New essential Android apps thread
- Thread starter Rilot
- Start date
Soldato
Whats people preference on setting reminders / tasks to do?
I don' t want to always key in activities on my phone but to speak to my phone to set reminders and then also show it up as a widget on my home screen so it constantly reminds me every time I look at it.
I use to be able to set reminders by using the Google Speak option but I might have accidentally somehow turned it off.
I don' t want to always key in activities on my phone but to speak to my phone to set reminders and then also show it up as a widget on my home screen so it constantly reminds me every time I look at it.
I use to be able to set reminders by using the Google Speak option but I might have accidentally somehow turned it off.
Soldato
Unfortunately Google has only allowed push syncing with the Gmail app, 3rd party apps are only allowed to use IMAP/POP3.
Thanks, its all setup now with push syncing, I completely forgot about the push syncing options
I suppose with push syncing it's better for the phones battery.
Soldato
Seeing as Nova has been acquired by Branch, what launchers are people using? I tried the stock Pixel launcher but it's very basic in terms of customisation. Lawnchair hasn't been updated since Dec 2019 although I can see on F-droid with the IzzyOnDroid repository it still is being worked on, although it's marked as alpha. Might give it a go anyway. Any other suggestions with no tracking? I see Niagara being mentioned but feels too minimal for me.
Nova,Can we not just turn off data access in app settings? As in Internet access. Scrap that, no way I can see to do this.
As a side note, I've just gone ahead and turned off background data access to over a dozen apps just now.
Soldato
Hmmm, I hate data & usage sharing nonsense, hopefully it reamins an option to disable (and actually does so). If you scroll down to Advanced its the top option (I'm on version 7).
I use Nova purely becasue I couldn't stand having the news & weather etc forced on my by the stock Pixel launcher. Nova does this perfectly along with the default two buttons instead of gestures.
EDIT: Just used trtied the Pixel Launcher for the first time in years and it seems you can kill the discover/google page on swipe left. Awesome. Don't need Nova after all.
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Soldato
I have it off now, just hoping it will also cover Branch's analytics too, but it's hard to judge if the toggle will apply to all analytics or just Nova's current basic one once the update is out.
Did a quick test with the alpha version of Lawnchair, definitely feels smooth to use, but noticed it sometimes rearranges my dock icons. There's also less customisation options compared to Nova... Nova has spoilt me too much.
Soldato
I'm still on a Pixel 3XL (likely picking up a 7 later in the year) and noticed a performance improvement going back to the default launcher. Now you can get rid of the discover page I'm much happier with it. Only thing I hate is I can't bin off the search bar on the home screen. I might learn to like and use it but I generally just open Firefox as I prefer an ad-free experience. I just want a simple dumb smartphone with only apps I want to use!
Soldato
Branch's sole purpose is to try and bridge the gap between apps and devices, in effect profiling people across those apps and devices by pushing for branch support to be included in as many apps as possible. Acquiring sesame and nova goes a long way to achieving that. They're doing this in an effort to circumnavigate the privacy controls Apple and google have been creating and that's a worry in itself. Branch could in theory know every cross platform device you own, every app you have installed, and target you in ways Apple or google just can't, and all under the friendly 'we're not gonna steal your data' guise.
Short term I don't know but the implications for privacy invasion are pretty huge. So i'm out, i think. I just need to find a another launcher that supports tabs in the app drawer because that's a must for me.
Short term I don't know but the implications for privacy invasion are pretty huge. So i'm out, i think. I just need to find a another launcher that supports tabs in the app drawer because that's a must for me.
Soldato
it also has branch support.
Soldato
Ive just switched to hyperion launcher and no issues so far on a redmi note 10 pro.
Virtually gives me all the options i used on Nova
Virtually gives me all the options i used on Nova
Soldato
Didn't realise it was done by the same developers as substratum, I'll check it out.
Neo Launcher on F-Droid via IzzyOnDroid Repo is open source, similar to Lawnchair 12.1 alpha but with a little more flexibility with customisations. But it does crash every now and then for me. Another one to look out for.
I'm more surprised most of the launchers I've tested based on the Pixel launcher, I can't set a main home screen. I usually have notes/calendars/etc on the left side, just At A Glance on the middle main, and miscellaneous widgets/shortcuts on the right. I'm not used to having the main screen on the far left.