I have a couple of quick questions about the xperia UI.
Recently, my ZL died in an accident. Due to my location, I had few replacement choices available, so I opted for a Galaxy S4. It wasn't my first choice, but it's not a bad phone.
There are a few things I miss.
First, what is that thing circled in red on the first picture called? It's a launcher of small apps that appears on the bottom panel when you open Recent Apps. Samsung doesn't have it, so I'm assuming it's an Xperia thing. I want to search for an app or a mod that can perform a similar function, but I don't know what it's called, or if there's an app that does it.
Secondly, I was really getting to like the Xperia's "Album" software. I've found gallery apps that organize in a similar way, but don't include a home screen widget that allows the user to flip through photos. Can this "Album" app be installed on the S4, if so,how, and if not, can anyone recommend a good replacement?
I don't think thats possible on a sammy phone... not unless you port the stock xperia rom to the S4... But you should head over to the s4 forum and maybe ask someone to port it for you.... only the small apps if possible! Also Samsung has their multiwindow and all... maybe use that!
You could also root your phone and use floating window from xposed!
Dr_SUSE said:
I have a couple of quick questions about the xperia UI.
Recently, my ZL died in an accident. Due to my location, I had few replacement choices available, so I opted for a Galaxy S4. It wasn't my first choice, but it's not a bad phone.
There are a few things I miss.
First, what is that thing circled in red on the first picture called? It's a launcher of small apps that appears on the bottom panel when you open Recent Apps. Samsung doesn't have it, so I'm assuming it's an Xperia thing. I want to search for an app or a mod that can perform a similar function, but I don't know what it's called, or if there's an app that does it.
Secondly, I was really getting to like the Xperia's "Album" software. I've found gallery apps that organize in a similar way, but don't include a home screen widget that allows the user to flip through photos. Can this "Album" app be installed on the S4, if so,how, and if not, can anyone recommend a good replacement?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, my sister have a s4, and somehow i didn't like it...
And samsung doesn't have a small apps, and also , you can tweak your Xperia ZL using Xposed Modules (Need root but not custom rom)...
Like mine, you can customize the status bar icon, battery icon, nav bar, screen off animation, and many more!
Feel free to ask, bbm or pm me if you have a question
AndreIrawan97 said:
Well, my sister have a s4, and somehow i didn't like it...
And samsung doesn't have a small apps, and also , you can tweak your Xperia ZL using Xposed Modules (Need root but not custom rom)...
Like mine, you can customize the status bar icon, battery icon, nav bar, screen off animation, and many more!
Feel free to ask, bbm or pm me if you have a question
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can tweek any phone with Xposed, but why are you telling him that? didn't you read his post? He states that his ZL died and the S4 is a replacement, he's asking if it's possible to make his S4 to be closer to the ZL.
Now to the topic at hand, from what I heard it's a popular practice to port Sony apps to all Xperia phones as well as other phones. So if you go to the S4 forums you should be able to find the small apps as well as the album app, along with instructions on how to install them correctly. Good luck man, and don't be sad, the S4 is a bit better than the ZL anyway.
Dead Metal said:
You can tweek any phone with Xposed, but why are you telling him that? didn't you read his post? He states that his ZL died and the S4 is a replacement, he's asking if it's possible to make his S4 to be closer to the ZL.
Now to the topic at hand, from what I heard it's a popular practice to port Sony apps to all Xperia phones as well as other phones. So if you go to the S4 forums you should be able to find the small apps as well as the album app, along with instructions on how to install them correctly. Good luck man, and don't be sad, the S4 is a bit better than the ZL anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found a bundle of Xperia apps and flashed them, and I discovered the apps couldn't start without Xperia Home enabled and running. Needless to say, it didn't run well competing with Samsung's Touchwiz. Touchwiz can't be stopped or shut down. Most of the Xperia stuff didn't last a reboot. I couldn't get Walkman to run at all.
S4 may be a slightly better platform. It's got a better camera, for one. However, the better user experience goes to Xperia. Walkman's a better music app in every way that's important. Small apps are useful, especially screenshot for me. Album widget is irreplaceable. Now I've got 2 competing music apps, Adapt sound which breaks everything, 2 competing alarm clocks, and of course the one I don't want is the one I can't stop...
It was easy to root,though, to its credit.
Might just get a Z2 and give this one to my wife. Are those easy to root? Z2's, I mean?
Dr_SUSE said:
I found a bundle of Xperia apps and flashed them, and I discovered the apps couldn't start without Xperia Home enabled and running. Needless to say, it didn't run well competing with Samsung's Touchwiz. Touchwiz can't be stopped or shut down. Most of the Xperia stuff didn't last a reboot. I couldn't get Walkman to run at all.
S4 may be a slightly better platform. It's got a better camera, for one. However, the better user experience goes to Xperia. Walkman's a better music app in every way that's important. Small apps are useful, especially screenshot for me. Album widget is irreplaceable. Now I've got 2 competing music apps, Adapt sound which breaks everything, 2 competing alarm clocks, and of course the one I don't want is the one I can't stop...
It was easy to root,though, to its credit.
Might just get a Z2 and give this one to my wife. Are those easy to root? Z2's, I mean?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, that's a shame and kinda weird. I mean porting should imply that they have been modified to actually run on the device.
The Z2 is easy to root with towelroot or the Z2 root deamon we also used to root our ZL. Then again, everything is easy to root with towelroot.
The best music app is PowerAmp, Walkman kinda sucks when compared to that.
Here are the S4 forums, pick which model you have and see if they have properly ported Xperia apps.
Hi Xperian .. here come again with 2013 series Xperia goodie for android device which missing from lollipop
Drive Safely with Sony Car
It’s never safe to do anything while driving. You may have heard this same advice numerous times from your driving instructor, parents, and your brain; but is a quick phone call or a change of song really that dangerous? It may well be, especially with all the swiping and tapping you have to do to do so. Well, Sony’s realized this and introduced an app on the Xperia Z called Sony Car, a launcher designed specifically for driving.
What is Sony Car launcher?
It is a big ass icons launcher type of app to use when you are driving.Easy to use and very simple basic app to access basic things of your phone when you are driving.And it will keep the display on when you are driving once the app is started.
Installation : install via recovery or install as user app .
iedafarha said:
Hi Xperian .. here come again with 2013 series Xperia goodie for android device which missing from lollipop
Drive Safely with Sony Car
It’s never safe to do anything while driving. You may have heard this same advice numerous times from your driving instructor, parents, and your brain; but is a quick phone call or a change of song really that dangerous? It may well be, especially with all the swiping and tapping you have to do to do so. Well, Sony’s realized this and introduced an app on the Xperia Z called Sony Car, a launcher designed specifically for driving.
What is Sony Car launcher?
It is a big ass icons launcher type of app to use when you are driving.Easy to use and very simple basic app to access basic things of your phone when you are driving.And it will keep the display on when you are driving once the app is started.
Installation : install via recovery or install as user app .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the very late post, but i just bought a Xperia Z5 to use Mirror Link on my Polo Composition Media and avoid driving restriction but this app cannot do anything about it. When you start driving the screen turns black and nothing is shown. And the followin message is diplayed: this app is not compatible with mirrorlink...
My Xperia Z5 has not been update and is using Andoid 5.1.1.
I really like the default apps from Google and replaced everything I could with them, but the Play Store won't let me download the phone app and if I get the apk directly the installation always fails. Could anyone port the app over so I could use it instead of the Xperia phone app since that made some weird design choices and I would prefer the Google solution. Thanks in advance.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-google-dialer-t3557412/page83
exvargos said:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-google-dialer-t3557412/page83
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Click to collapse
Many function doesn't work on this modded dialer.
New dialer is avaible only when you have root and copy dialer files to system apps.
You must waiting for DRM and root. Better install version non Nexus from apkmirror.
https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/google-phone/google-phone-7-0-140861421-nonnexus-release/
I'm not sure where I got mine, there is an old version you can download that works perfectly. Nearby features and caller ID.
Loaded the nonnexus version, works just fine. Thank you very much.
If you want basically the same features and the ability to have a dark/black theme...then use ZENui dialer and contacts and black theme all from the play store. Works great.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.asus.contacts.theme.dark
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.asus.contacts
I had some non nexus version installed over my sony xperia x compact, and suddenly i got updated to version "google phone 14.0.176716531" 0_o
But in this version speed dial doesnt work well, so i was searching a little and found there is also newer version 15.0.179075669
apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/google-phone/google-phone-15-0-179075669-release/#description
And its working without any problem on xperia x compact. Don't have to mod anything, just install and thats all
I have a Xperia XZ Premium, and also of course a Smartwatch 3 which work fine.
About a week ago my wife wanted to upgrade from her Xperia Z5 and so I bought her a Xperia XZ Premium to match mine. and all was fine until we came to try and alter the Classic Face !
As has been mentioned on here the "steps" no longer work, so all we did was change the three widgets, so we had 'battery level', 'date' and 'week number' and my wife wanted to do the same on her nice new phone
But she CAN'T.... for a start there is no little 'cog; in the middle of the watch face so I changed to another face and clicked on the 3 dots on the Classic Face, where the option to get the "settings" was there but when you click on this it tried to connect with Google Play to download the settings from somewhere but fails so obviously the app for that is missing !
So - no steps... and now you can't adjust/change anything like the widgets I have just mentioned, colours or anything else.... why, just why ?????
My still works OK, and I have removed and reinstalled Wear OS a few times on her phone but no joy
So whose fault is this ? Google messing with the OS ? or Sony not updating the watch face ? … or me for not being clever enough to work this out ?
Help please !
As my wife is driving me mad.. all she wants is the watch face she loves to be as she wants it … i.e. like mine !
Transfer app from you phone to hers
parity said:
So - no steps... and now you can't adjust/change anything like the widgets I have just mentioned, colours or anything else.... why, just why ?????
My still works OK, and I have removed and reinstalled Wear OS a few times on her phone but no joy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It looks like the underlying app required to change to setting on the Smartwatch 3 has been removed from the Playstore. I've just upgraded my Xperia and spent ages trying to find it. Eventually, I resorted to using an app that lets me transfer apps from my old phone to my new one. I used SwitchIt, it's quick and easy, and I transferred 2 apps - SmartWatch and Watch Faces (not sure this one is required but the SmartWatch app is). Everything works fine now and I can configure the widgets no probs.
Many Thanks !
Forteanjo said:
It looks like the underlying app required to change to setting on the Smartwatch 3 has been removed from the Playstore. I've just upgraded my Xperia and spent ages trying to find it. Eventually, I resorted to using an app that lets me transfer apps from my old phone to my new one. I used SwitchIt, it's quick and easy, and I transferred 2 apps - SmartWatch and Watch Faces (not sure this one is required but the SmartWatch app is). Everything works fine now and I can configure the widgets no probs.[/QUOTE
Thanks for your reply, as they say better late than never
Seems like it was Sony's fault for removing the Smartwatch 3 App from the store !
We both LOVE our Smartwatch 3, and can't see any reason to 'upgrade' them as they foo everything we want...
Would be nice IF the brought out a Smartwatch 4, as we would certainly buy one !
I won't hold my breath though as they ditched laptops, then tablets and no sign of those coming back either, but my 3 'old' Sony laptops are all running fine on Windows 10 and my 4 Sony tablets are fine too despite no Android upgrades
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can share the "Watch Faces for Smartwatch 3_v2.0.A.0.20.apk" if you still need it...
I have an old Xperia Play that's been lying around for a bunch of years now and looked back at my pile of phones including an Xperia Z1, Xperia Z3 and this Play and it dawned on me the uselessness of these working machines, especially seen as the Play has a fully functional gamepad. So my aim is to flash the most recent version of Android that still has drivers for the pad and to give it a tasty ROM on top. Trouble is, I'm seemingly inept. I've scoured the internet looking for instructions but I'm just not following. I have no prior understanding of the subject other than how to turn on USB debugging, the rest I've literally never seen or heard before so if some kind, patient soul could give me a step by step, it wouldn't exactly save the world but it'd make me warm and happy inside that I could play GTA on my upgraded Xperia play. the phone is barebones as it was in the shop atm, so Android 2.3.4 (I think), and I saw an XMB style ROM and would like to use that if that helps with the process of explaining. Thanks in advance.