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I was just reading about webOS and how good its interface is when dealing with multi-tasking and I realised how poor androids multi-tasking interface is. The only way I know to switch between running apps is to hold home button for a few seconds...
I personally think this can be improved by having thumbnails of open apps popup when the home button is single pressed on a home screen. Just as at the moment previews of all the home screens popup I think this should be switched with open app previews. I rarely ever use the home screen preview thing so i think its wasted, but I definitely would use app selector if little thumbnails showed.
Anybody have any thoughts on this? Im not a developer so I have no idea if this is possible but I think it would be a good feature to add and improve android. Do any devs think they can implement this??
Moved to general as not ROM development.
This would be a feature for a launcher app, so might be worth suggesting to someone like Fede who develops Launcher Pro, or cyanogenmod people that make ADW?
yes you are right. thanks. I was too lazy to find the relevant section to post under. will try contacting anderweb. or fede.
There are a couple of apps which overlays a screen on top of the current app you are in by tapping home twice, you can then open apps/access widgets without having to go back to homescreen first.
Currently im using 'smart taskbar', you can set the activation mode to be (1) tapping on a half-circle spot on either side of your screen or (2) swiping from one side to another. You can then open from a list of 5 'pinned' apps or choose from the mini apps drawer below, or click a tab called 'running' which seems the same as the current holding on home button behavior.
check out power strip. allows you to get a popup window where ever you are by doubble tapping home button (ore long press search button). there you can have quick access to widgets, shortcuts etc. really cool.
smiskkissen said:
check out power strip. allows you to get a popup window where ever you are by doubble tapping home button (ore long press search button). there you can have quick access to widgets, shortcuts etc. really cool.
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just downloaded both power strip and the one mentioned above. Will try them both out and report back on whether its what i was suggesting. Thanks for your suggestions.
Is there any way to remap the function of "RecentApps" soft key to "Menu" function?
I almost do not use "RecentApps" and I find the necessity of manual search of "settings" button in each app quite distracting.
I have Xperia Ray smartphone and it has Back button, Home button (long press on this button launches RecentApps and not the useless Google circle pane, like in Nexus, which is not even customizable) and Menu button, which I use VERY often.
In my opinion - this scheme is the most convenient and I'd like to get it in Nexus 7.
Does anybody have an idea how it could be implemented?
metaxaos said:
Is there any way to remap the function of "RecentApps" soft key to "Menu" function?
I almost do not use "RecentApps" and I find the necessity of manual search of "settings" button in each app quite distracting.
I have Xperia Ray smartphone and it has Back button, Home button (long press on this button launches RecentApps and not the useless Google circle pane, like in Nexus, which is not even customizable) and Menu button, which I use VERY often.
In my opinion - this scheme is the most convenient and I'd like to get it in Nexus 7.
Does anybody have an idea how it could be implemented?
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Where 'menu' key is applicable, three dots show on the right low corner. If these dots don't appear, I don't think 'menu' key would bring you anywhere anyway (or those three dot's appear anywhere else, like in one of top corners, and pressing menu key would open the menu from those dots anyway, so you'd have to move your fingers a lot)
I have xperia as well (Arc S), and as much as I had to get used to it from beginning, I understand why the choice of these buttons (not every app uses the menu key, so it would be useless in such cases).
I don't know how else are you going to switch apps then, click back every time?
issak42 said:
Where 'menu' key is applicable, three dots show on the right low corner. If these dots don't appear, I don't think 'menu' key would bring you anywhere anyway (or those three dot's appear anywhere else, like in one of top corners, and pressing menu key would open the menu from those dots anyway, so you'd have to move your fingers a lot)
I have xperia as well (Arc S), and as much as I had to get used to it from beginning, I understand why the choice of these buttons (not every app uses the menu key, so it would be useless in such cases).
I don't know how else are you going to switch apps then, click back every time?
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It would be really good if it was always true. Unfortunately, it's not. For example, there is a FBReader app, where you could hide all the status and toolbars and where you just cannot get into menu without separate button. Besides it's always better to have one familiar key than to look for GUI shortcut in each app.
To switch between apps - long press on Home key. It's not so frequently used feature to have a special button for that. IMHO.
Anyway, does anyone know anything about some solution?
Just got the N4 yesterday and love it but for one really irksome thing -- that the back button, which I use a lot, is on the left while the "running apps" button, which I don't, is on the right. It's a big phone so having stuff as near as possible to the bottom right-hand corner is key to one-handed operation (for righties, of course). So when I'm using Google Reader, the back button is at bottom left, and the "Up to category list" button is at top left. Really slows things down.
Am I the only one annoyed by this? Is there a fix short of a new ROM?
A rom may allow you to swap the buttons around. It doesnt bother me I hold my phone in my left hand a lot.
That was a big reason why I decided to root and go to an AOKP rom. Back button on the right side now and I'm so much happier.
It bothered me at first when moving from a Galaxy S (back on right side) to the Galaxy Nexus (back on left side). Got used to it after about a month though.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Never noticed! But I prefer to get rid of them for the screen real estate.
It's more of a design choice rather than a pragmatic decision. Back on the left makes more sense. Some apps move the screen to the right when they go back, so tapping back on the left side and having the screen goes left makes sense thematically. I came from a Galaxy S which also had a right-side back button, and I have accustomed myself to the left-side back button with little effort. It fits the flow of apps better.
However, I'm strongly against the removal of the Search button that started in 3.x. I used Search for many apps, and it was an amazing shortcut. Fullscreen browser? Press search and you got access to the URL bar. Looking for a contact? Search button. Want to do a search in a file explorer? There's a familiar button for that. Recents should have stayed as a long press of the Home button.
Hung0702 said:
It's more of a design choice rather than a pragmatic decision. Back on the left makes more sense. Some apps move the screen to the right when they go back, so tapping back on the left side and having the screen goes left makes sense thematically. I came from a Galaxy S which also had a right-side back button, and I have accustomed myself to the left-side back button with little effort. It fits the flow of apps better.
However, I'm strongly against the removal of the Search button that started in 3.x. I used Search for many apps, and it was an amazing shortcut. Fullscreen browser? Press search and you got access to the URL bar. Looking for a contact? Search button. Want to do a search in a file explorer? There's a familiar button for that. Recents should have stayed as a long press of the Home button.
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I disagree with long press on home as recents. Many android noobs didn't even know there was a a "alt tab" in Android until they've heard it from someone or was told by someone.
It's more intuitive when theres a recents button. As far as search, it's supposed to be on the top right of an app same with the legacy menu. On contacts, its on the bottom left.
IMO they should go back to the 4 capacitive buttons. Menu, Home, Back, Search. There was NOTHING wrong with this setup. Search was arguably the weakest one but with Google now, I'd say it's just as important as the rest of them. I get the fact that not all apps will have Menu, but Home and Back are just about universal, and Menu is used quite a bit too. The capacitive buttons free up screen real-estate too. I don't like styling things just for style's sake.
se1000 said:
IMO they should go back to the 4 capacitive buttons. Menu, Home, Back, Search. There was NOTHING wrong with this setup. Search was arguably the weakest one but with Google now, I'd say it's just as important as the rest of them. I get the fact that not all apps will have Menu, but Home and Back are just about universal, and Menu is used quite a bit too. The capacitive buttons free up screen real-estate too. I don't like styling things just for style's sake.
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That's the app's fault for not implementing the menu button on their app, regardless you have the legacy menu button the bottom right.
If you don't like it then install a custom ROM and change the navigation bar to your liking. It's simple as that, no reason to debate about this and how it should be on stock android.
zephiK said:
That's the app's fault for not implementing the menu button on their app, regardless you have the legacy menu button the bottom right.
If you don't like it then install a custom ROM and change the navigation bar to your liking. It's simple as that, no reason to debate about this and how it should be on stock android.
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I have, and I like my current setup (Menu, Home, Back). I'm just saying that I'd rather have the 4 capacitive buttons back.
zephiK said:
I disagree with long press on home as recents. Many android noobs didn't even know there was a a "alt tab" in Android until they've heard it from someone or was told by someone.
It's more intuitive when theres a recents button. As far as search, it's supposed to be on the top right of an app same with the legacy menu. On contacts, its on the bottom left.
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If only recents was actually comparable to Windows' Alt+tab. As it is, recents is no more useful to me than it was in Gingerbread
The best button choice for me would have been, in the order, BACK, HOME, MENU. You need to go to settings? Just press the "menu" button. Need to open recent apps? Just press and hold the "home" button. Simple as that.
It was all so much more consistent when the menu button was integrated in the system. Now you have to go and look for it in a place that differs from app to app... jeez, I feel like I'm holding an iPhone.
No menu and a dedicated, invasive multitasking app is a double step backwards for me.
SkippyFlipjack said:
Just got the N4 yesterday and love it but for one really irksome thing -- that the back button, which I use a lot, is on the left while the "running apps" button, which I don't, is on the right. It's a big phone so having stuff as near as possible to the bottom right-hand corner is key to one-handed operation (for righties, of course). So when I'm using Google Reader, the back button is at bottom left, and the "Up to category list" button is at top left. Really slows things down.
Am I the only one annoyed by this? Is there a fix short of a new ROM?
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That's how us lefty's feel living in a right handed world
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Hung0702 said:
It's more of a design choice rather than a pragmatic decision. Back on the left makes more sense. Some apps move the screen to the right when they go back, so tapping back on the left side and having the screen goes left makes sense thematically. I came from a Galaxy S which also had a right-side back button, and I have accustomed myself to the left-side back button with little effort. It fits the flow of apps better.
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I agree that design-wise it makes sense; the aesthete in me would take issue with a left-facing arrow button sitting on the right side, which sort of looks like it's telling you to press the button in the middle. I just think that these larger phones should design where possible for one-handed operation (and have a lefty mode too!)
note: by 'one-handed operation' no, I don't mean I'm watching porn
I have a stock Nexus 6P with Marshmallow's February update.
Is there any key that will allow me to exit an app that isn't working proprely? Previously I had an HTC One M8 with ViperOneM8 ROM. That allowed me to long press the back button to close an app.
I have a game that has gotten stuck after their update. This happened in the past. The game says Touch Screen, but it doesn't respond. If I hit the back button it gives me the open that No I don't want to quit or Yes I want to quit, but it's unresponsive.
If the Recent apps button isn't working maybe long-pressing the power button will have some impact.
I thought the square button was just a list of recent apps, not a list of apps currently running, so I never thought to use it. I just figured that button is to clear stuff out of history. I mean, because there's a ton of stuff in there and I know 100% not all that is running at one time.
The home button.
siren_shadows said:
The home button.
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The home button doesn't CLOSE the app, though, like a force close or whatever you want to call it. That just minimizes the app so you can see your home screen or open other apps, but the app is still running in the background. If you re-open the app you're still stick at the screen that didn't work in the first place.
What the previous person said works, though..
Well of you can hit the home button and then get into settings, just go to apps tap on the app and hit force close
Hit the recent apps button (square one lol) and just swipe the app away... It will close it.
I have my V20 navigation controls hidden for almost all apps because I like the full 5.7" screen always displayed, but it's a pain sometime to swipe up to get access to them. Is there any way to get a 3rd party app that you can put into the Second Screen as an app shortcut, and when you click the app shortcut icon it will navigate DIRECTLY with the one press on the second screen (i.e. go to home screen and back button, mainly)? I don't think it could be a widget because you can't load widgets as a app shortcut on the 2nd screen. Note that I am NOT rooted.
Probably not but I just thought I'd ask.
This actually works in the nav bar as a return to home button, although will not appear on recent apps when used. Now looking for a back button
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.devjackey.homebutton
If you have any sort of experience with Tasker I'm sure you can create a simple task that goes back, and just assign it to a button that you throw on the 2nd screen though I just checked and some widgets don't actually work in the 2nd screen. Greenify works fine but my mobile payment app doesnt't.
Seems like it can't be a widget or floating button. Can't find a back button that works by clicking the app shortcut icon like the home button does above (i.e. no app options - click and executes the one function directly). Oh well at least I have half what i need.
A pain to swipe up but easier to reach all the to the top of the screen? Smh. Doesn't make sense.
@rbiter said:
A pain to swipe up but easier to reach all the to the top of the screen? Smh. Doesn't make sense.
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I'm often at the top of my screen switching apps and want to get to the home screen. Plus ONE press on a button instead of a swipe up and press and have it hide again. My thumb is on average in the middle of the screen so up and down or the same. Plus if holding the phone in my left hand it's easier to get at the top with my right hand index finger. Just tried the home button above and definitely faster and less annoying then the hidden nav bar. Doesn't seem like there is a similar back button anywhere that i can find.
Tony
All I have to say is software nav FTW!