Database Users

[Q] Another launcher thread... :confused:

Which launcher has the best performance, least battery drain in your guy's opinions? Looking at launcher pro, and go launcher ex, just curious sorry if it has been asked a million times. I searched but found nothing specifically about performance and battery life.

No launcher is going to seriously effect performance or battery life in a noticeable way. Use the one you like.

kinda been a stock launcher guy but after seeing some pic in another thread they look real classy, i just don't want anything too crazy or laggy

I like Launcher Pro... performance is good, but I dont see any difference in terms of battery use...

good to know

killj0y said:
kinda been a stock launcher guy but after seeing some pic in another thread they look real classy, i just don't want anything too crazy or laggy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless there is a problem with the way the launcher manages memory or handles CPU with widgets/animations, it wont be any (noticeable amount) different than the stock launcher.

Been using launcher pro for months now, love it.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

I've used LauncherPro Plus for years. It's my absolute favorite and I've tried them all.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

Both Launcher Pro and GO Launcher are speedy and smooth, and aren't going to affect battery life to any noticeable degree. You'd probably see more effect on battery life by turning down your screen brightness by 2%.
Both launchers you asked about have free versions, so just try them out, and see which interface/features you like better. That will probably be more of a decision maker than performance/battery life.

On my x10 mini pro, adw lagged somewhat on the gingerbread roms....but launcher pro was awsome...it was the default launcher on one of the gingerbread roms and I was really surprised to know that the free version gave such a quality perfomance...since then ive been using launcher pro...by buyin the plus version you also get to use the launcherpro widgets...and they're pretty cool...but one could do without it....
One con and the only one that I am facing is that...when I first boot..it doesnt respong i.e it takes some time to respond..as in even foo changing screens...i usually force close it the first time and then it runs like the wind !!
My final verdict would be to try launcher pro and go launcher....see which suits you the best...the menu and operating style..
P.S: one more thing I lovee and I mean love like hell bout launcher pro is that it loops the wallpapers i.e if you reach the last screen and swoop out in the same direction, it continues on to the first screen and doesnt jump to it as in adw....if you dont get it, try the launcher...you yourself would know!
Welcome to the android Xperience
Sent from my U20i using XDA App

I've switched from adw ex to go launcher wrote much more smoother less freezing. I also love the widgets and themes they have and is all free.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

Anyone using GO Locker?

Is anyone using GO Locker? I used to use it before but I had noticed it likes to eat battery. I'm not sure if they have improved it now so I am wondering what other user's thought are on it. Its tempting to install it again because I'm seeing some really great themes for it, but I dont want it eating away at the battery life again.

Have you tried WidgetLocker? Is a hundred times better IMO.
Sent From Rob's RP-Hybrid Atrix.

using it along with DS prefinal lite battery seems good... but, please give some note of what u need in terms of time and usage so more people could help,
also you can install see for yourself and in case it doesn't pen out install something else, also very nice themes espically the 3D worm... "fruit ninja" locker

RobKort said:
Have you tried WidgetLocker? Is a hundred times better IMO.
Sent From Rob's RP-Hybrid Atrix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that the paid for one or the free one?
I tried one other very popular one (forget the name) but I also found that it consumed a bunch of battery
Again, that might be from me trying it out a while ago and now they have improved the battery consumption

It is a paid app but worth every cent. The level of customization is far more that any lockscreen apps out there and hundreds of lockscreen to chose from.
Sent from Rob's TapadaIconia

galrock said:
using it along with DS prefinal lite battery seems good... but, please give some note of what u need in terms of time and usage so more people could help,
also you can install see for yourself and in case it doesn't pen out install something else, also very nice themes espically the 3D worm... "fruit ninja" locker
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well if you go into the battery usage screen, what percentage is it using?

any more thoughts?

[Q] Help with TouchWiz stuttering. :(

Hello,
As the title suggests, I am experiencing a little bit of trouble with TouchWiz stuttering from time to time.
By stuttering, I mean when scrolling across home screens from time to time it will lag. Going to the app drawer sometimes lags and when scrolling in the app drawer it sometimes lags too.
It doesn't stop there; sometimes when I open/close a folder the animation is quite laggy, going into TouchWiz based apps suzh as Phone, Contacts, Messaging etc. seems slow to open (I know you can keep them in memory, but you should't have to on a phone as powerful as this).
The most confusing part is the camera app... When taking a picture there is shutter lag, and the S3 boasted 0 shutter lag, and so does the S4... But there is some lag there too.
Any suggestions on how I can improve performance?
Things I've tried:
FULL Reset.
Regular RAM clearance.
ROMs (which I don't like because they always have something wrong).
Turning off ALL pointless features.
Turning off animations.
Overclocking, which somehow make everything worse on a different kernel.
So I've tried a lot, but not everything. A different ROM is out of the question.
And yes, I know that Samsung under develop TouchWiz which is why it is laggy, but has anyone tried to re-design it? Make it better?
Lag and/or stuttering on a phone that has a Snapdragon 600 and 2GB of RAM is just ridiculous. And I know, the best of phone experience lag... I've seen my mate's iPhone 5 lag; but that doesn't lag all of the time, and that's not even close to being as powerful as the S4 (taking many factors out of it).
Thank you in advance for any and all help, it's much appreciated!
Thanks.

A-Sweaty-Wombat said:
Hello,
As the title suggests, I am experiencing a little bit of trouble with TouchWiz stuttering from time to time.
By stuttering, I mean when scrolling across home screens from time to time it will lag. Going to the app drawer sometimes lags and when scrolling in the app drawer it sometimes lags too.
It doesn't stop there; sometimes when I open/close a folder the animation is quite laggy, going into TouchWiz based apps suzh as Phone, Contacts, Messaging etc. seems slow to open (I know you can keep them in memory, but you should't have to on a phone as powerful as this).
The most confusing part is the camera app... When taking a picture there is shutter lag, and the S3 boasted 0 shutter lag, and so does the S4... But there is some lag there too.
Any suggestions on how I can improve performance?
Things I've tried:
FULL Reset.
Regular RAM clearance.
ROMs (which I don't like because they always have something wrong).
Turning off ALL pointless features.
Turning off animations.
Overclocking, which somehow make everything worse on a different kernel.
So I've tried a lot, but not everything. A different ROM is out of the question.
And yes, I know that Samsung under develop TouchWiz which is why it is laggy, but has anyone tried to re-design it? Make it better?
Lag and/or stuttering on a phone that has a Snapdragon 600 and 2GB of RAM is just ridiculous. And I know, the best of phone experience lag... I've seen my mate's iPhone 5 lag; but that doesn't lag all of the time, and that's not even close to being as powerful as the S4 (taking many factors out of it).
Thank you in advance for any and all help, it's much appreciated!
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For gods sake don`t overclock, its alleady hot enough bro. Debloat the rom with ROMCleaner and remove all unneeded stuff, link http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2348256. This will also prolong the battery.

gee2012 said:
For gods sake don`t overclock, its alleady hot enough bro. Debloat the rom with ROMCleaner and remove all unneeded stuff, link http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2348256. This will also prolong the battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Relaaaaaaaax... It's only up to 2.1GHz... It doesn't get that much hotter to be fair. I might just completely restore it again, use stock everything and de-bloat the thing!
Cheers for the tip!

A-Sweaty-Wombat said:
Relaaaaaaaax... It's only up to 2.1GHz... It doesn't get that much hotter to be fair. I might just completely restore it again, use stock everything and de-bloat the thing!
Cheers for the tip!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
overclocking is not necessary. its a quad core at 1.9ghz. you're just going to make it less stable and invite issues like stuttering. it may not be lag but stuttering.
also there's no real way to fix touchwiz stuttering you really just need to replace the launcher, dialer, and texting app to help out.

fade2green514 said:
overclocking is not necessary. its a quad core at 1.9ghz. you're just going to make it less stable and invite issues like stuttering. it may not be lag but stuttering.
also there's no real way to fix touchwiz stuttering you really just need to replace the launcher, dialer, and texting app to help out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, I think you're right! I'll reset back to stock kernel and firmware...
Your other point is a great suggestion, but is not possible to my knowledge because of the TouchWiz framework. If you can point me to a tutorial on how to do that, fantastic!

I wholeheartedly recommend 'Next Launcher 3D'. It is smoother than silk. Very expensive on Google Play, but the .apk is a Google search away if you want to "try before you buy"
I know you said another ROM is out of the question but if you have an i9500 then consider checking out Arrow's ROM - He has added his own transitions that make the phone experience feel very fluid, and the ROM is very fast, overall.

A-Sweaty-Wombat said:
Hmm, I think you're right! I'll reset back to stock kernel and firmware...
Your other point is a great suggestion, but is not possible to my knowledge because of the TouchWiz framework. If you can point me to a tutorial on how to do that, fantastic!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can simply download dialer apps, texting apps, and launcher apps.
i personally use nova launcher, handcent for texting (not the smoothest but definitely flashy and nice looking, better than the touchwiz texting app of course), and i just use the default dialer app personally because i dont do a lot of calling out, i mostly just answer calls. i text more often and use other apps way more often than calling.
this doesnt remove touchwiz, it just fixes the terrible lag that they have by not using things that are built on touchwiz

fade2green514 said:
you can simply download dialer apps, texting apps, and launcher apps.
this doesnt remove touchwiz, it just fixes the terrible lag that they have by not using things that are built on touchwiz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, but the issue then becomes what if you want to use the TW stuff. I personally find the TouchWiz 4 x 4 Calendar widget to be the best there is. I see my entire month at a glance without having to launch anything. It even let's you scroll to other month's without launching the App.
I Love Nova and Apex; smooth as a baby's bottom. But I keep going back to Touchwiz because that calendar widget is a functional need for me. Yes home-screen scrolling stutters.

Apex Launcer is really a must have for every M7 owner

In desperate attempts for making this somehwat slow and laggy phone faster and bring it to life I have spent much time trying out different browser.
Most of the more popular launchers today are kind of customizable.
my main focus has been on opening app animations, and how fast apps are opening and if the animations are both FAST and Smooth with no stutter, this is where most launchers fail but where apex succeed, it seem to work very well with the weak gpu of M7. WIth Apex it has become a totally new phone my faster user experience and to switch between apps is a lot faster and the animations finally look good as they should, the animaions I use are Lollipop style animations.
I do not care much of lollipop anymore to be honest I have all what I need now a fast phone thanks to apex laucnher and also heads up notifications thanks to a google play app.. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=codes.simen.l50notifications&hl=en (I recommend using it with black color and kind of a lot of transparency) add c notice https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ccs.notice&hl=en for even better switching between apps and superior multi tasking
When you install the Apex Laucnher what you need to is to go the mange apps in settings then press the default app settings at the bottom to the left then after that set apex laucnher as default, this will mean that when you press the home button on your M7 you will not come back to Huawei laucher but you will come back to apex home screen.
Yes what can I say...I am really surprised that the launcher had so much impact. the biggest problem with the Mate 7 has been opening apps slow, and the animations apex laucnher fix this, and I have tried many laucnhers and Apex is the only one that also have fast animations when opening and switching between app. When it comes to animations in home screen and drawer most lancuhers are fast.. it is when you switch between apps and go back to home screen for instance the the differences are biggest.
Launchers I have tried before coming to this conclusion
APUS Launcher, Nova Launcher, 360 Launcher , go Launcher , action Launcher 3, CM Launcher , Buzz Launcher , Dodol Launcher, Hola Launcher ,

What settings did you use ?
Sent from my HUAWEI MT7-L09 using XDA Free mobile app

Well, I bought Apex launcher for my previous phone and it worked great. But with this huawei device, i'm afraid that 'll loose the good features of the chinese manufacturer... All the ios like features like the search panel or the use without the app drawer wich is, for me, completly useless

Hi
I am using Nova Launcher and I wonder what are the benefits of Apex launcher over Nova?
Thanks.

I'm using Nova and it has been perfect.

apopet26 said:
What settings did you use ?
Sent from my HUAWEI MT7-L09 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use no speciel setting besides keeping apex in memory.
.Other parts are more of the appearance. the animations I use I think is default (which is lollipop animation which means apps open from bottom and up)
Otherwise I prefer to use more folders in the home screen since the folders open very fast and does not take much space either when folders are expanded..I prefer that then using the drawer all the time.. I use black background with kind of high transpercy in folders and drawer.
The speed increase you get with default settings.. but there is a lot more settings that affect the appearance.. which is more about taste.

phrozenflame said:
I'm using Nova and it has been perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah but compare aphex with nova especially after a few hours of heavy use, you see the nova animations will start to lag after a while, while in aphex they are always consistent. .. one reason might be aphex is not as function packed.. which means it is heavier on the Mate 7.
I use the 2 GB version.

Kalemucu said:
Hi
I am using Nova Launcher and I wonder what are the benefits of Apex launcher over Nova?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The benifit is faster and more consistent animations, to my eyes is without question faster and more consistent over time.. Nova animations are not as smooth and does not work as fast and consistent on the M7 GPU that is my opinion.. It took me one week of trying all different launchers to realize the difference... my main eye was on how fast and smooth and consistent animations are..
My first thought when install aphex was that it more or less looked like a clone to Nova, but the main advantage seem to be better performance in Apex most likely cause it is more lightweight compared to nova.
Apex has the most well optimized Lollipop animations I have seen.. the animations are such important part of the phone..it have a really impact on the user experience since all you do all day with your phone is mostly switching app constantly..so it is important the it looks good and smooth and lagfree.. Apex is the only launcher that worked good for the Mate 7 2GB model.

Thank you.
I will try Apex when i have some time

Been on Apex for few days, generally liked it but there are better launchers in my opinion. CM launcher is to recommend, definitely brings speed back to Mate 7, it's got some useful tools as well(like antivirus, app protector etc, speed booster). However, if you're really looking for light launcher that is quick on mate 7 Xperia launcher is the choice. My phone is flying now(even on super laggy b312), i've been using Xperia z2 before and i loved it's launcher. It's minimalistic yet super functional, it's very light and clean looking, got great app drawer. There's few versions to download on xda forum( won't find it in play store), however older version seems to work better on Mate7 and has more launcher options and tweaks. Only with this launcher i can see 1 GB free RAM again on lollipop.

muzammil84 said:
Been on Apex for few days, generally liked it but there are better launchers in my opinion. CM launcher is to recommend, definitely brings speed back to Mate 7, it's got some useful tools as well(like antivirus, app protector etc, speed booster). However, if you're really looking for light launcher that is quick on mate 7 Xperia launcher is the choice. My phone is flying now(even on super laggy b312), i've been using Xperia z2 before and i loved it's launcher. It's minimalistic yet super functional, it's very light and clean looking, got great app drawer. There's few versions to download on xda forum( won't find it in play store), however older version seems to work better on Mate7 and has more launcher options and tweaks. Only with this launcher i can see 1 GB free RAM again on lollipop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
link?

I personally prefer Action Launcher, as the 'covers' and 'shutters' are truly useful features that I couldn't do without after spending some time with them. Haven't really used Apex Launcher since the Galaxy S II, as I ran Nova. However, I wanted to try something new when I switched to the Ascend Mate 7, and haven't regretted the decision since. If you're not a fan of a vertically scrolling list of apps, it won't be your cup of tea. The aforementioned covers and shutters definitely merit a glance on the Play Store, though. 11/10 would recommend.

I managed to download xperia z3 launcher. As I've owned previously z ultra this is perfect launcher for me. Simple, elegant and mostly it works better than apex, nova or s launcher. Thanx for the tip.

Where. Can I download Xperia launcher?
Also why does not asus launcher turn up on Google play? When I search?
Asus launcher have very good reviews and their asus phones have very weak intel cpu and low memory despite that all reviewers are vet impressed with the speed and flow of the phone .... I hope asus launcher works with Mate 7

https://play.google.com/store/apps/...her&pcampaignid=APPU_1_koXYVayAD8WSsAGT0p74DQ

Is one of you know how to keep the "search module" of the Huawei launcher on Apex ? You Know when you solide down and it appears with icons of récent apps ! I really love this feature and i don't want to loose it !

I hope some one can link to the xperia launcher in question, however I am still questionable, the biggest is the difference in opening/switching app animations, if they are not fast and fluid then it means it is not a good optimized launcher, how fast it is in the home screen and drawers are not as important since almost every launcher is fast in this area...

Nova Launcher VS. Touchwiz : Not what you expect!

I fell in love with the performance, features and active development of the Nova Launcher. That led me to buy the Prime version. I was happy with it until I installed it on the Galaxy S7. It is well optimized with 'near google stock' ROMs, AOSP based ROMs and as well as with most of the themed ROMs by OEMs but not in the new TOUCHWIZ.
It is consuming a hefty amount of memory (RAM) even relative to Touchwiz Home Launcher. You'll be surprised to see the results from the attached images. The reason being the 'accessibility' permission required for 'gestures' feature in Nova. If it is enabled it consumes what you are seeing in those images.
and yeah! this affects RAM Management in Galaxy S7 even though not much in battery life. This frustrates me to see a Launcher sold for it's efficiency and features doesn't live up to its mark. But you may say "Can't blame the dev for this and this is the problem with TouchWiz". Well not, it's problem with the Nova itself since I also ran Apex Launcher(accessibility enabled) after uninstalling Nova and the results speaks for themselves.
Galaxy S7 being one of the highest sold device of this year. It's a responsibility of the developer to optimize for it. Hope he does it soon.
Don't forget to vote in the poll

Interesting I guess. Maybe I'll try Apex, that use to be my go to launcher years ago.
Hasn't been any updates to it in.the last year though!

Your having problem with 180mb on a 4Gig ram device? What ever you say man.

I'm on Nova, no complains.
Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

S7 Touchwiz allows to hide icons ?? that's the main reason for me to use Nova

Using a marginally small amount of RAM out of 4GB is not something to worry about. I don't know why everyone is so concerned about apps using RAM, and clearing recent since both of those come from the same thought process. I never clear my apps, RAM, and I have 0 issues.

krusty_dc said:
Your having problem with 180mb on a 4Gig ram device? What ever you say man.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pilz said:
Using a marginally small amount of RAM out of 4GB is not something to worry about. I don't know why everyone is so concerned about apps using RAM, and clearing recent since both of those come from the same thought process. I never clear my apps, RAM, and I have 0 issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Neither I do. I don't have any problem with apps taking ~200MB RAM as long as I'm happy with the performance of the device. Even there are few apps in my device including Twitter, Facebook etc which does it. But those all serve different purposes. For an app, as simple like Nova which is even said to be "performance driven" this is not expected.

alisaGrg said:
Neither I do. I don't have any problem with apps taking ~200MB RAM as long as I'm happy with the performance of the device. Even there are few apps in my device including Twitter, Facebook etc which does it. But those all serve different purposes. For an app, as simple like Nova which is even said to be "performance driven" this is not expected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny your basing an app as "performance driven" by the amount of ram its consuming. So it means your good with the app but the phone since it is performing not to your satisfaction.
Performance as defined by the internet "is what is required to be performed in fulfillment of a contract, promise, or obligation".
Nova defined their product as "Nova Launcher replaces your home screen with one you control and can customize. Change icons, layouts, animations and more."
No statement in the app store says "will use smaller ram than your built in skin".
I am satisfied with it as you can see that the ram it uses in my phone typically is around 20 - 60 mb.

alisaGrg said:
Neither I do. I don't have any problem with apps taking ~200MB RAM as long as I'm happy with the performance of the device. Even there are few apps in my device including Twitter, Facebook etc which does it. But those all serve different purposes. For an app, as simple like Nova which is even said to be "performance driven" this is not expected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Twitter, Facebook, and other social media apps are horrible for your battery, and performance. Nova is completely different, and actually does something useful. I dont know where the confusion about bad performance is coming from because I've never seen it using Nova.
---------- Post added at 04:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:38 PM ----------
krusty_dc said:
Funny your basing an app as "performance driven" by the amount of ram its consuming. So it means your good with the app but the phone since it is performing not to your satisfaction.
Performance as defined by the internet "is what is required to be performed in fulfillment of a contract, promise, or obligation".
Nova defined their product as "Nova Launcher replaces your home screen with one you control and can customize. Change icons, layouts, animations and more."
No statement in the app store says "will use smaller ram than your built in skin".
I am satisfied with it as you can see that the ram it uses in my phone typically is around 20 - 60 mb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a good way to phrase it; too many people misinterpret things with out actually checking to see if their assumptions are correct. Nova is a great launcher, and I've used it since the days of my SIII.

Pilz said:
Twitter, Facebook, and other social media apps are horrible for your battery, and performance. Nova is completely different, and actually does something useful. I dont know where the confusion about bad performance is coming from because I've never seen it using Nova.
---------- Post added at 04:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:38 PM ----------
That's a good way to phrase it; too many people misinterpret things with out actually checking to see if their assumptions are correct. Nova is a great launcher, and I've used it since the days of my SIII.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude we are using Nova almost at the same length of time. I have been using it for my Htc One X before.
I used Nova for two Galaxys, S6 and now S7 flat. Never had any issues with ram and battery life with nova. Never even stuttered since Ive used it for my s6.

krusty_dc said:
Dude we are using Nova almost at the same length of time. I have been using it for my Htc One X before.
I used Nova for two Galaxys, S6 and now S7 flat. Never had any issues with ram and battery life with nova. Never even stuttered since Ive used it for my s6.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do get the occasional crash on my Nexus mainly due to using some features with root; other than that I've never had any real issues. I own Apex, Action launcher, and some others, yet I still prefer Nova hands down for the customizability and support.

Pilz said:
I do get the occasional crash on my Nexus mainly due to using some features with root; other than that I've never had any real issues. I own Apex, Action launcher, and some others, yet I still prefer Nova hands down for the customizability and support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nova for me is the clear balance of minimalism, features and speed. Also OP you can use root instead of accessibility. It's in gesture settings.
Sent from my SM-G930F using XDA-Developers mobile app

hackarchive said:
Nova for me is the clear balance of minimalism, features and speed. Also OP you can use root instead of accessibility. It's in gesture settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Nexus does use less RAM with Nova likely due to root permissions like you said. Here is a screenshot of it below. Nova just provides a nice consistent experience that is smooth yet useful too.

Any questions? ^^ and yes i use gestures, too

I've been on Nova Prime for quite a damn long time but switched to LightningLauncher some months ago and will never go back.
Only a few hundred kilobytes big but customization options beyond belief. I have "Keep in Memory" active so avg. RAM usage is ~150mb.

I used Apex for years but switched to Nova a few days ago and the difference in RAM usage is negligible. Apex never used as little as 26 MB on my phone (nor on my old S4).

maybe on a galaxy ace that`s a problem but in S7 ? Lol.

Nova its just horrible on design, RAM and battery.
Enviado do meu SM-G930F através de Tapatalk

nova is one of the worst launchers
with is why i stick to the normal stock launcher. I got sick of them even on my other phones.
The big thing that turns me off is all the crap they keep adding to the program and then add paid feats and this and that

Studio1b said:
nova is one of the worst launchers
with is why i stick to the normal stock launcher. I got sick of them even on my other phones.
The big thing that turns me off is all the crap they keep adding to the program and then add paid feats and this and that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh no, a developer trying to make money from his hard work! No way! /s