Database Develop

Very 1st Things to do After Activation?

Hi everyone, just got my N3 last night and I am pretty excited about it.
I am a long time Mac Rumors member and my past phones have been ...... JB 3g, JB 3gs, JB 4, JB 4s
I am very upset with the tiny screens on my iphones and I refuse to wait another year for the 6 to come out.
So now I am a 1st time Android user and what to really check out the Android scene.
What are the first things I should do with the phone, what should I install right away? (different keyboards, apps, etc)
Is there a thread around here with tutes instructing how to transfer my contacts etc?
I surely will appreciate all replies, so thanks in advance. I really wanna get the very MOST out of this device.
edit: does Google Play offer any rebates/coupons/freebies for newly purchased devices?

Hey I would use smart switch to get your things from iPhone to your new phone but that is after you have it activated
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app

XiphoneUzer said:
Hi everyone, just got my N3 last night and I am pretty excited about it.
I am a long time Mac Rumors member and my past phones have been ...... JB 3g, JB 3gs, JB 4, JB 4s
I am very upset with the tiny screens on my iphones and I refuse to wait another year for the 6 to come out.
So now I am a 1st time Android user and what to really check out the Android scene.
My N3 arrived Wednesday evening, and it's STILL not activated, (and its killing me).
The reason being, I wanna know if there is anything I should do BEFORE I call ATT and activate it.
(I do NOT want to close any windows, so is there is anything you folks recommend I do before I activate it)?
Once activated, what are the first things I should do with the phone, what should I install right away?
Is there a thread around here with tutes instructing how to transfer my contacts etc?
I surely will appreciate all replies, so thanks in advance. I really wanna get the very MOST out of this device.
edit: does Google Play offer any rebates/coupons/freebies for newly purchased devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean by call ATT and activate it? All you have to do is put your SIM card in and it is ready to go with a few account setups. After that it is up to you except for rooting and modding. Cant be done right now without voiding your warranty.

First thing you do is scratch off the att emblem since they locked the bootloader
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

XiphoneUzer said:
Once activated, what are the first things I should do with the phone, what should I install right away?
Is there a thread around here with tutes instructing how to transfer my contacts etc?
I surely will appreciate all replies, so thanks in advance. I really wanna get the very MOST out of this device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello?
Looking for some help here. This keyboard is way different than iphone, is it something you get used to, or should I install something else?
Please tell me what are some of the things I should change/install right away, (there's got to be some "must haves" no?)

XiphoneUzer said:
Hello?
Looking for some help here. This keyboard is way different than iphone, is it something you get used to, or should I install something else?
Please tell me what are some of the things I should change/install right away, (there's got to be some "must haves" no?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the keyboard, i prefer the google keyboard over the samsung one. It provides functionality similar to the iphone and is easy to switch between the iphone and android if you use them both in daily life.
As for apps, here is a small list of apps i like to have on all of my devices.
GOOGLE CHROME. Its much better than the built in browser and is able to synchronize with my desktop browsers favorites, etc.
Skype: Perfect for if you are travelling over seas at all with your device.
Google Hangouts: A good replacement for the built in SMS app.
Facebook & Twitter: If you need an explanation, you shouldn't be useing these apps.
Battery Doctor by KS Mobile: Simple app, but is helpful to save battery life and know exactly how much you have left.
Google Music: I have most of my library stored on google so it makes my life easy to have this.
Google Books: The book equivalent of my music library. Syncronizes what i have read across devices and browsers.
Kindle for Android: For the ebooks you buy on amazon.
Google Keep: Great for taking quick notes and having them on all your devices.
Dropbox: Great cloud file storage. Comes with free storage and you can pay to get more.
Google Drive: Google version of dropbox.
MX Player: This video player will play any video format you throw at it.
Google Maps: A must have for all smartphone users.
Zedge: While its quality has gone down a fair bit from what it once was, its still a great place to find ringtones and notification sounds for your android device.
GPS Status: Great for calibrating your devices sensors and ensuring that it works properly.
Now for the ROOT ONLY apps.
Titanium backup
SuperSU
Triangle Away
Hopefully this is a useful list to get you started. I have all these plus many more installed on my devices, and I find I use them all fairly regularly.

djdelusional said:
Skype: Perfect for if you are travelling over seas at all with your device.
Google Hangouts: A good replacement for the built in SMS app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I prefer Hangouts to Skype because Hangouts features free video multi-chat.
But I use Google Voice for SMS because it provides free unlimited texting. Hangouts insists on using the phone's native number rather than your Google Voice number, so you have to pay extra for a text plan or for individual messages.

Doesn't anyone else have any advice for a first time Android user?

XiphoneUzer said:
Doesn't anyone else have any advice for a first time Android user?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your new to android I'd stay away from root for a while.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I467 using Tapatalk 4

XiphoneUzer said:
Hello?
Looking for some help here. This keyboard is way different than iphone, is it something you get used to, or should I install something else?
Please tell me what are some of the things I should change/install right away, (there's got to be some "must haves" no?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel like for every-day typical phone use cases, there aren't that many gaps that stand out as needing to be filled by a third party app. You'll probably need a new music player, the defaults are crapola - but I can't be much help here; I keep my music as folders full of MP3 files (like God intended!) and play with Music Folder Player, and shun the dirty S&M ("sync and manage") apps.
There's a big list of stuff that I did when I first got the phone to get it to where I'm happy with it, but all of this was root required stuff. There are apps that come pre-loaded on android devices and can't be removed or disabled without root. Also, customizing stuff that can't be customized without root. I couldn't abide by some of the not-changable-without-root defaults. Getting rid of the "screen turns on so you can unlock it when you hit the home key" behavior is probably the most glaring example for me; my ass* was unlocking it constantly - but coming from iPhone, you probably view that as the Right Thing for home button to do.
I think most people use a custom keyboard. Swiftkey and Swype are the most popular. The phone comes with Swype, but it's an ancient version with limited support for changing the dictionary, you want the newest one.
I use Hangouts for gchat, but not for SMS. I actually prefer default app for SMS..
Settings:
Pull down status bar, long press on wifi, WiFi -> menu -> advanced settings, uncheck auto connect to AT&T hotspots (unless they don't suck where you are. Around here, they often don't have internet behind them, and just break your connectivity for the 30 seconds or so it takes for the phone to connect to them, determine that the wifi is no good, and fall back to 4G. At least this phone does that; Original note would just sit there like a fool trying to use non-functional wifi... I've also yet to find a hotspot that performs better than the 4G does. But I live in a city, so the situation may be different elsewhere).
Pull down status bar, long press on GPS. Uncheck "Use wireless networks" - on newer versions of android, this drains battery while idle; the damned thing wakes the phone periodically to check the networks around it - if the phone is nearly idle, this can halve battery life (!!!)
Pull down status bar, swipe to the left along the options at the top (woah, did you know you could do that?), tap multiwindow to enable multiwindow (this was a headline feature for the note 3, but comes disabled by default). If I long-press back button, that makes the multiwindow tab hide or unhide (once it's enabled), but I don't remember if I had to do something to get this behavior.
General must-have things:
AppOps Starter (to kill permissions from apps that request permissions you don't want to give them)
Battery Monitor Widget (gives you a realtime readout of battery usage)
ES File Explorer
If you want to pretty-ize clock + weather widgets:
DigiClock
Eye in Sky
If you work in IT or have need of these (if you aren't sure what these mean, you don't need them ):
ConnectBot (telnet/ssh client)
AndFTP (ftp/sftp client, supports scp if you pay)
RDP Client (remote desktop and VNC client)
FEAT VPN (OpenVPN client)
Hacker's Keyboard (you'll tear your hair out trying to use swype/swiftkey for terminal sessions or RDP)
If you want to root the phone:
Root it, then immediately install titanium backup and "freeze" AT&T software update, so it won't update your phone (breaking root) while you're not looking
Titanium Backup - freeze all the useless bloatware that AT&T and Samsung included (there's a list of what apps you can freeze here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmzC8GFarItSdGpOZzBfWlR4MC03aDMyZ1BDUFNqU0E - not my work)
Root Explorer
Pen Window Manager for adding apps to the pen window feature
Xposed Framework
Wanam - general huge amount of customization, including selecting apps for multiwindow.
Keyboard Manager (almost a necessity if you use ConnectBot/RDP frequently - keyboards designed for messaging and such are garbage for doing administration of non-phone systems, while hacker's keyboard is garbage for messaging and everyday phone stuff)
Terminal Emulator (gives you a command prompt on phone. Doesn't require root, but there are very few use cases for terminal on android that don't also need root)
*Well, I keep it in my front pocket, so technically it wasn't my /ass/ unlocking the phone....

Considering Note 8, Coming From Google Ecosystem, Have a Few Q's

Hi Everyone,
I currently have the Huawei Nexus 6P and have been using the Google ecosystem (mainly Google Assistant, Google Drive and Google Keep) and have a few questions.
- I use Google Keep on my 6P and also my MacBook to take notes and they sync without problems. Can Samsung Note also work on my Mac and also offer the same synchronizing experience?
- Pretty much, I want to stay within the Google ecosystem as much as possible and the stock Android experience.... I don't want to switch to Samsung's ecosystem (or even their cloud) ... Is there a way to do so with Note 8?
- Bixby has its own screen when you swipe to the left. Is there a way to disable this and replace it with Google Assistant?
- Is there a way to completely disable Bixby if needed?
- Is there a way to get rid of the Touchwiz experience and replace it with stock Nougat theme?
Thank guys, it's a beautiful phone and winning me over the Pixel 2 XL.

boba7523 said:
I currently have the Huawei Nexus 6P and have been using the Google ecosystem (mainly Google Assistant, Google Drive and Google Keep) and have a few questions.
- I use Google Keep on my 6P and also my MacBook to take notes and they sync without problems. Can Samsung Note also work on my Mac and also offer the same synchronizing experience?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't use Samsung Note so I can't comment on that, but there is no reason why you can't continue using Google Keep. It's what I've always used, no matter what phone I have.
- Pretty much, I want to stay within the Google ecosystem as much as possible and the stock Android experience.... I don't want to switch to Samsung's ecosystem (or even their cloud) ... Is there a way to do so with Note 8?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You still will be within the Google ecoystem and can continue using Android the way you always have. No need to start using any of Samsung's services.
- Bixby has its own screen when you swipe to the left. Is there a way to disable this and replace it with Google Assistant?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think so but I could be wrong. Maybe with the Google launcher? Someone else might have to answer this.
- Is there a way to completely disable Bixby if needed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. I have bixby disabled and have even remapped the dedicated bixby button to bring up Google Assistant with a long press and the flashlight with a double tap. There's an app called BX Actions that makes it easy to do.
- Is there a way to get rid of the Touchwiz experience and replace it with stock Nougat theme?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's ways to get it close but not exact. Install the Google launcher from the play store, download one of the many stock-ish themes from the theme store, install icon packs, etc... You'll get used to any remaining small differences. My last phone was stock Android and it took a bit for the Note 8's UI to grow on me but it has. I really like the way it looks with the theme I'm using.
The Note 8 is a truly amazing device. You won't be disappointed.

If you don't want the Samsung experience , why not get a Pixel 2 XL or a lg V30? Is there a specific need that the Note satisfies? Pixel will be a vanilla android experience for sure. Seems it would be easier to stay on the Google phones if that's what you are used to.
Sent from my Galaxy Note8 using XDA Labs

_MetalHead_ said:
I don't use Samsung Note so I can't comment on that, but there is no reason why you can't continue using Google Keep. It's what I've always used, no matter what phone I have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply.
Is the s pen fully compatible with Google Keep though? And for off screen memo, is that a separate app or is that Samsung Note?
And also, when I pull out the S Pen, can I configure it to open Google Keep instead of Samsung Note?
Ideally, I'd like all the note taking stuff (including off screen memo) to be under one notes app, which is Google Keep. I just don't want to use so many apps just for note taking and having to share it to my email or something in order to view it on my Macbook... I want to be able to work on the notes on my GN8 and finish them off on my Macbook.

_MetalHead_ said:
I don't use Samsung Note so I can't comment on that, but there is no reason why you can't continue using Google Keep. It's what I've always used, no matter what phone I have.
You still will be within the Google ecoystem and can continue using Android the way you always have. No need to start using any of Samsung's services.
I don't think so but I could be wrong. Maybe with the Google launcher? Someone else might have to answer this.
Yes. I have bixby disabled and have even remapped the dedicated bixby button to bring up Google Assistant with a long press and the flashlight with a double tap. There's an app called BX Actions that makes it easy to do.
There's ways to get it close but not exact. Install the Google launcher from the play store, download one of the many stock-ish themes from the theme store, install icon packs, etc... You'll get used to any remaining small differences. My last phone was stock Android and it took a bit for the Note 8's UI to grow on me but it has. I really like the way it looks with the theme I'm using.
The Note 8 is a truly amazing device. You won't be disappointed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nuclearrage said:
If you don't want the Samsung experience , why not get a Pixel 2 XL or a lg V30? Is there a specific need that the Note satisfies? Pixel will be a vanilla android experience for sure. Seems it would be easier to stay on the Google phones if that's what you are used to.
Sent from my Galaxy Note8 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a Note 2 way back in the day and loved it for its uniqueness. This was back when the Android UI was just butt ugly. My Note 2 had a bunch of bloatware from AT&T and also Samsung, and TouchWiz was horrific.
That deterred me from even consider any of the Note series phones...... Until recently.
I was very excited about the Pixel 2 XL and even pre-ordered it... But excitement quickly died down because of the price and features I'm getting out of it...
Both phones are around the same price, but the GN8 has the S Pen, BEAUTIFUL screen, and a larger display.
If there was a perfect phone for me, it'd be stock Android experience with GN8's beautiful infinity display and display size.

boba7523 said:
I had a Note 2 way back in the day and loved it for its uniqueness. This was back when the Android UI was just butt ugly. My Note 2 had a bunch of bloatware from AT&T and also Samsung, and TouchWiz was horrific.
That deterred me from even consider any of the Note series phones...... Until recently.
I was very excited about the Pixel 2 XL and even pre-ordered it... But excitement quickly died down because of the price and features I'm getting out of it...
Both phones are around the same price, but the GN8 has the S Pen, BEAUTIFUL screen, and a larger display.
If there was a perfect phone for me, it'd be stock Android experience with GN8's beautiful infinity display and display size.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You wont be able to get s-pen functionality on keep. Samsung notes is pretty awesome though. To be honest Samsung it a pretty full fledged ecosystem all its own so your concerns are legitimate. There will be compromises. I would suggest buying it and trying it out within the 15 day return policy time and if it doesn't gel just grab the pixel xl 2.

I don't use any of Samsung's services and not using them in no way impacts the google experience, the phone is Android, all it's services work just as expected in the same way they work on any Android phone. Samsung has greatly improved their apps making them worth a look if you're of a mind. I find I like the dialer better than Googles for instance, the calendar less, and so on.
I also use Keep but use Samsung notes as well. It's not quite as wacky as you might think. Long term notes and a few I share with Mrs crab go into keep. Shorter term stuff I do in Samsung. For example take a shopping list. I'll do this by writing on the AOD, minimize it, and later on when I get to the store maximize it. Then my list is up without even turning the phone on. When I'm done I double tap the garbage can and it's gone. Longer term stuff that will often be more typing I simply open Keep and go that way. This works out pretty well because where Samsung notes and the S-pen really excel in comparison to Keep is at jotting down something quickly with the pen which in turn tends to be things you will use quickly and discard. On the other hand keep has more options that can be leveraged and make it the long term choice. The end result is that you spread the workload out using Samsung notes for one thing, Keep for another.

boba7523 said:
Hi Everyone,
I currently have the Huawei Nexus 6P and have been using the Google ecosystem (mainly Google Assistant, Google Drive and Google Keep) and have a few questions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While I am not completely in Apple or even Google's ecosystem (I see myself somewhere in the middle of a Venn diagram between those and a number of others), I may try to suggest some things.
boba7523 said:
I use Google Keep on my 6P and also my MacBook to take notes and they sync without problems. Can Samsung Note also work on my Mac and also offer the same synchronizing experience?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While I personally prefer using Evernote Plus, what I can say for what you sad is a no. Samsung Notes can only sync with a Samsung account, and is only available on Galaxy phones. Your best bet would to install SideSync on both your phone and laptop, and use your phone on your laptop.
I do use Samsung Notes, but primarily for the "screen off memo" feature.
Even then, I understand why some people don't use Evernote, because they used to allow unlimited devices for free, but later increased that limit to up to 2 devices for free, which means I'm stuck paying for a Plus subscription if I actually want to use the service.
Also, go to the full editor here on XDA, if you want to use other markup features like the bullet points, instead of hyphens. I corrected that for you.
boba7523 said:
Pretty much, I want to stay within the Google ecosystem as much as possible and the stock Android experience.... I don't want to switch to Samsung's ecosystem (or even their cloud) ... Is there a way to do so with Note 8?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I do use some of Samsung's services, but mainly because I also have a Galaxy Tab A.
(Yes, 2 out of my 3 Androids are Samsung devices, both on stock software)
Even then, if you want to get the closest to stock Android while staying on the stock Samsung Experience* software, I'll link to what I use.
This theme, (though I wish it would theme the Android "DeviceDefault" theme, but it doesn't). There's also another theme called "Pixel UI", but there are many variants of that. I don't use that or Samsung's default theme because I'm not a fan of unified icon shapes, and I'm also not a fan of ultra-white UIs.
"Navbar Apps" (to force the navigation bar to be black, instead of Samsung's white)
Nova Launcher (but I'm sure there would be something more suited to you, like "Lawnchair")
A bunch of apps from the Play Store that are published by Google themselves. Not counting the Google apps already installed as part of Google Play Services, I only have Gboard, Google Calendar, and Clock. (For other apps, I am already using non-Google apps, such as QuickPic (in addition to the stock Samsung gallery), and Pale Moon + Firefox Focus (web browsers))
*It was called TouchWiz, but with the release of 8.0 on the Galaxy S8, Samsung renamed it to "Samsung Experience". Even then, they have improved since TouchWiz Nature UX 3.5 on my Galaxy Note3 I used to have years ago.
boba7523 said:
Bixby has its own screen when you swipe to the left. Is there a way to disable this and replace it with Google Assistant?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is only in the stock Samsung launcher, which I don't use, because it's a little hard to use, has wasted screen real estate (in my opinion), and I'm also more of a stock Android person, but by that I mean stuff like LineageOS, rather than Google Nexus and Pixel devices.
I use Nova Launcher Prime instead. Even if you use Samsung's own launcher, Bixby Home can be disabled, but can't be replaced with the Google app.
The only real downside of not using Samsung's launcher on their phones, besides Bixby Home, is the fact that the fancy Weather widget can only be used within their launcher. I haven't had time to buy this from the Play Store, but I'm sure I can just add a clone of the Samsung weather widget, and have that be linked to open the Samsung weather app, assuming the setting to add the icon to the launcher is enabled.
boba7523 said:
Is there a way to completely disable Bixby if needed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't need to answer that, because MetalHead had already done so.
Even then, I do use Bixby, but only because I don't use Google Assistant due to privacy concerns. (This is actually in contradiction to me completely ignoring S Voice on my Note3)
boba7523 said:
Is there a way to get rid of the Touchwiz experience and replace it with stock Nougat theme?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bad news: You would have to root the phone, install a custom recovery, and a custom ROM based on stock Android, which gives you a number of consequences, including, but not limited to:
Voided warranty
Samsung Knox security killed off, which means you would never be able to use its features, including Samsung Pay
A number of Samsung features won't work in ROMs based on stock Android (at least on my Note3 many years ago)
Battery charging only up to 80% (based on some rumours I read)
boba7523 said:
Thank guys, it's a beautiful phone and winning me over the Pixel 2 XL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
---------- Post added 23rd October 2017 at 12:02 AM ---------- Previous post was 22nd October 2017 at 11:45 PM ----------
Oh! I forgot to mention something! My customisations unfortunately can't cover up the really hard to read Samsung emoji font.
Gee, I wish I had the right contacts to start a petition against Samsung's mobile device division, asking them to give users the option to use stock Android emoji, and also to use free fonts as UI fonts (instead of being restricted to Monotype's ecosystem for the font choices).

krabman said:
I don't use any of Samsung's services and not using them in no way impacts the google experience, the phone is Android, all it's services work just as expected in the same way they work on any Android phone. Samsung has greatly improved their apps making them worth a look if you're of a mind. I find I like the dialer better than Googles for instance, the calendar less, and so on.
I also use Keep but use Samsung notes as well. It's not quite as wacky as you might think. Long term notes and a few I share with Mrs crab go into keep. Shorter term stuff I do in Samsung. For example take a shopping list. I'll do this by writing on the AOD, minimize it, and later on when I get to the store maximize it. Then my list is up without even turning the phone on. When I'm done I double tap the garbage can and it's gone. Longer term stuff that will often be more typing I simply open Keep and go that way. This works out pretty well because where Samsung notes and the S-pen really excel in comparison to Keep is at jotting down something quickly with the pen which in turn tends to be things you will use quickly and discard. On the other hand keep has more options that can be leveraged and make it the long term choice. The end result is that you spread the workload out using Samsung notes for one thing, Keep for another.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Have you attempted to just do everything on the Samsung Note? Do you know if there's a way to use Samsung Notes on my Macbook (or any OS in general) and have it auto save to Google Drive? Trying to keep my workflow continuous..

krabman said:
I don't use any of Samsung's services and not using them in no way impacts the google experience, the phone is Android, all it's services work just as expected in the same way they work on any Android phone. Samsung has greatly improved their apps making them worth a look if you're of a mind. I find I like the dialer better than Googles for instance, the calendar less, and so on.
I also use Keep but use Samsung notes as well. It's not quite as wacky as you might think. Long term notes and a few I share with Mrs crab go into keep. Shorter term stuff I do in Samsung. For example take a shopping list. I'll do this by writing on the AOD, minimize it, and later on when I get to the store maximize it. Then my list is up without even turning the phone on. When I'm done I double tap the garbage can and it's gone. Longer term stuff that will often be more typing I simply open Keep and go that way. This works out pretty well because where Samsung notes and the S-pen really excel in comparison to Keep is at jotting down something quickly with the pen which in turn tends to be things you will use quickly and discard. On the other hand keep has more options that can be leveraged and make it the long term choice. The end result is that you spread the workload out using Samsung notes for one thing, Keep for another.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
kbhasi said:
While I am not completely in Apple or even Google's ecosystem (I see myself somewhere in the middle of a Venn diagram between those and a number of others), I may try to suggest some things.
While I personally prefer using Evernote Plus, what I can say for what you sad is a no. Samsung Notes can only sync with a Samsung account, and is only available on Galaxy phones. Your best bet would to install SideSync on both your phone and laptop, and use your phone on your laptop.
I do use Samsung Notes, but primarily for the "screen off memo" feature.
Even then, I understand why some people don't use Evernote, because they used to allow unlimited devices for free, but later increased that limit to up to 2 devices for free, which means I'm stuck paying for a Plus subscription if I actually want to use the service.
Also, go to the full editor here on XDA, if you want to use other markup features like the bullet points, instead of hyphens. I corrected that for you.
Well, I do use some of Samsung's services, but mainly because I also have a Galaxy Tab A.
(Yes, 2 out of my 3 Androids are Samsung devices, both on stock software)
Even then, if you want to get the closest to stock Android while staying on the stock Samsung Experience* software, I'll link to what I use.
This theme, (though I wish it would theme the Android "DeviceDefault" theme, but it doesn't). There's also another theme called "Pixel UI", but there are many variants of that. I don't use that or Samsung's default theme because I'm not a fan of unified icon shapes, and I'm also not a fan of ultra-white UIs.
"Navbar Apps" (to force the navigation bar to be black, instead of Samsung's white)
Nova Launcher (but I'm sure there would be something more suited to you, like "Lawnchair")
A bunch of apps from the Play Store that are published by Google themselves. Not counting the Google apps already installed as part of Google Play Services, I only have Gboard, Google Calendar, and Clock. (For other apps, I am already using non-Google apps, such as QuickPic (in addition to the stock Samsung gallery), and Pale Moon + Firefox Focus (web browsers))
*It was called TouchWiz, but with the release of 8.0 on the Galaxy S8, Samsung renamed it to "Samsung Experience". Even then, they have improved since TouchWiz Nature UX 3.5 on my Galaxy Note3 I used to have years ago.
That is only in the stock Samsung launcher, which I don't use, because it's a little hard to use, has wasted screen real estate (in my opinion), and I'm also more of a stock Android person, but by that I mean stuff like LineageOS, rather than Google Nexus and Pixel devices.
I use Nova Launcher Prime instead. Even if you use Samsung's own launcher, Bixby Home can be disabled, but can't be replaced with the Google app.
The only real downside of not using Samsung's launcher on their phones, besides Bixby Home, is the fact that the fancy Weather widget can only be used within their launcher. I haven't had time to buy this from the Play Store, but I'm sure I can just add a clone of the Samsung weather widget, and have that be linked to open the Samsung weather app, assuming the setting to add the icon to the launcher is enabled.
I don't need to answer that, because MetalHead had already done so.
Even then, I do use Bixby, but only because I don't use Google Assistant due to privacy concerns. (This is actually in contradiction to me completely ignoring S Voice on my Note3)
Bad news: You would have to root the phone, install a custom recovery, and a custom ROM based on stock Android, which gives you a number of consequences, including, but not limited to:
Voided warranty
Samsung Knox security killed off, which means you would never be able to use its features, including Samsung Pay
A number of Samsung features won't work in ROMs based on stock Android (at least on my Note3 many years ago)
Battery charging only up to 80% (based on some rumours I read)
---------- Post added 23rd October 2017 at 12:02 AM ---------- Previous post was 22nd October 2017 at 11:45 PM ----------
Oh! I forgot to mention something! My customisations unfortunately can't cover up the really hard to read Samsung emoji font.
Gee, I wish I had the right contacts to start a petition against Samsung's mobile device division, asking them to give users the option to use stock Android emoji, and also to use free fonts as UI fonts (instead of being restricted to Monotype's ecosystem for the font choices).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your thorough reply, I appreciate it.
So there's no way to have the Google Now cards (I think that's what they're called) to be on its own screen kind of like how the 6P and Pixels have them? I was hoping I can replace Bixby's card screen with Google Now.

boba7523 said:
So there's no way to have the Google Now cards (I think that's what they're called) to be on its own screen kind of like how the 6P and Pixels have them? I was hoping I can replace Bixby's card screen with Google Now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could, if you do not use the stock Samsung launcher.
I think Nova Launcher has an extension to have Google Now in there, but I think that's only in the upcoming 5.5 version. I think Lawnchair is also the only the only other launcher to support that, but I can't remember.
Another way is to sideload the Pixel Launcher, but some features don't work unless it's installed as a system app, which requires the phone be rooted, but again, that results in the consequences I stated.

boba7523 said:
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Have you attempted to just do everything on the Samsung Note? Do you know if there's a way to use Samsung Notes on my Macbook (or any OS in general) and have it auto save to Google Drive? Trying to keep my workflow continuous..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it's not something I've tried. Maybe someone else can chime in on that. Keep does the things I do with it seamlessly, I've no reason to change for the sake of change. There is also the question of going back. Who knows what my next phone will be and I've gone back and forth frequently between various Sammy devices, Nexus, Pixel, and a smattering of others. I've found that getting into Samsung is easier than getting out of Samsung whereas the Google services just work across the board. As I said the killer feature of the Note for me is the S-pen. I use it at work to annotate pictures with dimensions and so on and in general use it's excellent for that quick throwaway note jotted down with the pen. The ability to pin to AOD makes the feature a standout for things like shopping lists that can be used from the AOD. For me it is an excellent augment to Keep used in that way because it gives me the use it's best for and leaves the majority of my data in Keep where it will be no matter what device I move to next.
I use Action Launcher, probably the most underrated launcher in the business and one that allows you to set up a swipe to Now screen if you wish. I find it's easier just to have a shortcut set for google as this allows the swipe left to access a widget screen. Another widget screen to the right and you've got all the widgets up most people will need. With AL you can then set up the dock in pages and bury multiple shortcuts under covers. Almost everything I do is directly underneath the main shortcuts in the dock and accessible with a swipe. The ability to set shortcuts that can open the widget or app depending on what you want is a bonus. I could go on for a while but can sum it up in that I was a die hard Nova man but would never consider going back, the covers feature is a killer one that takes a little time to fully get because its quite powerful and creates many options you never had before.

So there is no way to get the S-Pen to activate Google Keep instead of Samsung Note?

There are a lot of good responses in this thread. I have Pixel, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2XL phones, in addition to Galaxy S6, S7, S8 and Note 8 (and a few older devices like Nexus 5x/6P and samsung Note 5/S6 Edige Plus, and older..)...
I basically install a few apps from the Play Store that are not pre-installed...
Google Drive
Google Photos
Google Docs
Google Calendar
Gboard The Google Keyboard
Google Maps
Contacts
Android Messages (I use this for SMS/MMS instead of Verizon’s Messages+ or the Stock Samsung Messages app)
Hangouts
Google Cloud Print
Calculator
A few extra I get and install to make my Galaxy S7/S8/Note 8 more “Nexus/Pixel” Like. These are NOT from the play store, so you have to allow 3rd party installs, and “side load” these (download to your phone, use a file manager to visit your downloads, and tap the APK file, and let it install)....
Rootless Pixel Launcher (gives you the Pixel launcher, rather than Samsung’s TouchWiz UI) I use the 2.1 version.
Patched Google Phone (gives you the same phone app used on the Nexus/Pixel phones). NOTE: I use 12.0.167196395 which is no longer listed in the thread's OP, but the APK is in the thread... I haven’t tried the newest one yet.
Instead of using the Rootless Pixel Launcher, you could use either of the following...
Google Now Launcher
Rootless Pixel 2 launcher
Because I use Verizon branded Samsungs, there is some bloat I disable... (have to view system apps to see a few of these so they can be disabled).
Caller Name ID
Cloud
DT Ignite (re-check this one after each android update, as the android/phone updates might re-enable it)
Hancom Office Editor
Message+ (Unles you’d rather use this for SMS/MMS Messages. I use a different app for SMS/MMS messages)
Support & Protection

Look at an old app called Note Buddy. Might have some useful features for the SPen. (haven't used it since Note 3)

Huawei Mate 20 Pro - The most beautiful, disappointing phone I have ever owned

Hello all.

Some context: I recently purchased the Huawei Mate 20 Pro because I had that ‘itch’ for a new gadget/phone that I’m sure many of you are familiar with. That, coupled with its beautiful design, its amazing camera setup and the positive reviews made me go out and buy it without hesitation.

That was 4 days ago. I have now decided to return it tomorrow.

It has simply been the most frustrating experience I’ve ever had, with any phone.

I decided to post this here for three reasons:
1. To inform others of my experience with this phone before they go out and buy it themselves
2. To inspire Huawei to do better
3. To simply just vent

So, why am I returning this phone and what has been so frustrating about it?

Here are the bullet points:
• Huawei’s modifications to Android are terrible. Probably the worst OEM ‘skin’ out there.*
• EMUI is a buggy mess with extremely poor memory management. Especially when using a homescreen replacement app like Nova Launcher.
• The cameras produce great results. Sometimes. But it often struggles with getting the exposure right, the video output is choppy with disappointing stabilisation (which can’t be turned off!) and crashes all the time.
• NFC just doesn’t want to play nice with my Banking app making it so that I’ve been unable to perform contactless payments like I’ve been doing effortlessly with my previous two phones.
• Huawei’s implementation of notifications and the status bar icons introduce a ton of usability issues to the point where the phone simply fails to effectively inform the user about incoming alerts and messages.

If you’ve made it this far, I’m sure that by now you either recognise some (or all) of the things I’ve described or have simply become curious about what I mean by this.

Let’s go through them one by one.

Huawei’s version of Android
As I’ve said above, EMUI is probably the worst OEM ‘skin’ out there. It looks ‘fine’, I guess. But if you’ve used pretty much any other recent version of Android before (either stock or modified) then you’ll feel ‘handicapped’ using the Huawei Mate 20 Pro.
No access to notifications or quick toggles from the lock screen. No way to set a live wallpaper as the lock screen background. The default ‘Home screen’ is 'ok'. Just ok, but not great. I get that Huawei aims to simplify things for its less tech-savvy customers… but when you have the option to either have the ‘iOS’ solution of having all apps on the home screen or use the traditional Android solution of having an app drawer, then don’t use an old fashioned, outdated ‘drawer’ button to bring up all the apps. Just take Google’s lead here. Makes you wonder what Huawei’s UX / research team has been up to these last 2 years.

Plus, why on earth is there no option to open the notifications panel using a ‘slide down’ gesture from the Home Screen?*

Instead, you have the option to add a ‘button’ to the navigation menu across the bottom which allows you to quickly open the notifications panel. But then they decide to re-arrange ALL the other icons (Recent Apps, Home, Back) so that they are aligned in the center of the screen and I keep pressing the wrong button when I rely on muscle memory when trying to hit the Home button. Incredibly frustrating and just very, very poor UX design.

EMUI: A buggy mess that doesn’t play nice with homescreen replacement apps like Nova Launcher
So what? Most of the above can be fixed by installing Nova Launcher, right? Like on any other Android phone. Well, guess what? Nope.
Because on the Mate 20 Pro, things just break all over the place when using alternative home screen (Launcher) apps.*
• The memory management is so poor that it effectively becomes impossible to be productive. Apps refresh to their original state when switching between them to simply copy and paste some text over from one to the other. Spotify is killed in the background while using Chrome with as many as 3 tabs open.
• Navigation Gestures stop working properly, causing the ‘swipe up to go Home’ gesture to briefly bring up the ‘Recent Apps’ switcher first
• The ‘Recent Apps’ switcher can only be navigated by pressing on an app preview that is perfectly centred. Tapping any of the apps on the sides simply just closes the Recent Apps switcher, taking you back to the Home screen and ignoring your input. It’s infuriating, since it works perfectly fine when using Huawei’s own Home Screen.
• Huawei’s ’Themes’ app (and probably other apps) doesn’t respect Android’s native Back button behaviour, resulting in weird, inconsistent and frustrating navigating behaviour.

The Cameras: Sometimes great for photography, terrible for video
I’ve already said pretty much everything I wanted to say about the cameras. The cameras produce great results. Sometimes. And I love the wide angle lens. Unfortunately, the camera/software often struggle with getting the exposure right and the video output is choppy with disappointing stabilisation. This can’t be turned off, by the way… so if I wanted to mount my phone to a gimbal, there’s really no point since the actual image is already cropped.
Also… no 4K 60fps is a big disappointment, but I should have read up about this before buying the phone I guess. Still, is it odd that I assume a late 2018 ‘flagship’ phone would have it by now? I don’t think so.
Furthermore, the camera app crashes all the time, or gets ‘stuck’ rendering the final image (the Gallery would display this image slightly darkened with a white ‘Loading…’ text on top of the photo). How can this be a thing, Huawei? This is not Beta software… but it certainly feels like it!

NFC doesn’t work properly
From the 4 days that I have had this phone, I must have spent at least 2 trying to get it set up with my Banking app (ING). An app that I have used with my last 2 smartphones to pay contactless without any issues. I have reinstalled the app, reset the phone, called my bank, called Huawei customer service to see if it was perhaps a known issue with this phone model… all to no avail. Unacceptable to me.

Notifications / Status bar icons usability issues
Repeating what I wrote above; Huawei’s implementation of notifications and the status bar icons introduce a ton of usability issues to the point where the phone simply fails to effectively inform the user about incoming alerts and messages.
• Since there is limited space due to the notch, you would have thought that Huawei allows people to hide any icon they don’t need (NFC, Bluetooth, etc) so that the more important icons can be seen.
• The lock screen allows up to 3 notifications to be seen concurrently. It’s impossible to interact with any notification that lives in the ‘more (+)’ group. You have to unlock the phone, reach out all the way to the top (since you can’t assign a ‘swipe down to show notifications gesture) and then drag down the notifications panel.*
I constantly felt uninformed and kind of nervous about missing out on important notifications using this phone. And this is on Android, the OS that does notifications RIGHT… usually. Not when it’s a Huawei phone, apparently.

In conclusion, I really wanted to like this phone… but I simply can’t justify keeping it. In the past I would have looked for other ways to 'fix' these issues, look into custom ROMs or check the headlines for info on future updates... but I simply don't have the time and patience for that anymore. When I spend this kind of money on a premium phone this day and age, I expect it to work. And to work well.

This phone simply doesn't.

Reading through this forum and catching up on Huawei’s track record where it concerns updates and bug fixes didn’t inspire much confidence either.

I sincerely hope for those of you that decide to stick with the phone that Huawei get their act together in the near future. In fact, I hope to one day buy another Huawei phone and find myself pleasantly surprised… but right now, I would not recommend this phone to anyone.

Caemgen said:
Hello all.
Blah
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest, I felt your pain with most of these issues, except NFC.
I use Action launcher instead of the standard Huawei one. It wasn't until yesterday, when I deleted the stock launcher that ALL of my issues disappeared. It seems the stock launcher is also responsible for some of the recent apps issues too.
That would be my suggestion. Whatever launcher you use, set it as default and delete the stock one via ADB.

miffymiffy said:
To be honest, I felt your pain with most of these issues, except NFC.
I use Action launcher instead of the standard Huawei one. It wasn't until yesterday, when I deleted the stock launcher that ALL of my issues disappeared. It seems the stock launcher is also responsible for some of the recent apps issues too.
That would be my suggestion. Whatever launcher you use, set it as default and delete the stock one via ADB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is very interesting... and I would have tried it if I still had the phone.
But I suppose it still wouldn't have solved the issues with the poor lock screen and notifications implementation.

miffymiffy said:
To be honest, I felt your pain with most of these issues, except NFC.
I use Action launcher instead of the standard Huawei one. It wasn't until yesterday, when I deleted the stock launcher that ALL of my issues disappeared. It seems the stock launcher is also responsible for some of the recent apps issues too.
That would be my suggestion. Whatever launcher you use, set it as default and delete the stock one via ADB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have just tried that. The phone feels snappier now. RAM management more stable. Thanks.

miffymiffy said:
To be honest, I felt your pain with most of these issues, except NFC.
I use Action launcher instead of the standard Huawei one. It wasn't until yesterday, when I deleted the stock launcher that ALL of my issues disappeared. It seems the stock launcher is also responsible for some of the recent apps issues too.
That would be my suggestion. Whatever launcher you use, set it as default and delete the stock one via ADB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when you do this, you only have vertical task manager, right?

Wow, you've described my relationship with this phone perfectly (except NFC, I've not yet set up Google pay). Very interested in what's been said about deleting the stock launcher, I'll be trying that tonight

i'm just not convinced with the camera.. as you say sometimes its good. But not good enough to be a reliable camera. Video is disappointing. I fear buyers remorse will soon set in and i'll be stuck with it for two years. Also hesitant on the amount of updates we'll get for this... Shame. Back to the pixel 2xl it is.. trusty old workhorse!

sousa_2005 said:
when you do this, you only have vertical task manager, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes

Could you describe process of deleting srock launcher with ADB?
Wysłane z mojego LYA-L29 przy użyciu Tapatalka

miffymiffy said:
To be honest, I felt your pain with most of these issues, except NFC.
I use Action launcher instead of the standard Huawei one. It wasn't until yesterday, when I deleted the stock launcher that ALL of my issues disappeared. It seems the stock launcher is also responsible for some of the recent apps issues too.
That would be my suggestion. Whatever launcher you use, set it as default and delete the stock one via ADB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you uninstall stock launcher, do you still hace access to gestures, like swipe up for home etc?
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Vigolec said:
Could you describe process of deleting srock launcher with ADB?
Wysłane z mojego LYA-L29 przy użyciu Tapatalka
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
adb shell
pm list packages - find your home app name
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.huawei."whatever stock launcher was called"
---------- Post added at 08:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:00 AM ----------
jadaress1 said:
If you uninstall stock launcher, do you still hace access to gestures, like swipe up for home etc?
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure, I've never used gestures

jadaress1 said:
If you uninstall stock launcher, do you still hace access to gestures, like swipe up for home etc?
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once stock launcher is removed, only the left/right back gestures work. You need to install another app (like Fluid) to enable full gestures.
Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk

geovass said:
Once stock launcher is removed, only the left/right back gestures work. You need to install another app (like Fluid) to enable full gestures.
Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for confirming that for me.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

I agree and have been experiencing most of you issues mentioned. Nova launcher apparently is a mess to use and camera performance even at 60fps was choppy. I've been trying to talk to guys at huawei about the camera performance since P20 pro and all I kept getting as a response was it's fixed in the upcoming update.
I don't know how or why most of the youtbers or people who own the phone never mention choppy frame rates....almost to a point where `I thought it must be something I did wrong!

nfc works flawlessly here. please check default apps for payments. mine was defaulted to sim card then i switched to pay and it worked amazing
minor os issues, this phone is still a beast.

To uninstall the default huawei launcher run
Code:
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.huawei.android.launcher

I totally agree with most of what's said - "the most beautiful, disappointing phone" sums it up perfectly.
I really, really want to like this phone and I do about 99% of the time but then there are these constant, daily reminders of suckiness (notfications, nfc, bluetooth, video, etc) that totally ruin the experience. I will return mine and wait for the P30 or the S10 (probably S10 for the headphone jack).

I totally disagree with all of this. I'm a power user who gets a new flagship twice a year! I've had everything from the s6, s7, note4, note 5, note 8, and currently own a note 9. I thought the note 9 was the best phone I've ever used till I got the mate pro. I'm selling the note 9 ASAP, enough said!!! This things a beast and a beauty to use and hold. Can't say enough about the fluidity and battery life of this phone. I'm in love with it, I might actually keep it for at least a year till the mate 30 pro comes out.

randomf said:
To uninstall the default huawei launcher run
Code:
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.huawei.android.launcher
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For those who prefer disabling instead of uninstalling (meaning they can just enable again if they have second thought):
Code:
pm disable-user --user 0 com.huawei.android.launcher
To enable again:
Code:
pm enable --user 0 com.huawei.android.launcher

Ppl still use lockscreen? Last time I saw lockscreen was right before fpr sensors were introduced, half a decade ago.

System Apps with publicity

I have recently acquired a redmi note 9. My first experience with MIUI
I was surprised that some system applications display publicity. That is not acceptable. I want any undesired publicity. Less so if some user data is collected to target the publicity.
Is this publicity a problem with my phone only, or do all MIUI ROM display publicity?
Does anyone know if this publicity collects user data?
Is there any way to remove the publicity? Or removing the applications displaying it? Or any way to block the publicity on those applications?
Many thanks in advance

By "publicity", do you mean advertising?
If I remember correctly during setup there is the option to show or hide advertising - I've always declined advertising on the two Xiaomi phones I've owned
Also I'm in the EU - I think the international / EU MIUI distribution has more limited advertising than elsewhere
Where are you based and what firmware are you using?
I'm using the stock build of MIUI 11.0.5.0 QJOEUXM
Either way, I don't get any marketing at all from the OS (I use a different launcher too and don't use any MIUI apps, aside from the camera)
AdGuard deals with any unwanted advertising within 3rd party apps

thesoupthief said:
By "publicity", do you mean advertising?
If I remember correctly during setup there is the option to show or hide advertising - I've always declined advertising on the two Xiaomi phones I've owned
Also I'm in the EU - I think the international / EU MIUI distribution has more limited advertising than elsewhere
Where are you based and what firmware are you using?
I'm using the stock build of MIUI 11.0.5.0 QJOEUXM
Either way, I don't get any marketing at all from the OS (I use a different launcher too and don't use any MIUI apps, aside from the camera)
AdGuard deals with any unwanted advertising within 3rd party apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Thesoupthief
Thanks for your reply.
I really do not remember any option to show or hide advertising. I will clear all data and run set up again. This time I will put special attention on any advertising options
I am using V11.0.4.0.QJOEUXM (MIUI11).
Which launcher do you use?
Did you uninstall MIUI system apps (is that possible?) or did you just install different apps?
Which apps do you suggest replacing MIUI ones?
Thanks in advance

Hi, you might try updating through settings to get the point update to MIUI 11.0.5.0 - unlikely to make any difference in terms of marketing, but nice to have the latest
I tried a few different launchers and settled with CPL - custom pixel launcher - it allows you to swipe right for Google feed etc, which I use a lot
I still have some MIUI apps (most can't be uninstalled without root, though some can be) though have Hidden them all from the app drawer to reduce clutter. I'm more comfortable with the Google alternatives ("better the devil you know...")
I was hoping to be able to use a GCam mod to replace the camera app, but the only one available for this phone at the moment is a bit slow and janky - I've been pretty happy with shots I've taken with the stock camera (though the watermark is pretty offensive, until you find the "off" setting!)
EDIT - a bit of further reading and advice you might find helpful in this article - https://www.androidauthority.com/remove-ads-xiaomi-miui-1019139/

Found this post, very helpful for disabling advertisings on MIUI:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/redmi-note-7/how-to/remove-redmi-note-7-bloatware-root-t3925049

Question One Plus 10 Pro - ColorOS debloated is not that bad

After receiving my Chinese version of the OP10 Pro, I waited for over a month for the international ROM expecting a seamless flashing experience through "Local install" like in past phones. Unfortunately OP10 Pro seems to have settled in this regard and this is no longer possible, so I decided to make the most out of ColorOS... and was pleasantly surprised.
I've used ADB App Control to debload Breeno, HeyTap and some of the Oppo stuff and the result is pretty good. So far I've disabled:
Breeno
Breeno Scan
Breeno Touch
Calendar
HeySynergy
HeyTap Cloud
Omoji
OPSynergy
Please note that I have not tried OxygenOS for this phone so I'm not sure if some of these features are also available:
Pros so far
The battery is incredible - I'm getting up to 2 days if using the phone with IM/browsing, a full day if I throw in a couple hours of PUBG and some other heavy usage apps.
Call recording works by default
System Cloner - surprisingly useful feature, not only can clone apps but now can also clone the entire system. You can switch from the lockscreen with a different fingerprint or password, and you can even "hide" the secondary system by removing the system cloning options from the main system menu, in which case it becomes only accessible by inputting the alternative password or fingerprint in the lock screen. Super useful to separate life and work, increase privacy in a high censorship country where stuff like VPN apps are forbidden, may be subject to "phone searches", etc.
Privacy Protection - many apps require personal info access to work, and there's no way around it. With this feature you can select which apps with the personal info access permission will get blank data, providing a workaround to being able to use the app while protecting privacy (assuming everything works as advertised)
There's a few other interesting Privacy tools like a Permission use records and the possibility to hide or lock apps
Cons so far
ColorOS comes a bit bloated with Breeno, HeyTap, Omoji and other features that even after disabled remain in the main menus (I've only disabled the main apps so it's possible I'm forgetting related apps)
The internal password manager is local and I can't use my Google saved passwords to auto-fill my apps within android
When transferring phone data from OP8 Pro to OP10 Pro the SMS transferred with switched SIM cards, strangely.
I'd like to hear from ColorOs users about which other features you found useful and some debloating feedback about what else is worth removing!

I hated coloros on my 9RT. Battery life was great as well, but that's because everything except 5 apps are launched at startup and you don't get background updates ultra you open the app every few hours. Phone manager sucks, but I made due with it. You can't change your default msg app.