July 2016 -- XDA Developers

[Giveaway] Win a OnePlus 3 With Dash Charge!

Mathew Bloomer July 31, 2016

One of the most flaunted features of OEMs in recent years has been charging speed, with seemingly everyone looking to demonstrate the fastest and most efficient method of giving your device juice. With #DaysPowerHalfHour I'd read more! 📖 📚 📓 Recently started "hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy" and "programming javascript applications"— Carlos Filoteo (@c_filoteo) July 26,...

What’s the Worst Thing That’s Ever Happened to a Device of Yours?

Mario Tomás Serrafero July 31, 2016

At XDA, we know that we should always take precautions to ensure our device is safe. Whether that means carefully following flashing instructions or protecting our phone inside a tough case, we want to make sure our devices reach the end of the day unscathed -- or at the very least, functional. But accidents happen sometimes. A sudden...

The Sorry State of Android Fragmentation: An Example to Understand Developers’ Plight

Mishaal Rahman July 29, 2016

Fragmentation has been a contentious issue in Android quite literally since the mobile operating system was announced. Apart from being a cudgel for trolls to use in online flame-wars, the diversity that comes with fragmentation is now largely seen as a net positive for consumers of Android devices. After all, we're given so much freedom in choosing...

The LG V20 is an Important Device for LG, and They Don’t Have Room to Fall Short Again

Jake Westall July 29, 2016

Last month, we did a report on the walking of LG's product design and how it’s been hurting them in sales. The main takeaway from this analysis is that LG is struggling to hit their stride in product design, and have yet to stick to one design for more than one or two device generations. In the midst...

What Makes an App Worth Paying for?

Aamir Siddiqui July 28, 2016

Android is home to thousands and thousands of apps and games. But not all of these are created equal. Some apps truly shine on what they do, while a lot of others try to cash in on the me-too phenomenon. On the other hand, there are apps which have strong ideas but fail on the execution....

Dash Charging Kernel Code Released for the OnePlus 3!

Aamir Siddiqui July 28, 2016

Just last month, we extensively covered the OnePlus 3 and what makes it a tinkerer's best bet (excluding Nexus, of course) in the current flagship market. One of the things that was a talking point for the OnePlus 3 was Dash Charging -- the ability to fast charge the device irrespective of the usage state of...

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (Flat) Working Prototype Featured in 11-Minute Long Video

Aamir Siddiqui July 28, 2016

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 unveiling is just round the corner, with the device being unveiled officially on 2nd August. We know a lot about the device so far -- how it will look like, in what colors it will come in, what hardware will it sport internally and even have a glimpse on how the...

Defining Bloatware: Where Do YOU Draw the Line?

Daniel Marchena July 28, 2016

Bloatware. The very word makes Nexus purists cringe and carrier users flee for the hills. Typically this is for good reason, just the word bloatware is disgusting and gets lumped together with the other ‘wares’. For many of us buying a carrier branded device it means spending 15 minutes pruning our phone; Facebook, Visual Voicemail, NFL...

Here’s how to Access Hidden Settings on your Phone

Mishaal Rahman July 28, 2016

Depending on what flavor of Android your phone is based on, you might be stuck with a settings page that is... a bit of a mess to say the least. For that reason, Google introduced a search feature in the settings app starting with Android 5.0 Lollipop. However, there are a few settings screens that are inaccessible...

Android Nougat Beta Build for the Huawei P9 is Available – Get it Now!

Mishaal Rahman July 27, 2016

Correction: The Nougat beta build seems to currently only be for the Huawei P9. We will be on the lookout for beta builds dropped for other Huawei devices and will update the article if we come across any. Android Nougat's fifth developer preview was recently released for Nexus devices, but for the past few months owners of...

Grace UX ROM for the Galaxy Note 5

Ronald Comstock July 27, 2016

So this is Grace UI/UX and right here it's running on a t-mobile Galaxy Note 5. It's a ROM that can easily be flashed to your device and has a lot of really cool features. The Icons The new icon set is featured in this ROM, so you'll have all of the awesome new Samsung icons to...

Xiaomi Issues Statement Regarding Mi 4i Explosion Incident

Aamir Siddiqui July 27, 2016

Yesterday, we wrote about an explosion incident that occurred with a Xiaomi device. A seemingly normal office scenario quickly turned into one of panic and confusion as a Xiaomi Mi 4i burst into flames while its user was using it. While the scenario itself is rare when you consider the immense sales and popularity of...