I thought I'd share everything I've learned regarding Android & the T-Mobile G2 over the past 2+ weeks (thanks XDA!). I'm amazed at how many people don't read these forums - they simply blurt out their questions. Well follks, here's what I've picked up by reading reading reading & exploring exploring exploring. Hope this helps n00bs and leets alike.
Android
Press & Hold HOME to see multitasking applications sorted by most recent
Press & Hold SEARCH to activate Google Voice Actions (or VLingo if installed)
Long Press keyboard keys to see alternate characters
Tap Dots near the Dock Bar (bottom set of icons) to shift screens
Assign your Power Button to 'End Calls' via Menu >Settings >Accessibility > Check "Power button ends call"
Add 'Power Control' Widget to easily enable/disable your WiFi/BlueTooth/GPS/Screen/Auto-Sync
Using Volume Control buttons, you can put the phone into Silent or Vibrate modes
You can add Shortcuts to your most used contacts & it will give an icon that lets you access Call/SMS/Email/GTalk/Facebook
Keyboard Tips
Double Press ALT for Num/Symbol Lock
Double Press SHIFT for Capitalization Lock
Hold ALT & Long Press physical keys to see alternative characters
Map Application Shortcuts such as Search + G to launch Gmail. Located under Settings >Applications >Quick Launch
Menu +A(Select All), +C(Copy), +V(Paste), +X(Paste)
Menu +F(Find), +S(Share)
(G2 Only?) Reboot, Press and hold Power + Volume Down + trackpad
(G2 Only?) Use LauncherPro to Assign 'Activities' to the Quick Keys such as Compose SMS or Tweet
(G2 Only?) Press & Hold the Camera Button to activate the Camera
(G2 Only?) While in Camera Mode, gently press the camera button to auto-focus
Miscellaneous
Install a custom launcher like ADW or LauncherPro
- Tip 1: If you get LauncherPro, I encourage you to explore the 'Swipe' feature by Long Pressing any icon in the Dock. Allows for two actions!
- Tip 2: My personal favorite is when you hide the status bar and set the HOME button to display notifications when you press it (Only possible if you make LauncherPro default launcher)
- Tip 3: Long Press an Application & when the Trash Can Appears, Hold over the Trashcan to get an Uninstall Option
Use Tasker to automate things on your phone
TeslaHD will turn your phone's LED into a Flash Light or Strobe Light
AppBrain + Fast Install is excellent for exploring apps from the comfort of a browser (also lets you set backgrounds)
- This App also makes it easy to restore apps if you didn't remember to set your 'backup' as automatic when configuring your phone
VLingo is a great alternative to Voice Actions if you're not on 2.2 OR you want deeper integration with Twitter/Facebook/Foursquare
Google Gestures is a great app to assign to a secondary swipe (see LauncherPro) & is handy when voice doesn't work and you can't easily type
DolphinHD is a great alternative browser that has three great features: Tweet a Page (with Title & Link), Desktop Mode, and Google Mobilizer View
Dial 611 to get to T-Mobile Customer Support (not always clear to new subscribers)
Best Keyboard for two-finger text input is SwiftKey. Swype is good if you practice with one finger.
Other Great Apps to Consider
Evernote (for note storage)
Dropbox (for access to files from your desktop)
Fast Reboot (for a heavy handed, kill all apps when you notice slow performance)
Dato GTasks (simple, easy to use app that integrates with Google Tasks)
NewsRob (elegant RSS reader for Google Reader)
Smooth Calendar (nice calendar widget that shows more than the default Calendar widget)
Xtremelabs Speedtest (helps you test for HSPA+ speeds)
Twicca (better than the standard Twitter App & very beautiful. Easy to map Tweet-Activity to a G2 Quick Key)
Chrome to Phone (possibly my favorite app once I learned how to use it. Great for a variety of needs so I encourage experimentation)
Optimize Your G2
Go to SETTINGS > APPLICATIONS > DEVELOPMENT and enable USB DEBUGGING
Search the Market for "Visionary" and Install (advice: Reboot & then run it for the first time) By default, it will run automatically on boot each time.
- Note: If you want to remove ROOT, visit APPLICATIONS > MANAGE APPLICATIONS > VISIONARY and press "Clear Data". Then re-run & turn off Root-on-Boot or just Uninstall.
Search the Market for "ConnectBot" & Install. Run Connectbot & press the down-arrow next to "ssh" to choose "local" & press Enter (no Nickname needed)
- You will be presented with a command line prompt of "$" & yes, it will be VERY TINY on your screen. Simply type "su" (no quotes) to gain super user.
- Read the first post to determine which items you want to permanently disable (essentially remove) from your phone: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=809231
Visit the market to download "Startup Cleaner 2.0" by Bright Wallace. It will allow you to prevent items from starting up. The software is buggy, but works better than anything else I've encountered.
- Tip: Use the 'Batch Prevent' to prevent all apps from starting, then exit the app. Run the app again & then toggle the apps you want to start by tapping them. Otherwise, the app is very unresponsive when trying to manage apps on an individual basis. You may need to re-run Visionary after you've allowed it to run on boot via Startup Cleaner.
Setup Wifi Tethering
Once you have Root & SuperUser, use your browser to visit http://code.google.com/p/android-wifi-tether/downloads/list & download the most recent version of "Wireless Tether".
- Once downloaded, run it to install. If you have trouble with this, I recommend using Chrome-to-Phone & simply right-click the file link to choose "Chrome-to-Phone"
After successful installation, run the Wireless Tether app. Recommend changing the SSID Name (name that appears).
- Note: Multiple people report issues with WiFi Encryption, so I recommend SETTINGS > ENABLE ACCESS-CONTROL. Your phone will log when something tries to connect to it & then you can "allow" by choosing MENU > ACCESS CONTROL and clicking the checkbox next to the device you want to allow.
{Update} If you're feeling adventurous, check out this article on how to use Tasker
http://androinica.com/2010/08/19/9-ways-to-make-android-automatic-with-tasker/
{Update 2} Long-press App & dragging over trashcan for uninstall is a LauncherPro feature, not android. Thanks to tekkaman_01 for the note!
{Update 3} Removed "When screen is locked but keyboard is open, you only have to press a key to unlock" because it isn't a consistent experience. Not sure what makes it work sometimes.
{Update 4} Added two sections: Optimize Your G2 & Setup WiFi Tethering. Small formatting changes to previous entries.
Long Press an Application & when the Trash Can Appears, Hold over the Trashcan to get an Uninstall Option is a feature of LauncherPro not stock android...
Updated - much thanks!
No problem
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Great job, OP.
Great job, OP. I'm sure many people will appreciate this.
Does this merit a sticky?
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Ghostcreamy said:
I'm amazed at how many people don't read these forums - they simply blurt out their questions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right....people who don't read the forums and just blurt stuff out are horrible. Oh wait....what's this?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=804439
Ghostcreamy said:
[*]When screen is locked but keyboard is open, you only have to press a key to unlock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've heard this before but this hasn't worked for me on two different G2s.
great, thanks
aedv said:
You're right....people who don't read the forums and just blurt stuff out are horrible. Oh wait....what's this?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=804439
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you
<10 chars>
The cheat sheet of all cheet sheets!
Another good one is to:
HOLD Dots near the Dock Bar to see all screens in a mini navigation look.
Thanks!
Snap!
aedv said:
You're right....people who don't read the forums and just blurt stuff out are horrible. Oh wait....what's this?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=804439
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SNAP!
I read that thread, but it was fragmented and I already had all of this in Evernote. Regardless, I appreciate the response & I'll continue to monitor that thread for any other tips that I can compile into this one.
Side note: You don't have to be mean to make a point Put a little love in your heart!
GC
Ghostcreamy said:
SNAP!
Side note: You don't have to be mean to make a point Put a little love in your heart!
GC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1!! Great post OP!
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Updated original post (OP) with a section on optimizing your G2 & setting up Wifi Tethering. Hope it helps!
awesome tips. i was wondering if theres a good way to allow the home screen and apps screen to auto rotate with gravity(only rotates with keyboard out)? and then on the flip side, to lock the orientation?
Not sure about locking, but LauncherPro or ADW launcher will rotate to landscape.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Here's a tip if you are using Launcher Pro: setup a 2x2 picture frame widget in the middle of a home panel. The frame should have a picture of an icon for things like settings, games, news, people, etc. Then add related app icons around the frame. This way, when you pinch a homescreen and pull up the 7 panel view, you can easily tell at a glance which panel has the apps you want
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using The Force
"+X(Paste)"
Shouldn't that be "+X(Cut)"?
In the gmail and xda apps (the only ones I've tested so far) when you push the space bar after a word/letter, it will add a '.[space]'.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Great post Ghostcreamy. I figured out that you could swipe the home icon of launcher pro, but why it never occured to me that the other icons also have this feature?
Edit:There's your first "Thanks" on the meter...awww.
Welcome to JimTDI's Guide - Tuning the Nexus 7 with Android 5 Lollipop for Maximum Performance!
What's Up
The goal of this guide is to provide you with a well performing base for your Nexus 7 on which you can then build upon, enabling all the features of Lollipop that you want and need, and leaving the ones that affect performance and are unnecessary or unneeded by you, off or disabled.
Don't worry... we're not going to harm or do anything to your Nexus 7 that can't be easily undone. None of my tuning tips "alter" or "root" your Nexus 7, or do anything that would void your warranty - but let's face it, if you have a Nexus 7, it's probably old enough that it doesn't have a warranty anyway. That being said, use common sense, and make your own choices - I am not responsible for any damage to your Nexus 7 because of my recommendations and tuning tips. Rest assured though, I have tested my recommended settings extensively on both the Nexus 7 2012 and Nexus 7 2013 Wi-Fi models. I'll be as gentle, and as non-technical as possible as we tune your Nexus 7. So, let's begin...
This guide has been recently updated to cover tuning the latest released versions of Android 5 Lollipop on both the Nexus 7 2012 and Nexus 7 2013 Wi-Fi and Mobile models. I'll refer to them as the Nexus 7(12) or Nexus 7(13) hereafter when we need specifics.
The Nexus 7(12) was available in 3 models, with either 8, 16 or 32GB of storage memory - and with 1 GB of memory to run applications. The Nexus 7(13) was available with either 16 or 32GB of storage, and 2GBs of memory to run applications. There were Wi-Fi and mobile editions available. It's always prudent for a Nexus 7 owner to know the specifics of the tablet they own, especially when asking for help or seeking out support, repair, software patches or looking for accessories like a case, or parts.
If you're not sure which model you have here's a tip, if there's a camera on the back side (facing away from you) it's a 2013 model, if it has just a front-facing camera only (no camera on the backside), then it's a 2012.
As you can see from the above specs, the Nexus 7(12) has very limited application memory with just 1GB on board, just one half of what the Nexus 7(13) has. It also has a bit slower processor than the Nexus 7(13) does (you can look those specs up later). Therefore the goal of this guide is to reduce anything that uses excessive memory, battery, and processing power while still providing a buttery smooth, fully functional user interface. After all, that's what the Lollipop & the Material Design experience is all about
What's New
As of this writing (I update this guide regularly!) these are the current Android 5 Lollipop versions for the various Nexus 7 models. For the best performance, -MAKE SURE- you have the latest Android 5 Lollipop version for your particular Nexus 7 device.
Nexus 7(12) Wi-Fi 5.0.2 (prior release 5.0, no 5.0.1 version for the Nexus 7(12) was ever released).
Nexus 7(12) Mobile 5.0.2
Nexus 7(13) Wi-Fi 5.0.2 (prior releases 5.0, and 5.0.1)
Nexus 7(13) Mobile 5.0.2
Some users have received updates from Android 4.x to Android 5 Lollipop "over-the-air" (known as OTA), and some users have either side-loaded or flashed factory images of Android 5 Lollipop. This guide is written assuming you already have Android 5 Lollipop installed on your Nexus 7 tablet. Many users of the Nexus 7 (particularly the 2012 model) have reported major performance issues since the Android 5 Lollipop "update". The majority of users reporting performance issues are those who received their update "over the air" (OTA) while keeping all of their old Apps and settings.
Because of this, if you are experiencing slowness and lag AFTER applying these tuning tips, I then recommend that you do a "Factory Reset" (see the Factory Reset section at the bottom of this guide). Just so you know, "Factory Reset" is a bit of misleading term, as your Nexus 7 probably did not come with Lollipop on it from the factory, and a "Factory Reset" will take you back to a clean base Android 5 Lollipop installation without any of your applications or settings retained. Try my recommended settings below first - many of these settings may make a difference in the performance you see on your Nexus 7 without doing the Factory Reset. If you flashed a factory image to get Lollipop on your Nexus 7, you got a clean base install, and probably don't need to worry about a Factory Reset.
Do you have enough cash? (if you have extra, you can send me some!)
Android Lollipop (and prior versions of Android) use a portion of your Nexus 7's storage space to hold temporary data about the programs you have run, or are running. This area of storage is called the "Recovery Cache" (pronounced "cash"). Over time this area of your storage can hold old outdated or not used information about your system and programs. It is highly recommended to wipe Recovery Cache on your Nexus 7. You do NOT need to do a "Factory Reset" (see above) to wipe Recovery Cache, and you will not lose any of your settings or Apps wiping your Recovery Cache. Wiping the cache at this point will help assure you have a trouble-free and well performing system. Please see the section "Wipe Recovery Cache" directly below on how to perform this important step.
Wipe Recovery Cache
Turn off your Nexus 7
When the device turns off, press & hold the Volume Down button, and then press & hold the Power button simultaneously until the device turns on, then release both buttons.
You'll see the word "Start" with an arrow drawn around it.
Press the Volume Down button twice to highlight Recovery mode.
Press the Power button to start Recovery mode, and release it. You'll see the Google logo, and after a moment you'll see an image of an Android robot laying on it's back with a red exclamation mark.
While holding down the Power button, press and hold the Volume Up button for a second, then release both buttons.
Use the volume buttons to scroll to "wipe cache partition" then briefly press the Power button to select it.
When the cache is cleared (may take a few seconds to a few minutes), press the Power button on the option "reboot system now."
OK, First Things First
When you first run Android Lollipop, it has some housekeeping chores it needs to perform. You want to help these processes as much as possible to improve the performance on your Nexus 7 both the first time you run Lollipop and as time continues.
Lollipop uses a new Android Run Time "engine" (ART) to run programs. ART needs to pre-compile all of the Apps that you install before Android can run them for the first time. This pre-compile is very resource intensive, the more Apps you install, the more compiling will take place. But it doesn't all take place at once! This compilation takes place in the background, usually in idle-time so if you install a bunch of Apps - be patient as Lollipop needs time to compile them. Lollipop assumes you want to run some Apps too, not just wait for your Apps to compile, so it balances time for you to run Apps while it waits to pre-compile others as idle system time allows. Give Lollipop a day or two (or even a week) to settle-in on your Nexus 7, then just remember Lollipop and ART will work in the background after you install new Apps before you actually have the App available to run. ART likes battery too, so be sure to keep your Nexus 7 charged as much as possible until things settle in.
Now that you know a little about ART, Launch the Google Play Store. Tap the 3 stacked bars in the upper left corner and then select "Settings". Select "Auto-update apps" and set the radio button to "Do not auto-update apps". This will prevent Google Play from auto-updating user applications and more importantly compiling them in the background while you are trying to tune/run your Nexus 7. The Google core applications (Maps, GMail, Chrome, etc.) will all still update with "Auto-Update" set to "Do not auto-update apps". You will still receive all notifications about updates from Google Play for Apps you have installed, if you turn on "Notifications" in the same Google Play settings screen where you disable auto-updates. It is recommended that you wait until all Google core Apps have updated, before you begin to install your own Apps, but I understand, easier said than done... Turning off auto-updates of your applications puts you in control of when and which App updates are applied, and the amount of work ART needs to do, and do it in a more controlled manner.
What? - There's More??
Yes! - as if there's not enough going on already in the background, Android Lollipop's Media Scanner also likes to run, reading through the entire storage space on your Nexus 7 looking for various media files to index so that your Apps later can read the index and find your songs, photos, and movie files. Be aware that Media Scanner runs each and every time you reboot your Nexus 7 too, and that uses a lot of battery and affects performance while it runs. I recommend not rebooting or powering off your Nexus 7 unless you need to, unless you want to rescan your media files often (totally un-necessary!). Let your Nexus 7 sleep while you're not using it, and if necessary, plug it in to charge. It's better anyway to leave it on so it can perform maintenance on itself during idle time, while it, and you, sleep.
What do you mean don't swipe, I'm not a thief!
Android Lollipop has an "Overview" button (the big square icon at the bottom right side of the main screen). It stores a graphical card list (Rolodex or Carousel style) of recently used and running Apps allowing you to easily switch between them. Quite a useful feature, quite nice to pick up where you left off! One change in Lollipop is that this list remains, even after a reboot. Speaking of unnecessary things, I recommend -not- removing Apps from the Overview List, and allowing Lollipop to manage them. I know... it feels like something you should do, but just ignore your urge to clear them, the Apps shown there are using limited or no resources and virtually not affecting your performance. Additionally, you'll be swiping them away all the time since there is no "Clear All" feature (by design!). Closing Apps from the Overview Rolodex menu panel takes time, system resources, and uses battery.
Now the fun stuff!
OK, now that we've got a few things out of the way, and you've met ART, wiped your Recovery Cache (you did, right??, if not go back and do it!), and possibly performed a Factory Reset, it's time to change some settings to help your Nexus 7 run smoother and be buttery smooth and snappy. While my settings are not for everyone, you can use them as a base for yours and then enable what you might need, like Bluetooth if you use a Bluetooth device, or enable NFC if you make payments with your Nexus 7 at point-of-sale terminals, etc. Let's go!
Settings --> Wi-Fi --> tap 3 dots upper right --> Advanced --> Scanning Always Available --> OFF
Settings --> Wi-Fi --> tap 3 dots upper right --> Advanced --> Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep --> Always
Settings --> Wi-Fi --> tap 3 dots upper right --> Advanced --> Wi-Fi frequency band --> Automatic (Nexus 7(13) model setting only!)
Settings --> Bluetooth --> OFF (unless you use it)
Settings --> More --> NFC --> OFF
Settings --> Display --> Adaptive Brightness - OFF
Settings --> Display --> Sleep --> 2 minutes
Settings --> Display --> Daydream - OFF
Settings --> Display --> When Device Is Rotated --> set to: "Stay in current orientation" (will save you about 3-5% constant CPU usage). This turns Auto-Rotate off. You can later toggle this on/off as one of the items in the Quick Settings panel with a two finger swipe down from the top on your main Launcher screen so switching it on/off later for NetFlix, etc. is easy.
Settings --> Sound & Notification --> Set all Volumes to lowest level you still can hear comfortably.
Settings --> Sound & Notification --> Events and Reminders --> ON
Settings --> Sound & Notification --> Messages --> OFF
Settings --> Sound & Notification --> Other Sounds --> Screen Locking Sounds --> OFF
Settings --> Sound & Notification --> Other Sounds --> Touch Sounds --> OFF
Settings --> Sound & Notification --> Pulse Notification light --> OFF (Nexus 7(13) only!)
Settings --> Sound & Notification --> When Device is locked --> Don't show notifications at all
Settings --> Sound & Notification --> App notifications --> be aware there are settings for notifications from each App you have. If you don't want Pandora for example notifying you when new music is added to a channel you are subscribed to, or song notifications, you can either set Pandora to Block --> ON, and/or set the Pandora Notifications to --> Priority
Settings --> Sound & Notification --> Notification access --> Uncheck All Boxes (don't allow any, also helps with data privacy!)
Settings --> Storage --> Tap the 3 dots in the upper right, USB computer connection --> set to MTP. This will allow your Nexus 7 to connect to your PC as a Media device. If you want to connect it as a camera to transfer photos, select PTP instead.
Settings --> Battery --> Tap the 3 dots in the upper right, Battery Saver --> OFF, and Turn on Automatically --> Never
Settings --> Location --> ON, set Mode also to Device Only for now. This activates the GPS chip/hardware location of your Nexus 7, but not software location services.
Settings --> Security --> Power button instantly locks --> OFF (this option will only show if you have a lock method specified in Settings --> Security - Screen Lock (I use a PIN).
Settings --> Security --> Owner Info (enter your name and phone number, "Reward if Found..., etc." here, this displays on the lock screen or if your Nexus 7 is rebooted.
Settings --> Security --> Trust Agents --> Deactivate All (turning off Smart Lock (Google) here, removes the display and configuration items in Settings --> Security --> Smart Lock, so if you want to use Smart Lock, (Face Unlock, etc.) leave this set ON. You can toggle it easily, so don't worry if you decide not to use Smart Lock initially, and later decide to use it).
Settings --> Security --> Screen Pinning --> OFF
Settings --> Accounts, select your Google account --> Privacy --> Search --> Google Now --> OFF
Settings --> Accounts, select your Google account --> Privacy --> Search --> Tablet Search --> Uncheck all boxes
Settings --> Accounts, select your Google account --> Privacy --> Search --> Voice --> "OK Google" detection --> all sliders set to OFF
Settings --> Accounts, select your Google account --> Privacy --> Search --> Voice --> Audio History --> OFF
Settings --> Accounts, select your Google account --> Privacy --> Search --> Voice --> Block offensive words --> OFF (damnit!)
Settings --> Accounts, select your Google account --> Ads --> Opt out of interest-based ads - slider set to ON
Settings --> Language & Input --> Voice Input --> Turn OFF "Enhanced Google services", turn ON "Basic Google recognition"
Settings --> Printing --> Cloud Print - OFF (this one really seems to help performance!!)
Developers Options
The following settings are in the 'Developer Options' section of your Settings. If you don't have a 'Developer Options' listed in your Settings, go to Settings --> About Tablet and tap "Build Number" 7 times to enable Developer Settings.
Settings --> Developer Options --> USB debugging --> ON (checked) (can be used later if necessary to recover your Nexus 7 or use advanced ADB commands). Just turn it on and leave it alone for now, no harm!
Settings --> Developer Options --> Use NuPlayer (experimental) --> OFF (unchecked)
Settings --> Developer Options --> Window animation scale --> Animation OFF
Settings --> Developer Options --> Transition animation scale --> Animation OFF
Settings --> Developer Options --> Animator duration scale --> Animation Off
To turn Developer Settings back off: Settings --> Developer Options --> slider switch at top right, OFF (more than OK to leave Developer Settings enabled however!)
More Google Settings
Now let's make some more changes to how your Google Account is associated with your Nexus 7. We covered some of these settings above, but lets go through them again anyway. Go to your App List (where you select icons from to drag to your desktop), and run the already installed App called "Google Settings" (you may be really surprised at some of the default settings!)
Tap the 3 dots upper right - Usage & Diagnostics - set Slider to OFF
Play Games - (you may receive a notice about a Google Account problem, just ignore it) "Level Up Notifications" - uncheck the box, make sure all boxes are unchecked. Also make sure to set "Game Profile" to "Hidden" in the Play Games settings.
Location - set slider to On, and Mode to "Device Only"
Disable 'Google Now' Search & Now --> Google Now, slide to OFF
Turn Tablet Search off - Search & Now --> Tablet Search, uncheck all the boxes.
Accounts & Privacy - all sliders set to OFF, especially "Personal Results", also, "Manage App History", uncheck App History
Voice - all sliders set to OFF
Security - set all sliders to OFF
Some other useful tips for great performance
Some users report intermittent or non-existent Wi-Fi connections after installing or updating to Lollipop. Make sure your wireless router is operating on Channel 11 or under. Lollipop seems to have problems with routers running Channels above 11. If you're not sure what channel your router is on, you can download the excellent free app called "Wifi Analyzer" by author "farproc" from Google Play to easily see these details. You can also make sure your router is not on the same channel as one of your neighbors with this must-have utility.
Check Google Play for updates to your applications regularly, especially for Google's core Apps (Google Maps, Google Play Music, Chrome Browser, etc.) themselves, which have recently updated. Many users are saying the newly updated Google Apps are boosting performance on the Nexus 7 as well. Remember you now have auto-update turned OFF for your Apps, so be sure to check Google Play often for updates and watch your notifications since we set notifications for App updates ON (above).
Use a 3rd Party Launcher! - What is a Launcher? The Launcher is the program that fires when you press the <Home> button (the circle) at the middle bottom of the main screen in Android. It is the program that you drop your icons and widgets onto to later "launch" them by tapping on them. Google provides a "stock" launcher with Lollipop - but you can easily replace it. Simply go to Google Play and select/install the Launcher you want to use, just like any other Android Application. In fact you can have several Launchers installed and switch between them easily. You don't delete the stock launcher, just add others, and select the new one to use, just as you can have two or three browsers installed on your system. Next Launcher 3D (my favorite!), Nova Launcher, Apex Launcher and Go Launcher are all good launcher choices. You can install one or all of them, and choose which one you want to use as you experiment more. To roll back to the original "stock" launcher after you have installed a (better!) Launcher, go into Settings --> (Device Section) --> Home, and select the radio button for the Launcher you would like to use. Using a different Launcher is easy, and does not require you to alter or "root" your Nexus 7, and switching back to the Google Launcher is even easier!
Note: If you choose Nova Launcher (an excellent choice for a first-timer changing Launchers!!), make this change in Nova: Nova Settings --> Desktop --> Wallpaper Scrolling --> Force.
Do not use a Live Wallpaper! Live Wallpapers eat CPU and battery. Later, once you achieve your performance nirvana on your Nexus 7 - you can then try a Live Wallpaper if you so desire.
Nexus 7(12) users - Don't forget you have a camera - Go to Google Play and install "Camera Nexus 7 (official)", Nexus 7(13) users should have Google Camera installed in Lollipop by default.
You may want to strongly consider replacing the stock Lollipop keyboard with a third party (better!) keyboard such as SwiftKey (free). This also seems to help boost performance some as well. You can always add a keyboard, change to it, try it, and change back to the stock quite easily in Settings --> Language & input. If you decide to keep the Lollipop (white) keyboard, be aware you can make it dark again and appear with separate keys by going to Settings --> Language & input, Google Keyboard --> Appearance & layouts --> Theme, and select Material Dark, or if you prefer the KitKat look, Holo Blue or Holo White.
Consider using a 3rd Party Browser to surf the web from your Nexus 7. Boat Browser, Ghostery Privacy Browser, Opera Mobile or Firefox are all good browser choices! If you choose to use Chrome, make sure to check for updates regularly! Many users report better luck using the latest beta version(s) of Chrome.
Too many Nexus 7 users having problems with performance are using the Facebook App. This can not be a coincidence. It is recommended that you uninstall the Facebook App, and use Facebook with a browser such as Firefox or Ghostery until you stabilize your Nexus 7, and/or until Facebook updates their application. Some users have reported great success using the App "Tinfoil for Facebook", available on Google Play, to access Facebook.
Factory Reset
To perform a Factory Reset (as referenced above in this guide): Settings --> Backup and Reset --> Factory Data Reset. Note: you will lose -ALL- of your personal data, music, pictures, etc., so back those items up if you wish to keep them.
Remember - Android 5 Lollipop is a major new release of Android, and is now just a few months old. I will continue to update this guide as I discover more in the settings, other new Android 5 versions for the Nexus 7 are released, or other tips & tricks are discovered to maximize performance of the Nexus 7. Please post any tips you find. All models of the Nexus 7 can run Lollipop outstandingly well, just not the way it is set to run out of the box. Best of luck achieving maximum performance, and have fun with your Nexus 7!!
Updated: 01/31/2015
I made a few updates to this Guide - post #1 of this thread. Now, includes the Nexus 7 Mobile tablets too, reworded some stuff, and added a few tips. Thank you all for your feedback along the way... !!!
Glad to see the LTE versions of the Nexus 7 get Lollipop too!
Many thanks as usual
I suggested your guide to several users of this fantastic tablet
May I create a couple of 3D into an italian forum (named ANDROIDIANI) recalling this your guide ?? Of course i will underline your reference, this 3D, etc ...
Yes, of course. No problem at all !!
JimTDI said:
Yes, of course. No problem at all !!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok thanks i will inform you when and where i forward your big guide
Ciao
---------- Post added at 02:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:42 PM ----------
Here my first 2 post dedicated to your guide:
http://www.androidiani.com/forum/go...-per-lavorare-meglio-con-lollipop-jimtdi.html
http://www.androidiani.com/forum/go...-per-lavorare-meglio-con-lollipop-jimtdi.html
ciao and thanks so much
paolo
Many Thanks
Many thanks for this, very educational, I had not a clue about most of this.
Mick.
JimTDI said:
Welcome to JimTDI's Guide - Tuning the Nexus 7 with Android 5 Lollipop for Maximum Performance!
What's Up
The goal of this guide is to provide you with a well performing base for your Nexus 7 on which you can then build upon, enabling all the features of Lollipop that you want and need, and leaving the ones that affect performance and are unnecessary or unneeded by you, off or disabled.
Don't worry... we're not going to harm or do anything to your Nexus 7 that can't be easily undone. None of my tuning tips "alter" or "root" your Nexus 7, or do anything that would void your warranty - but let's face it, if you have a Nexus 7, it's probably old enough that it doesn't have a warranty anyway. That being said, use common sense, and make your own choices - I am not responsible for any damage to your Nexus 7 because of my recommendations and tuning tips. Rest assured though, I have tested my recommended settings extensively on both the Nexus 7 2012 and Nexus 7 2013 Wi-Fi models. I'll be as gentle, and as non-technical as possible as we tune your Nexus 7. So, let's begin...
This guide has been recently updated to cover tuning the latest released versions of Android 5 Lollipop on both the Nexus 7 2012 and Nexus 7 2013 Wi-Fi and Mobile models. I'll refer to them as the Nexus 7(12) or Nexus 7(13) hereafter when we need specifics.
The Nexus 7(12) was available in 3 models, with either 8, 16 or 32GB of storage memory - and with 1 GB of memory to run applications. The Nexus 7(13) was available with either 16 or 32GB of storage, and 2GBs of memory to run applications. There were Wi-Fi and mobile editions available. It's always prudent for a Nexus 7 owner to know the specifics of the tablet they own, especially when asking for help or seeking out support, repair, software patches or looking for accessories like a case, or parts.
If you're not sure which model you have here's a tip, if there's a camera on the back side (facing away from you) it's a 2013 model, if it has just a front-facing camera only (no camera on the backside), then it's a 2012.
As you can see from the above specs, the Nexus 7(12) has very limited application memory with just 1GB on board, just one half of what the Nexus 7(13) has. It also has a bit slower processor than the Nexus 7(13) does (you can look those specs up later). Therefore the goal of this guide is to reduce anything that uses excessive memory, battery, and processing power while still providing a buttery smooth, fully functional user interface. After all, that's what the Lollipop & the Material Design experience is all about
What's New
As of this writing (I update this guide regularly!) these are the current Android 5 Lollipop versions for the various Nexus 7 models. For the best performance, -MAKE SURE- you have the latest Android 5 Lollipop version for your particular Nexus 7 device.
Nexus 7(12) Wi-Fi 5.0.2 (prior release 5.0, no 5.0.1 version for the Nexus 7(12) was ever released).
Nexus 7(12) Mobile 5.0.2
Nexus 7(13) Wi-Fi 5.0.2 (prior releases 5.0, and 5.0.1)
Nexus 7(13) Mobile 5.0.2
Some users have received updates from Android 4.x to Android 5 Lollipop "over-the-air" (known as OTA), and some users have either side-loaded or flashed factory images of Android 5 Lollipop. This guide is written assuming you already have Android 5 Lollipop installed on your Nexus 7 tablet. Many users of the Nexus 7 (particularly the 2012 model) have reported major performance issues since the Android 5 Lollipop "update". The majority of users reporting performance issues are those who received their update "over the air" (OTA) while keeping all of their old Apps and settings.
Because of this, if you are experiencing slowness and lag AFTER applying these tuning tips, I then recommend that you do a "Factory Reset" (see the Factory Reset section at the bottom of this guide). Just so you know, "Factory Reset" is a bit of misleading term, as your Nexus 7 probably did not come with Lollipop on it from the factory, and a "Factory Reset" will take you back to a clean base Android 5 Lollipop installation without any of your applications or settings retained. Try my recommended settings below first - many of these settings may make a difference in the performance you see on your Nexus 7 without doing the Factory Reset. If you flashed a factory image to get Lollipop on your Nexus 7, you got a clean base install, and probably don't need to worry about a Factory Reset.
Do you have enough cash? (if you have extra, you can send me some!)
Android Lollipop (and prior versions of Android) use a portion of your Nexus 7's storage space to hold temporary data about the programs you have run, or are running. This area of storage is called the "Recovery Cache" (pronounced "cash"). Over time this area of your storage can hold old outdated or not used information about your system and programs. It is highly recommended to wipe Recovery Cache on your Nexus 7. You do NOT need to do a "Factory Reset" (see above) to wipe Recovery Cache, and you will not lose any of your settings or Apps wiping your Recovery Cache. Wiping the cache at this point will help assure you have a trouble-free and well performing system. Please see the section "Wipe Recovery Cache" directly below on how to perform this important step.
Wipe Recovery Cache
Turn off your Nexus 7
When the device turns off, press & hold the Volume Down button, and then press & hold the Power button simultaneously until the device turns on, then release both buttons.
You'll see the word "Start" with an arrow drawn around it.
Press the Volume Down button twice to highlight Recovery mode.
Press the Power button to start Recovery mode, and release it. You'll see the Google logo, and after a moment you'll see an image of an Android robot laying on it's back with a red exclamation mark.
While holding down the Power button, press and hold the Volume Up button for a second, then release both buttons.
Use the volume buttons to scroll to "wipe cache partition" then briefly press the Power button to select it.
When the cache is cleared (may take a few seconds to a few minutes), press the Power button on the option "reboot system now."
OK, First Things First
When you first run Android Lollipop, it has some housekeeping chores it needs to perform. You want to help these processes as much as possible to improve the performance on your Nexus 7 both the first time you run Lollipop and as time continues.
Lollipop uses a new Android Run Time "engine" (ART) to run programs. ART needs to pre-compile all of the Apps that you install before Android can run them for the first time. This pre-compile is very resource intensive, the more Apps you install, the more compiling will take place. But it doesn't all take place at once! This compilation takes place in the background, usually in idle-time so if you install a bunch of Apps - be patient as Lollipop needs time to compile them. Lollipop assumes you want to run some Apps too, not just wait for your Apps to compile, so it balances time for you to run Apps while it waits to pre-compile others as idle system time allows. Give Lollipop a day or two (or even a week) to settle-in on your Nexus 7, then just remember Lollipop and ART will work in the background after you install new Apps before you actually have the App available to run. ART likes battery too, so be sure to keep your Nexus 7 charged as much as possible until things settle in.
Now that you know a little about ART, Launch the Google Play Store. Tap the 3 stacked bars in the upper left corner and then select "Settings". Select "Auto-update apps" and set the radio button to "Do not auto-update apps". This will prevent Google Play from auto-updating user applications and more importantly compiling them in the background while you are trying to tune/run your Nexus 7. The Google core applications (Maps, GMail, Chrome, etc.) will all still update with "Auto-Update" set to "Do not auto-update apps". You will still receive all notifications about updates from Google Play for Apps you have installed, if you turn on "Notifications" in the same Google Play settings screen where you disable auto-updates. It is recommended that you wait until all Google core Apps have updated, before you begin to install your own Apps, but I understand, easier said than done... Turning off auto-updates of your applications puts you in control of when and which App updates are applied, and the amount of work ART needs to do, and do it in a more controlled manner.
What? - There's More??
Yes! - as if there's not enough going on already in the background, Android Lollipop's Media Scanner also likes to run, reading through the entire storage space on your Nexus 7 looking for various media files to index so that your Apps later can read the index and find your songs, photos, and movie files. Be aware that Media Scanner runs each and every time you reboot your Nexus 7 too, and that uses a lot of battery and affects performance while it runs. I recommend not rebooting or powering off your Nexus 7 unless you need to, unless you want to rescan your media files often (totally un-necessary!). Let your Nexus 7 sleep while you're not using it, and if necessary, plug it in to charge. It's better anyway to leave it on so it can perform maintenance on itself during idle time, while it, and you, sleep.
What do you mean don't swipe, I'm not a thief!
Android Lollipop has an "Overview" button (the big square icon at the bottom right side of the main screen). It stores a graphical card list (Rolodex or Carousel style) of recently used and running Apps allowing you to easily switch between them. Quite a useful feature, quite nice to pick up where you left off! One change in Lollipop is that this list remains, even after a reboot. Speaking of unnecessary things, I recommend -not- removing Apps from the Overview List, and allowing Lollipop to manage them. I know... it feels like something you should do, but just ignore your urge to clear them, the Apps shown there are using limited or no resources and virtually not affecting your performance. Additionally, you'll be swiping them away all the time since there is no "Clear All" feature (by design!). Closing Apps from the Overview Rolodex menu panel takes time, system resources, and uses battery.
Now the fun stuff!
OK, now that we've got a few things out of the way, and you've met ART, wiped your Recovery Cache (you did, right??, if not go back and do it!), and possibly performed a Factory Reset, it's time to change some settings to help your Nexus 7 run smoother and be buttery smooth and snappy. While my settings are not for everyone, you can use them as a base for yours and then enable what you might need, like Bluetooth if you use a Bluetooth device, or enable NFC if you make payments with your Nexus 7 at point-of-sale terminals, etc. Let's go!
Settings --> Wi-Fi --> tap 3 dots upper right --> Advanced --> Scanning Always Available --> OFF
Settings --> Wi-Fi --> tap 3 dots upper right --> Advanced --> Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep --> Always
Settings --> Wi-Fi --> tap 3 dots upper right --> Advanced --> Wi-Fi frequency band --> Automatic (Nexus 7(13) model setting only!)
Settings --> Bluetooth --> OFF (unless you use it)
Settings --> More --> NFC --> OFF
Settings --> Display --> Adaptive Brightness - OFF
Settings --> Display --> Sleep --> 2 minutes
Settings --> Display --> Daydream - OFF
Settings --> Display --> When Device Is Rotated --> set to: "Stay in current orientation" (will save you about 3-5% constant CPU usage). This turns Auto-Rotate off. You can later toggle this on/off as one of the items in the Quick Settings panel with a two finger swipe down from the top on your main Launcher screen so switching it on/off later for NetFlix, etc. is easy.
Settings --> Sound & Notification --> Set all Volumes to lowest level you still can hear comfortably.
Settings --> Sound & Notification --> Events and Reminders --> ON
Settings --> Sound & Notification --> Messages --> OFF
Settings --> Sound & Notification --> Other Sounds --> Screen Locking Sounds --> OFF
Settings --> Sound & Notification --> Other Sounds --> Touch Sounds --> OFF
Settings --> Sound & Notification --> Pulse Notification light --> OFF (Nexus 7(13) only!)
Settings --> Sound & Notification --> When Device is locked --> Don't show notifications at all
Settings --> Sound & Notification --> App notifications --> be aware there are settings for notifications from each App you have. If you don't want Pandora for example notifying you when new music is added to a channel you are subscribed to, or song notifications, you can either set Pandora to Block --> ON, and/or set the Pandora Notifications to --> Priority
Settings --> Sound & Notification --> Notification access --> Uncheck All Boxes (don't allow any, also helps with data privacy!)
Settings --> Storage --> Tap the 3 dots in the upper right, USB computer connection --> set to MTP. This will allow your Nexus 7 to connect to your PC as a Media device. If you want to connect it as a camera to transfer photos, select PTP instead.
Settings --> Battery --> Tap the 3 dots in the upper right, Battery Saver --> OFF, and Turn on Automatically --> Never
Settings --> Location --> ON, set Mode also to Device Only for now. This activates the GPS chip/hardware location of your Nexus 7, but not software location services.
Settings --> Security --> Power button instantly locks --> OFF (this option will only show if you have a lock method specified in Settings --> Security - Screen Lock (I use a PIN).
Settings --> Security --> Owner Info (enter your name and phone number, "Reward if Found..., etc." here, this displays on the lock screen or if your Nexus 7 is rebooted.
Settings --> Security --> Trust Agents --> Deactivate All (turning off Smart Lock (Google) here, removes the display and configuration items in Settings --> Security --> Smart Lock, so if you want to use Smart Lock, (Face Unlock, etc.) leave this set ON. You can toggle it easily, so don't worry if you decide not to use Smart Lock initially, and later decide to use it).
Settings --> Security --> Screen Pinning --> OFF
Settings --> Accounts, select your Google account --> Privacy --> Search --> Google Now --> OFF
Settings --> Accounts, select your Google account --> Privacy --> Search --> Tablet Search --> Uncheck all boxes
Settings --> Accounts, select your Google account --> Privacy --> Search --> Voice --> "OK Google" detection --> all sliders set to OFF
Settings --> Accounts, select your Google account --> Privacy --> Search --> Voice --> Audio History --> OFF
Settings --> Accounts, select your Google account --> Privacy --> Search --> Voice --> Block offensive words --> OFF (damnit!)
Settings --> Accounts, select your Google account --> Ads --> Opt out of interest-based ads - slider set to ON
Settings --> Language & Input --> Voice Input --> Turn OFF "Enhanced Google services", turn ON "Basic Google recognition"
Settings --> Printing --> Cloud Print - OFF (this one really seems to help performance!!)
Developers Options
The following settings are in the 'Developer Options' section of your Settings. If you don't have a 'Developer Options' listed in your Settings, go to Settings --> About Tablet and tap "Build Number" 7 times to enable Developer Settings.
Settings --> Developer Options --> USB debugging --> ON (checked) (can be used later if necessary to recover your Nexus 7 or use advanced ADB commands). Just turn it on and leave it alone for now, no harm!
Settings --> Developer Options --> Use NuPlayer (experimental) --> OFF (unchecked)
Settings --> Developer Options --> Window animation scale --> Animation OFF
Settings --> Developer Options --> Transition animation scale --> Animation OFF
Settings --> Developer Options --> Animator duration scale --> Animation Off
To turn Developer Settings back off: Settings --> Developer Options --> slider switch at top right, OFF (more than OK to leave Developer Settings enabled however!)
More Google Settings
Now let's make some more changes to how your Google Account is associated with your Nexus 7. We covered some of these settings above, but lets go through them again anyway. Go to your App List (where you select icons from to drag to your desktop), and run the already installed App called "Google Settings" (you may be really surprised at some of the default settings!)
Tap the 3 dots upper right - Usage & Diagnostics - set Slider to OFF
Play Games - (you may receive a notice about a Google Account problem, just ignore it) "Level Up Notifications" - uncheck the box, make sure all boxes are unchecked. Also make sure to set "Game Profile" to "Hidden" in the Play Games settings.
Location - set slider to On, and Mode to "Device Only"
Disable 'Google Now' Search & Now --> Google Now, slide to OFF
Turn Tablet Search off - Search & Now --> Tablet Search, uncheck all the boxes.
Accounts & Privacy - all sliders set to OFF, especially "Personal Results", also, "Manage App History", uncheck App History
Voice - all sliders set to OFF
Security - set all sliders to OFF
Some other useful tips for great performance
Some users report intermittent or non-existent Wi-Fi connections after installing or updating to Lollipop. Make sure your wireless router is operating on Channel 11 or under. Lollipop seems to have problems with routers running Channels above 11. If you're not sure what channel your router is on, you can download the excellent free app called "Wifi Analyzer" by author "farproc" from Google Play to easily see these details. You can also make sure your router is not on the same channel as one of your neighbors with this must-have utility.
Check Google Play for updates to your applications regularly, especially for Google's core Apps (Google Maps, Google Play Music, Chrome Browser, etc.) themselves, which have recently updated. Many users are saying the newly updated Google Apps are boosting performance on the Nexus 7 as well. Remember you now have auto-update turned OFF for your Apps, so be sure to check Google Play often for updates and watch your notifications since we set notifications for App updates ON (above).
Use a 3rd Party Launcher! - What is a Launcher? The Launcher is the program that fires when you press the <Home> button (the circle) at the middle bottom of the main screen in Android. It is the program that you drop your icons and widgets onto to later "launch" them by tapping on them. Google provides a "stock" launcher with Lollipop - but you can easily replace it. Simply go to Google Play and select/install the Launcher you want to use, just like any other Android Application. In fact you can have several Launchers installed and switch between them easily. You don't delete the stock launcher, just add others, and select the new one to use, just as you can have two or three browsers installed on your system. Next Launcher 3D (my favorite!), Nova Launcher, Apex Launcher and Go Launcher are all good launcher choices. You can install one or all of them, and choose which one you want to use as you experiment more. To roll back to the original "stock" launcher after you have installed a (better!) Launcher, go into Settings --> (Device Section) --> Home, and select the radio button for the Launcher you would like to use. Using a different Launcher is easy, and does not require you to alter or "root" your Nexus 7, and switching back to the Google Launcher is even easier!
Note: If you choose Nova Launcher (an excellent choice for a first-timer changing Launchers!!), make this change in Nova: Nova Settings --> Desktop --> Wallpaper Scrolling --> Force.
Do not use a Live Wallpaper! Live Wallpapers eat CPU and battery. Later, once you achieve your performance nirvana on your Nexus 7 - you can then try a Live Wallpaper if you so desire.
Nexus 7(12) users - Don't forget you have a camera - Go to Google Play and install "Camera Nexus 7 (official)", Nexus 7(13) users should have Google Camera installed in Lollipop by default.
You may want to strongly consider replacing the stock Lollipop keyboard with a third party (better!) keyboard such as SwiftKey (free). This also seems to help boost performance some as well. You can always add a keyboard, change to it, try it, and change back to the stock quite easily in Settings --> Language & input. If you decide to keep the Lollipop (white) keyboard, be aware you can make it dark again and appear with separate keys by going to Settings --> Language & input, Google Keyboard --> Appearance & layouts --> Theme, and select Material Dark, or if you prefer the KitKat look, Holo Blue or Holo White.
Consider using a 3rd Party Browser to surf the web from your Nexus 7. Boat Browser, Ghostery Privacy Browser, Opera Mobile or Firefox are all good browser choices! If you choose to use Chrome, make sure to check for updates regularly! Many users report better luck using the latest beta version(s) of Chrome.
Too many Nexus 7 users having problems with performance are using the Facebook App. This can not be a coincidence. It is recommended that you uninstall the Facebook App, and use Facebook with a browser such as Firefox or Ghostery until you stabilize your Nexus 7, and/or until Facebook updates their application. Some users have reported great success using the App "Tinfoil for Facebook", available on Google Play, to access Facebook.
Factory Reset
To perform a Factory Reset (as referenced above in this guide): Settings --> Backup and Reset --> Factory Data Reset. Note: you will lose -ALL- of your personal data, music, pictures, etc., so back those items up if you wish to keep them.
Remember - Android 5 Lollipop is a major new release of Android, and is now just a few months old. I will continue to update this guide as I discover more in the settings, other new Android 5 versions for the Nexus 7 are released, or other tips & tricks are discovered to maximize performance of the Nexus 7. Please post any tips you find. All models of the Nexus 7 can run Lollipop outstandingly well, just not the way it is set to run out of the box. Best of luck achieving maximum performance, and have fun with your Nexus 7!!
Updated: 01/31/2015
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just posted a new version of my Tuning Guide for the Nexus 7 & Lollipop here:
https://productforums.google.com/d/msg/nexus/EWUtW5-fVrE/zgxJ-S7NSNkJ
I would update it here, but the document is too big now according to a message from this forum when trying to save it...
JimTDI said:
I just posted a new version of my Tuning Guide for the Nexus 7 & Lollipop here:
https://productforums.google.com/d/msg/nexus/EWUtW5-fVrE/zgxJ-S7NSNkJ
I would update it here, but the document is too big now according to a message from this forum when trying to save it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will post my issue and dubt regarding N7 2012 3G with LL there
Many thanks
Paolo
Hello. Thanks for your very useful Guide. Having gone through all your steps I feel my Nexus-7 2012 has improved (less problems) but now I cannot get any sound from the keyboard pressing. Unlike many users, we prefer sound as I can tell whether or not a character has been pressed, eg when entering password. When I go to settings/options etc etc I cannot see any option that allows me to turn keyboard sounds on and off. Perhaps that is being governed by some other weird settings somewhere. Can you help please? Like so many other people, my Nexus-7 was screwed up by Android 5. I am on 5.1.1 ie the latest/last for this machine. Kept failing to respond, or dying to black, though never predictable. Always fine on Android 4 that it came with.
Hi - yes, 5.1.1 crippled many a Nexus 7. Can you tell me the values for Settings > Language & Input > Current Keyboard? If it's the Google Keyboard, touch that (right below current keyboard) then select Preferences > Sound on keypress (make sure it's turned on), and also check Volume on keypress there in the keyboard preferences. If you're using a different keyboard, then we may need to approach this differently to solve your problem.
HI Jim,
our N7 is really too old but ... sometimes some owners ask me on Italian forum in which way they can speed their N7 with LL
I always forward them to this topic and to your very interesting guide
Thanks a lot for all your effort addressed to N7
Really appreciate
Ciao
Paolo
paolocorpo said:
HI Jim,
our N7 is really too old but ... sometimes some owners ask me on Italian forum in which way they can speed their N7 with LL
I always forward them to this topic and to your very interesting guide
Thanks a lot for all your effort addressed to N7
Really appreciate
Ciao
Paolo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you Paolo for your kind words!
-Jim
Cant get Keyboard to click
Hello. Thanks for the Guide. I used it to try to fix my Nexus-7 2012 after the dreaded Android 5 update. It is a bit better after your suggested changes to settings, though still far from good compared to what it was like under Android 4. A key annoying problem is that I cant get the keyboard to click when I try to login to the tablet. I have tried what seems like everything but nothing works. Clicking is important to me because otherwise it is very difficult to tell whether a key stroke has been accepted or not, which is essential when entering passwords. Thanks for any help. Regards Roger Keynes
---------- Post added at 01:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:18 PM ----------
Sorry. Just realised you had replied earlier to my original post. I will look for my settings shortly and post them here. Regards RK
---------- Post added at 01:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:31 PM ----------
Sorry. Just realised you had replied earlier to my original post. I will look for my settings shortly and post them here. Regards RK
No clicking from keyboard
Hello again. The Current Keyboard is English (UK) Gboard, which I believe is the Google Keyboard. Preferences seem to show Sound-on-keypress being ON, and Volume on keypress being 98%. I would have expected that to give me clicking, but it doesnt. Tablet has been turned off and on (many many times of course, due to the frustrations with it hanging up etc) but still I get no clicking. The tablet is basically just as it came orignally, apart from the 'automatically delivered' Android updates, and addition of various Apps from Google Play. No attempt ever made to 'root' it, or anything like that. Any help would be welcomed. Thanks and regards Roger K
PS... Sorry for any mistakes trying to use this forum...not intentional!
---------- Post added at 06:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:53 PM ----------
Sorry but not sure whether you will have seen my keyboard settings that you asked for. I'm obviously not very good at using these forums. In case you didnt see my reply, it says keyboard is Gboard, and Sound on keypress seems to be ON, and Volume on keypress set to 98%. Thanks for any help, regards Roger Keynes
Re: keyboard click
Hello again Jim. Are you able to give me some help with this (refce my post in August)? Sorry but I'm not sure exactly where or how to look for any feedback from you. Perhaps you are on holiday, on maybe not monitoring this any longer? Kind regards, Roger Keynes, Beanosenior.
Do you hear any touch sounds? I have a PIN set and I do get sounds when I enter it to unlock my Nexus 7. I also tried a GMail with GBoard as my keyboard. I am able to hear keypresses there also, so try looking at Settings > Sound & notification > Other Sounds > Touch Sounds > slide to ON.
Sorry it took me a bit of time to get back with you - you're right, I was on holiday.
Keyboard clicks - Touch sounds
JimTDI said:
Do you hear any touch sounds? I have a PIN set and I do get sounds when I enter it to unlock my Nexus 7. I also tried a GMail with GBoard as my keyboard. I am able to hear keypresses there also, so try looking at Settings > Sound & notification > Other Sounds > Touch Sounds > slide to ON.
Sorry it took me a bit of time to get back with you - you're right, I was on holiday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Jim. Thanks for your feedback. I checked as you suggested, and found that Touch Sounds is already set to ON, and Screen locking sounds is also set to ON. (Docking sounds was OFF, and although I dont think that setting is relevant for me I did turn it on, and powered the N7 off and back on but no change; still no clicking. The places I want clicking are 1) when logging in to the N7, ie to unlock it (what you called a PIN I think), and 2) when putting in password to log in to my email (the latter not gmail but some other provider, but essentially the same thing as you said in your reply). It's really odd. If it hadnt been originally clicking (under Android 4) I perhaps would never have realised that it COULD click! The N7 is in one of those fairly standard protective cases, ie when you close the cover the N7 goes off. We use the machine mainly for downloading the daily TIMES Newspaper, and when away on holiday without laptop then we also use it for Internet and Email. There are many Apps loaded on it but few are used. There's plenty of space available. Every night we charge it up fully. Apart from the clicking issue, the only problem we have is that on some days/times it seems to be hanging, and it's a pig to get into, ie struggle to get to the PIN/login screen. In some of those cases we might see the msg that the UI (user interface I guess) is not responding. The only way to fix it is to power off (hold power button in for 10 secs or so). Sometimes even that does not work at the first try. Though the WiFi signal in the house is showing as fairly week, it doesnt really seem to be that per-se which is affecting it. We've been on holiday where the signal was much better but still had similar problems. As you can guess from the above, patience is needed when using the N7; and it wasnt like that under Android 4. I have a little more patience in this particular respect than my dear wife! Once you finally get to the PIN screen, and on to the Times App, or the Internet/Email, it seems to work quite reasonably. Not that fast, but at least tolerable. All your suggestions in the guide have, I think, helped, but as you can gather there's still a fair frequency of despair! I keep thinking of ditching it for a more modern tablet (Samsung S2 seems good even though 2+ years old), but then the good old N7 behaves for a while and i continue to save my money...... Any thoughts welcomed. Best regards.
beanosenior said:
Hi Jim. Thanks for your feedback. I checked as you suggested, and found that Touch Sounds is already set to ON, and Screen locking sounds is also set to ON. (Docking sounds was OFF, and although I dont think that setting is relevant for me I did turn it on, and powered the N7 off and back on but no change; still no clicking. The places I want clicking are 1) when logging in to the N7, ie to unlock it (what you called a PIN I think), and 2) when putting in password to log in to my email (the latter not gmail but some other provider, but essentially the same thing as you said in your reply). It's really odd. If it hadnt been originally clicking (under Android 4) I perhaps would never have realised that it COULD click! The N7 is in one of those fairly standard protective cases, ie when you close the cover the N7 goes off. We use the machine mainly for downloading the daily TIMES Newspaper, and when away on holiday without laptop then we also use it for Internet and Email. There are many Apps loaded on it but few are used. There's plenty of space available. Every night we charge it up fully. Apart from the clicking issue, the only problem we have is that on some days/times it seems to be hanging, and it's a pig to get into, ie struggle to get to the PIN/login screen. In some of those cases we might see the msg that the UI (user interface I guess) is not responding. The only way to fix it is to power off (hold power button in for 10 secs or so). Sometimes even that does not work at the first try. Though the WiFi signal in the house is showing as fairly week, it doesnt really seem to be that per-se which is affecting it. We've been on holiday where the signal was much better but still had similar problems. As you can guess from the above, patience is needed when using the N7; and it wasnt like that under Android 4. I have a little more patience in this particular respect than my dear wife! Once you finally get to the PIN screen, and on to the Times App, or the Internet/Email, it seems to work quite reasonably. Not that fast, but at least tolerable. All your suggestions in the guide have, I think, helped, but as you can gather there's still a fair frequency of despair! I keep thinking of ditching it for a more modern tablet (Samsung S2 seems good even though 2+ years old), but then the good old N7 behaves for a while and i continue to save my money...... Any thoughts welcomed. Best regards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not quite sure what to recommend to you as far as getting your clicking back, sorry.
As far as performance goes - on one of my Nexus 7s (2012) I am running what's called Pure Nexus and it's running really fast. If you feel technically comfortable with altering your Nexus 7 it might be a way to go...
After a lot of time using stock rom and your tips and tricks I have decided to downgrade from 5 to 4 version
The usage with 5 is very ... unusable
I am obligated to use rom stock because unfortunately I have an app that cannot runs with Tom custom
Inviato dal mio HTC One M9 utilizzando Tapatalk
paolocorpo said:
After a lot of time using stock rom and your tips and tricks I have decided to downgrade from 5 to 4 version
The usage with 5 is very ... unusable
I am obligated to use rom stock because unfortunately I have an app that cannot runs with Tom custom
Inviato dal mio HTC One M9 utilizzando Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get it... Lollipop did a number on many of the Nexus 7(12s), hence the guide. Good luck flashing back!
1. Double tap home button to launch the camera in under one second.
1B. Disable the double-tap quick launch in the camera options to get rid of the delay when pressing the home button. It's a neat feature, but makes the home button much more quicker. (Thanks to @B1aze)
2. Use themes to change the look of your phone (limited as of right now; will be more widely available in the coming weeks to developers/themers).
3. Go into your App drawer and long press an icon as if you want to move/delete it. The small circles with the red '-' sign will let you either delete an app (if third-party) or disable it (if built-in).
4. Hold the power key for more than 7 seconds and the device will reboot. Hold VolUp+Home+Power to boot into recovery. Hold VolDown+Home+Power to boot into Download Mode.
5. Whenever you want to take a "selfie", you can simply frame the image first, and then put your finger on the heart rate sensor under the LED light at the back in order to take one.
6. When downloading a large file (30+ MB) and you have LTE AND are near WiFi, activate Download Booster! Settings--->More Connection Settings--->Download Booster. It combines both your WiFi and LTE connections into one for amazing DL speeds.
7. Notification reminders! Settings--->Accessibility--->Notification reminders.
8. Don't forget to claim your free 100 GB cloud storage with OneDrive!
9. Private mode... You can hide content from prying eyes, including photos, videos, music, web history, and such. To activate it, go to Settings--->Privacy and safety--->Private mode.
10. Do Not Disturb mode. Dare I say... Better than Google's implementation of "priority notification only" mode. You can set a schedule for it, who IS/ISN'T allowed to contact you while it's on, etc.
11. Screen Pinning. Go to Lock Screen and Security--->Other Security Settings--->Pin Windows.
12. Customize your screen grid (4x4, 4x5 or 5x5) by pinching in when on the home screen.
13. Developer Options.. To enable this, go to Settings--->About Device--->Tap "Build Number" 10 times and you will unlock Developer Options!
14. Make your device a bit faster by going to Developer Options and setting window animation scale, transition animation scale & animator duration scale all to 0.5.
15. When you are in an app (Chrome, Gallery .... whatever) and you drag your finger from the upper right corner to somewhere in the middle of the screen the app shrinks which makes it more usable with one hand. (Thanks to @derWolf_)
16. You can have changing lockscreen wallpapers by changing it in the settings and selecting multiple wallpapers in the selection box. (Thanks to @altimax98)
17. For those having issues with Snapchat videos, go into Developer settings (see #13) and uncheck Nuplayer.
18. For better results with the fingerprint scanner, register your thumb multiple times for it to be more accurate.
19. Screenshot by holding power+home at the same time or using palm swipe to capture (turn on in settings).
20. Direction lock... Settings-->Accessibility. New way of unlocking your phone.
21. Under voice wake you can use Svoice to set a custom phrase to wake up the phone directly to listening for a command. (Thanks to @benjmiester)
22. If you rest any registered fingers over the scanner, it'll light up which registry it is. Helpful is you need to redo the fingerprint. (Thanks to @hayabusa1300cc)
23. Really debloat your GS6 (no root needed!)
24. Cell standby drain? Go into recovery mode and wipe your cache, power off phone completely then reboot.
25. Go to the dialer, and press the green dial button. It will load the last dialed number. (Thanks to @Jrhoop)
26. Disable the capacitive lights with no root required! (A LOT OF THANKS to @Averix)
26B. How to disable capacitive button lights. (ADB)
27. The volume down button can be used to take pictures when the camera app is running. (Thanks @segag)
28. Use volume keys in default messaging app to increase/decrease font size. (Thanks @jambo89liam)
29. If you want to enable grayscale without going into super power saving mode, go to settings -> personal -> accessibility -> direct access and turn both direct access on and grayscale. Once you do this, a triple tap of the home button will toggle grayscale on and off. (Thanks @shappy0869)
30. Pinch in/out in the Gallery increases/decreases the number of the thumbnails. Swipe right from the left edge of the screen shows a panel for the albums. (Thanks @akira888)
Will be adding as time goes on, feel free to add your own and I will add it to the OP!
Another tip, if you want to get rid of that small delay in the home button, disable the double-tap quick launch in the camera options. It's a neat feature, but I like my snappy home button more.
B1aze said:
Another tip, if you want to get rid of that small delay in the home button, disable the double-tap quick launch in the camera options. It's a neat feature, but I like my snappy home button more.
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Click to collapse
Thanks. Keep em coming!
Really great tips. I was unaware of the themes option. I hope someone makes a theme that is more in line with stock android. I kinda hate the colors Samsung choose for the dialer and the menus.
S5, too?
Lots of these seem to be applicable to the S5 also, although I guess due to the categories on the XDA forums, there'd be no way of sharing it between the two devices easily.
Great tips though!
One more: when you are in an app (Chrome, Gallery .... whatever) and you drag your finger from the upper right corner to somewhere in the middle of the screen the app shrinks which makes it more usable with one hand (I wouldn't call it one-handed mode, because.... well it isn't, but feel free to name it as you wish)
PhoneArena made a list with 36 tricks and tips!
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-S6-and-Galaxy-S6-edge-36-tips---tricks_id67772
derWolf_ said:
One more: when you are in an app (Chrome, Gallery .... whatever) and you drag your finger from the upper right corner to somewhere in the middle of the screen the app shrinks which makes it more usable with one hand (I wouldn't call it one-handed mode, because.... well it isn't, but feel free to name it as you wish)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure they call it windowed apps
Edit according to the last link it's called pop up view.
derWolf_ said:
One more: when you are in an app (Chrome, Gallery .... whatever) and you drag your finger from the upper right corner to somewhere in the middle of the screen the app shrinks which makes it more usable with one hand (I wouldn't call it one-handed mode, because.... well it isn't, but feel free to name it as you wish)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Added, thanks!
Another tip:
You can have changing lockscreen wallpapers by changing it in the settings and selecting multiple wallpapers in the selection box
altimax98 said:
Another tip:
You can have changing lockscreen wallpapers by changing it in the settings and selecting multiple wallpapers in the selection box
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Click to collapse
No freakn way?? SO I don't have to use Muzei for that anymore, haha sweet!
Phone is officially out! Share your tips and tricks guys if ya have any :good:
Is there a way/trick to order the apps in the app tray (alphabetically).
crobo said:
Is there a way/trick to order the apps in the app tray (alphabetically).
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Click to collapse
Tap the "A-Z" button at the top of the app drawer.
wildmaiden said:
Tap the "A-Z" button at the top of the app drawer.
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Click to collapse
Not all versions have that button. I imagine it will come in a future update.
Sevael said:
Not all versions have that button. I imagine it will come in a future update.
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Ah .. interesting. FWIW, T-Mobile's S6 does.
crobo said:
Is there a way/trick to order the apps in the app tray (alphabetically).
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Click to collapse
I reordered all mine manually. But only had about 50 apps so not too bad.
crobo said:
Is there a way/trick to order the apps in the app tray (alphabetically).
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Click to collapse
I am not a fan of touch wiz, so downloaded the Google Now launcher, and the app drawer automatically organizes apps in alphabetical order.
noeffintalent said:
I am not a fan of touch wiz, so downloaded the Google Now launcher, and the app drawer automatically organizes apps in alphabetical order.
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Click to collapse
I prefer Nova (prime), it does the same, plus much, much more!:good:
You use Svoice to set a custom phrase to wake up the phone directly to listening for a command. Under voice wake. I woke, wrote, and sent a text with (look ma) no hands!
Sent from my SM-G920T using XDA Free mobile app
Hi I just got a Nexus 6p and its been great but I have low vision and if I keep the option turned on the phone, it becomes very laggy so I would like to only use it when I need to.
Help would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you .
This isn't exactly what you wanted, but it's kind of close...
I use ADW as my launcher, which allows me to set custom shortcuts on my home screen. Other launchers might offer the same functionality.
I long pressed on my home screen and selected the Add tab on the popup. I then tapped Custom Shortcut, and tapped "Pick your activity." Next, I tapped Activities, scrolled down to Settings and expanded the list. It's rather long, but in that list there is one called "Accessibility(.Settings$AccessibilitySettingsActivity)". I selected that one, gave it a name (what it displays under the icon), and pressed OK. This created a settings gear icon on my home screen that when tapped goes straight to the accessibility options in the settings menu, and then you can tap the toggle for Magnification.
Alternatively, you should be able to do the same thing with Tasker if you have it installed and it's a bit easier. Make a new Task, give it a title (anything) and press the plus to add a step. Select Settings, then Accessibility settings (first option). There is some "if" options, but you can just tap your back button to go back to the step list. Create a widget for Tasker (1x1 task) and select the name of the task you just created. You then need to select an icon for the "widget" by tapping the icon in the lower right that looks like 9 squares in a grid. There are a bunch of built in icons you can choose from, or use your own. The result will be an icon on your desktop that goes to the accessibility options screen, allowing you to quickly toggle the magnification gesture.
Again, sorry this isn't exactly what you asked for, but it would save some taps. Luckily the mag gesture toggle is high enough in the list of options that it should always be on the screen when you open the accessibility settings, so you won't need to scroll.
Lastly, if you are rooted, you could use Tasker to also hit the toggle for you. If you want instructions for that, please do let me know and I'd be happy to share how to do that. It would allow you to tap the "widget" and it would then launch the accessibility settings, wait a second and then tap the toggle, and go back to the home screen. That way you wouldn't need to toggle it yourself.
fury683 said:
This isn't exactly what you wanted, but it's kind of close...
I use ADW as my launcher, which allows me to set custom shortcuts on my home screen. Other launchers might offer the same functionality.
I long pressed on my home screen and selected the Add tab on the popup. I then tapped Custom Shortcut, and tapped "Pick your activity." Next, I tapped Activities, scrolled down to Settings and expanded the list. It's rather long, but in that list there is one called "Accessibility(.Settings$AccessibilitySettingsActivity)". I selected that one, gave it a name (what it displays under the icon), and pressed OK. This created a settings gear icon on my home screen that when tapped goes straight to the accessibility options in the settings menu, and then you can tap the toggle for Magnification.
Alternatively, you should be able to do the same thing with Tasker if you have it installed and it's a bit easier. Make a new Task, give it a title (anything) and press the plus to add a step. Select Settings, then Accessibility settings (first option). There is some "if" options, but you can just tap your back button to go back to the step list. Create a widget for Tasker (1x1 task) and select the name of the task you just created. You then need to select an icon for the "widget" by tapping the icon in the lower right that looks like 9 squares in a grid. There are a bunch of built in icons you can choose from, or use your own. The result will be an icon on your desktop that goes to the accessibility options screen, allowing you to quickly toggle the magnification gesture.
Again, sorry this isn't exactly what you asked for, but it would save some taps. Luckily the mag gesture toggle is high enough in the list of options that it should always be on the screen when you open the accessibility settings, so you won't need to scroll.
Lastly, if you are rooted, you could use Tasker to also hit the toggle for you. If you want instructions for that, please do let me know and I'd be happy to share how to do that. It would allow you to tap the "widget" and it would then launch the accessibility settings, wait a second and then tap the toggle, and go back to the home screen. That way you wouldn't need to toggle it yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot!
So it sounds like theres no way to make a widget the will toggle it specifically, without rooting my device.
And if I do root it and use Tasker it will take almost the same time as if I didn't.
If thats no other way then I guess I should root it even though Id prefer not too.
Unless theres another way, Instructions would be great! Thanks again!
Are you familiar with Tasker? It's a paid app, but it's absolutely worth it and you'll find lots of uses for it. I use it to auto reply to text messages while I'm driving, mute my phone when I'm at work (calendar based) turn on wifi when I'm at home (location based), etc.
First thing you need to do is find the location of the toggle on the screen. Go to Developer Settings and turn on "Show Pointer Location". This will make a gray bar at the top of your screen that lists your X and Y coordinates at the top when you are touching the screen. Go to the accessibility settings and touch the toggle, taking note of what the X and Y coordinates are for that touch input.
To simulate touch input, can make a task that opens the accessibility settings as I described above, then add a "wait" command (Task > Wait), enter a value of 1 second. Next enter a command for Code and select Run Shell. Under the command, type "input tap x y" where x and y are the x and y coordinates that you found for the toggle. Make sure the "use root" box is checked. Lastly, add a Tasker command to go to the home screen (back to where you started with the "widget").
Back all the way out of Tasker to save that task, then go back in and press the play button at the bottom left side to test your setup. You should see it launch the accessibility settings, wait a second, toggle, and go home. The first time you run it you will need to grant Tasker root permissions, so be ready for that. If you're not quick to approve it, the task may proceed and go to your home screen before you press approve, so you might need to run it again a second time after you approve it.
If you need more help with, or have any questions, please do let me know. Happy to help.
fury683 said:
Are you familiar with Tasker? It's a paid app, but it's absolutely worth it and you'll find lots of uses for it. I use it to auto reply to text messages while I'm driving, mute my phone when I'm at work (calendar based) turn on wifi when I'm at home (location based), etc.
First thing you need to do is find the location of the toggle on the screen. Go to Developer Settings and turn on "Show Pointer Location". This will make a gray bar at the top of your screen that lists your X and Y coordinates at the top when you are touching the screen. Go to the accessibility settings and touch the toggle, taking note of what the X and Y coordinates are for that touch input.
To simulate touch input, can make a task that opens the accessibility settings as I described above, then add a "wait" command (Task > Wait), enter a value of 1 second. Next enter a command for Code and select Run Shell. Under the command, type "input tap x y" where x and y are the x and y coordinates that you found for the toggle. Make sure the "use root" box is checked. Lastly, add a Tasker command to go to the home screen (back to where you started with the "widget").
Back all the way out of Tasker to save that task, then go back in and press the play button at the bottom left side to test your setup. You should see it launch the accessibility settings, wait a second, toggle, and go home. The first time you run it you will need to grant Tasker root permissions, so be ready for that. If you're not quick to approve it, the task may proceed and go to your home screen before you press approve, so you might need to run it again a second time after you approve it.
If you need more help with, or have any questions, please do let me know. Happy to help.
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Click to collapse
I just realized I need to buy an adapter for that USB C lol.
Before I go ahead with all of this work, your completely sure there is no other way to toggle magnification without rooting?
Thanks!
drewtass said:
I just realized I need to buy an adapter for that USB C lol.
Before I go ahead with all of this work, your completely sure there is no other way to toggle magnification without rooting?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the delay. I am not aware of any widgets. I couldn't find a widget on the Play Store or light Google searching.
Regarding the adapter, the 6p should have come with a short USB A to USB C cable specifically for connecting to a PC.
drewtass said:
Hi I just got a Nexus 6p and its been great but I have low vision and if I keep the option turned on the phone, it becomes very laggy so I would like to only use it when I need to.
Help would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you used the built in magnification gesture? You turn it on in accessibility settings, then when you need something to be bigger, just tap the screen 3 times rapidly. You can use pinch to zoom to adjust the text size. When you're finished with it, tap the screen 3 times again. I use it when an app's text is just too small.
EMcTx said:
Have you used the built in magnification gesture? You turn it on in accessibility settings, then when you need something to be bigger, just tap the screen 3 times rapidly. You can use pinch to zoom to adjust the text size. When you're finished with it, tap the screen 3 times again. I use it when an app's text is just too small.
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Click to collapse
Haha Yes I have tried it you have to tap your finger 3 times to magnify which means every time you tap something once it waits to see if you will tap more times and cause slight lag.
Niceeee idea bro, i will try it
moqueet said:
Niceeee idea bro, i will try it
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Click to collapse
Are you saying you will try to make a widget like this?
fury683 said:
Sorry for the delay. I am not aware of any widgets. I couldn't find a widget on the Play Store or light Google searching.
Regarding the adapter, the 6p should have come with a short USB A to USB C cable specifically for connecting to a PC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem!
Lol I was so excited for my new phone I never checked but I found it !
Thanks I will root it when I get the chance.
i have the same exact problem,i absolutely love the feature as i wouldn't be able to use any phone with out it but it also gets frustrating sometimes (the touch delay) for example in the dialer app or Instagram.
a toggle in the notification panel would be great or an app through which you specifically enable/disable the gestures for each individual app.
any other alternative would be appreciated, somebody posted the same issue here with a possible fix (which i am not exactly sure how to implement) https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=39685
hassanabid94 said:
i have the same exact problem,i absolutely love the feature as i wouldn't be able to use any phone with out it but it also gets frustrating sometimes (the touch delay) for example in the dialer app or Instagram.
a toggle in the notification panel would be great or an app through which you specifically enable/disable the gestures for each individual app.
any other alternative would be appreciated, somebody posted the same issue here with a possible fix (which i am not exactly sure how to implement) https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=39685
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice to know I'm not the only one.
Sorry for the late reply been busy with school. It would be nice to have this option maybe like a button shortcut .
Hey guys so that way of using tasker is very slow and not feasible.
Is there any other way of making a quick toggle magnification gestures. It would be nice if I could hold the menu button to enable it. (IPhone tripple tap home button to toggle)
Thanks again.
I have low vision as well and have also found that leaving the magnification gesture turned on causes the phone to be laggy even when I don't actually have the magnification turned on. Instead of using that, I rooted my phone, changed the global DPI and I use App Settings (an Xposed module) to increase the font size in some apps or force the standard DPI in apps that have issues with the custom one.
There's a gestural workaround I've employed: if instead of just putting down my finger I drag my finger slightly (in any direction) then the lag almost disappears. Doing this helps a lot but obviously its a bit of an awkward gesture.
Al--g said:
There's a gestural workaround I've employed: if instead of just putting down my finger I drag my finger slightly (in any direction) then the lag almost disappears. Doing this helps a lot but obviously its a bit of an awkward gesture.
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Click to collapse
How did you set it up?
There's no set up. I just do that gesture to get the scrolling to stop when I have magnification enabled.
GuinnessX said:
How did you set it up?
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