Latest Articles
How to Customize which Radios are Disabled in Airplane Mode
How to customize which radios are turned off when enabling airplane mode on Android. Now you can leave WiFi, Bluetooth, or NFC on in Airplane Mode!
There's always been a fear that a phone's radio frequencies can cause issues with airplane equipment. Before the smartphone era, airplane passengers were instructed to turn off all electronics just as a precaution. Smartphones introduced Airplane Mode so that we could still use them for other things like playing a game or watching a video. Some users even use Airplane Mode outside of travel to save a little battery life or as a way to go cold turkey from the Internet. When you enable Airplane Mode, it disables all radios on the device such as cellular, WiFi, NFC, and Bluetooth. However, Bluetooth is generally permitted on a plane and some even allow WiFi use. Here's a tutorial on how to prevent WiFi, Bluetooth, or any other radio from being disabled when you turn on Airplane Mode.
AutoResponder for WhatsApp Lets You Create Auto Responses
AutoResponder for WhatsApp lets you set up different auto responses for your WhatsApp contacts, your group contacts or both.
WhatsApp is an incredibly popular messaging application and many have been wanting a way for them to program in auto responses. So XDA Member TK Studio has whipped up an application that does exactly that. It's called AutoResponder for WhatsApp, and it lets you create rules which it will follow in order to send auto responses. You can set up multiple auto responses so they'll be sent just for groups, just for individual contacts or both, you can set up delays and also reactions to specific messages. Check out the application by following the link below!
Lenovo Phab Series has No Scheduled OTA Updates
Lenovo says they don't have any plans to update any smartphone in the Lenovo Phab series from the original all the way to the Lenovo Phab 2 Plus.
Most Android enthusiasts love a good OTA update with even the monthly security patches being a high priority for them. So big version updates of Android are even more important and a lot expect an expensive, high-end device to receive at least 2 of these bigger updates. Sadly, Lenovo doesn't have a very good reputation when it comes to software updates and it looks like they do not have any plans to update anymore of their current Lenovo Phab series either.
Galaxy S8+ Snapdragon Root Access with System R/W Has Been Achieved
Community developers say they have been able to gain read/write access of the /system partition on the Galaxy S8+ with SuperSU root working properly.
Samsung generally releases two different versions of their flagship smartphones with their own Exynos SoC being used in most global markets and the Snapdragon SoC being used in the United States (and a few other locations). The company is focused on the security of their products, as evidenced by the work they do with KNOX, but it is easy to unlock the bootloader of their devices with the Exynos chipset. This isn't the case with Snapdragon variants but some developers have announced that root has been achieved on the Galaxy S8+.
ASUS ZenFone 3 Max Receives Official Update to Android 7.0 Nougat
ASUS has announced they are starting to roll out the new Android 7.0 Nougat update to ASUS ZenFone 3 Max devices this week.
We haven't specifically talked about the ZenFone 3 Max very much here on the XDA portal, but ASUS has been able to garner a passionate following for a number of their devices. The Max variant of the ZenFone 3 from ASUS was released one year ago and launched with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. It's a mid-range device with a 720p display and a MediaTek SoC, but also has a 3GB of RAM variant and both versions come with a big 4,130mAh capacity battery.
WhatsApp Beta v2.17.295 Shows Signs of WhatsApp Payments
The latest update to WhatsApp's beta channel shows the developers are working on a WhatsApp Payments feature to allow for instant bank transfers.
WhatsApp is an incredibly popular messaging application around the globe. It was only last month when the company announced they had surpassed 1 billion active users each and every day. We've seen the developers adding a lot of new features to the platform lately including GIF search and the ability to send any type of file between users. A recent beta update even adds support for Android O's PiP feature when placing video calls.
Download Link Available for Android 7.1.1 Nougat on the Retin Moto Z Play
Motorola has started rolling out its Android 7.1.1 Nougat update for the Retin Moto Z Play and a download link has been provided for the update.
If you live in India and have purchased the retail Moto Z Play then you can look forward to a new OTA update for your device soon. This update will bring your phone up to Android 7.1.1 Nougat, but there's a download link available in our forum. This update was brought to our attention thanks to XDA Senior Member Yash24 and a download link was provided by XDA Senior Member timster01. You can find details about this new update on the Motorola website. Follow the link to check out the OTA!
Adapticons Brings Android O's Adaptive Icons to Android 5.0+
A new application called Adapticons brings Android O's new Adaptive Icon feature to any Android 5.0+ device. Get custom icons on your phone or tablet!
When Google announced Android O, they talked about a feature that will help bring uniformity to the icons on your smartphone or tablet. They're calling it Adaptive Icons and it's similar to what we've seen from multiple OEM skins in the past. Some like this feature of using icon masking to make their application icons look similar, but others dislike it and disable it immediately if they can. Now a new application called Adapticons brings this type of functionality to Android 5.0+ devices. With this application, you can set custom icons for your home screen based on a lot of different styles.
Play Store's App Name Length Increases to a 50 Character Limit
Google has updated the character limit of any app name in the Play Store from 30 characters to 50 in its latest change to the Google Play Console.
Google has approached the Play Store much differently than other companies have done their application stores. Apple has a mostly-manual approval system in place so not only can publishing an application take a while, but you can get flat out rejected for reasons that the company doesn't even list in their rules. Google has rules of their own in the Play Store (such as the app name), but the approval process is more open.
Exi for SwiftKey is an Xposed Module that Adds Tons of Features
Exi for SwiftKey uses Xposed Framework to add features to the popular keyboard including custom shortcuts, hotkeys, additional suggestions, and more.
SwiftKey is an incredibly popular third-party keyboard option for Android but like most things, it could be better with some help from the Xposed Framework. There's a new Xposed Module from XDA Junior Member Roughy that adds some much requested features to the application. The module adds swipe selection, more suggestions, custom shortcuts, hotkeys, quick actions, customizable emoji panel, and more. It currently works on stable version 6.6.3.21 and beta version 6.6.4.15 with Android 4.4 KitKat through 6.0 Marshmallow. Although it does work with the unofficial Xposed Framework for Android 7.1 Nougat, the unofficial release doesn't reliably call hooks, so the developer of the module recommends to wait for the official Xposed release.
Developer's Toolbox Includes Root and Non-Root Tools to Developers
Developer's Toolbox is a new application from XDA Junior Member Kuterd with root and nonroot tools for easier application development.
Developers and Android enthusiasts generally have a lot of utility applications installed on their device so a new application from XDA Junior Member Kuterd hopes to reduce that application overhead. The application is called Developer's Toolbox, and it contains both root and non-root tools for developers to use. It comes with features such as a build.prop editor, wireless ADB, numeric/base64 converter, hash calculator, APK extractor, regex testing, and much more. The application is free to download over on the Google Play Store, and the developer also has an open thread on our Apps & Game forums for this project.
How to Disable Facebook Messenger Day Feature on Android
How to disable Facebook Messenger Day on Android so you can stop the app from asking you to "add to your day" and no longer see My Day in the app.
In Facebook's never ending fight against Snapchat, the company launched a feature called the Facebook Messenger Day. But while Snapchat Stories feature was a way for you to show people what you did that day, Facebook Messenger Day's filters and Active Now indicators are there to quickly find something to do or someone to talk to. The thing is, it's turned into one of those features that gets pushed in your face. If you hate Facebook's Day feature and wished it would stop asking you to "add to your day", luckily there's a way to disable Facebook Messenger Day. No longer will you be bothered by the Messenger Day Snapchat clone and its My Day feature as we'll be disabling it entirely in the app.
Guide Shows You How to Build a Custom ROM with Microsoft Azure
This guide walks you through the entire process of downloading and building your own custom ROM with a Microsoft Azure cloud server.
Building a custom ROM can take a long time if you don't have high-end hardware and it can take even longer if your bandwidth is limited and/or very low speed. Thankfully though, there are a number of cloud computing platforms available and Microsoft Azure is one of the most popular options. So XDA Senior Member Albe96 has put together a detailed step by step guide on how to use a Microsoft Azure server to build your own custom ROM in the cloud. It'll also give you a general idea of the service in case you have other uses for it too!
Three New MIUI 9 Themes Available for Download on the Redmi Note 4
For Redmi Note 4 owners who don't want to wait for the official MIUI 9 OTA update, you can manually download these three new themes right now.
Xiaomi just announced and subsequently launched MIUI 9 this month. It's been made available as an alpha/beta China ROM for a couple of devices already, and comes with new features as well as some new themes. For those who have the Redmi Note 4 and don't want to wait for the official update, XDA Member PawanRockz has provided us with the new themes from MIUI 9. This single download includes Color Fantasy, Limitless, and Cool Black. If you are on MIUI 8 and want to check them out, follow the forum link below to preview and download the themes!
Tweaks to Increase Performance of a Nexus 6P After Bootloop Fix
A fix was recently discovered that stopped the Nexus 6P from bootlooping. This caused a decrease in performance but you can fix that with this tweak
We recently featured a couple of guides on how to fix both the Nexus 6P and the Nexus 5X from bootlooping. This was thanks to a boot image XDA Senior Member XCnathan32 put together that disabled some cores to make it work. While it stopped the bootloop issue, it decreased performance, but if you decrease the screen resolution (to 1080p) and disable animations then those slowdowns aren't as apparent as they were before. Follow the link below in order to learn how you can maximize performance on your fixed device!
How to Block Heads Up Notifications while Gaming or Watching a Video
Use Tasker to block heads up notifications while gaming or watching videos on Android so you won't get interrupted with notifications ever again!
A few years ago Android switched from a ticker style notification system to heads up notifications. Instead of just having the information scrolling across the status bar when a notification came in (ticker), heads up notifications in Android 5.0 Lollipop would popup on top of the status bar over any screen. Some people like this style as it allows you to quickly see and respond to important messages, but others hate when it interrupts what you're doing such as gaming or watching a video. Here's a tutorial on how to automatically block heads up notifications in whatever app you choose.
MIUI 9 Alpha and Beta Download Links Available for the Redmi Note 4X and Mi 6
Alpha and beta download links of MIUI 9 for the Xiaomi Mi 6 and the Redmi Note 4X are available for those who want to manually flash them. Check them out!
We've talked about MIUI 9 quite a lot lately. It was only last week when Xiaomi officially announced that MIUI 9 would be launched at the end of this month. This new software update would coincide with the launch of the Xiaomi Mi 5X, and the update would also be making its way to other Xiaomi devices. The company even confirmed that a couple of their smartphones from 2013, namey the Mi 2 and Mi 2S, were on the roadmap to receive an update to MIUI 9.
Google Photos No Longer Limits Shared Albums at 2,000 Pictures
It looks like Google has quietly removed its 2,000 photo limit when it comes to shared albums in its Google Photos application.
Google made millions of people sigh in relief when they launched their Google Photos service back at Google I/O 2015. Until then, it was near impossible to find a image hosting service that would store all of your photos indefinitely, for free. Those who didn't have many photos saved could find plenty of solutions out there, but most always had some sort of storage capacity limit when it came to the free tier account. Thankfully this changed with Google Photos.
Google is such a huge company and each service/product is run by a different team of people, so it can become difficult to keep things synced together and inline with each other. We see this quite often when application updates including new features get pushed to iOS before they arrive in the Play Store for Android. The same thing happened a couple of years ago when Google launched YouTube Music even though Google Play Music All Access was already a paid service.
Nexus 5X Bootloop Fix Helps you to Finally Boot the Phone
A fix for the Nexus 5X bootloop issue finally lets users boot their phone if it has been unable to boot or stuck in a continuous boot cycle.
Has your LG/Google Nexus 5X stopped booting, or rather, ends up stuck in an endless boot sequence? This is something we term a "bootloop" and it can occur for various reasons. Most bootloops can be fixed by flashing the stock firmware or factory resetting, but in the case of a hardware bootloop, there's generally nothing you can do except to RMA the phone. If your Google Nexus 5X has been refusing to boot, and nothing you've tried has fixed it, you aren't alone. The Nexus 5X bootloop issue is notorious in the community, but only recently has a fix been found.