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So, I have been using MIUI V4 for a few days now and I LOVE IT! I wanted to share a tip in the MIUI V4 tip thread...but couldn't find one. There's one for the older version of MIUI (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1498809) written by omair2005 but nothing specifically for V4.
I'd like to thank Omair2005 for the original post. It very informative and even if you are on V4, you need to read it...you need to thank him for it!
Many of the tips on Omair2005's post will work with V4 and I will be pulling those into this post as time allows, but until then, I'd like to share some of my tips. Some of these are just my observations and may not be 100% accurate or the best way to do something. If anyone has any recommendations or corrections, please let me know and I will update them
For me, one of the best/worst things about MIUI was ALL the application icons on the home screen. With the initial flash, there are a few screens with icons for all my apps showing. I loved it.
Once I restored all my apps it was a different story. I had 8 screens full of icons...all over the place with no logical order.
I started organizing them into folders...but then I couldn't remember which folder had what and I truly missed my App Drawer. While trying to organize one of my folders, I mistakenly dropped it on to the dock...then I realized.......
I could put a folder on the dock...call it Applications (or whatever) and put everything I didn't want on the home screens in there...then sort them in the folder and viola, I have my App Drawer back.
There are a few limitations such as no full screen view of apps or the ability to sort the folder...but maybe in the future, someone will figure it out.
Miss the scrolling wallpaper - go to Menu -> Launcher Settings and select 'High quality graphics'.
SMS gibberish is still happening for me with the stock Messaging app. I use a 3rd party app like Handcent or GoSMS and they have an option to split large messages into multiple messages. This seems to work for me.
WiFi access to SD card
Accessing the SD card through USB is not functioning. You can, however, gain access to your SD card through WiF: enter “File Explorer” on the desktop, select the "FTP" tab. Hit start the service, and then you will get an address. Enter the given address on the computer, then you may copy files without using a data cable!
Long press on the icon in Toggles to launch the settings for that icon.
When you pull down the notification bar, you will see the Toggle settings for plenty of options (such as WIFI, volume, backlight etc). Long press on any icon in the Toggle mode will launch the setting for that icon.
Built-in Screen Capture function
One of the lacking feature in Android is the lack of a built-in screen capture feature (like in iPhone). Not anymore. With MIUI, you can press the “Menu” key and “Volume Down” key at the same time to capture a screenshot. The printed image is saved in the “MIUI: directory in the sd card.
Home Screen previews
In previous versions of MIUI, hitting the home button while on the home screen would bring up the home screen previews. This no longer works. In V4, from any screen, hit Menu, Preview.
Move home screen icon easily
Hold down an icon by one hand to enter Edit Mode, and then use the other hand to slide the screen to move the icon to the target screen.
Launch Music Player in lockscreen
In the lockscreen, double tap the time zone to launch the Music Player. (The Music Player is hidden by default, unless a song is playing)
Running Apps List: Long press on the Home button and it will bring you to your running apps list. Swipe the an app either left or right to close them one at a time, or click the “Broom” icon at the bottom left to close all listed apps and clear the extra processes in memory. The bar across the top will inform you of the used memory and current available memory.
Note: System processes will not be cleared so as to ensure the normal running of the system. The Android icon on the bottom right will bring you to the running services portal in settings.
Percentage Battery Indicator Style: To change the battery icon to a percentage, slide down your notification bar, select the 'Toggles' tab and then hit the 3 dots in the top right. From there, you can change the status bar settings. One of those settings being Battery indicator style.
Note: It does not show a percentage while charging...Only when unplugged and discharging.
Add a favorite in the messaging app: In the new messaging app, there are three tabs on the top: "Messaging | Favorites | Recommended" If you go into Favorites, there is nothing in there and there really isn't any method for adding one. I found that if I go to a message that I had already sent...long press the message bubble and Lock it, it shows in the Favorites.
Reserved for possible future use
also reserved for possible future use
Anyone reading these? I feel like I am talking in an empty room.
This is good, but until its not alpha these options and settings may change. Also you should mention that theme support is not fully functional cause of upstream issues.
sent from the other woman
bryanfritz1 said:
This is good, but until its not alpha these options and settings may change. Also you should mention that theme support is not fully functional cause of upstream issues.
sent from the other woman
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
also any bugs present in cm9 will be in miui as well (ex: video tearing)
tomorrow's MIUI release should have a lot of upstream fixes and if cm9 alpha 6 comes out sooner than later, we might have an awesome miui v4 build!
I have been using this rom since it was released and so far, for me, it has been incredible. I tried the last version of MIUI and really gave it a chance(4 days.....like an eternity!)...but for some reason or another, I couldn't get myself to 'love' it.
With this version, I notice less issues with the video, less issues with force closes and overall, a more 'flashy' experience!
On the down site, I do notice that it gets HOT sometimes...and that usually means my battery is going to be killed. I have noticed at times that the drop is 10-12% per hour......
But I digress....let's keep the thread focused on Tips/Tricks for the rom!
Thanks for your feedback.
HW
Going to update to the new build if it is out
Sent from my OG Epic running MIUI4 ICS powered by ShadowKernel
omair2005 said:
also any bugs present in cm9 will be in miui as well (ex: video tearing)
tomorrow's MIUI release should have a lot of upstream fixes and if cm9 alpha 6 comes out sooner than later, we might have an awesome miui v4 build!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most. Not upstream bugs.
Sent from my OG Epic running MIUI4 ICS powered by ShadowKernel
Now that ICS has started rolling out for our beloved Arcs.... Is Sony planning to at least update the firmware of our Arcs to something resembling the Xperia S firmware? A modified 2.3.7
I know that there are custom roms that ported Xperia S firmware to the Arc, but there are some little things that do not work. Besides I cannot stand ICS... I have it on a Nexus S and I hate it!!! Am I crazy? It is so shiny... Hopefully the Sony implementation is better.
If we choose to remain on GB... is 4.0.2.A.0.62 the end of the line?
Yes, I highly doubt they'll release any update for 2.3. What issues do you have with it?
My issues are basically interface-related, that is why I hope the Sony implementation is better than stock ICS.
1) Icons. Seriously. A 14-year old would like them, I am sure.
2) What the hell is a Google search bar doing at the top of the screen? I do not want it. If I wanted it I would install the 'Google search' widget. Make it go away.
3) Widgets menu placed next to applications menu. I understand this makes finding the wanted widget easier, but this is not a tablet. I do not think that mobile phone owners change widgets so often that they should have the same status as apps.
4) Shortcut to Google Play on the top of the apps/widgets menu. Again, no possibility of deleting it (like the search bar)
5) Inability to add apps/shortcuts/widgets to the home screens by pressing on an empty spot and holding. Now it has to be done by going to the desired app/widget and pressing and holding.
6) Settings. It is nice that now they are accessible via the notifications bar. However, it took me a while to guess that to configure WiFi access now I had to actually click on 'Wifi' and then a menu opened. I guess I am used to the old 'Wifi settings' menu.
7) GB on my Arc (1205 quadrant) feels more responsive than ICS on my Nexus S (1194 quadrant). A small difference but the Arc just feels faster.
8) Task switcher now shows a screenshot of all open/recently opened apps. Again, like a tablet. And again, this is not a tablet. Nice feature in theory however scrolling the list of apps is not as fluid as it should be.
Oh well I see that I should stay with GB
Actually, I meant what issues you had with gingerbread that would require an update for. My fault for not being clear.
The ICS interface isn't for everyone, but I'm sure as time goes by there will be more custom ROMs based on it that will suit those that aren't too fond of the default theme.
joens said:
My issues are basically interface-related, that is why I hope the Sony implementation is better than stock ICS.
1) Icons. Seriously. A 14-year old would like them, I am sure.
2) What the hell is a Google search bar doing at the top of the screen? I do not want it. If I wanted it I would install the 'Google search' widget. Make it go away.
3) Widgets menu placed next to applications menu. I understand this makes finding the wanted widget easier, but this is not a tablet. I do not think that mobile phone owners change widgets so often that they should have the same status as apps.
4) Shortcut to Google Play on the top of the apps/widgets menu. Again, no possibility of deleting it (like the search bar)
5) Inability to add apps/shortcuts/widgets to the home screens by pressing on an empty spot and holding. Now it has to be done by going to the desired app/widget and pressing and holding.
6) Settings. It is nice that now they are accessible via the notifications bar. However, it took me a while to guess that to configure WiFi access now I had to actually click on 'Wifi' and then a menu opened. I guess I am used to the old 'Wifi settings' menu.
7) GB on my Arc (1205 quadrant) feels more responsive than ICS on my Nexus S (1194 quadrant). A small difference but the Arc just feels faster.
8) Task switcher now shows a screenshot of all open/recently opened apps. Again, like a tablet. And again, this is not a tablet. Nice feature in theory however scrolling the list of apps is not as fluid as it should be.
Oh well I see that I should stay with GB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most of these issues could be avoided by using a different launcher
Me too, I dont like ICS interface(is boring), only the task manager...
Ill stay with GB, maybe arconium or another custom rom
now we see Sony releases ICS for 2011 line-up, but with scale-down version of stock apps (comparing with those GB ones for 2012 line-up, such as SMS, music player, alarm clock, etc.)
so it's very likely that they are going to stop working on GB updates
joens said:
My issues are basically interface-related, that is why I hope the Sony implementation is better than stock ICS.
1) Icons. Seriously. A 14-year old would like them, I am sure.
2) What the hell is a Google search bar doing at the top of the screen? I do not want it. If I wanted it I would install the 'Google search' widget. Make it go away.
3) Widgets menu placed next to applications menu. I understand this makes finding the wanted widget easier, but this is not a tablet. I do not think that mobile phone owners change widgets so often that they should have the same status as apps.
4) Shortcut to Google Play on the top of the apps/widgets menu. Again, no possibility of deleting it (like the search bar)
5) Inability to add apps/shortcuts/widgets to the home screens by pressing on an empty spot and holding. Now it has to be done by going to the desired app/widget and pressing and holding.
6) Settings. It is nice that now they are accessible via the notifications bar. However, it took me a while to guess that to configure WiFi access now I had to actually click on 'Wifi' and then a menu opened. I guess I am used to the old 'Wifi settings' menu.
7) GB on my Arc (1205 quadrant) feels more responsive than ICS on my Nexus S (1194 quadrant). A small difference but the Arc just feels faster.
8) Task switcher now shows a screenshot of all open/recently opened apps. Again, like a tablet. And again, this is not a tablet. Nice feature in theory however scrolling the list of apps is not as fluid as it should be.
Oh well I see that I should stay with GB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some things can be changed with another launcher. Others, for me are improvements. ICS is FAR better than GB on UI.
i think ICS is the last for ARC then .ICs is better for multi tasking and i like the UI
Sony just announced a massive loss for the quarter.
From a business perspective I think it won't be feasible for them to focus on GB anymore since they are already going to roll out ICS for the 2011 range.
They are planning on cutting about 10,000 jobs worldwide, so I think that they will probably be only focusing on ICS considering the rollout and the fact that they have a big range of new phones this year that will all be running ICS in the future.
Also, once the 2011 range is updated (only due to an agreement/promise that they would) there plan would probably want to phase out the Sony Ericsson brand anyway.
Also, Sony has never really been well known for it's customer service/support, particularly for older models. I have a 2010 Sony Vaio Z laptop and the drivers have never been updated. It's now superseeded by the new model and now more updates will come for my model
The Sony losses are blown out of proportion by the Sony hating tech media. Sony aren't American basically.
If you don't like icons and stuff, just install go launcher.
Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk 2
joens said:
My issues are basically interface-related, that is why I hope the Sony implementation is better than stock ICS.
1) Icons. Seriously. A 14-year old would like them, I am sure.
2) What the hell is a Google search bar doing at the top of the screen? I do not want it. If I wanted it I would install the 'Google search' widget. Make it go away.
3) Widgets menu placed next to applications menu. I understand this makes finding the wanted widget easier, but this is not a tablet. I do not think that mobile phone owners change widgets so often that they should have the same status as apps.
4) Shortcut to Google Play on the top of the apps/widgets menu. Again, no possibility of deleting it (like the search bar)
5) Inability to add apps/shortcuts/widgets to the home screens by pressing on an empty spot and holding. Now it has to be done by going to the desired app/widget and pressing and holding.
6) Settings. It is nice that now they are accessible via the notifications bar. However, it took me a while to guess that to configure WiFi access now I had to actually click on 'Wifi' and then a menu opened. I guess I am used to the old 'Wifi settings' menu.
7) GB on my Arc (1205 quadrant) feels more responsive than ICS on my Nexus S (1194 quadrant). A small difference but the Arc just feels faster.
8) Task switcher now shows a screenshot of all open/recently opened apps. Again, like a tablet. And again, this is not a tablet. Nice feature in theory however scrolling the list of apps is not as fluid as it should be.
Oh well I see that I should stay with GB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just ROOT it, and all bad karma goes away.....
joens said:
My issues are basically interface-related, that is why I hope the Sony implementation is better than stock ICS.
1) Icons. Seriously. A 14-year old would like them, I am sure.
2) What the hell is a Google search bar doing at the top of the screen? I do not want it. If I wanted it I would install the 'Google search' widget. Make it go away.
3) Widgets menu placed next to applications menu. I understand this makes finding the wanted widget easier, but this is not a tablet. I do not think that mobile phone owners change widgets so often that they should have the same status as apps.
4) Shortcut to Google Play on the top of the apps/widgets menu. Again, no possibility of deleting it (like the search bar)
5) Inability to add apps/shortcuts/widgets to the home screens by pressing on an empty spot and holding. Now it has to be done by going to the desired app/widget and pressing and holding.
6) Settings. It is nice that now they are accessible via the notifications bar. However, it took me a while to guess that to configure WiFi access now I had to actually click on 'Wifi' and then a menu opened. I guess I am used to the old 'Wifi settings' menu.
7) GB on my Arc (1205 quadrant) feels more responsive than ICS on my Nexus S (1194 quadrant). A small difference but the Arc just feels faster.
8) Task switcher now shows a screenshot of all open/recently opened apps. Again, like a tablet. And again, this is not a tablet. Nice feature in theory however scrolling the list of apps is not as fluid as it should be.
Oh well I see that I should stay with GB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1-6 is actually very solvable even without rooting. Lol. Just download a different launcher.
CrazyPeter said:
The Sony losses are blown out of proportion by the Sony hating tech media. Sony aren't American basically.
If you don't like icons and stuff, just install go launcher.
Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As much as I love the brand I gotta admit that they don't have the best support though. lots of outdated drivers for other products that never get updated...... despite this, I keep coming back as they have awesome products.
still love GB more than ICS hope they update firmware for us soon
It's basically not necessary to update ICS, and ppl may still want to try it anyway (plus all the custom ROM flying around, it's hard to resist, really).
Same here, GB works great for me.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using XDA
I've been searching for an answer to this, but haven't found anything. Maybe I've missed something?
If I recall correctly, in 4.1 I was able to open the notifications by just tapping the notification area. It was very easy.
With the 4.2 phablet UI, not only are my notifications in the farther corner from my thumb, but I have to do a full swiping motion to open them. Half the time I don't go far enough, and it bounces shut again!
Is there any mod or app to allow opening the notifications with just a tap? Or maybe to change how far I have to drag for it to decide to stay open.
NOTE: I don't mean an app that adds a home-screen shortcut or widget. A)I don't need another icon on my home-screen, and B)I want to be able to do this from inside any app.
Thanks.
I use rooted N4 with PA Rom and Joker kernel. Joker has given the biggest smile to my battery. And believe me, I have tried almost everything that's out there.
In Roms though, I have been on PA right since the beginning... I love the hybrid feature too much to leave it for any other rom.
So my personal prefs:
1. Extraaa Space: I use expanded mode. But I wanted the notifications to be seen easily. So I have two extra ways to pop up notifications from me (apart from in the pie):a) TabUI mode in PA: Multiple ways to have notifications is only supported in the Tablet UI mode.
b) Apex Launcher (Free): Set up a gesture for 'Show Notifications'.
c) I use LMT launcher for and extra added notification.
2. Apex Launcher:I use 3 gestures: Swipe Up: Show Notifications
Swipe Down: Toggle Dock
Double Tap: App DrawerAnd after these, I don't need the app drawer icon as well (as you can see in the first screenshot)
I have decresed the icon size of the dock items and drawer items as well. The icon pack is Holler wht.
3. LMT:I did not want to use it since I already am using Pie. But LMT has some cool options. As you can see in the screenshot, my LMT pie is quite minimalistic: Button 1 is Notifications (Longpress-> Menu),
Button 2 is Back (Longpress -> Home), and
Button 3 is Recent Apps (Longpress -> Previous App)
The main reason for me to install was the lack a quick back gesture in PA's Pie. With LMT, I simple swipe from the center of the right (or left) border activates button 2 (ie Back). It is the height of awesomeness. Though what I would love is Pie to have similar functionality, probably a swipe in the screen bottom for Back, but it may not go well with sweep2wake.
You can have many more buttons and settings on LMT. Try it!
4. Dashclock widgetWell, it is already a heartthrob of many of us. But it lacks customization. We should have an option for the font sizes and control over which components we want to see in the side (only the icons) and which in the bottom scroll view (full text).
Anyways, it was too big for me, so I changed it's hybrid properties. I am using 220 dpi for the widget. I had to remove and reapply the widget after changing the settings.
Note: Halo is another way to get notifications in PA, but I do not like it in it's current stage because of two major reasons:
1. Does not work fully with TabUI. In other modes, either I need to have a status bar, or rely only on Halo.
2. Relying on Halo solely does not serve my purpose, because when I come back to my phone after say a few hours, I need to see all my notifications at once without trying to swipe through the entire screen.
Hope you enjoyed the show (and tell!)
Have: Nexus 6P stock 6.0.1. Need: some customization. Items in green have a solution.
I've enabled Developer Mode and System UI Tweaker. I'd like to do this without root, or anything that would affect individual Google Play-installable apps. (The reason is, I need this device for final user release testing, so it should be what users have just from factory reset + install apps and normal OS upgrades):
Different wallpaper on Lock Screen than behind icons and widgets. (Tried: http://forums.androidcentral.com/an...-lock-screen-wallpaper-help-how-can-i-do.html - No triple dot menu visible in Wallpaper)
Full brightness on Lock screen instead of 90%, independent of brightness settings. ("OK" option: same brightness as manual brightness in Settings) (http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/help/home-lockscreen-brightness-t1704705 - no Lock Screen Options in Settings)
Disable peeking globally. ("OK" option: put them in the statusbar like 4.4.4) (I don't want to disable peeking for every new app I install: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Here...ifications-in-Android-6.0-Marshmallow_id75408) Temporary solution: I will manually disable peeking for every new app that shows them.
Global saturation setting for icons. (They're all saying "click ME!", that's an icon designer's job. With an excellent high-contrast screen like this, it's a crowd shouting.) ("OK" option: some other way of getting icons to look more Zen.) Icon packs for launchers are that "OK option", browsing tons on Google Play left Hexacon and Dual Shadow. So Hexacon.
Remove the Google Now bar from my Home Screen (without disabling any services). (As in, I taught the device my voice, so I don't need it there for me to tap. Tried: https://www.androidpit.com/how-to-remove-the-google-search-bar-from-your-android-homescreen - it's not long-tappable nor draggable, nor does it appear under Google Apps in Widgets.) Best solution so far: Nova Launcher.
I'd like to be able to do this:
Some quick way (preferably swipe) to access a more compact Quick Settings widget, like on my Xperia Z. I've reduced it to 9, can't remove "Invert Colors" and Location toggles.
Global Night Mode for everything in the System UI - to make it look similar to the Quick Settings. (This is a "like to" only because it's been promised in N. I really need it like, now. ) Best solution so far: Nova Launcher.
Basically I have the greatest phone, so I want it to look good at all times, and with the aim Clean, Fresh, Zen.
I posted here bc the forum was most specific. Feel free to refer or advise me how to best get answers as I joined tonight.
Any & all advice on single questions is appreciated Not possible is a valid answer, and I'm also prepared to wait for N if that's the answer.
I used to think of "ok google" as a novelty but its become more polished and if it remains reliable Ill continue to use it more& more. As it applies to keeping things clean it sort of does eliminate need for extra widgets.
If you have ok google everywhere u can just say " ok google...launch settings". Same goes for music apps, podcasts, youtube videos etc.
Started using a new app other day you might like called sesame edge. I set it on the right edge, virtually invisible and it brings up quick access to apps.
KLit75 said:
I used to think of "ok google" as a novelty but its become more polished and if it remains reliable Ill continue to use it more& more. As it applies to keeping things clean it sort of does eliminate need for extra widgets.
If you have ok google everywhere u can just say " ok google...launch settings". Same goes for music apps, podcasts, youtube videos etc.
Started using a new app other day you might like called sesame edge. I set it on the right edge, virtually invisible and it brings up quick access to apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, trying it out. Also tried Sesame in the hope that it would let me set a different lock screen wallpaper, but it only had "their automatic lock screen wallpaper or off" as setting. I sent feedback to them, so let's see.
HenrikErlandsson said:
Thanks, trying it out. Also tried Sesame in the hope that it would let me set a different lock screen wallpaper, but it only had "their automatic lock screen wallpaper or off" as setting. I sent feedback to them, so let's see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont use a lockscreen but on Pure Nexus which Im using now there is an option to set lockscreen wallpaper.
I use action launcher 3 which doesnt allow me to remove google bar (i dont think) but nova will let u do that. I like the bar cuz on action launcher i can put several shortcuts for whatever i want.
ASAP launcher is very minimal. Again you cant REMOVE the bar but swipe down and it turns into a simple clock widget.
KLit75 said:
I dont use a lockscreen but on Pure Nexus which Im using now there is an option to set lockscreen wallpaper.
I use action launcher 3 which doesnt allow me to remove google bar (i dont think) but nova will let u do that. I like the bar cuz on action launcher i can put several shortcuts for whatever i want.
ASAP launcher is very minimal. Again you cant REMOVE the bar but swipe down and it turns into a simple clock widget.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thx, tried Nova and it gives me Night Mode. Thanks for that Still, no way to have a different wallpaper on the lock screen than on the home screen, and I can find no Prime option for it either. Pure Nexus requires CM.
Can I mix and match this type of apps? Will they interfere with each other? Sesame seems to work with Nova at least.
What about Hi Locker? http://android.wonderhowto.com/how-to/get-back-lock-screen-customization-android-lollipop-0160204/
Can custom lock screens lock me out of my phone, make me butt dial, hog battery? I just want to change the gdmn background!
As I wrote, if some feature comes in N I'd rather wait than mess up my new phone.
HenrikErlandsson said:
Thx, tried Nova and it gives me Night Mode. Thanks for that Still, no way to have a different wallpaper on the lock screen than on the home screen, and I can find no Prime option for it either. Pure Nexus requires CM.
Can I mix and match this type of apps? Will they interfere with each other? Sesame seems to work with Nova at least.
What about Hi Locker? http://android.wonderhowto.com/how-to/get-back-lock-screen-customization-android-lollipop-0160204/
Can custom lock screens lock me out of my phone, make me butt dial, hog battery? I just want to change the gdmn background!
As I wrote, if some feature comes in N I'd rather wait than mess up my new phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems Im constantly tweaking things and having problems recalling exactly what I used. I know making lockscreen different from desktop is something Ive done many times. Do u have xposed? Pretty sure gravitybox has that option.
As far as butt dials, I use sweep to wake & it was a problem. Always remember to put it in your pocket screen facing out. I also need to do that when using bt headphones or else i get distortion. Anyways if i find something relevant Ill let u know.
Thx for suggestions!
I want weather, clock, and a background that matches my high-end case on the lock screen AND NOTHING ELSE, and then wherever there are icons I want a neutral background or just a color so I can see them properly. I think that's being a normal user with sensible demands.
Right now a huge dark gray or white slate COVERS the background anyway. I don't mind it, it lets me see the icons of all manner of variety and quality against something neutral, still... just allowing a background to set behind your icons seems to be an easy addition... since Froyo... Anyway, end rant about Simple Things. Android at least lets you customize them.
I'm battling notifications now. Light Manager is recommended for the 6P - testing it out now for notifications that are actually important, will report.