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Download: Rootless Pixel Launcher Brings Pixel 2 Launcher & Other Features, adds Google Feed Panel
Rootless Pixel Launcher 3.0 is here, and it comes with some awesome newly added functionality to Google's stock Pixel 2 launcher. It also adds the Google Feed panel.
The Google Pixel Launcher which comes with Google's devices has a number of features and design choices which make many come back to it over third-party launchers like Nova Launcher and Action Launcher. For a while, though, it was not possible to access all of these features, like the Google Now panel, without root access. However, a developer by the name of Amir Zaidi took inspiration from the developers behind Paranoid Android and figured out how to get all of these features working on other devices—without root access. This was done by reverse engineering the Pixel Launcher from the original Google Pixel and then porting those features over to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) launcher, Launcher3. Google Pixel users wanting to switch to this launcher can also use a Magisk module instead.
How Samsung's Continuous Improvements Reinforce Their Promising 2018 Prospects
In this editorial, we explore how Samsung's recent improvements hint at a promising set 2018 flagship releases for the company.
Samsung is likely going to have an excellent 2018 -- or so they say. That's a sentiment I've seen echoed across all corners of the Android community, and it's not an unjustified expectation. Some point to the fact that they outspend most other OEMs in advertising, that they are supported by their ever-improving chip and display divisions, that the typical Samsung user might be as sheepish as an iPhone user. They might even point to Huawei's recent failure to challenge Samsung's uncontested reign over the highly-profitable and influential US market. While none of these reasons are particularly wrong, and while they most definitely add to Samsung's success, they don’t quite tell the whole picture.
Xposed Framework for Android Oreo 8.0/8.1 Now Available in Beta
The official Xposed Framework for Android Oreo 8.0 and 8.1 is now in beta testing, bringing Xposed Module support to the Google Pixel & other phones!
With the Android Oreo update, Google continues to polish the Android experience for all users. The update notably brings picture-in-picture mode support from Android TV, the Autofill Framework which replaces the need for password managers' laggy accessibility services, and notification channels for more fine-grained control over your notifications. In addition to these changes, some previously root-only tweaks such as theming your device no longer require root, so there are less reasons to root your phone. Still, for those of you who do root your devices, you now have another tool at your disposal: access to the Xposed Framework for Android Oreo (8.0/8.1).
Why Glass is Replacing Aluminium and Plastic in Flagship Smartphones, and Why it Shouldn't
In this editorial we explore why glass is a poorer choice than aluminium and plastic for the construction of flagship smartphones.
Smartphone design trends come and go, but one trend which has been persistent for the past few years has been the transition to premium materials used in the construction of smartphones. While there was a time when it seemed like every single Android phone was made of plastic, design paradigms have slowly but steadily changed since 2013.
No, Android Oreo's Rescue Party is not the bootloop fix you were looking for
Despite the initial hype, Android Oreo's Rescue Party is not the bootloop fix you were looking for. Here's an explanation of what it actually does.
At XDA, we've been extensively covering the latest release of Google's Android OS: Android 8.0 Oreo. Android Oreo brings a ton of new features, but the ones we've mostly been excited for are the under-the-hood changes. Things like Project Treble and system-wide custom theme support are two examples of Android Oreo-related changes that interest our readers. Another feature that Android enthusiasts have been looking forward to seeing in action is the new Rescue Party feature. This feature was touted by many to save your device from a bootloop, but the reality is far more disappointing. Rescue Party is not the bootloop fix you were looking for.
Speed, Thermal, and Performance Comparison of Fast Charge Standards
Check out XDA's in-depth charging standard comparison and tests to learn about smartphone charging speeds and more! Current Winner: OnePlus Dash Charge.
One of the most common qualms from smartphone users is how their phones never last through the whole day. Despite all the advances in smartphones in recent years, such as quick charging solutions like Quick Charge, Dash Charge and SuperCharge, batteries feel like they have not evolved quick enough to keep up with our needs.
How to Install Custom Themes on Android Oreo with Substratum
A tutorial on how to set up and install Substratum's new add-on, which brings custom themes to your Android Oreo device without needing root!
After a lot of teasing, Team Substratum and XDA-Developers are proud to announce the release of the Andromeda add-on for Substratum which brings full custom theme support for any Android 8.0 Oreo device without root. We realize that many people are excited by this project, but there are many people who feel that this news has been overwhelming for them in the amount of technical details we've been relaying. For those people, we want to reassure you that the end product is simple enough to use for your average user, and that it does not require you to understand how to use complex scripts or ADB commands. This tutorial is aimed at showing you how to set up and install the new rootless Substratum, and then use the theme engine to install custom themes.
Andromeda Add-on for Substratum Brings Custom Themes to Android Oreo
Custom themes are now available for all Android Oreo devices thanks to the Substratum theme engine and a new add-on called 'Andromeda.'
One of the most commonly requested feature additions to Google's Android operating system is theme support. Custom theme support is available on Android devices from Sony, Huawei, and Samsung among others. However, fans of stock Android on the Google Nexus and Pixel series of devices have not been able to theme their devices, at least not without root or a custom ROM. But as we discovered late last month, full support for the same theme engine found in Sony devices is actually available in official builds of Android Oreo. In these past 2 weeks, the team behind the popular Substratum theme engine have been hard at work getting custom themes working on unrooted Android Oreo devices, and we're proud to announce that rootless, custom theme support in Android Oreo is now available for all.
What Project Treble Means for Future Custom ROM Development
Project Treble is now arriving with Android Oreo devices. Today, we're doing a rundown on what Project Treble means for future custom ROM development.
Here on XDA, we have previously talked about Project Treble, the largest low-level change introduced to the Android base since the first Android beta was released almost 10 years ago, and how you can tell if your device has it. For those still unaware of what Project Treble is, it modularizes the lower layer of Android by separating the vendor implementation (proprietary blobs and software, CPU and GPU drivers, et cetera) from the main Android framework and system. This results in speeding up system updates by modularizing the hardware abstraction layer (HALs) and separating it from the rest of the Android OS, and by eliminating OEM dependency on slow driver updates by silicon manufacturers. The end goal is to hopefully lengthen the 24-month major software update support period currently promised by most device manufacturers.
Interview with Francisco Franco, Developer of the Franco Kernel (Part 1) - Origins, HMP vs EAS, F2FS & More!
Part 1 of an interview with Francisco Franco, the developer of Franco Kernel and other applications for many different devices.
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing the man behind one of the most popular Android kernels ever, the Franco Kernel. Currently, the kernel is available on many different devices, including various Nexus & OnePlus devices and the Google Pixel / Pixel XL.
Google Camera HDR+ Port Updated with Zero Shutter Lag, More Xiaomi Device Support, and Major Bug Fixes
Google Camera port with HDR+ for Snapdragon 820, 821, and 835 devices updated with Zero Shutter Lag, more Xiaomi device compatibility, and bug fixes.
As we reported earlier this month, Google Camera was ported with working HDR+ to any devices that used a Snapdragon 820/821 or 835 chip (with the exception of the ZTE Axon 7, according to reports from other users). It has also been reported to work on certain Snapdragon 4XX or 6XX devices such as the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, though this requires the devices to have the Camera2 API enabled. Since the initial, rather buggy release, the Google Camera port has received updates to fix major bugs, bring more Xiaomi devices on board, and has also introduced Zero Shutter Lag for automatic HDR+ mode.
Demo of Rootless Substratum Theme Engine on Android Oreo, and Addressing Misconceptions
A video demonstration of the rootless Substratum theme engine on Android Oreo. Also, frequently asked questions about the upcoming theme manager.
Yesterday, we published an exclusive article detailing something that many Android enthusiasts have been longing for: full, system-wide theme support without root. This theme support comes to us courtesy of Team Substratum, but yesterday, the team was not yet ready to show off their work. That has changed, however, as Nicholas Chum has put together a video for XDA to show you what applying theme overlays will be like on Android Oreo using the new rootless Substratum theme engine.
Exclusive: Android Oreo Will Receive Rootless, System-Wide Theme Support Within 1 Week
Google's latest Android Oreo release already has native theme support built-in, and thanks to the Substratum theme engine it's coming in 1 week.
With every new release of Google's Android OS, there are fewer reasons for most users to root their devices. However, among the remaining users who still choose to root their devices, one of the most commonly cited reasons is to enable system-wide theme support. Typically, this is managed via the Substratum theme framework ever since the unfortunate demise of the CyanogenMod Theme Engine. Over time, the team behind Substratum worked hard to include support for more devices by incorporating Substratum support at the ROM level so it could run without root access. And now, the team has taken the project beyond what any of us could have imagined by bringing full system-wide theme support without root for any Android Oreo device.
Meet Google's Latest OS Dessert: Android 8.0 Oreo
With the Total Solar Eclipse as backdrop, Google has unveiled the latest consumer-ready version of Android. Meet Android 8.0 Oreo! Head on over for more!
At Google I/O, Google typically lifts up the veil on the newest update of Android by offering Developer Preview builds. But the I/O announcement is more focused towards developers than end-users, so Google prefers keeping the name and version number of the latest OS a secret until it is ready with a more polished and stable product that can be shipped to Android owners. For this year, Google chose the eventful Total Solar Eclipse over the USA as the perfect occasion to present us with the latest treat. Meet Android 8.0 Oreo.
Google Camera with HDR+ Ported to Snapdragon 820/821 and 835 Devices
Google Camera with HDR+ has been ported to any device with the Snapdragon 820, 821, or 835. Works with LG G6, OnePlus 5, Samsung Galaxy S8, and more!
Despite the lavish praise the Google Nexus line received thanks to its openness to development, the smartphones have received much criticism for their camera prowess. That changed (though some would argue it hasn't) with the release of the Google Pixel and Pixel XL, however, as Google took a more consumer directed approach to their smartphones and the results showed in the camera department with the smartphones receiving top tier scores from DxOMark. Part of Google's more recent success with picture quality has been thanks to their amazing HDR+ technology that is exclusive to their smartphones. For the average user, HDR+ presents an incredibly easy way to produce stunning photographs without the need to learn manual photography or edit RAW images. And now, you can take advantage of Google Camera's HDR+ thanks to a modified version of the APK ported to work on any device with the Hexagon 680 ISP (found on the Snapdragon 820, 821, and 835 SoCs).
Google Finally Adds Support for Bluetooth In-Band Ringtones with Android 8.0
After 8 years, Google finally adds support for an in-band ringtone in Android O. Now your ringtones can play on your connected Bluetooth headset or car!
With every new major Android version update comes a slew of new features. Android O, Google's upcoming software release, most notably brings support for notification channels, picture-in-picture mode, autofill managers, and background limitations on apps. But as with any new major version release, there are a bunch of under-the-hood changes that are much less publicized. One such change finally adds a Bluetooth related feature that users have been requesting for many years now - in-band ringing. The feature is a part of the Bluetooth Hands-Free Profile (HFP) and it allows your phone to send its custom ringtone to the connected Bluetooth device. Thus with an in-band ringtone you no longer have to hear whatever default beeping noise your Bluetooth device makes when you receive a phone call.
Xposed for Nougat & abforce Submodule Explained, and Why It's Worth Waiting for rovo89's Full Release
In this article we explore the differences between rovo89's upcoming Xposed for Nougat release and the current implementation that's available for Nougat.
The Xposed framework was -- and still is -- a major way to customize your Android device, compatible with pretty much all devices, letting you easily install modules to tweak virtually any detail.
How Substratum Brought Fluid & Simple Customization to a Complex TouchWiz
Sungstratum from team [projekt.] brings all the theme goodies of RRO-OMS to Samsung Nougat devices through Substratum! Read on to know more!
Android theming has come a long way, from hacky edits to Substratum and now, Sungstratum. Years back, the word "theme" in Android discussions was frequently superseded by the word "chooser', a nod to the T-Mobile Theme Chooser found in CyanogenMod that laid the foundations that made Android a themer's paradise. The ability to modify the appearance of the OS granted users another dimension of customization, allowing them to make changes that make their devices a lot more personalized.
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.
Nexus 6P Bootloop Fix Has Been Found, Makes Your Phone Use 4 Cores
An XDA user has found and provided a fix for the infamous Nexus 6P Bootloop of Death. Read on to learn how he solved it, and how to fix your unit!
Have you been affected by the Nexus 6P Bootloop of Death? If you are one of the unlucky few with a Nexus 6P tucked away in some drawer, you'll be happy to know that a fix has been found that'll enable you to fully boot up your device once more.