Speaking of Home Screens

[alane99]

My home screen contains two panels. If I happen to be on the 2nd panel when I leave the home screen (say, to open an app) the next time I press the "Home" button, I will be returned to that 2nd panel.

BUT, regardless of my being on the 2nd panel when I happen to have left the home screen, I want to be returned the the FIRST panel of the home screen whenever I press the home button.

But I can't figure out how to set the phone up to do this. The following link seems to me a description of how to accomplish this: https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...support/knowledge-base-210566/&token=KoYN5P2w. However, even when I set the first panel as the "default", I'll still be returned to the second panel if I was at the second panel when I left the home screen.

Mustn't there be a way to- regardless of where you are in the phone, or from which panel you previously left the home screen- to return, with a single click, get back to the very first and front panel of your home screen?

 

[bobdob]

This is a good question that I have never seen anyone ask before. I can't say I've wished for this specific behavior. Normally it's just a case of "hit the home button a second time if you want to go to your home panel". But there is some appeal to always returning to the same starting point.

The obvious answer is that you'd have to find a launcher that supports doing this. Since you didn't specifically ask about alternative launchers I will assume you're not familiar with the concept so here's a brief description. The "home screens" you see on your phone are actually provided by a special app called the launcher. You can install an alternative launcher to use in place of the one that comes with your phone. Since what they need to accomplish is the same task, for the most part the basics are the same in most launchers (though some are conceptually very different), but even where very similar, individual launchers have their own sets of features and options.

With so many launchers out there it might be a Herculean task to try to find this specific feature but if you google around and ask in some non-G6-specific forums, you might be able to find one that suits your needs.

Keep in mind, though, it is possible there is some system-level reason that a launcher would not be able to behave this way.

 

[j_grouchy]

I think when you are in an app, the home button is set up to function as a "close" button for the app itself. Once the app is closed out, it then reverts to the functionality you set for the launcher itself. I think getting it to do what you want would mean having it become a "macro" of sorts, both closing out the app and THEN reverting to the "home page screen" you designate.

Or maybe I am understanding it all wrong...?

 

[bobdob]

I think when you are in an app, the home button is set up to function as a "close" button for the app itself. Once the app is closed out, it then reverts to the functionality you set for the launcher itself.

Yes, this is exactly what I was thinking when I wrote my last sentence. But then I realized that still doesn't rule out the launcher doing whatever it wants when it gets control, including always going back to the same "home" screen. It's still just a case of finding a launcher that can do this.

 

[alane99]

Thanks for the guidance, guys. You are correct, I was not familiar with the concept of "launchers". But I understand it now.

Still, doesn't it seem that the following feature ( https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...support/knowledge-base-210566/&token=O5wYN57K) of the G6 should be making the phone do the thing I'm looking for it to do? It says you can "set a default home screen panel" and that..."The default Home panel appears when the Home button is pressed".

So I set my first panel as the "default" and expected to go back to the first panel- regardless of whichever panel I happened to be on when I had most recently left the home screen- when I next pressed the Home button.

But that's not what happens. Regardless of having set the first panel as the default, when I press the Home button I go back whichever panel I happened to have been on when I had most recently left the home screen.

 

[bobdob]

Still, doesn't it seem that the following feature ( https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...support/knowledge-base-210566/&token=OMSp_ybX) of the G6 should be making the phone do the thing I'm looking for it to do? It says you can "set a default home screen panel" and that..."The default Home panel appears when the Home button is pressed".

Right, but that description is misleading. Product documentation is often over-simplified. What it really means is that the home button returns you to that screen if you are on another launcher desktop screen, not in another app.

 

[j_grouchy]

Yes, this is exactly what I was thinking when I wrote my last sentence. But then I realized that still doesn't rule out the launcher doing whatever it wants when it gets control, including always going back to the same "home" screen. It's still just a case of finding a launcher that can do this.

I really don't think you'll find one. Like I said, the home button just acts as a Android version of the 'X' button in Windows.

Seems like a lot of work to save yourself one button press.

 

[alane99]

...
Seems like a lot of work to save yourself one button press.

It's more than one button press you'd be saving, though. It can be distracting not knowing exactly to which home screen panel you'll be taken when you make the initial button press. It is for me, anyway. And slightly disorienting, as well.

So to save yourself those feelings seems worthwhile.

Btw, I know notice this same phenomenon happens when you hit the "App Drawer" button. As hitting it takes me back to whichever one of the SEVEN app panels I happened to last be at. Again, for me, that is distracting and disorienting, and takes me some extra time to think which way I have to scroll from there to get to my intended point.

 

[shaimere]

Download nova launcher.

 

[j_grouchy]

Download nova launcher.

Nova doesn't do what he is asking. I don't think any does.

 

[j_grouchy]

It's more than one button press you'd be saving, though. It can be distracting not knowing exactly to which home screen panel you'll be taken when you make the initial button press. It is for me, anyway. And slightly disorienting, as well.

So to save yourself those feelings seems worthwhile.

Btw, I know notice this same phenomenon happens when you hit the "App Drawer" button. As hitting it takes me back to whichever one of the SEVEN app panels I happened to last be at. Again, for me, that is distracting and disorienting, and takes me some extra time to think which way I have to scroll from there to get to my intended point.

I'm not sure I understand how it's "disorienting". If I'm on "Page 2", open an app, then press the home button, I'll go back to Page 2. If I press the home button again, it'll take me to my "home page" which is Page 1. If I was on Page 1, opened the app, the pressed home, it would take me back to Page 1. You say you only have two pages/panels...that's even easier than if you have three like me. You can assign one panel to be "home," so the second home button press would take you to that home panel. I have Nova and that's how it's set up. You cannot, however, set it up so that if you are on Page 2, open an app, then press "home", it would go directly to Page 1. There would have to probably be some separate functionality/access to allow the single home button press to perform two separate functions - like a macro: first, to close the app...second to send the person to the 'home panel' within the launcher app.

 

[Javier P]

With Nova you can set an action for the Home button (default page or jump to any other page) in the Gestures & Inputs section. I think this would solve OP's problem

 

[j_grouchy]

With Nova you can set an action for the Home button (default page or jump to any other page) in the Gestures & Inputs section. I think this would solve OP's problem

Nope, it doesn't.

 

[Javier P]

Nope, it doesn't.

And you are right! Home button actions on Nova only apply when you're on your home screens, not in an app. Sorry, my bad.

 

[alane99]

Thank you guys for the Nova Launch suggestion. Yes, I tried it, and it didn't seem to work for this.

 

[Javier P]

Thank you guys for the Nova Launch suggestion. Yes, I tried it, and it didn't seem to work for this.

Yeah, sorry about that. See my previous post, home button actions only work when on your home screens, not in an app, and those gestures are only available on the Prime (paid) version.

 

[shaimere]

Nova doesn't do what he is asking. I don't think any does.

It does. I have nova launcher. Can't upload screenshot for some reason

EDIT: Nvm I see where op says it didn't work

 

[bobdob]

The closest I have found in Nova is to set the home button function to "none". Then get in the habit of 2 quick home presses instead of one and you'll always be where you want to be, without thinking about it. It's just one extra button press to do it, which is what j_grouchy meant.

And really, even if the home button while "outside the launcher" is treated specially, this in no way precludes the launcher from having a setting such that whenever it gets control, it goes to the same screen. I think it's just rare for someone to want this - it's why bookmarks and their digital analogues were invented, for goodness sake. For how most people use their phones, it's not helpful. But for some, it is helpful to always start off from the same place, so you can use muscle memory rather than paying attention. In this respect, I hate launchers (or MS windows) that rearrange apps based on how frequently or recently you use them.

 

[j_grouchy]

The other, most obvious, option is to just have ONE home screen panel. I'm a "folder guy" and don't display individual apps on the home screen. I have apps grouped into folders and (using Nova) assign a swipe gesture on the folder itself to open the most commonly used app in that folder. So I honestly AM all for minimizing button presses and movements when it makes sense. I rarely ever open my app drawer since the vast majority of what I use is easily accessible from my home screens.

 

[jchapman01]

The other, most obvious, option is to just have ONE home screen panel. I'm a "folder guy" and don't display individual apps on the home screen. I have apps grouped into folders and (using Nova) assign a swipe gesture on the folder itself to open the most commonly used app in that folder. So I honestly AM all for minimizing button presses and movements when it makes sense. I rarely ever open my app drawer since the vast majority of what I use is easily accessible from my home screens.

This is what I suggest. I have 50 apps and 3 bookmarks in 7 different folders on my home screen. one home screen. I rarely have to go to my app drawer because of this.