latest
7-Zip, the open source file archiver, is now available for Linux
Thanks to an official binary release, you can now run 7-Zip natively under Linux on both x86 and ARM platforms. Read on for more!
An official build of 7-Zip is now available for Linux x86, x86-64, ARMv7, and ARM64 architectures, extending the popular open source file compression program from PCs running Microsoft Windows to thousands of Linux-powered devices, including Chromebooks and the Raspberry Pi.
Reachability Cursor makes it easy to use tall Android phones One Handed [XDA Spotlight]
A new app called Reachability Cursor makes it easy to use your tall Android phone with one hand. If you need one handed use of your phone, look no further!
Every day, many developers post new apps or games on our Apps and Games forum. We scour the XDA forums for interesting new Android apps that we think you might like, and some of our favorites have even received special attention from us. There are so many apps released each day that finding a truly unique and fascinating app can be like picking a needle out of a haystack, but that's exactly what we've done today. A developer on our forums came up with an innovative solution to the problem of using tall Android phones with one hand. Called "Reachability Cursor," the app creates an on-screen cursor that you can drag to perform taps, long presses, and drag gestures.
Heimdall is a free and simple Parental Control app
Looking for a simple parental control app on Android that's also free? Check out Heimdall Parental Control from our Apps and Games forum!
In an era of borderless internet, it's sometimes fair to be concerned about what your children are doing with their devices. Digital wellbeing is becoming mainstream as the biggest companies are devoting resources to make sure that you can always see how you use your device. Many of the popular applications are gaining the special mode for children to ensure that the little ones don't see what they shouldn't see. But, sometimes that's not enough. As a parent, you may want to have more control over your child's device.
DevCheck is a hardware and system info app that tells you everything about your device [XDA Spotlight]
DevCheck is an app that helps you view every technical detail about your device's software and hardware. It's available for free so check it out!
The XDA forums are full of developers who make lives easier for those who want to mod their phones. Whether it be an app for controlling superuser access, changing governors on your CPU, overclocking, flashing, or many other functions. DevCheck is yet another application that helps tech-savvy people find technical info about their device. It is made by XDA Recognized Developer flar2. He is the one who brought one of the best custom kernels, ElementalX, to life. The application is free with an option of a paid $2.49 in-app purchase, which offers some neat features and also gives you an ability to support the developer.
Developers are facing huge drop in new installs after Play Store algorithm changes
Developers of Android apps and games are reporting huge drops in new installs after Google quietly tweaks the Play Store's search and discovery algorithm.
Some Android app and game developers are panicking because their daily installation rates have plummeted in the past week. These developers have noticed new downloads slow down by up to 90%. The affected developers quickly realized they were not alone in these changes to their day-to-day app installation rate with multiple threads on Reddit, a post on the Unity forums, and even a Gamasutra community blog post popping up to help spread the word that something was amiss. Clearly, something is wrong here, and some indie developers are concerned that their livelihood may be at stake. So what's going on?
Hands-on with Lawnchair v2, a customizable Pixel Launcher
After releasing the first stable version just a couple hours ago, Lawnchair Launcher v2 alpha is available. We go hands-on.
Lawnchair is a launcher based on Google's Pixel Launcher that adds man more customization options. You can change almost everything starting from the icon pack to the app drawer. While it's been in works since June of 2017, the first stable version was just released. Users are already looking forward to version 2 and we're lucky enough to test an alpha build (download below). I'm about to break down every feature Lawnchair v2 has to offer. I'll dive into the sections of the launcher settings and talk about all the new features and options.
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?
IFTTT Is Now Offering A Free Way For Developers To Publish Applets
The IFTTT is now offering a free way of publishing the applets. Developers can use the free tier to share their best projects.
Over the last few years, IFTTT has become known for its ever-growing automation that allows users to create and use "applets" linking independent services together. Anyone can create their own applets for personal use (we at XDA love IFTTT for integrating with Slack). IFTTT is also available for Android and iOS devices with many device-specific triggers available.
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 them with beautiful icon packs, themes, widgets, and more. As you might know, Android is built on the Linux kernel. Thus it has a hidden shell functionality which fans of GNU/Linux might be pleased to try. A full Linux terminal environment on an Android phone? That sure sounds interesting. But what if you could replace your stock launcher with a launcher that mimics the Linux terminal interface? Luckily, you can thanks to the Linux CLI Launcher.
One of the most overlooked, but important parts of our Android devices is the home screen. We use it for so much, from weather and other widgets to app shortcuts. The ability to customize this with a custom launcher can offer some very handy useful features and tricks.
File managers are still a missing puzzle in a big Android ecosystem. We have Windows Explorer, The Finder and Nautilus or Nemo on our PCs, but Android still has no truly extensive file explorer included in the system.
The great thing about the state of Android customization is that there are a lot of awesome Icon packs. Using an icon pack lets you change how the icons for your apps look. There are many different icon packs to suit your mood. However, what if you like some icons from one pack and some icons from another?
Part of being a power user is getting and using more of your device than even the OEM could imagine. Power users want to tweak everything to run just perfectly in their eyes. There are many apps out there that allow you to customize your kernel and today we are going to show off a few.
Hi Locker to Help You With Lockscreen Headache
Meet Hi Locker - the perfect replacement for your current lockscreen
The lockscreen is a part of the OS that we see hundreds of times every day, whether we're using Android or iOS. The look of the lockscreen depends on the Android version, device manufacturer or ROM chef. In short, it differs for almost every user. Luckily enough, users can use third party alternatives that bring more features. One such application is Hi Locker, developed by XDA Senior Member thotran7989.
The great thing about our smartphones is the ability to put on your head phones and listen to music or podcasts while on the bus, on the train, waiting at the DMV or just eating lunch when you are trying to block out the outside world. In order to listen to podcasts seamlessly, you will want the best application you can get your hands on.
Here at XDA we spend a lot of time in our recoveries. Some of our tweaks, hacks, and mods require you to make changes to system files. That requires some pretty deep access. You can get to that access from recovery, like TWRP. However, the recovery file manager doesn’t feel like the Android file managers.
Helium vs Titanium Backup – Backup App Showdown!
Two Backup Apps enter, who will exit when we compare Helium Backups with Titanium Backup? Which backup app is the King. Check out this video to find out!
Just last week, we talked about the Must Have App for backups known as Helium. In the comments there was a lot of discussion about which app was actually better: Helium or, the gold standard, Titanium Backup? Is it dependent on whether you have root on your device or not? Is it brute force versus finesse?
Must Have App Review: Helium (Backup without Root)
Today we talk about the must have app Helium. Helium allows you to backup and restore your Android device without root. Check this video out!
Our smartphones have advanced tremendously over the last few years, and so have our uses for them. Everything from pictures and videos to emails and notes get stored on our devices. But don't you wish there was an easier way to back it all up?
Enhance Your Wi-Fi Experience with WiFi Better Battery
This application saves the battery life by turning off the Wi-Fi when its not needed.
Battery life on our Android devices is something that we're always looking for ways to improve. Google has been working to minimize the battery consumption in Android but there is still a lot left to be desired. Every little way of giving a device a couple extra hours of battery life can come in handy.
Tweak Your Kernel Parameters with Kernel Adiutor
This application allows you to adjust kernel parameter to fit your needs.
The vast majority of custom kernels allow various modifications like selecting your governor, adjusting the maximum clock frequency, and much more. These paramters can be changed by executing commands through ADB or by using one of the kernel control applications created by various kernel developers here on XDA.