Develop Bugs

Modifying DPI/density in build.prop

Has anyone tried modifiying the ro.sf.lcd_density from the default value of 240 to something else? like 300? If so, what were the results?
# density in DPI of the LCD of this board. This is used to scale the UI
# appropriately. If this property is not defined, the default value is 160 dpi.
ro.sf.lcd_density = 240

freeza said:
Has anyone tried modifiying the ro.sf.lcd_density from the default value of 240 to something else? like 300? If so, what were the results?
# density in DPI of the LCD of this board. This is used to scale the UI
# appropriately. If this property is not defined, the default value is 160 dpi.
ro.sf.lcd_density = 240
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its fairly easy to change if you have write access to system.
experiment with the value in /system/build.prop and reboot.
i dont know much about DPI so i can't give any great suggestions ... perhaps somebody more familiar with resolutions and DPI can get some more valueable input? or google DPI android and perhaps other people have experimented on other phones?

I played with this a lot on my Nexus, and while it does make stuff super tiny, and you can fit way more text on screen, a lot of UI elements don't draw correctly. Leading to a rough user experience.
Fun to play with, but unfortunately, unless you change it to one of the Android-standard DPI settings, you probably won't be too happy.

ultimind said:
I played with this a lot on my Nexus, and while it does make stuff super tiny, and you can fit way more text on screen, a lot of UI elements don't draw correctly. Leading to a rough user experience.
Fun to play with, but unfortunately, unless you change it to one of the Android-standard DPI settings, you probably won't be too happy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heh, figured. I remember a program doing this on Windows Mobile as well. Ineresting. I wonder what the next standard setting is after 240? 160, 240, 320? :-D
We have a giant screen so maybe we can actually do something with this...any takers?

I'd love to, but I don't want to have anything broken.
/pansy

good call, OP! Defly goes back to android on my Vogue..anyway, I went ahead and tried a few densities and I'm running 218 ATM. Makes it a little crisper w/o messing too much up.
*Note: apps seem to remain relatively unaffected minus a few relics here n there while widgets, mainly Sense widgets, can get pretty distorted. I'm using ADW Launcher so I'm not hurtin atall

KERKEDAGAIN said:
good call, OP! Defly goes back to android on my Vogue..anyway, I went ahead and tried a few densities and I'm running 218 ATM. Makes it a little crisper w/o messing too much up.
*Note: apps seem to remain relatively unaffected minus a few relics here n there while widgets, mainly Sense widgets, can get pretty distorted. I'm using ADW Launcher so I'm not hurtin atall
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice. You know that 240 is what HTC set it at right? 218 is kind of going down lol. You should try the next standard step up, which is 320

Just to let you know, going higher will make everything bigger. I find 200 to be ideal for the EVO. Though Sense Rom's have problem if you change the DPI. CyanogenMod does not.

ChrisDos said:
Just to let you know, going higher will make everything bigger. I find 200 to be ideal for the EVO. Though Sense Rom's have problem if you change the DPI. CyanogenMod does not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never heard that before, but I don't Sense, what goes wrong in Sense when you change the dpi?

What dpi are you running?

I was wondering what dpi everybody is running. Currently I am running stock but was wondering if there is a good dpi level everybody is using that gives more space and does not cause force closes.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

400. No problems with FC on any DPI in the past.
However it does mess with a lot of apps. To fix this you need the Xposed framework and an app called App Settings.
I've dialed it down to 320, sure makes things TINY but love the extra real estate. 480 on this phone is huge, reminds me of the folks running 800x600 on 21" monitors!

cpufrost said:
400. No problems with FC on any DPI in the past.
However it does mess with alot of apps. To fix this you need the Xposed framework and an app called App Settings.
I've dialed it down to 320, sure makes things TINY but love the extra real estate. 480 on this phone is huge, reminds me of the folks running 800x600 on 21" monitors!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
400 sounds pretty high to me. i haven't rooted my N3 yet so i cant change my DPI but on my N2 i was running 280 and it seemed perfect to me. Thats what ill use on my N3

320, and I think it makes things look normal. I put it at 220 in per-app DPI and that was tiny. 320 on the Note 3 is comparable to 220 on the Note 1 which was what I always set my Note 1 to (ran it at 200 for a while even to get the Nexus 7 style tablet UI). I use per-app DPI to set the dialer and camera and other Samsung apps back to stock since they get distorted at 320dpi.
Edit: You realize the N1/N2 and N3 are not comparable in dpi right? The increased resolution means to get N2 280dpi you'll likely need 380-400. 280dpi on N3 is getting pretty small. N1 220 compares roughly to N3 320.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using xda app-developers app

rlee008 said:
400 sounds pretty high to me. i haven't rooted my N3 yet so i cant change my DPI but on my N2 i was running 280 and it seemed perfect to me. Thats what ill use on my N3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a 1080 display, 320 is definitely the lowest I'd go!
280 would definitely be small.
320 on 720 devices such as the Note II look about the same as 480 on the Note 3, in my experience.
Nice thing is it's easy to change in build.prop.

I like 360. Its a nice round number... Puns aside, I really do like this dpi.
That or 380
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

Thanks for the replies. Okay so if I set it somewhere around 360 to 400 I will have no problems with system ui only apps that I will have to adjust with app settings module? Would I have to go into each one and adjust or adjust all at once. I have a lot of apps. Also what is the stock dpi set at? To change it I would edit it under build prop using rom toolbox?
Was wondering if you guys could post screen shots to get a better idea.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

circuit.007 said:
Thanks for the replies. Okay so if I set it somewhere around 360 to 400 I will have no problems with system ui only apps that I will have to adjust with app settings module? Would I have to go into each one and adjust or adjust all at once. I have a lot of apps. Also what is the stock dpi set at? To change it I would edit it under build prop using rom toolbox?
Was wondering if you guys could post screen shots to get a better idea.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you use app settings you can fix issues with programs not displaying correctly OR just looking too small...
Default is 480 in build.prop.
I use root explorer, open the system folder R/W and click and hold build.prop and select open with, text editor. Make changes and it will save original as build.prop.bak. Reboot to see changes.
I can post a screen shot of the settings used in app settings. Once you get the hang of this you can adjust as you wish. With some apps I prefer to use a slightly different DPI in app settings so it's not as big as it would appear at 480 yet not as tiny as it would appear at 320. That's the nice thing as you can pick anywhere in between for a balance that suits your needs/wants.
Furthermore, all these settings will be saved/backed up if you use Titantium Backup to back up your device. That's a good thing if you're a flashaholic like I tend to be!

ignore this post please, i posted in wrong thread

cpufrost said:
If you use app settings you can fix issues with programs not displaying correctly OR just looking too small...
Default is 480 in build.prop.
I use root explorer, open the system folder R/W and click and hold build.prop and select open with, text editor. Make changes and it will save original as build.prop.bak. Reboot to see changes.
I can post a screen shot of the settings used in app settings. Once you get the hang of this you can adjust as you wish. With some apps I prefer to use a slightly different DPI in app settings so it's not as big as it would appear at 480 yet not as tiny as it would appear at 320. That's the nice thing as you can pick anywhere in between for a balance that suits your needs/wants.
Furthermore, all these settings will be saved/backed up if you use Titantium Backup to back up your device. That's a good thing if you're a flashaholic like I tend to be!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Globally I use default settings but I like to adjust the dpi for certain apps using App Settings. For example, for some apps I like a tablet look to them which can be achieved sometimes. Notablly this can be done with gmail app. In this case I set dpi to 320 and screen dp to 800x1280. Here is a screen shot. Maybe not for everybody but I like it.

I personally use 400 for most apps except for media player style apps as the large button interfaces help for use on the go.
That said, do you guys have issues with the gallery photo editor app and other apps that display pictures using stock libraries (or so I'm guessing) where the picture is zoomed and cropped where you cannot see the whole pic even if you try to zoom out?
So far the google gallery photo editor, the samsung photo editor and ES file explorer all have the same problem for all DPIs other than 480 applied globally or specifically to "Android System".
Even if I set the photo editors to 480, as long as the "Android System" package is not 480 the pictures will be cropped.
Thanks

mscion said:
Globally I use default settings but I like to adjust the dpi for certain apps using App Settings. For example, for some apps I like a tablet look to them which can be achieved sometimes. Notablly this can be done with gmail app. In this case I set dpi to 320 and screen dp to 800x1280. Here is a screen shot. Maybe not for everybody but I like it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you change your dp (i assume that's the resolution) to 800x1200? I already did the global DPI change to 400, but I want to see how that resolution looks for myself.

Techngro said:
How did you change your dp (i assume that's the resolution) to 800x1200? I already did the global DPI change to 400, but I want to see how that resolution looks for myself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi. I'm just using the xposed module called App Settings. In the screen shot you can see where I change the dpi for the gmail app and the screen dp. There are a set of dp you choose from. Some make a difference and other settings don't seem to have an effect. Might want to do a back up before trying. Sometimes a bad selection can cause problems when booting up. Hope it works out!

I run almost everything at 340, as 320 is just a little too small for me. For the Samsung apps (that I haven't removed), I either use ones modded for multi-dpi from the International Note 3, or ones that I have modded myself, at 320. I don't think I have anything that still runs at the stock 480. Having a screen this size, but with everything blown up that large just seems like an incredibly bad utilization of space to me...
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

does anyone know how to make it so that your keyboard won't shrink? I use SwiftKey and though you can make it bigger it's not big enough and of you try using app settings it messes with it and turns out all bonky. I want to go down to something like 400 but the keyboard gets a tad small.

Changing lcd density (DPI) problem

I'm facing an issue when changing lcd density (DPI) using build.prop editor, some widgets which was working on OP1 CM 11,12,13, are not displayed fine now. also Play store has some resolution issues, like recommended developer icon !
I tried different resolutions (380,400,420,460) all with the same results.
Any clues ?

Don't change DPI globally, that's problem-prone. Instead, install Xposed with module "App settings" and change DPI only for those apps where you want it. (Another advantage is that you even additionally have more flexible options, like changing text size or using the app's tablet UI etc.)

zorro_tmh said:
I'm facing an issue when changing lcd density (DPI) using build.prop editor, some widgets which was working on OP1 CM 11,12,13, are not displayed fine now. also Play store has some resolution issues, like recommended developer icon !
I tried different resolutions (380,400,420,460) all with the same results.
Any clues ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hasenbein196601 said:
Don't change DPI globally, that's problem-prone. Instead, install Xposed with module "App settings" and change DPI only for those apps where you want it. (Another advantage is that you even additionally have more flexible options, like changing text size or using the app's tablet UI etc.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I changed it globally with the app "Le DPI Changer" to 360 and don't have any problems in any app.

440 is great..

i have set the dpi to 380 and have problems in the following apps:
twitter: pictures in tweets have corrupted thumbnails
whatsapp: when you want to crop a picture, it is zoomed in very much and you cannot zoom out so you can only crop 10% of an image
imgur: corrupted thumbnnails too
music player (poweramp) cover art in player notification is zoomed
i think oxygen os handles dpi differently, as i couldnt even find dpi setting in build.prop
i hope someone can fix this bc i would like to stay on oxygen until cm ports etc have dash charging

As I said: No global DPI, but Xposed module "App settings". Then you avoid any problems.

~MaX~ said:
i have set the dpi to 380 and have problems in the following apps:
twitter: pictures in tweets have corrupted thumbnails
whatsapp: when you want to crop a picture, it is zoomed in very much and you cannot zoom out so you can only crop 10% of an image
imgur: corrupted thumbnnails too
music player (poweramp) cover art in player notification is zoomed
i think oxygen os handles dpi differently, as i couldnt even find dpi setting in build.prop
i hope someone can fix this bc i would like to stay on oxygen until cm ports etc have dash charging
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm from the four apps you mentioned I only use WhatsApp, and I just tested out the cropping of a selfie, normal picture and a gallery picture, it works fine for me.
I'm on 360dpi.

Does anyone know the stock dpi value?

numbere said:
Does anyone know the stock dpi value?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
480
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk

I'm noticing font is pretty big in comparison to another 1080p device I have in my possession. It's DPI is set at 420 and what I'd consider perfect.

crysen said:
I changed it globally with the app "Le DPI Changer" to 360 and don't have any problems in any app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which method in the app did you use? I moved the DPI slider in the app, applied it, rebooted, but nothing changed...
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

rickyx32 said:
Which method in the app did you use? I moved the DPI slider in the app, applied it, rebooted, but nothing changed...
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh right, forgot to mention, use the other method, the slider also didn't work for me.

Users with issues,
try this method:
Create a file called local.prop in the root/data folder with this text in it:
qemu.sf.lcd_density=xxx
xxx = your dpi value
Permissions of that file should be:
rw-r-r--
Reboot.
I did not test it yet on OxygenOS as my device is not unlocked, nor rooted yet.

AcmE85 said:
Users with issues,
try this method:
Create a file called local.prop in the root/data folder with this text in it:
qemu.sf.lcd_density=xxx
xxx = your dpi value
Permissions of that file should be:
rw-r-r--
Reboot.
I did not test it yet on OxygenOS as my device is not unlocked, nor rooted yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That file already exists on mine and already has the desired DPI but it's not having any effect...

rickyx32 said:
That file already exists on mine and already has the desired DPI but it's not having any effect...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use the Le dpi changer from google play, set dpi value and hit build.prop button. Accept it and reboot.
OP3 by TT

i tried to change dpi with ledpi and now my build.prop file is empty and broken. can someone upload build.prop from latest oxygen os please?
EDIT: default.prop in root can be used as a new build.prop in case u get the same problem as me, no need for upload

Anyone know where I can change DPI manually? I can't find the code in the build.prop. I don't want to rely on whack apps or toolkits...
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

rickyx32 said:
Anyone know where I can change DPI manually? I can't find the code in the build.prop. I don't want to rely on whack apps or toolkits...
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it doesn't exist on builb.prop of OP3, I added it manually.
Code:
ro.sf.lcd_density=400

crysen said:
Hmm from the four apps you mentioned I only use WhatsApp, and I just tested out the cropping of a selfie, normal picture and a gallery picture, it works fine for me.
I'm on 360dpi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i always had the cropping problem with WhatsApp using custom dpi. try to set a new profile picture. always zoomed and no chance zooming out. you have to change the dpi back to 480 to change your profile picture, but otherwise i have had no problems with 380 dpi.

My only qualm about this phone was the abnormally large text and padding in various apps, 440 dpi is a perfect adjustment, haven't seen any graphical glitches as of yet.

Camera Doesn't Work (Related to DPI Changing)

So i am running into a very strange issue that i haven't been able to find much information on. I am running the latest OOS (3.1.2) rooted, i had changed the DPI a few days ago using build prop editor and everything seemed to be working just fine, except my camera, it suddenly would freeze when a picture is taken, crash, and not produce a picture, and sometimes the picture would be just green.
Here is what iv'e tried:
removed the line from build prop editor and rebooted to get to stock DPI
changed the DPI to stock with the toolkit, then back to a different DPI, then back to stock.
removed the camera app cache
factory reset the phone
Strangely enough the camera in HDR mode appears to work just fine, but it doesn't appear to work in any other mode (including video).

Using the camera with flash always turned on in pretty much any mode seems to also work.

Atlantisman said:
So i am running into a very strange issue that i haven't been able to find much information on. I am running the latest OOS (3.1.2) rooted, i had changed the DPI a few days ago using build prop editor and everything seemed to be working just fine, except my camera, it suddenly would freeze when a picture is taken, crash, and not produce a picture, and sometimes the picture would be just green.
Here is what iv'e tried:
removed the line from build prop editor and rebooted to get to stock DPI
changed the DPI to stock with the toolkit, then back to a different DPI, then back to stock.
removed the camera app cache
factory reset the phone
Strangely enough the camera in HDR mode appears to work just fine, but it doesn't appear to work in any other mode (including video).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I posted about this issue a few days ago http://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-3/help/weird-camera-bug-t3404660

mr.shme said:
I posted about this issue a few days ago http://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-3/help/weird-camera-bug-t3404660
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, didn't notice that.
I flashed back to bone stock OOS 3.1.2 and everything seems to be working now... I will attempted to change the DPI again via the toolkit.

I changed DPI with Le DPI Changer (non build.prop method) and everything is working fine. You might want to check it out.

That's why I always say that global DPI change is not a good idea, period.
Much better and additionally more flexible is using the Xposed module "App Settings" where you can run every app at an individual DPI setting and tweak some more things (e. g. having an app run with its tablet UI).

I had the same issue on OOS 3.1.3 rooted and DPI changed.
I enabled RAW mode and it fixed the issue.

crumble6 said:
I changed DPI with Le DPI Changer (non build.prop method) and everything is working fine. You might want to check it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What DPI value did you set it to? No issues with camera, icons, widgets, etc?

jiznon said:
What DPI value did you set it to? No issues with camera, icons, widgets, etc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
400. No issues at all except that when I use "large text" captions in snapchat they display fine on my screen but the text is much smaller and out of position on my friends' phones. Literally not a single other problem with any app I've tried though. I've heard 380 works good too. Tempted to try it but tbh I'm happy at 400 for now.

crumble6 said:
I changed DPI with Le DPI Changer (non build.prop method) and everything is working fine. You might want to check it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
crumble6 said:
400. No issues at all except that when I use "large text" captions in snapchat they display fine on my screen but the text is much smaller and out of position on my friends' phones. Literally not a single other problem with any app I've tried though. I've heard 380 works good too. Tempted to try it but tbh I'm happy at 400 for now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the quick reply. So far my experience has been frustrating.
1) Changed DPI to 400 via build.prop edit. Resulted in camera issues. Could not reset DPI or change to any other value. Had to reflash OOS 3.1.3 to fix.
2) Did some research. Heard a OP3 toolkit here on xda could change DPI without issue (I believe it just uses the adb method) . Used it to change to 400. Camera is fine, but I experience wonky sizing issues with widgets, icons on notification banners, twitter photo previews, and a few other little text size issues. Tried using the toolkit to return to default DPI but it simply doesn't change anything.
3) Per your account of this app, I tried it but it us unable to make any change. Looks like I may have to reflash AGAIN, and attempt the Le DPI Changer again.
Bah.

jiznon said:
Thanks for the quick reply. So far my experience has been frustrating.
1) Changed DPI to 400 via build.prop edit. Resulted in camera issues. Could not reset DPI or change to any other value. Had to reflash OOS 3.1.3 to fix.
2) Did some research. Heard a OP3 toolkit here on xda could change DPI without issue (I believe it just uses the adb method) . Used it to change to 400. Camera is fine, but I experience wonky sizong issues with widgets, icons on notification banners, and a few other little text size issues. Tried using the toolkit to return to default DPI but it simply doesn't change anything.
3) Per your account of this app, I tried it but it us unable to make any change. Looks like I may have to reflash AGAIN, and attempt the Le DPI Changer again.
Bah.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I should have mentioned. I am using Nova launcher and have changed the grid size of the desktop to 11 x 7. Things will probably behave weird if you are using the oneplus launcher.

crumble6 said:
Sorry, I should have mentioned. I am using Nova launcher and have changed the grid size of the desktop to 11 x 7. Things will probably behave weird if you are using the oneplus launcher.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No worries. I am also using Nova Launcher with custom grid size. Only issues on my desktop is wonky icon size with Chronus widget.

jiznon said:
No worries. I am also using Nova Launcher with custom grid size. Only issues on my desktop is wonky icon size with Chronus widget.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I find enabling widget overlap in Nova and then playing around with resizing widgets I can usually get them looking right in the end.

I had already posted this here but it seemed like Nobody besides me had this problem.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-3/help/camera-issues-root-t3409764
I'm glad this issue is getting attention!

running 340 dpi, works fine for me. did it with le dpi changer

Running 290 all good using le dpi changer ?
Sent from my ONEPLUS3

I'm starting to wonder there is a magic DPI number that doesn't break the camera!! Time to test!

I found this solution on the oneplus 3 reddit. Camera works perfectly and there are no weird icons!
https://www.reddit.com/r/oneplus/comments/4satgq/changing_op3_dpi_using_buildprop_without_breaking/
Basically use qemu.sf.lcd_density=xxx instead of ro.sf.lcd_density=xxx in your build.prop!
I'm using 420 and all is awesome now!!
Huge thanks to this guy for posting the solution!!

ro.sf.lcd_density=400 in build.prop works just fine on my device running stock OOS 3.2.1.
Only manual mode is slightly misaligned inside the camera app.
Trying qemu.sf.lcd_density=400 gives me the same result btw.
I never had issues with green photos in HQ or other weird behaviour.
Running dpi 400 via manual build.prop edit since day one
and only had to repeat this after each ota.

Any way to make screen scaling smaller?

I saw the phone in a store today and wanted to buy it. But got annoyed that the smallest screen scaling option is still bigger than my p20 pro and feels like a waste of screen real estate.
Does anyone know of a way to make things on screen look smaller without rooting?

connect to adb and use wm size option. whatever size you set make sure aspect ratio is same as original device. it works better than wm density.

It’s even simpler than that. There are adjustments in display as well the option in developer options to adjust dpi.

guztavo1 said:
I saw the phone in a store today and wanted to buy it. But got annoyed that the smallest screen scaling option is still bugger than my p20 pro and feels like a waste of screen real estate.
Does anyone know of a way to make things on screen look smaller without rooting?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can change the minimum width setting to a higher number in developer options but it will mess up the SystemUI a little. Certain apps will become too large. It also resets every time you restart the phone. Huawei needs to fix this. It's one of the worst things about EMUI.

try using wm size. it works perfectly.
apart from some apps, like camera. use tasker to reset back when using camera

Thank you so much Guys! Is there any difference at all between using minimum with in developer options, and using vm size in adb? Cheers

bark1234 said:
try using wm size. it works perfectly.
apart from some apps, like camera. use tasker to reset back when using camera
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It really doesn't work any better than using the Minimum Width setting in developer options and like you said it even screws up the camera app.

I'm using 600 DPI and I have no problems. I wouldn't recommend going higher than 640 as you might get glitches.

Does anyone have a link on how to use that wm size setting?

bark1234 said:
try using wm size. it works perfectly.
apart from some apps, like camera. use tasker to reset back when using camera
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you tell me the exact setting you use for this?

I have the dpi set to 611 through developer settings and use nova to have icons etc ridiculously small

yetiweston said:
I have the dpi set to 611 through developer settings and use nova to have icons etc ridiculously small
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What about the notification panel, is it the same size as the home screen? Thanks,
Sent from my SM-N960W using Tapatalk

Sadly it's the same size
lexi250 said:
What about the notification panel, is it the same size as the home screen? Thanks,
Sent from my SM-N960W using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse