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ZTE Quartz gets TWRP, factory images, and kernel source availability
The ZTE Quartz smartwatch gets a functional TWRP, a GPL-mandated kernel source code release, a factory image, and other developments.
The ZTE Quartz is the first smartwatch running Android Wear 2.0 (now WearOS) by Chinese company ZTE. The device was released in mid-2017 at a price less than $200. Custom development on smartwatches isn't nearly as popular as it is for smartphones, but that doesn't mean it still doesn't happen.
OpenKirin's ROMs now support Honor 8, Honor Note 8, Huawei P9/P9 Plus, and Huawei Mate 8
Team OpenKirin has brought unofficial LineageOS 15.1 based on Android 8.1 Oreo to the Honor 8, Honor Note 8, Huawei P9, Huawei P9 Plus, and Huawei Mate 8.
LineageOS is the most popular custom ROM for Android devices. It's often used as a base for other custom ROMs such as Resurrection Remix. There are other ROMs like OmniROM that are also popular and may or may not be based on LineageOS. Thanks to the efforts of the OpenKirin project, unofficial LineageOS, Resurrection Remix, and OmniROM builds are now available on the Honor 8, Honor Note 8, Huawei P9/Huawei P9 Plus, and Huawei Mate 8.
Unofficial Port Of LineageOS 15.1 Available for Honor 5X
An unofficial port of LineageOS 15.1 based on Android 8.1 Oreo is now available for the Honor 5X. Furthermore, a crDroid build is also available.
AOSP based versions of Android have a lot of fans. Pure Android is fast and has no additional applications or services that clutter the user experience. While we see a lot of Android Pie ROMs popping up lately, Android Oreo is still a new thing for some devices. The latest device that joined the Android Oreo family is Honor 5X, which has just received an unofficial port of LineageOS 15.1.
Sony Xperia XZ3 Live Wallpapers ported to Sony devices running Android 7.0+
Live wallpapers from the new Sony Xperia XZ3 can now be used on Sony devices running stock Android 7.0 or newer thanks to an XDA developer.
A wallpaper is that small thing of the UI that we see hundreds of times a day. Most of us use a static image, but some good looking animated alternatives can make your screen look even better. Live wallpapers from the new Sony Xperia XZ3 can now be used on Sony devices running stock Android 7.0 or newer.
Official TWRP Recovery Makes Its Way To Samsung Galaxy A8/A8+ 2018
Official TWRP recovery images are now available for the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) and Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018). Download the recovery and get modding!
Having access to a custom recovery is one of the most important projects for every custom ROM community. Without it, flashing a custom ROM, a mod, or even rooting your device with Magisk would be very risky without an easy way to make backups. Over the last few years, TWRP has been the biggest project that found its way to numerous devices both officially and unofficially. We have exciting news for all owners of two Samsung Galaxy phones from early 2018: the Samsung Galaxy A8 and Samsung Galaxy A8+. Thanks to the efforts of XDA Senior Member BlackMesa123, TWRP for those devices is now officially available. Official TWRP access means the recovery is considered stable and official builds will be accessible from the website and Play Store app. From the changelog, we learn that File-Based Encryption is working on AOSP ROMs alongside with USB-OTG.
Solid Explorer Is Now Optimized For Android TV And Chrome OS
The newest version of Solid Explorer brings the full support for Android TV and Chrome OS. Google's operating system is the first non-mobile OS that is supported by the app.
In the years since it was released, Solid Explorer has built its reputation as one of the top file managers available for Android. It was installed over a million times and has a rating of 4.6 in Google Play Store. The popular file manager has finally made its way to Android TV and Chrome OS.
500 Firepaper will stop working on June 15th as 500px closes down API
Chainfire announced that the 500px portal is closing down its API on June 15th. Hence, the popular wallpaper app 500 Firepaper will stop working.
Those of you who love having a random, but always great wallpaper, have surely heard about 500 Firepaper. It's an application that was created by XDA Senior Recognized Developer Chainfire and it has been changing the look of many Android home screens since late 2013. Unfortunately, according to the developer, 500 Firepaper will stop working this June as the 500px is shutting down its API.
Pixel Launcher's "At A Glance" Widget Now Available In the Latest Google App Beta
The latest beta for the Google App adds an option to enable the "At a glance" widget from the Pixel Launcher on every Android device.
The Google Pixel launcher that comes pre-installed on Google's devices brings some unique features that usually are ported to other launchers. One of the features called "At a glance" can now be enabled on every Android device via latest beta of Google app.
The Journey of F2FS and why File Systems Matter: Interview with Stan Dmitriev from Tuxera
XDA interviews Stan Dmitriev from Tuxera, a Finnish company that specializes in file systems. Stan discusses file systems and the future of F2FS.
File systems aren't discussed on XDA or any other forum all too often. The topic involves a lot of low-level development, so developers prefer to focus on applications, ROMs, or kernels. Nevertheless, the file system is a vital part of every storage. It's the technology that outlines how data in your device's storage is stored and retrieved. There are many different kinds of file systems—each with their own pros and cons—and picking one over another can make a huge difference in stability and performance. So how do OEMs make that choice? I had the pleasure to talk with Stan Dimitriev, the PR & Communications Manager at Tuxera, a Finnish company that provides file system solutions to many big OEMs.
WireGuard, a Revolutionary VPN Project, Adds Support for Android ROMs
WireGuard, a revolutionary in-kernel VPN project which aims to be fast, modern, and secure, can now be directly integrated into Android ROMs.
It’s hard to imagine the modern Internet without a VPN. For many years, VPNs have extended private networks across public networks, enabling users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network. This consequently has had the effect of allowing users to bypass particular geographical restrictions as well as to keep data secure. The VPN software landscape, however, has had a myriad of problems, which WireGuard, a new secure tunneling protocol, aims to address.
Automate Your Uber / Lyft Driving With A Free App
Check out this handy application to automate the handling of your Uber and Lyft apps to provide your driving services with ease across platforms!
Uber and Lyft are great alternatives to the traditional taxi system. Many XDA members even work as a driver in either company! Using two applications at the same time can lead to many problems, however.
Some variants of the OnePlus 3T allow users to record phone calls natively. This feature is unavailable on the global firmware, but developers discovered that you can enable call recording with just one simple build.prop command.
Silence Annoying Work Emails Automatically with Quiet for Gmail
Silence annoying work emails automatically with the Quiet for Gmail application. It's free (as in, no advertisements) and available on the Play Store!
Day in and day out, millions of people around the world are glued to their smartphone screens. Whether it be for work or leisure, our smartphones have become an integral aspect of our lives. But many people are finding it difficult to separate their me-time with their work-time, often responding to work-related emails off the clock. Not very many people like doing this, but our smartphones make it hard to avoid the temptation. After all, your device doesn't care whether it's a weekday or its the weekend - work emails will still interrupt whatever it is you are doing. Luckily, a hidden gem of the Google Play Store is here to save the day and its called Quiet for Gmail.
Add a Brightness Slider to your Status Bar with the "Display Brightness" App
Add a Brightness Slider to the Status Bar of any Android phone with the "Display Brightness" application available on the Amazon App Store.
There are millions of applications available in the Google Play Store, so finding new and interesting applications can be an overwhelming task. Adding on to that fact, we also have to consider that many useful applications are not available through the Google Play Store. There's also our own XDA Apps & Games forum, XDA Labs, F-Droid, and Amazon's App Store. Within the Amazon App Store is an old, but still useful application called Display brightness which brings one of the more popular custom ROM features to any Android device - a brightness slider that gives you the ability to control the brightness by sliding your finger left/right on the status bar.
There are a plethora of available third-party calendar applications available in the Google Play Store, but for those of you looking for a simple application that neatly displays your upcoming events, Your Calendar Widget is a new addition to consider.
One of the drawbacks of the SMS messaging is its lack solid backup solutions. You have to run a third party app to store or backup your messages periodically, and finding a decent solution can be time consuming.
The popular double-tap-to-sleep feature has been a staple of custom ROMs for a while. Unfortunately, users of locked devices can't make use of the feature if their device lacks such functionality in its stock ROM.
Samsung will be able to produce solid-state batteries that are safe enough for use in smartphones within one to two years, one of the company's executives said. Solid-state batteries are far more durable and provide better longevity than standard Lithium-Ion batteries.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 has a spectacular camera, but there are ways to make it even better. All you need to do is flashing a mod created by XDA Senior Member zeroprobe.
Recently, we reported that Nova Launcher developers found a way to add a Google Now Panel in their launcher, without root. With a few simple steps, you can have the same functionality on KitKat devices.