can change the software rather than have some things I dislike that I can't change. It'd be wonderful to own both phones but each's price tag makes having both a bit difficult
devoi- said:
if Samsung had done the hardware for a pixel phone, that would have been an easy buy - I'd just rather have a phone with basically no hardware drawbacks and hope I can change the software rather than have some things I dislike that I can't change. It'd be wonderful to own both phones but each's price tag makes having both a bit difficult
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What is it that you don't seem to like with TouchWiz? What is missing from what is provided in Pixel2? What is the bloat that you are seeing? Is there any lag?
myechophone said:
What is it that you don't seem to like with TouchWiz? What is missing from what is provided in Pixel2? What is the bloat that you are seeing? Is there any lag?
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It's not bad software and it's not missing anything - I just prefer the look and feel of the stock Android software without any non-changeable skin. Samsung did a lot of things right with TouchWiz, but I just prefer the look of Google's android without just feeling bloated by a lot of Samsung apps just sitting around without use (there's no noticeable lag, I might just be a purist). While not a big issue, I absolutely hate the font experience, given that there's no way to get something like Roboto and Product Sans onto this thing.
There are ways through theming and porting apps but personally, after doing that, I missed the Samsung experience and went back.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
devoi- said:
Hello, just wondering what I can do to get my snapdragon note as close to stock android as possible. I've changed the launcher, but I'm not aware of many other things to do to the phone - there aren't a huge amount of custom ROMs available yet, and changing the skin only goes so far. Is there anything I can do to essentially remove touchwiz and move away from samsung's UI?
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Click to collapse
Ignore everyone saying 'why didn't you buy a Pixel'...silly and unhelpful comments that completely miss the point of your question lol... I understand why you would prefer the Note 8 hardware . So ignore the kiddie responses and instead refer to this guide which gives a pretty good outline of what you are looking for: https://www.howtogeek.com/258120/how-to-make-the-samsung-galaxy-s7-feel-more-like-stock-android/
If you want a stock experience you should take your phone back and get a pixel or something else but hey what do I know
Stock is missing many useful features.
It's bland and boring.
It has been very slowly stealing other OEM good ideas so it's a little better than a few years ago but I still can't use it on my main phone.
Tablet I rarely use is fine.
BK Disabler, and Pixel launcher.
Sent from my SM-N950U using XDA-Developers Legacy app