Database Users

MIUI V4 -Tip Sharing Thread

So, I have been using MIUI V4 for a few days now and I LOVE IT! I wanted to share a tip in the MIUI V4 tip thread...but couldn't find one. There's one for the older version of MIUI (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1498809) written by omair2005 but nothing specifically for V4.
I'd like to thank Omair2005 for the original post. It very informative and even if you are on V4, you need to read it...you need to thank him for it!
Many of the tips on Omair2005's post will work with V4 and I will be pulling those into this post as time allows, but until then, I'd like to share some of my tips. Some of these are just my observations and may not be 100% accurate or the best way to do something. If anyone has any recommendations or corrections, please let me know and I will update them
For me, one of the best/worst things about MIUI was ALL the application icons on the home screen. With the initial flash, there are a few screens with icons for all my apps showing. I loved it.
Once I restored all my apps it was a different story. I had 8 screens full of icons...all over the place with no logical order.
I started organizing them into folders...but then I couldn't remember which folder had what and I truly missed my App Drawer. While trying to organize one of my folders, I mistakenly dropped it on to the dock...then I realized.......
I could put a folder on the dock...call it Applications (or whatever) and put everything I didn't want on the home screens in there...then sort them in the folder and viola, I have my App Drawer back.
There are a few limitations such as no full screen view of apps or the ability to sort the folder...but maybe in the future, someone will figure it out.
Miss the scrolling wallpaper - go to Menu -> Launcher Settings and select 'High quality graphics'.
SMS gibberish is still happening for me with the stock Messaging app. I use a 3rd party app like Handcent or GoSMS and they have an option to split large messages into multiple messages. This seems to work for me.
WiFi access to SD card
Accessing the SD card through USB is not functioning. You can, however, gain access to your SD card through WiF: enter “File Explorer” on the desktop, select the "FTP" tab. Hit start the service, and then you will get an address. Enter the given address on the computer, then you may copy files without using a data cable!
Long press on the icon in Toggles to launch the settings for that icon.
When you pull down the notification bar, you will see the Toggle settings for plenty of options (such as WIFI, volume, backlight etc). Long press on any icon in the Toggle mode will launch the setting for that icon.
Built-in Screen Capture function
One of the lacking feature in Android is the lack of a built-in screen capture feature (like in iPhone). Not anymore. With MIUI, you can press the “Menu” key and “Volume Down” key at the same time to capture a screenshot. The printed image is saved in the “MIUI: directory in the sd card.
Home Screen previews
In previous versions of MIUI, hitting the home button while on the home screen would bring up the home screen previews. This no longer works. In V4, from any screen, hit Menu, Preview.
Move home screen icon easily
Hold down an icon by one hand to enter Edit Mode, and then use the other hand to slide the screen to move the icon to the target screen.
Launch Music Player in lockscreen
In the lockscreen, double tap the time zone to launch the Music Player. (The Music Player is hidden by default, unless a song is playing)
Running Apps List: Long press on the Home button and it will bring you to your running apps list. Swipe the an app either left or right to close them one at a time, or click the “Broom” icon at the bottom left to close all listed apps and clear the extra processes in memory. The bar across the top will inform you of the used memory and current available memory.
Note: System processes will not be cleared so as to ensure the normal running of the system. The Android icon on the bottom right will bring you to the running services portal in settings.
Percentage Battery Indicator Style: To change the battery icon to a percentage, slide down your notification bar, select the 'Toggles' tab and then hit the 3 dots in the top right. From there, you can change the status bar settings. One of those settings being Battery indicator style.
Note: It does not show a percentage while charging...Only when unplugged and discharging.
Add a favorite in the messaging app: In the new messaging app, there are three tabs on the top: "Messaging | Favorites | Recommended" If you go into Favorites, there is nothing in there and there really isn't any method for adding one. I found that if I go to a message that I had already sent...long press the message bubble and Lock it, it shows in the Favorites.

Reserved for possible future use

also reserved for possible future use

Anyone reading these? I feel like I am talking in an empty room.

This is good, but until its not alpha these options and settings may change. Also you should mention that theme support is not fully functional cause of upstream issues.
sent from the other woman

bryanfritz1 said:
This is good, but until its not alpha these options and settings may change. Also you should mention that theme support is not fully functional cause of upstream issues.
sent from the other woman
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
also any bugs present in cm9 will be in miui as well (ex: video tearing)
tomorrow's MIUI release should have a lot of upstream fixes and if cm9 alpha 6 comes out sooner than later, we might have an awesome miui v4 build!

I have been using this rom since it was released and so far, for me, it has been incredible. I tried the last version of MIUI and really gave it a chance(4 days.....like an eternity!)...but for some reason or another, I couldn't get myself to 'love' it.
With this version, I notice less issues with the video, less issues with force closes and overall, a more 'flashy' experience!
On the down site, I do notice that it gets HOT sometimes...and that usually means my battery is going to be killed. I have noticed at times that the drop is 10-12% per hour......
But I digress....let's keep the thread focused on Tips/Tricks for the rom!
Thanks for your feedback.
HW

Going to update to the new build if it is out
Sent from my OG Epic running MIUI4 ICS powered by ShadowKernel

omair2005 said:
also any bugs present in cm9 will be in miui as well (ex: video tearing)
tomorrow's MIUI release should have a lot of upstream fixes and if cm9 alpha 6 comes out sooner than later, we might have an awesome miui v4 build!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most. Not upstream bugs.
Sent from my OG Epic running MIUI4 ICS powered by ShadowKernel

[Q&A][KK]Review of 2 roms, with tips and bugs and future suggestions

Introduction:
Everyone uses there android device differently, and as a result not everyone will be looking for the same features from a ROM, and as a result developers simply do not know what to do to satisfy the many needs of the andoid users.
what I aim to do with this thread is to provide a review of 2 of the best ROMs out there for our device (based on my opinion), and include some tips, bugs and suggestions for the future.
What I have here is a review of 2 android 4.4.2 ROMs for the xperia arc/s. the ROMs are VANIR AOSP and C-rom.
let's start with a introduction to VANIR AOSP:
Vanir aosp is a ROM built with the user who likes a degree of customization to there phone in mind. the devs behind it have decided to build a ROM completely based on what is important and necessary for the users. they added only those features that passed certain criteria and only those features were allowed to be put into the ROM build. any unnecessary features were not added.
The result is a light, super stable and lagless ROM that would be more than enough to please the android user.
THE GOOD:
-lots of customization options in settings
-very very stable
-very fast and all the time around 200mb free ram
-nice 'on the go mode' feature
-nice option for choosing boot animations
-dual panel mode for settings
THE BAD:
-only features the devs have picked are added to the rom, so if you have a feature you want but the dev thinks its not important it won't be added
-floating windows for apps cannot be moved
THE BUGS:
-sound manager forces close message every time I try to open it
-adding a new user causes a force close message to appear whenever trienf to open gallery
-swiping on the keyboard causes the aosp keyboard to force close
-screen recorder doesn't work (should just be removed from our devices completely, the arc will never be fat enough to screen record)
-camera video doesnt work (although ion kernel would be the problem)
C-ROM:
c-rom is a ROM that is simply mind blowing, the ROM just has every feature I can simply think off, and in some instances it had features I have never even heard off.
the dev behind it added every feature from android I can think off, all into one amazing rom, for those people who like to change every single thing on there phone.
THE GOOD:
-tons of customizations
-lots of free ram, around 200mb all the time
-super smooth
-good turn on and off speeds (experienced this with v5.9 not v5.6)
-movable floating windows
-on the go mode
THE BAD:
-opening apps in floating mode is a little tedious
-slightly high battery consumption
THR BUGS:
there are bugs in both versions of c-rom so here goes:
v5.6:
-multi user support doesn't work, causes tons of force close messages when switching to the new user
-no option for enabling widget support on the lockscreen (only way to get the option is by editing build.prop file, but that causes the high end graphics option to dissapear from the performance menu)
-sound recorder doesn't have a ui, so users can't launch it from drawer (vanir aosp has this)
-no dowbloads app from drawer, and hence I can't make shortcuts to the download manager because there sinply isn't icon for it.
-no option to opt out of c-rom stats, it came up once then disappeared, but I know the menu for it exists
-can't put apps into floating window mode with halo switched off (in vanir aosp you can do this)
v5.9 bugs:
-no camera (video) although could be due to ion kernel?
-kernel logo sometimes comes up while I am using the phone
-the button in the status bar that switches between the tiles and the notification view move out of alignment when pressed
-no save page option in the browser but the option is there?
-swiping on aosp keyboard causes it to force close
-no force high end graphics option in settings
-no sound recorder icon in drawer
-opening the advanced settings option in the performance control app causes a force close
-exposed module causes a bootloop (stuck on kernel logo)
-no option to opt out of c-rom stats
-multi user support works fine, but causes a force lose on all media apps, I.e. try opening gallery and it force closes
so as you can see both ROMs are each unique but they are considered (by me) the best ROMs for xperia arc.
some tips for everyone:
-downloads in kitkat are found under an app called 'documents'
-to enable widget support on lockscreen in c-rom v5.6 you need to modify build.prop file changing the low ram config option to false
-there is no sound recorder icon in the drawer, although the app is installed, if you want to record using it, create a new message and add an attachment, when picking the attachment pick sound recorder and that's it.
some suggestions for c-rom in the future:
-would be great if you could add a dual panel mode like in vanir
-a better way if opening apps in floating window
my final verdict though on both ROMs, is that they are both amazing ROMs, but I think the award has to go to c-rom, due to its vast number of customizations while being a stable and smooth ROM. Good job 3andala
I would like to also point out that, I am not disrespecting others developers who have made a kk ROM for xperia arc, I am simply giving my opinion on 2 ROMs that I really like and consider to be the best for my xperia arc.
my ultimate goal really from a thread like this is to maybe one day see all developers working on only one ROM, that would be the smoothest ROM, with the most features etc..... that everyone would use, and just simply have a ROM that takes the device to it's limits, a ROM that we can all say that its the most complete ROM ever made for the xperia arc, and there will never be a better rom for this device than this. anyone with me?
anyway that's it from me, I hope you liked what if provided and if I helped you let me know as it makes me happy.
P.S. is there any way of increasing the brightness of the notification LED? there are patches for this on ICS and jb but no patches for this on kitkat, so could anyone advise me how its done?

[SystemUI] Status Bar/Notification Drawer issues after modifications

Greetings people,
As TW Lollipop has landed, most of the devs have been trying to brew ROMs for the people, and unfortunately there is no control as what MODS should be included, i have found it terribly difficult to choose a ROM as it didnt feel normal to use mods that made no sense (or at least have a minority audience).
Particularly,what annoys me a lot, is dealing with the mods that change the visual space available, now there is no need to blame devs here at all, but rather Sammy should be here to blame for just trying to make a normal UI into a complex useless UI in to their own, and they have effed it up with the new Notifications Drawer.
While i noticed a lot of devs have found options/parameters to change the view of the notification drawer, a lot of ROMs include a very annoying feature called Quicklaunch, however im pretty sure a lot of people like it. While Quicklaunch in my personal opinion sucks, it looks way better compared to S-Finder and Quick Launch buttons. I personally lack any kind programming/scripting skills, but luckily, thanks to a nice dev called @alfaroolg with a similar taste, he brewed it for me straight away.
This is what i planned on seeing:
Remove S-Finder and Quick Connect
Remove 3minit Quicklaunch
Remove the Brightness Bar
Currently, im on @g00h s Note 4 Port, which makes me believe that the Brightness Bar is not removable anymore as i could not find the setting on either the Display settings or Notification Panel editor, HOWEVER, the brightness bar disappears if under 5% battery so you cant push the brightness up, and to my surprise, found out sammy screwed up adopting to the Lollipop rules.
This is how it looks without S-Finder/QuickConnect and Quicklaunch: First Pic
This is what happens with the same configuration, under 5% battery after the Brightness Bar disappears: Second Pic
And to my surprise, if there are any Notifications going on, things return well: Third Pic
Is this a general issue Sammy mustve skipped? quite an eye catcher. Also, the area where the brightness bar disappears, usually Notifications get the place, and the first Notification is not Swipeable, i end up clicking the notification rather then removing it, and it can result in very unpleasant moments.

[Q] Custom quick settings tiles (as in slimroms): How do you get those?

Hello,
I'm using Slimkat 4.4.4.8269 since its release. It has a neat feature called the custom tiles which is the feature that keeps me on that rom because I was unable to find a similar function in another ROM.
The Slimroms custom tiles basically lets you set unlimited "custom" tiles in the quicksettings which you can set with apps, os functions or whatever. They take a second action for a long press and they can cycle through multiple apps on that one tiles.
This is basically a quickstarter for apps. The thing that makes this marvelous is actually that opening an app doesn't get that app into the foreground, that statusbar stays in the foreground such that I can open a second and third, etc. app through very few taps.
An example what I use this for: My worst but not rare case here:
Navigation+speedcam warner+mozilla stumbler(wifi and cell existance to gps mapper)+openwlanmap.org (wifi to gps mapper)+openbmap.org (wifi and cell to gps mapper).
The best approach is to use a directory on the homescreen, if my launcher supported it. This way i don't have to search in the app drawer.
So I would open the directory, start app 1, press home screen, start app 2 and so on.
Until i started the 5 apps, I have done (swipes and presses+ app-open-taps combined) 15 actions.
Using custom tiles as slimkat offers it in the status bar I swipe to open the quick settings and then open my apps, 1 swipe+5 taps=6 actions.
This is for me much faster and allows me to pay much less attention to my phone while starting what I want.
However, I would like to update to Lollipop or M, anyways, go with CM most likely but that feature isn't there. I found out that the GravityBox with the xposed framework offers some kind of similar features but it only features 2 custom apps, currently I have a bit more than 20 in my status bar.
I could use "Tasker" for this approach as well, but actually that configuration is rather weird and static to one action/app (condition) which I first have to fulfill. That approach fails if one of the apps is already started and I only want to start one app especially if that meets Taskers condition. I end up using the app drawer and search for my app.
This post pretty much covers the configuration and outcome of the custom tile in Slimroms in two pictures:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/orig-development/rom-slimkat-hammerhead-stable-5-0-t2511512/post51495728#post51495728
Have you seen any other ROM with decent updates (that seems to be only CM for the hlte at the point of writing) or way to accomplish something similar? It doesn't need to be in the statusbar, even though that is quite easy to access.
Parts of my post I took from my post to a CM feature request at JIRA:
https://jira.cyanogenmod.org/browse/CYAN-2227?jql=text%20~%20%22custom%20tiles%22
Thanks in advance!

Try Layers, http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4/themes-apps/systemui-overlays-5-0-t3025183

Thanks for the reply. I think layers is some sort of theming app overlaying the normal icons with other colors. This is something new to me and interesting, but not what I wanted in this thread.
I found something that goes a bit in that direction: Hangars. It displays some appbar in the notification area. Upon opening an app the area disappears and I would have to open the notification area again. Still better than the homelauncher and its folders.
Something I tested previously going into the same direction is the PIE control as well as some sidelaunchers like omnirom and such. Still the custom tiles allow a faster operation.

If anyone is interested in those, you could vote for this as well:
https://jira.cyanogenmod.org/browse/CYAN-2227, It enclosed this feature.
From time to time I changed to CM or something like it, but return very quickly to my custom quick tiles as they are irreplacible and other roms waste time and I can hardly operate them blindly like slimkat.

Just heads up, Google finally may have thought those tiles to be useful and they were added in Marshmallow. You can only go there using the System UI tuner (google for it, if you don't know what it is. You'll need another app to configure those nicely, like custom quick settings. Due a bug you can't add more than 18 tiles in total, but if you like it and don't need more go ahead. Right now I have 40+ and they're in color.
So far I can't think of changing from the lovely slimkat.

Rom features most important features to your needs

I am asking this as I am about to start my own rom project for nexus 6p
I am also open to rom bases
What are the most important Rom features to you?
What special features do you like?
What version of root do you prefer?
Do you prefer certain kernel features?

Professional flashaholic here, so here I go:
Must have:
Long press power button for torch
Double tap to sleep anywhere in lockscreen
Battery light (led)
Do not wake screen when plugging charger
Animation speed control (all possible values, not just 1x, 0.5x, etc...)
Status bar ticker
Playback control using volume rocker
Reorient volume buttons on screen rotation
Ambient display advanced customization (especially brightness)
Fingerprint authentication optional vibration
Status bar clock customization
Quick pulldown in quick settings
Fingerprint unlock after reboot
Really nice to have:
Pulse visualization (both in navbar and lockscreen)
Volume panel customization (especially timeout)
Quick unlock
Navigation bar settings (DUI)
Full substratum support (especially if using default teal AOSP color)
All the Pixel goodies (nav bar animations, sounds, wallpapers, launcher, etc)
Root: I say let the user decide, some people prefer SuperSU, some prefer Magisk.
I've used almost all of the Roms here in XDA and other places, and right now, Resurrection Remix is the one that has everything I want, which is not to say that the other roms are bad. In fact, I've enjoyed every single one of them, and I'm immensely grateful to all of the developers here. I usually donate to them when I'm especially happy with a rom. It's like having a new phone every two weeks or so.

redsmith said:
Professional flashaholic here, so here I go:
Must have:
Long press power button for torch
Double tap to sleep anywhere in lockscreen
Battery light (led)
Do not wake screen when plugging charger
Animation speed control (all possible values, not just 1x, 0.5x, etc...)
Status bar ticker
Playback control using volume rocker
Reorient volume buttons on screen rotation
Ambient display advanced customization (especially brightness)
Fingerprint authentication optional vibration
Status bar clock customization
Quick pulldown in quick settings
Fingerprint unlock after reboot
Really nice to have:
Pulse visualization (both in navbar and lockscreen)
Volume panel customization (especially timeout)
Quick unlock
Navigation bar settings (DUI)
Full substratum support (especially if using default teal AOSP color)
All the Pixel goodies (nav bar animations, sounds, wallpapers, launcher, etc)
Root: I say let the user decide, some people prefer SuperSU, some prefer Magisk.
I've used almost all of the Roms here in XDA and other places, and right now, Resurrection Remix is the one that has everything I want, which is not to say that the other roms are bad. In fact, I've enjoyed every single one of them, and I'm immensely grateful to all of the developers here. I usually donate to them when I'm especially happy with a rom. It's like having a new phone every two weeks or so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will reach out to you when I have a a beta release of. My rom

Wozdoesitbest said:
I
What version of root do you prefer?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't include any root! That way is easy for user to stay unrooted if they wish, or to easily flash supersu, magisk, or whatever else.

Redsmith pretty much covered all the bases on a good rom. I'm currently on nitrogen rom 7.1.1 and using substratum. So theming is important to me
Sent from my Nexus 6P using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Dopamin3 said:
Don't include any root! That way is easy for user to stay unrooted if they wish, or to easily flash supersu, magisk, or whatever else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bigmatt503 said:
Redsmith pretty much covered all the bases on a good rom. I'm currently on nitrogen rom 7.1.1 and using substratum. So theming is important to me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will leave it unrooted with stock kernel & substratum support

Battery charge led, volume rocker change tracks, oms ?

I was also going to ask does anyone want viper mod baked into the rom?

I wouldn't, but that's just me. I'm not a big audiophile. My $8 earbuds from Walmart sound amazing to me.

Wozdoesitbest said:
I was also going to ask does anyone want viper mod baked into the rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean it would be cool to have viper arise . But I can always flash it afterwards. Can you make the ROM 7.1.2 based or can u make it the 8.0 Dev preview rooted?
Also pulse on the lockscreen like back in the cm days. Flashlight hold power button.. immersion status and nav bars

AndrewM3 said:
I mean it would be cool to have viper arise . But I can always flash it afterwards. Can you make the ROM 7.1.2 based or can u make it the 8.0 Dev preview rooted?
Also pulse on the lockscreen like back in the cm days. Flashlight hold power button.. immersion status and nav bars
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To base it on 7.1.2 the source code needs to be released. Since it's still in beta I highly doubt the source has been released yet. If you want 8.0 rooted, why not just install the preview and flash SuperSU?

AndrewM3 said:
I mean it would be cool to have viper arise . But I can always flash it afterwards. Can you make the ROM 7.1.2 based or can u make it the 8.0 Dev preview rooted?
Also pulse on the lockscreen like back in the cm days. Flashlight hold power button.. immersion status and nav bars
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have my developers account with Google so. I'm. Looking to build this. Up for 8.0 I want to make sure it's a daily driver I don't want to. Be releasing a bug filled rom.

Face_Plant said:
I wouldn't, but that's just me. I'm not a big audiophile. My $8 earbuds from Walmart sound amazing to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok. Sounds good I will. Be looking into a few aspects I may look into a few different methods for. Picking & choosing installation methods

Wozdoesitbest said:
Ok. Sounds good I will. Be looking into a few aspects I may look into a few different methods for. Picking & choosing installation methods
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I might as well actually answer your question in the OP while I'm here. Must have features for me:
- AOSP base
- Long press power for torch with screen off
- Adjustable screen time out settings for lift to wake gesture
- Ability to adjust nav bar height
- Double tap lock screen to sleep
- Volume rocker media control
- Custom quick settings rows/columns (ex: 4x4 layout rather than the stock 3x3)
Anything else is just a bonus but would still be appreciated. I think things that can be flashed like like root, Viper, etc should be left up to the user.

Face_Plant said:
I might as well actually answer your question in the OP while I'm here. Must have features for me:
- AOSP base
- Long press power for torch with screen off
- Adjustable screen time out settings for lift to wake gesture
- Ability to adjust nav bar height
- Double tap lock screen to sleep
- Volume rocker media control
- Custom quick settings rows/columns (ex: 4x4 layout rather than the stock 3x3)
Anything else is just a bonus but would still be appreciated. I think things that can be flashed like like root, Viper, etc should be left up to the user.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate all The feedback from all of you this is a great start
When I get a stable version I will.mesaage the guys interested in helping me. Test

As you can make a rom do you think you could possibly help me out with a mka bacon issue. How much ram do you use? As for features/apps I would say include adaway, wakeblock, supersu, viper4arise, substratum and oms support and camera nx and ex kernel manager and for features just copy Resurrection Remix.

I will pm you

I guess I'll throw my hat into the time, as I'm always down to test new ROMs!
Some must haves for me:
- Alarm/Wakelock Blocker
- Navbar dimension tuner
- Pixel icons / Color (I think it's a framework thing)
- Lock screen double tap to sleep
- Lock screen font change
If you need an additional tester I'd be down! Flashaholic, so I could give it a good run through. If somehow you were able to bake a lot of the features mentioned into 7.1.2 I'd download in a heartbeat and donate what I could. Easily

HTC_Phone said:
I guess I'll throw my hat into the time, as I'm always down to test new ROMs!
Some must haves for me:
- Alarm/Wakelock Blocker
- Navbar dimension tuner
- Pixel icons / Color (I think it's a framework thing)
- Lock screen double tap to sleep
- Lock screen font change
If you need an additional tester I'd be down! Flashaholic, so I could give it a good run through. If somehow you were able to bake a lot of the features mentioned into 7.1.2 I'd download in a heartbeat and donate what I could. Easily
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Working on 8.0 alpha right now I am running my own version of a 7.1.1 rom I might take a run at 7.1.2 I will keep you in mind good sir thank you
Sent from my Nexus 6P using XDA Labs

Speed and battery. Idc about making my battery into a circle or changing the size of my lock screen clock