Community Homescreen Showcase

Every Saturday we run a community show and tell on Twitter, many of you take part and join us in showing the latest changes, tweaks and improvements to your homescreens in something that has become known as #homescreensaturdays.

It’s nothing we ever expect to achieve weekly global virality however for those who take part it’s a great opportunity to find inspiration for your own phone and discover some amazing wallpapers and themes. Here we will showcase just a few of your screens that we thought deserved a second look, click to expand each one.

Homescreen Saturdays

To find more check out the complete collection at #homescreensaturdays and don’t forget to join us on Twitter next Saturday for more!

What Does the S7 Need to Improve upon, Change, and Avoid?

The S7 is a much-awaited flagship by the android community at large, but like with every Samsung release, there are still many users skeptical of the upcoming Galaxy, and with good reason too.

It’s undeniable that Samsung phones have packed some of the best hardware in the past, but their software has always left plenty to be desired, and in 2015 the company abandoned their microSD and removable battery tradition, instead opting for the premium design that arguably revitalized much interest in the line-ups. Now that the S7 is approaching, with a rumored launch date of February 21 and a March consumer release, it’s time we begin discussing our expectations for the upcoming Galaxy — including what we want and what we don’t want to see.

So we ask you: What things do you want to see Samsung improve upon? Which changes do you think Samsung should revert? How can they redeem TouchWiz and the traditional shortcomings of Galaxy phones?

H2OS based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow Leaked for OnePlus 2

XDA Member gagne.pierreluc has shared with us a leaked build of Hydrogen OS for the OnePlus 2, based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Do note that there is no recovery or fastboot, so you will have to follow an unbrick guide.

Flashable Zip Brings Xposed for Marshmallow to the LG G4

LG G4 owners have been facing bootloop problems when flashing Xposed for Marshmallow. Now, there’s a flashable zip file fix available, courtesy of XDA Senior Recognized Developer rovo89.

Walloid Updates Bring New Features, Pro Version 50% Off

Walloid is a free app with a large collection of OEM/custom ROM wallpapers. Recent updates have added more wallpapers, new features like Muzei support and several other improvements. Walloid Pro is currently 50% off too!

Quick Toggles Small App for Sony Xperia Devices

XDA Recognized Contributor abo hani has developed an app for quick toggles for JellyBean+, which works as Sony’s small app. If you’re looking to add in quick toggles to your Sony device on any version above JB, go over to the forum thread!

Render Images of Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge Surface

Leaker Evan Blass aka @evleaks has posted images of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge. Inline with the rumors, the renders show different screen sizes for the phones, indicating a shift in Samsung’s usual pattern. The S7 is rumored to come with a 5.1″ display, with the S7 Edge bearing a 5.5″ curved display.

Android 6.0 Rolling Out to Sprint HTC One M8

The Android 6.0 Marshmallow update is rolling out to HTC One M8 users on Sprint. This is good news for One M8 owners because the HTC One M9 on Sprint is still looking at a tentative release date for next week for the update rollout.

One-Click Enable Double Tap-to-Wake on the Nexus 6P (Root)

Just like the Nexus 6, the Nexus 6P has a double tap-to-wake feature. And just like the Nexus 6, it’s disabled by default. We don’t know exactly why it’s been disabled, but thankfully you can easily enable the feature (provided that you have root access) by using a simple one-click method that changes the value of a single file in the stock kernel configuration.

Open-Source Android App turns your Tablet into a Magic Mirror (Mirror not Included)

The idea of a magic mirror assistant was popularized thanks to Disney’s iconic Snow White. One of the most popular attempts at making a magic mirror was a project made by Hannah Mitt, and used a Nexus 7 (2012) mounted in-between the panels of a two-way mirror. Thanks to the beauty of open-source, one user took it upon themselves to improve on the original design and add a few new features to boot.

Google Publishes a “No-Nonsense” Guide to App Monetization using AdMob

Google’s AdMob is an invaluable source of income for developers publishing free apps. Advertisements, when done poorly, can be a contentious issue for many users. That’s why Google has published a free eBook on how to properly monetize your app using its AdMob developer platform. In only 10 minutes, you’ll learn about 7 different app monetization models, how to choose the right model, and important considerations to keep in mind when implementing the model.

Android Pay no Longer Working with Systemless Root

Tap. Pay. Done. If you’re the owner of an NFC enabled Android phone running 4.4+, then you’ve probably heard of Android Pay. The app supports adding cards from many different banks and works in many major retailers, and it’s pretty easy to set-up as well. Google is practically begging you to sign-up!

That is, unless, you’re a power user who has a rooted device. For us, we had to choose between having root access and all the benefits it entails (ad-blocking, theming, Xposed, etc.) and using Android Pay. Google has stated that restricting Android Pay access for rooted users was a precautionary step to prevent any chance of financial security breaches.

While the platform can and should continue to thrive as a developer-friendly environment, there are a handful of applications (that are not part of the platform) where we have to ensure that the security model of Android is intact.

That “ensuring” is done by Android Pay and even third-party applications through the SafetyNet API. As you all might imagine, when payment credentials and–by proxy–real money are involved, security people like me get extra nervous. I and my counterparts in the payments industry took a long, hard look at how to make sure that Android Pay is running on a device that has a well documented set of API’s and a well understood security model.

We concluded that the only way to do this for Android Pay was to ensure that the Android device passes the compatibility test suite–which includes checks for the security model. The earlier Google Wallet tap-and-pay service was structured differently and gave Wallet the ability to independently evaluate the risk of every transaction before payment authorization. In contrast, in Android Pay, we work with payment networks and banks to tokenize your actual card information and only pass this token info to the merchant. The merchant then clears these transactions like traditional card purchases. I know that many of you are experts and power users but it is important to note that we don’t really have a good way to articulate the security nuances of a particular developer device to the entire payments ecosystem or to determine whether you personally might have taken particular countermeasures against attacks–indeed many would not have. – jasondclinton_google, a security engineer at Google speaking on our forums

Fortunately, XDA always finds a way (although this time, unintentionally). By rooting your device without making modifications to the /system partition (ie. systemless root by XDA Senior Recognized Developer and Developer Admin Chainfire), users were able to bypass the root restriction and access Android Pay. In a Google+ post, however, Chainfire mentioned that this “fix” is merely “by accident, and not by design, and Android Pay will be updated to block it.” Well it looks like Google has finally stepped in and updated their SafetyNet API, 91 days after the release of the systemless rooting method.

Hello Darkness, My Old Friend

There are several reports going around on Reddit and on our own forums that the newest SafetyNet check detects systemless root, meaning you can no longer use Android Pay with a rooted device. If you’re an Android Pay user with a device rooted using the systemless root method, then you might notice that the app still opens for you, and you’ll be in denial (I know, it’s hard to admit…) but unfortunately it’s true. Android Pay only checks your device for passing the compatibility device suite when the app is first installed and opened, when a new card is added, and at the time of a transaction. Users on our forums are noting that the app may give you a green check-mark, lulling you into false hope that it worked but alas, no, the transaction will not process any more.

Not all is lost, however. Fortunately, you can disable su from the SuperSu app before making a purchase to temporarily allow your device to pass the CTS check. Then after you’ve made your purchase, you can open the SuperSu app, ignore the ‘update binary’ pop-up, and re-enable su. A minor inconvenience, sure, but at least you’ll still be able to enjoy your Xposed modules while making purchases on your phone.

Windows Phone 7 Gets a Makeover with Windows K UI

No one can argue that Microsoft’s life in the mobile market has been a story of ups and downs (more downs than ups during the past 5 years). They make a solid (albeit closed) product that is victim of current trends, trends that are not exactly the platform’s main objectives.

One of the things that plagues Windows Phone (all versions) is the lack of customization on most aspects of the UI (aside from changing background and tile colors). If you still have a Windows Phone 7 (or 8) laying around and would like to try something new, have a look at what XDA Member ErickNoz has prepared.

Windows K is a UI replacement for Windows Phone 7 through 8 (no word from the dev as to whether this works on Windows Phone 10). This app brings a more familiar desktop looking UI to the aging platform and while it is still in early alpha development, the UI already brings some sought after features for Windows Phone lovers.

>>>>New UI for WP7
>>>>Shell EXE calling
>>>>>Startmenu
>>>>>QuickMenu
>>>Icons (Some icons wont work, Iam building My Computer, Window. Style)
>>>MainPage
>>>>Desktop

As stated by the developer, there are many features you might expect to exist that are still turned off due to this being an early alpha (such as menu animations and other goodies), but it is looking promising. On top of everything, this will have some level of customization/theming as well since the dev states that there will be more “styles’ for the taskbar coming soon. Please swing by the thread and if you can test and leave some feedback for the dev, it will certainly help.

You can find more information in the Windows K original thread.

Three UK Forcibly End All Remaining Unlimited Tethering Plans

In a move that will surely surprise no one in today’s society, mobile carrier Three UK has now ended all plans that still allowed for unlimited tethering.

 Back in 2010, Three launched the One Plan including 2000 minutes, 5000 same carrier minutes, 5000 texts and All-You-Can-Eat (1TB) of data with unlimited tethering. Over the years other plans have allowed for unlimited tethering and while they still offer several plans to include this incredible amount of data, they no long offer any with unlimited tethering, with a maximum of 12GB on the more expensive plans. Evidently seeking to end the people using their phone in lieu of home broadband. In 2014 they announced all remaining One Plans would be phased out and now any customers still on these plans were transferred on to the closest current plan on January 26.

Unhappy with letter from @ThreeUK – cancelling long-standing OnePlan contracts and increasing bill fr £20 to £30 a month! not #makeitright

— Mark Mc (@mmcnamee) January 27, 2016

We reached out to Three UK to ask just how many customers had been affected and were told that 400,000 customers had either had their unlimited tethering removed for just 12GB or transferred on to a different plan entirely.

“If you don’t choose to upgrade or change price plan, we’ll change your plan to one of our one-month SIM plans, which you can change or upgrade at any time. We’ve picked the closest match to your current plan in terms of your allowances …

… We no longer offer plans that support all-you-can-eat personal Hotspot use. If you want to use Personal Hotspot regularly, we recommend our SIM plan with all-you-can-eat phone ddata and an 12GB PH allowance. Our research shows that this is enough for the vast majority of our customers” – Three UK

This of course, does mean that some customers were hit by a large price increase if they originally purchased their plan during a promotional offer. Although all new plans are just 30 day rolling which means you can immediately end or change it. They have offered a support page for people affected which can be found here and includes most of the information regarding the changes and what you can do next.

If you would like to contact them to enquire about your plans status, one of the easiest ways is by sending them a social media contact request from this page

Have you been affected by this change? Leave a comment below!

 

 

 

Jolla to Ship 540 More Tablets, Will Seek to Offer Refund to 21,000 Backers

Jolla has been in financial trouble, but they are still trying to maintain a positive attitude. The company plans to ship the already produced 540 tablets they have in stock to Indiegogo backers, while the rest of the backers will get half their refund in Q1 of 2016, and the other half within a year, provided the company can still afford to return it.

US Banks Said to Integrate Cardless-ATM Technology in 2016

Reports of multiple US banks including Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase & Co and Wells Fargo, will all be working to add cardless-ATM technology this year. This means that people will be able to use their Android Pay mobile wallet to get cash from an ATM without ever having to use their ATM card.

Microsoft Posts Q4 Financial Report, Sells 4.5 Million Lumias

For the second quarter in a row, Microsoft is showing a decline in sales of their Lumia smartphones. During Q4 of 2015, the company says they were able to sell only 4.5 million Lumias. The financial report wasn’t all bad though. Overall, Microsoft was able to bring in $25.7 billion in revenue, which beat Wall Street’s expectations of $25.26 billion. Although, it was still 1.6% less than Q4 of 2014.

Sony Made $1 Billion in Profit During Q4, but Still Losing Mobile Sales

Sony has just released their financial report for Q4 2015 and revenue still seems to be dropping for their mobile division. The overall company brought in $1 billion in profit, but they saw a 13% year-over-year decrease in sales. Sony Mobile was able to increase operating income to $201 million thanks to reduced spending in marketing, research and development.

Google Brings Smart Suggestions to Google Calendar in Latest Update

Google is making the task of adding events into the Google Calendar quicker and easier with Smart Suggestions. As you’re entering in a new event, you’ll see suggestions appear as you type. This feature is even expanded to suggest places and people you want to include. Google says the update will take 1-3 days for the full rollout, and it will be available in over 30 languages.

Xiaomi to Showcase the Mi 5 During Their First MWC Keynote

Xiaomi has never hosted a keynote at Mobile World Congress, but that changes this year. The company has announced and scheduled a press event for MWC 2016 so they can show off their upcoming Mi 5 smartphone. The press event takes place February 24th at 8:20am, and the event flier says it will be “all you ever imagined, and more”.

What Was Your Most Overdue Android Epiphany?

Android is a big ecosystem, with lots of gadgets and plenty of software to tinker with. Phones come chock-full with features, and we are constantly bombarded with updates on our applications and services. Every now and then we find something new -perhaps something truly useful or interesting – that had been there for ages. What was your most slowpoke Android moment?

rCast Turns your Chromecast into a Stand-Alone Media Player

The advent of the smart TV gave us quite a few things to enjoy. It allowed us to consolidate (most) of our screen-on time on a single device (without the need to have side-by-side screens), and it has allowed us to do things on our TV’s that we couldn’t do before without the aid of overpriced gaming consoles or computer systems.

On top of that, this trend also gave birth to inexpensive solutions to turn “dumb” TVs into smart ones. One such solution was Google’s answer to Cupertino’s AppleTV, the Chromecast. The little device has not evolved a whole lot since its humble entrance to the market back in July, 2013 (and can be seen by doing a comparison with the latest incarnation of the HDMI dongle). However, it is because of developers like XDA Senior Member rundgong that the device (and owners) has gotten far more bang for the measly US$35 it costs.

The Chromecast is essentially useless without an internet connection, and Google has made sure of this by adding a large number of locks to prevent things like custom firmware. This is in fact, its Achilles’ heel… or at least it was. Enter rCast. This is a custom ROM that basically enables the user to make good use of the internal memory of the Chromecast by enabling local media playback. What is more, the device does not require an internet connection to be able to work. The dev goes on to explain that the ROM uses patched binaries to make the ping to Google servers to be directed to a local server instead.

– cast_shell and net_mgr makes http requests to google servers. I have patched those binaries so they make requests to the local web server instead.
– The device make a dns lookup sent to server 8.8.8.8. I have worked around that by creating an alias for 8.8.8.8 on the local host and run a dns server.
– The device will not finish booting until it has received an updated time from pool.ntp.org. This is fixed by adding pool.ntp.org as 127.0.0.1 in the hosts file, and locally running a sntp server.
Those workarounds will let the device start up normally even when network is missing.

Needless to say, the device must be able to flash custom firmware on it as this is an Eureka-based ROM. Go ahead and try it if you feel like doing something “fun” with your old Chromecast.

You can find more information and the full guide in the rCast original thread.

MediaTek “Backdoor” Potentially Opens up Devices to Attacks

Justin Case has informed of a vulnerability in MediaTek chipsets which opens up devices on Android 4.4 Kitkat to security attacks. The flaw allows an attacker to glean private data from the phone, and even remotely monitor all traffic. MediaTek has confirmed the existence of this bug and assured that their security team is working on it.

Zenfone Zoom Launched, OnePlus X Invites No Longer Needed! OmniROM Marshmallow Nightlies Incoming! – XDA TV

Hands-on with Reddit’s Official Android App (Beta)

9to5Google has gone hands-on with Reddit’s new Android app, which is in beta. The app features a few Material Design elements, a optional night mode and the ability to switch between accounts. They do note that the app is janky and suffers from the occasional bug, which is expected for an app in Beta. Users who are not part of the Beta program can sideload the app to freely log in.

OnePlus Brings OnePlus 2 16GB to India, Priced at Rs. 22,999 ($340)

After pulling the 16GB/3GB variant of the OnePlus 2 from US and Europe, the company has brought the device over to India. The 16GB/3GB OnePlus 2 will be available for purchase invite free for Rs. 22,999 ($340) alongside the 64GB/4GB variant via Amazon.in.