General O.S. questions

[ronpfid]

I've been away from Android for a few years, but planning on going back. Curious on it's evolution since I last used it, can I ask a few questions?

* I used to use an app that put those little notification numbers next to the app icon so you could see if you had one, does it automatically do that now a days, or can you still use an app to do that?

* Are lock screen notifications still more general instead of individual? (like if you get 3 emails, does the lock screen just say 3 emails, or does it do separate and show each email?

* This, I probably will have to ask in the Note 8 forum, but just in case someone reading this has one, ... I had a Note 4, the stock launcher used a grid size where you couldn't get that many icons 'per screen' and they were large and spaced apart. I used to use Nova so I could have a better grid size and get way more icons on each screen and more room for widgets. Can you still use Nova? What is the grid now a days of the stock launcher on the newer phones (Note 8 especially). ?

Right now I have an iphone and an apple watch, wanting to switch maybe to a Note 8 and maybe a gear S3 watch......

 

[amyf27]

Answer on the icon grids shown in my screen shot below. Nova launcher is awesome can make various grid spaces as well as make icons whatever size and design you choose.

The stock Samsung launcher I believe you have the notification numbers on the apps. Nova you can get an add on app that shows the numbers and those can be customized as well.

 

[hallux]

* I used to use an app that put those little notification numbers next to the app icon so you could see if you had one, does it automatically do that now a days, or can you still use an app to do that?

On Pixel devices, there's simply a dot on the app icon. On Samsung (and maybe others but I have a Tab S3 on Oreo) devices, you do get a number, for some apps. However - that number is tied to the notification shade, if you swipe away the app's notification the number goes away and the number is only a count of the notifications "active" in the shade.

* Are lock screen notifications still more general instead of individual? (like if you get 3 emails, does the lock screen just say 3 emails, or does it do separate and show each email?

You can preview, and act on, notifications on the lock screen. If you have several new emails you can "expand" the notification to act on those. If you have multiple accounts connected through the Gmail app, those have different entries in the shade.

As for your last point - I can't speak to the grid size on that device but I can say that Nova is still an option.

 

[ronpfid]

Ok cool thanks for those answers to both, sounds good! Can't wait till I can do this

Thanks again , love Nova, if that still works, I'm good to go!

 

[amyf27]

Ok cool thanks for those answers to both, sounds good! Can't wait till I can do this

Thanks again , love Nova, if that still works, I'm good to go!

Nova is awesome

 

[abarzua21]

Yes, Android has the notification number or you can just have a dot to let you know that app has notification. As far as lock screen notifications you can group them based on the your on apps, so if you get 5 emails it will show just one notification for that app, but in the corner you'll be able to see you have 5 emails then if you touch it, they will expand & you'll see each email individually or if you don't like group apps then you can have it show each notification individually. its all based on your preference & you can change it in settings. Hope that helped a little

 

[ronpfid]

Yes, Android has the notification number or you can just have a dot to let you know that app has notification. As far as lock screen notifications you can group them based on the your on apps, so if you get 5 emails it will show just one notification for that app, but in the corner you'll be able to see you have 5 emails then if you touch it, they will expand & you'll see each email individually or if you don't like group apps then you can have it show each notification individually. its all based on your preference & you can change it in settings. Hope that helped a little

OK cool , so you CAN now have individual, awesome. A few years ago you couldn't without an add on lockscreen app (then they changed things and those quit working)

Thanks, helps a lot!

 

[LeoRex]

OK cool , so you CAN now have individual, awesome. A few years ago you couldn't without an add on lockscreen app (then they changed things and those quit working)

Yep... When a much greater emphasis is security rolled in, the lock screen was a big problem. If you gave a downloaded app access to the lockscreen and allowed it to show data or interact, that pretty much eliminated any security on that same lockscreen... The phone was never truly locked.

Their only option was to lock out third party apps... And only allowed system apps and functions to interact with the lockscreen. And even then, even system apps can only access exactly what it's been given... the rest is hidden behind the encryption layer. Camera will only show pictures you've taken since launch, contacts won't show unless you unlock, etc. And it's why Google Maps can show on the lockscreen and Waze can't...

 

[ronpfid]

Yep... When a much greater emphasis is security rolled in, the lock screen was a big problem. If you gave a downloaded app access to the lockscreen and allowed it to show data or interact, that pretty much eliminated any security on that same lockscreen... The phone was never truly locked.

Their only option was to lock out third party apps... And only allowed system apps and functions to interact with the lockscreen. And even then, even system apps can only access exactly what it's been given... the rest is hidden behind the encryption layer. Camera will only show pictures you've taken since launch, contacts won't show unless you unlock, etc. And it's why Google Maps can show on the lockscreen and Waze can't...

oh wow interesting, thanks!

 

[LeoRex]

oh wow interesting, thanks!

Yeah, I was sad to see them go... I had an app that would create customized lockscreen widgets that I loved... And I replaced that with a Moto display knockoff.. neither apps functioned properly without completely disabling security in recent versions.

I have no issues with my 2XL's always on display / lockscreen combo now though... though I wish it had the extra features of the V30's AOD I tried for few weeks. But it took a few years to get here.

 

[ronpfid]

Yeah, I was sad to see them go... I had an app that would create customized lockscreen widgets that I loved... And I replaced that with a Moto display knockoff.. neither apps functioned properly without completely disabling security in recent versions.

I have no issues with my 2XL's always on display / lockscreen combo now though... though I wish it had the extra features of the V30's AOD I tried for few weeks. But it took a few years to get here.

I used to use a lockscreen app like that too, I forget the name now... it could have widgets and individual notifications, icons, all that. It was cool. But if they can now stay secure and have individual, that would be good enough for me.

wow I'm outa the loop, not sure what a XL or V30 even is lol

 

[hallux]

wow I'm outa the loop, not sure what a XL or V30 even is lol

XL is the larger size Pixel, in the case of the person you quoted they have the XL size of the second Pixel. The V30 is an LG device.

 

[ronpfid]

XL is the larger size Pixel, in the case of the person you quoted they have the XL size of the second Pixel. The V30 is an LG device.

ah ok, thanks!

 

[LeoRex]

ah ok, thanks!

Sorry! Yes, I have a Google Pixel 2XL... I had an LG V30 briefly back in November... Mostly as a way to get a phone payment of my account so I could get my wife a first gen Pixel XL. The V30 was a camera away from being a truly great phone... It just takes good pictures, not great... It would have been the end all be all camera 4 years ago. But not today.

The always on display they implemented is interactive, you can scroll through some of the functions without dropping to the lock screen.

Google just follows their usual KISS formula, almost to a fault sometimes. But for the most part, they will put in new features without weighing things down.

 

[ronpfid]

Ah ok, thanks!