Just Discovered Substratum

[Mandarita]

So I just discovered Substratum today. I've spent 3 hours customizing my phone. It's amazing! My phone, the stock apps, most of my installed apps and my notifications are all a plus black background. Amazing.

Does anyone else use it? What themes do you use? Are there any problems I should be aware of for the future?

 

[magichoward]

So I just discovered Substratum today. I've spent 3 hours customizing my phone. It's amazing! My phone, the stock apps, most of my installed apps and my notifications are all a plus black background. Amazing.

Does anyone else use it? What themes do you use? Are there any problems I should be aware of for the future?

Does it work with the samsung stock email

 

[amyf27]

Ok dumb question but what is Substratum? An app? I like customizing stuff

 

[chanchan05]

Ok dumb question but what is Substratum? An app? I like customizing stuff

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=projekt.substratum

 

[Nakrohtap]

The main difference I see with this is that your notification shade can have a a dark background, which isn't possible with the Samsung theming.
My dumb question is what is "plus black"? Is that the name of the theme?
I don't have any issues with the stock theme engine.

 

[mitarogers]

I used it for about a day. The black theme was pretty awesome, but it started killing apps like YouTube, the play store and the phone/dialer app. It was easy to install, but I don't want to have to maintain it all the time.

 

[chazglenn3]

I am currently using the Swift Black theme on my phone. It's awesome!

 

[mountainman]

Note for all of you thinking about this...

Every time an app gets updated you need to recompile the overlay for that app. Also OTA updates can black screen your device. This is not a no-brainer app and will require some planning and thought.

 

[krishnansasikumar]

Used substratum on my S8 and was using it with custom ROMs on my Nexus 6.

It's not a do it once and forget it app. You'll have to constantly rework on it when app updates comes. At times, it can even apply the theme for some apps and mess up other apps forcing you to revert back everything. I've had to factory reset my S8 twice.

Yeah, it's fun to be able to theme the whole phone and a few major apps, but I would do it only with custom ROMs

 

[djlee0314]

I've played around with Substratum and other custom overlays over the years but have found for me, using Nova Launcher, custom wallpapers and Samsung themes work well for what I want. Example, I wanted different quick setting icon colors but found that overlays to achieve this all came with dark notifications which made the notifications dark or grey and too difficult to see.

A simple samsung theme achieved the color I wanted while keeping the notifications readable.

 

[Mandarita]

Thank you for the input. I knew it would take some maintenance, but now will maybe reconsider. If it black screens my phone, what will I have to do? Will I end up resetting it?

I don't mind fussing with my phone. It's almost a hobby to me, but am unexpected reset could screw me at work.

I'm actually using a combination of Substratum and a beautiful Samsung theme. It's glorious. I can call with uninstalling an overlay on the fly to get an app up and running, but this black screen thing had me worried.

 

[MK Redding]

I've been using it for a few weeks. Haven't done the whole system just a few apps messages, gmail, youtube etc. in combination with the samsung theme I chose it all works out. I won't try the system until they come out with a N8 profile.

 

[srvctec]

I'm using this Samsung theme and love it. No maintaining and it just works. Only thing I don't like is they don't have the notification pull-down dark. https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...rast_theme_II%26SITE_CODE%3Dus&token=USV75gsg

 

[Mandarita]

The funny thing is the dark notifications is a separate APK I run. I just wish that I could not have grey writing on a black background. As awesome as the black notifications are, the ability to read them might just be more important.

 

[Bodestone]

The funny thing is the dark notifications is a separate APK I run. I just wish that I could not have grey writing on a black background. As awesome as the black notifications are, the ability to read them might just be more important.

Try the first one here for notifications: https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-8/help/black-notifications-t3689819
Ensure you uninstall other notification ones first of course.

I have root though so it may make a difference but that is much more readable than the one from: https://android.gadgethacks.com/how...-theme-your-galaxy-s8-no-root-needed-0177838/

Definitely don't instal the global ones from the seconf link if you are running substratum.

 

[anon(7901790)]

I used it and I liked it a lot. Unfortunately, I had to uninstall it and do a factory reset. Several apps (mostly Google) would crash. They were all updated and because of how Substratum works, it was causing them to force close.

 

[anon(7901790)]

I used it for about a day. The black theme was pretty awesome, but it started killing apps like YouTube, the play store and the phone/dialer app. It was easy to install, but I don't want to have to maintain it all the time.

That's exactly what happened to me. It was after several apps were updated.

 

[jhimmel]

I am currently using the Swift Black theme on my phone. It's awesome!

I can't find this.
Edit: nevermind

 

[svtcobra]

I can't find this.

I've been rocking Swift Black for months. Love it! Search for Swift Black in the Play Store...

 

[Tsepz_GP]

So I just discovered Substratum today. I've spent 3 hours customizing my phone. It's amazing! My phone, the stock apps, most of my installed apps and my notifications are all a plus black background. Amazing.

Does anyone else use it? What themes do you use? Are there any problems I should be aware of for the future?

Let me give this a go. I have read endless positive posts about it.