Kia ora!
I’ve been an ios user for 100 years at this point, but used to be deep in the android scene before then. I’ve just got an android for a work phone and am wondering what’s changed in the last 10 years - what are your essential apps, settings, customisations? I’ve had a hunt around xda but can’t seem to find much in the way of roms for my model (Samsung A04) - back in the day it seemed there was a thread for every device!
What do I need to know?
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I do not recommend getting attached to Reddit Is Fun, although it is a great app.
It still stings… I’m gonna miss that app
Infinity is still pretty good, and my understanding is that it could easily be updated to support the free individual API keys Reddit is supposedly going to still support.
I believe it would be against the ToS of Reddit to do so, so I wouldn’t hold my breath for it…
I’m not really sure, to be honest. I guess I’ll see what some of the Infinity people say. Even if it’s not an option, I’m here on Lemmy.
Yeah the API limits are meant to be per client. So developing one client and then telling end users to go get their own API keys is going to cause problems. Potentially pulled from app stores and hit with lawsuits type problems.
Infinity is on F-droid, and if emulators (think BIOS files) demonstrate anything, it’s entirely possible to pass liability to end-users through mechanisms like that.
A lot has been said, but I’ll repeat a few.
- F-Droid (I use Droid-ify)
- Debloat it https://github.com/0x192/universal-android-debloater
- Change the launcher and icons (lots of choices, I use Lawnchair with Arcticons or Delta)
- Check out the different browsers
- Check out the different keyboards
- Get some key apps like Newpipe (or equivalent)
- If the phone isn’t rooted, any changes can be reset by doing a factory reset, so you have nothing to lose but time.
Thanks for that debloat link, that’s super useful!
ReVanced also for a more stock youtube app with adblock and sponsorblock, and return youtube dislikes
Me too, going to look into this one!
I’m interested to hear what others say but I’ll throw in my two cents
- Nova launcher is still king
- Fdroid store for open source apks
- Newpipe app -> disable YouTube
Didn’t Nova get sold to some analytics company? Not sure if that’s who I’d trust with my launcher.
I personally wouldn’t recommend a closed-source Launcher owned by a marketing/analytics company, especially if you’re the kind of person to use F-Droid!
As a long lasring Nova launcer User: what other launcer would you reccomend with the Same Features?
Honestly I haven’t found any that have as many features while also respecting me as a user so I’ve ended up sacrificing a little bit of customisation in exchange for security and privacy. I’m currently using NeoLauncher and it’s pretty decent!
UGH that is awful.
Thanks for posting that. Goodbye Nova.
lawnchair is open source and on fdroid
Thanks!
I’m going to try that one out and see how I like it. Btw your avatar is very cute!
thanks ! ^^
I ended up giving on custom launchers after that and going with what was included on the phone or custom rom. So not sure which ones are good alternatives.
I don’t have any particular needs for a launcher, but I just like having options for things, etc.
Honestly, looking through a few I’ve seen so far… they just aren’t terribly appealing. I’ll probably be in the same boat as you.
It’s already elsewhere in this thread but Niagara launcher is fantastic and worth a try.
sideloading is a whole thing on android. don’t like the options that the play store gives you ? fdroid has your back
Niagara Launcher is the coolest thing I’ve seen happen for mobile interfaces since the first touch interface. It is so clean and well-designed, it makes everything else in iOS and Android look like a cluttery mess - all while adapting to what you need and offering quick access to everything on the phone.
Is it better than Nova? I’ve been using Nova for as long as I can remember.
It’s completely different to Nova, and any other drawer based launcher. It has a free version so you can check it out. Personally, I don’t like it but I totally get the appeal.
Nova was recently bought out by an ad company, so if that’s not something you like then you might check out some FOSS alternatives such as Lawnchair or Neo Launcher (both are currently in development and less feature-rich than Nova though).
Oh, this is so neat, thank you! I’ve just had a play - especially for a work phone that has real specific uses, Niagara makes a lot of sense! Do you subscribe to pro? Have you found it useful?
I do subscribe to Pro. Not really because it’s necessary, because the free version is already pretty great, but it offers a bit more customisation - and it is cheap. I really just wanted to support the devs more than anything.
I’ve been subscribed for a while. I don’t think I could ever go back to another launcher.
Combined with Tapet for subtle geometric wallpapers, my home screen is a dream.
Is it subscription based? Or a one time payment to unlock pro?
Both - $12.90nzd/yr or $41.90 outright
Thank you!
I’m trying it now - I like it but there are a few confusing choices, like how you can only have one widget visible at once.
How do you access the shortcuts that would normally be placed on the home screen? I have some webapps and e.g. OpenVPN shortcuts that I currently can’t see.
Looks like a more cluttered version of KISS Launcher
Based on the screenshots I see of KISS Launcher online they have extremely little in common apart from minimalism. Niagara can be exceedingly minimalist, though.
Yeah kiss launcher is great, plus you can use it to replace google assistant as well which is a huge bonus if you don’t install google apps
agreed, highly recommend for anyone reading this thread who hasn’t tried it yet. it’s one of the main reasons i can never switch to ios
Some of my favorites:
- Launcher: Niagara
- Rom: LineageOS
- Browser: Firefox (with DarkReader and uBlock Origin)
- Reddit: Relay (is this ending?)
- HackerNews: Harmonic
Lemmy: Jerboa (haven’t tried alternatives)- Podcasts: AntennaPod (haven’t tried much else)
- Identify stuff: LeafSnap (plants), SoundHound, Merlin (birds!)
- Books: Moon+ Reader Pro
- Barcodes: Catima
- Computer stuff: KDE Connect
- File stuff: Material Files and ZArchiver
- TTS: @Voice Aloud Reader
- Passwords: Bitwarden
- Icons: Crayon or Viral
- Keyboards: MS SwiftKey, maybe someday FlorisBoard, sometimes Hacker’s Keyboard
- Scrobbles: Simple Scrobbler
- Video: VLC and NewPipe
- Weather: Weawow
EDITS:
- Lemmy: Liftoff
- Chat: Telegram
- Email: Delta Chat?
So many great apps and I see several familiar friends. Have you found a way to have Jerboa send youtube links to NewPipe rather than default to the native youtube app? I am sure there is a easy way that I just don’t know.
If you don’t have an open by default setting on your phone, follow these steps:
- Install the app ‘Hidden Settings for MIUI’
- Open it and go to ‘Manage Applications’
- Select ‘NewPipe’
- Click ‘Advanced’
- Select ‘Open by default’
- For ‘open support links’ select ‘open’. For ‘supported links’ select ‘open youtu.be and other URLs’
Anytime you click a YouTube link it will now open in NewPipe, no matter what app you’re in.
Another way is to just disable to stock YouTube app. Then all YouTube links should open in NewPipe.
Well for Lemmy I just made my home instance a web app with my browser and use it as if it was any normal app. I find Jerboa a bit too empty looking. Needs more color and more icons. I hope more lemmy apps emerge with time.
Plant.Net is also good for plant id, though I like leafsnap as well. Better than trying to use Google lens on them.
Relay I think is still up in the air. It’s either shutting down OR going paid subscription, which, despite how good Relay is, would be a deal-killer for me - but I don’t blame DBrady (the dev) for that, I blame reddit
You can add a private DNS in the settings. It’ll allow you to have a dns level ad blocking experience without having to use any of the dubious ad blocking apps. You also don’t need root or a VPN.
I’m using my own dns server, but keep in mind that it needs to support DoT. You can’t just enter any IP, because of the certificate check (the dns requests are encrypted using TLS).
dns.adguard.comworks, but as is the case with all dns services, they will be able to see every domain you access. So keep that in mind.I use DNS66
they will be able to see every domain you access
A lot of people would trust their DNS providers far more than their ISPs, especially if the DNS provider has a no-log (or short log) policy. Using DoH or DoT prevents your ISP from collecting your DNS requests for analytical purposes (building an ad profile based on the sites you go to)
Google’s a much bigger part of the ecosystem by default. Used to be the Google app store was a selling feature, now Google is integrated into pretty much every device (and has contracts with manufacturers to force that).
It’s also, like Shortwavefilter mentioned, much harder to root or flash a devices.
Though the AOSP has gotten better in ways too. It’s gotten a lot better hardening, and still is fairly open (e.g custom app stores added one click).
Last, there’s still plenty of bloat pre-installed on some brands, but I think that was the case a decade ago as well if my memory is correct.
Honestly I can’t think of too many essential settings or apps that’d be a necessity for everyone. Usually I’d say change privacy settings and disabled as much bloat if you’re not using a ROM; but that might not be applicable if you’re on a work phone. Apps wise, I’d say stick to open source if you can for the basic offline utilities -F-Droid is great for that if you’re allowed to install it.
Thank you, that’s super helpful! I’ll have a hunt to disable bloat and have a play with adb if need be. I’m the one in charge so I can basically do what I like 😅
cant really say whats essential as thats on a per user basis, but stuff that has made my experience enjoyable include f-droid, aurora store, and youtube revanced.
I second f-droid. It’s really good!
I’m using NewPipe for a YouTube replacement, but I hear good things about ReVanced!
F-droid and aurora store our great! I’d add xManager for Spotify, Wavelet, RethinkDNS, Mull, Bromite, Openboard, Frost, Aves. I like Insular as well so I can keep spammy apps kind of siloed off in a work profile. I keep my banking apps and shopping apps in Insular. I remember rooting android phones back in the day but I don’t do that much tinkering anymore. The aforementioned apps do the trick!
Try out F-Droid! It’s basically a more free and open version of the play store. Plenty of cool apps on there. Def worth checking out!
Well, any samsung with a snapdragon chip is pretty useless for ROMS. To ROM these days you need a Google Pixel (best supported), OnePlus (most models), or Motorola (some models).
LineageOS MicroG works pretty great on my Poco X3 NFC, so they’re definitely not the only brands with good custom ROM support!
Oh, that’s interesting to hear, I had no idea!
The chinese brands are mostly good too, but they dont often support US carrier frequency bands.
I have an ancient Samsung tablet i use for ROMS still. The screen is cracked but it works like a charm 😂
For some privacy/security features: “Warden” allows you to block Trackers and Loggers on individual apps, if you have root. “TrackerControl” or “Rethink: DNS + Firewall” basically allow you to customize a Firewall and in the case of Rethink also offer a good DNS service. I basically see no ads anymore, even in other apps.
Edit: and definitely check out OSMAnd+. Theres a paid full version on the Playstore but the exact same version is for free on FDroid. I suggest the paid version to support them. Its by far the best Map+Navigation app i’ve used, although the public transport navigation doesnt work that well for me. In those cases i use Transportr.
If osmand is the best nav/map app you’ve used, how many have you used?
I think organic maps is better for navigation, or if you’re willing to use a closed source app magic earth uses openstreetmap data but also has traffic data and makes it really easy to flag closed roads and other hazards while you’re enroute
Google Maps, Apple Maps, Organic Maps and OSMAnd+. Although Im very willing to admit that “best” is highly dependent on my rather specific personal preferences. Being FOSS gives OSMAnd+ a big plus (hehe), but I also have an interest in GIS, which it is quite good in, since its a rather information dense app. From the sometimes absurd categories that you can search for (e.g. “abandoned”, which is great to search for Urbex targets). I also love the bonkers level of personalization you can achieve with OSMAnd+, considering that the alternatives have very little options on mobile phones.
That’s true, if you want as much info and/or customization osmand is the best, especially factoring in that it’s open source. It’s definitely a power users dream, but i think most people would not like it nearly as much for standard navigation as e.g. organic maps
On the topic of Android, am I the only one who dislikes the google pixel version of android UI?
I love how stock android looks but agree that it’s become too iPhone like. One UI has become a great balance!
I hate it too. It looks too much like a Fisher-Price toy.
Yes! Good way to describe it
I don’t like it because it has become very iPhone-like in the bad ways, meaning it takes several clicks to do simple, common tasks. I much prefer Samsung’s OneUI for how easily accessible everything is.
Yes! This trend towards reducing the UI because they assume their user can’t comprehend more “complex” words like “Customization”, “System settings”, “Advanced system settings”, instead just opting to remove the settings entirely, or hide them behind categories and stupid drag menus 🤷♀️
The skin on Google pixel is actually great. I call it a skin since it has significant differences to AOSP
For me it’s the notification bar with the extremely big buttons and clunky animation
I’m on a pixel 7 pro and, what? That’s been the least of my annoyances on this thing. The app switcher is bonkers if you use gestures to control the phone. That’s my main gripe.
Best thing is almost zero bloat apps. Depends on what you define as bloat though. When I first got my pixel 5 going it had zero AT&T apps on it. No forced facebook, or anything that I couldn’t uninstall.
Can you uninstall any of the google apps though?
Some yes, some no. Mostly the ‘required’ ones are uninstallable.
All but the most required of them can be stripped to stock and disabled though.
What is your least required “most required” app?
Files by Google is one I never use but is uninstallable.
Chrome is not uninstallable. It can be factory reset and disabled though.
Play Store can be stripped and disabled.
I wish the uninstall was actually an uninstall for some apps. Like chrome, for example, can only be “disabled” and I’ve had times where it randomly re-enabled itself on my pixel 6 so I occasionally have to check whether or not my phone is doing what I actually wanted it to. All in all the pixel is a pretty solid option, just the odd quirk here and there
You need good lock, it changes the game for customization, it’s the reason I no longer feel the need to do custom roms
You also need to use adb to remove all the bloat.
do you mean a custom lockscreen ? is that a thing ? is it actually good at keeping the phone locked ?
No, goodlock is a samsung thing that just has a bunch of general customizations for the OS meant for power users.
There are no good custom lock screens.
Yeah, I see that launchers are way more common now! Got any you’d recommend?
neo launcher and lawnchair are the two open source options, I don’t think I could justify using a proprietary piece of software for something that should be so simple.
Oooh thanks for lawnchair, that’s great!
I am using Kvaesitso, which is also open source :)
You should look into Niagara Launcher. It’s not a very traditional one, but when you learn it it becomes lightning fast and super customizable
I used lawnchair for years as a launcher, allowed for excellent customisation and doesn’t require any root tinkering or custom roms.
I only stopped using it when I got a foldy-thingo and it didn’t support it as well as the stock launcher.
I’ve been using Nova Launcher and the Delta icon pack for aesthetics sake, can recommend!
Please don’t use nova launcher, they were bought out by an analytics company. Stick to foss.
I missed that news 😞 Is there any sign that it’s spying on us yet?
I’d say the fact that it was bought by an analytics company tells you everything you need to know.
Why else would they buy it?
of course, I want to know how urgent this is - it’s stealing my data now, or they’ve only just bought it and perhaps just blocking updates is enough (until I find time to find a FOSS replacement)?
It’
It’s been years since they bought it at this point, I haven’t looked into it myself, but i’d be astounded if they weren’t already.
If you run your own Plex server, Plexamp is a fantastic music player. You do need to have a Plex Pass subscription or lifetime pass though.
Aegis and Authenticator Pro are good choices for TOTP two-factor authentication. Both are free and open-source. Authenticator Pro supports WearOS which I like since I can get my 2FA codes on my watch. Aegis is very principled and don’t allow any non-open-source code in their project. I really respect that, but it does mean that they don’t support watches, as supporting WearOS requires using a closed-source SDK from Google.
I often check out this list of FOSS Android apps. It has lots of good choices of apps and I usally end up with a good choice for my use case.
