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.
XDA Senior Member aravindsagar created an Easy Lock app, to replicate the function so that it can be utilized on unrooted devices. The...
If you are familiar with GNU/Linux-based operating systems, you have almost certainly heard of Wine. This great project allows you to run Windows applications without the need of installing a virtual machine. CrossOver Android is a similar concept, but it's made for Android tablets and Chromebooks running Intel hardware to allow these platforms to run...
Many developers use their apps to make money and earn a living. Over the years Google introduced many monetization methods for devs to get the most out of their hard work. Yesterday the company officially announced the Play Billing Library - Developer Preview 1.
The library includes several convenient classes and features for developers to use when integrating...
In order to make Android boot on most hardware platforms, developers usually have to mix open-source code with proprietary files. These so-called blobs are distributed by vendors to support some platform-specific features. Robert Foss from Collabora reported that is now possible to boot Android on i.MX6 platforms without the use of proprietary blobs at all.
Support for buffer modifiers has...
Usually, there are two ways of playing music on Android device. You can either use your headphones or a speaker. But how about a third option?
XDA Senior Member usman farhat created an interesting app that allows you to listen to music via the built-in phonecalls speaker. This is useful not just for music, but also podcasts, and...
Google is working on an emulator that will allow developers to test their applications on large screens without an actual Chrome OS device. This plan was announced during Google I/O 2017.
Chromebooks are not as popular as Google would like them to be outside of education. Most developers focus on app development for phones and tablets...
The Google Play Store features many launchers of all kinds ready to make your life easier. Whether it's Nova Launcher, Apex Launcher, or Evie Launcher, there are a ton of third-party launchers out there for you to try out. At the base level, though, these launchers start out thematically quite similar although you can customize...
Struggling to compete with Apple's iPhone, Nokia was forced to decide which mobile operating system, between Android or Windows Mobile, the company would stake its life on. In a deal with Microsoft in 2011, they chose Windows Mobile 7 as their platform of choice. Unfortunately for Nokia, Windows Mobile failed to make significant ground, resulting...
This is part 1 in my three part series reviewing 2016; the good, the bad, and an outlook on what 2017 may hold for smartphone enthusiasts and Android fanatics
his year will likely go down as the year of few compromises, the year of the flagship, the year where Android OEMs tried something entirely new or...
Despite the fact that tens of thousands of users actively pore over the Linux kernel source code actively looking for security flaws, it's not unheard of for serious bugs to go unnoticed. After all, though the chances of missing something incredibly serious are lowered by having more eyes auditing the code, we're all still human...
Rejoice, fellow flashaholics! If you, like me, have been waiting for custom ROMs to pop up on our forums before hopping on the Nougat hype train, then your long wait will soon come to an end. With the official release of Android 7.0 Nougat the other day, Google has begun uploading the source code for the latest...
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...
