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iOS 14 might let you scroll through apps in a list view
Apple appears to be working on a new homescreen option for iOS 14 that will allow users to view their apps in a list format. Leaked code, obtained by 9to5Mac, suggests that the list format will let users sort their apps with several filters.
Spotify ditches its Android homescreen widget
Spotify's latest Android update has riled some of its loyal users. The update removes the homescreen widget from Spotify's Android app. Now, to control functions like play, pause and skip, users must drag down the notification shade. While this may seem like a minor change to some, widgets are a prized Android feature, and nearly 2,000 users have petitioned the widget removal.
Firefox can add web apps to your Android home screen
Firefox is making it easier for Android users to navigate the mobile web with Web App Manifest support, which will ship with Firefox 58 for Android. The feature supports Progressive Web Apps (PWA), the app-like interfaces displayed within mobile web browsers, and will allow users to add them to their home screens so they can be accessed by a single touch (rather than via web search or URL input).
Android stops glitchy apps by detecting your panicky presses
If you can't dismiss an app by pressing the "back" button, it may just be a glitch or crappy app, but it could also be something much worse. That's why Google has quietly slipped in a new Android feature called "panic detection" that can preemptively close an app if you stab at the back button multiple times. So far the feature, spotted by XDA Developers, has appeared in some, but not all devices with Android 7.1 Nougat.
Android 'Taste Test' helps you make a personalized home screen
If you're an Android fan, there's a good chance you already know how to customize your home screen with launchers, icon packs and widgets. But what about everyday users? That's where Google wants to help. It just launched a #myAndroid Taste Test that devises a personalized home screen based on a series of rapid-fire questions, such as whether you prefer a natural or human-made look, or your overall skill level. Once you've finished, you get download links to all the apps you need to create the intended effect, such as wallpaper utilities and keyboards.
Google blurs the line between websites and Android apps
With its latest Chrome Beta release, Google has given app-like websites called "Progressive Web Apps" a higher status on Android. If you launch a site like Flipkart Lite in the latest Android Chrome beta, you'll now get the option "add to home screen," where it'll appear like any other app on your home screen and app drawer. You'll then be able to control notifications in the Android notification management controls, rather than in the Chrome settings like regular web sites.
Google's Meter turns your home screen into an active widget
Google's Creative Lab has released an interesting, and potentially super-helpful, new app on Tuesday called Meter. It transforms your boring, static wallpaper into a functional Material Design widget displaying either your remaining battery life, Wi-Fi signal strength or number of pending notifications. The widgets cycle whenever you turn off the screen so you'll never get stuck counting reception bars. But don't worry, the OS info bar isn't going anywhere The app is free and, being a Creative Lab joint, is open sourced on GitHub.
Yahoo's Android home screen adds search outside of the US
Aviate's contextual home screen was clever, but if you didn't live in the US, you weren't able to search the web without opening a browser window. Now the app has finally -- perhaps belatedly -- added the feature to the platform to everyone whose addresses don't end in America. If you're not caught up, Aviate is an Android home screen that changes through the day to suit your needs, showing you weather information as you get up and travel tips when you leave for work. Yahoo picked up the company at the start of 2014 and launched it under the name Yahoo Aviate the following June. It's free to download from Google Play, as always, and will work everywhere, oh, except China.
Aviate's ever-changing Android home screen is now available to everyone
Just several months after it first surfaced, Aviate's self-organizing Android home screen is now available to everyone, with no invitation required. The finished launcher remains focused on presenting just the apps and info you need at the time you need them. You may get news when you're at home in the morning, navigation apps during your commute or restaurant reviews when out at night. It also categorizes apps to help you find them a little sooner, and plugging in your headphones will both show relevant apps as well as online content related to the tracks you're playing.
A homescreen so creative it'll make you go "heh"
It took me a minute to figure out the humor in the homescreen above, but once I did, it made me go "heh". My only regret is that I didn't think of making it first. Too clever.
Weather forecasts and user photos could be headed to Chromecast's home screen
Google could be looking to the put the main screen of its Chromecast to work, just before it beams videos to your TV. Reddit user asjmcguire recently uncovered HTML code for the dongle's home screen that references current weather and the day's forecast (based on location), complete with the requisite icons needed to illustrate the conditions. What's more, it seems that the folks in Mountain View aren't stopping with weather: personal photos and locations are also mentioned in the code. As you may recall, third-party devs have been making their own useful add-ons for the device thanks to the open SDK, and Google has already released an interactive PhotoWall and cozy fireplace for setting the proper mood.
Facebook Messenger for Android lets you pin chats right to your home screen
Facebook's big-spending CEO presumably has a grand plan for Messenger, now that he's gone to such great lengths to own WhatsApp. For the time being though, his company is continuing to focus on subtle but useful changes to its homemade apps, with the Android version of Messenger just receiving an update to version 4.0. In line with the last week's iOS update, one of biggest new features is the ability to bunch your friends into groups and then pin these gatherings to a dedicated Groups tab, so you can quickly bombard the right people all at once. Unlike iOS, however, you can now also add a shortcut to any group or conversation directly from your Android home screen, letting you open up a floating chat head with a single tap, with no need to navigate through the app. That's the sort of convenience that reminds us why a dedicated Facebook phone was always so unnecessary.
Is this the Samsung Galaxy S5's new tile-based home screen?
As Samsung's Galaxy S5 gets ready to launch, the rumor alert scale has already hit "yellow." The latest from @evleaks shows a possible TouchWiz home screen that would be a sharp U-turn from the current one, if real. It displays information and notifications like Google Now in a tiled format à la Microsoft's Modern/Metro UI -- not unlike the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2's Magazine UX. Naturally, there's no info about how the software would gather up such data, but in any event, the screenshot above could easily be a Samsung test or a fake -- we'll find out in a few short months.
Yahoo acquires Aviate to build context-sensitive Android apps
That was quick -- Aviate hasn't even finished developing its context-aware Android home screen, and it's already an acquisition target. Yahoo has announced at CES that it's buying Aviate for an undisclosed amount; the web giant wants to use Aviate's simplified, ever-changing interface as a "central part" of its Android software in 2014. While it's not clear just what that entails, the launcher replacement will live on for the foreseeable future -- in fact, the first 25,000 people to use the code "YAHOO" will get into the ongoing private beta.
Apple files patent for app access on lockscreen
Apple has filed a patent for something I would love to see implemented in a future iOS update: Quick access to certain apps directly from the iPhone's lockscreen. Patently Apple says that the patent application outlines a system of rotating the "slide to unlock" slider on iOS' lockscreen upwards, and then providing access to a number of apps directly, without having to unlock the phone and find the apps on the home screen. I could not love this idea more. I think one of iOS' biggest weaknesses is the home screen's lack of actual functionality. Apple has taken half measures by providing direct access to the camera app and a better implementation of the Notification Center, but most of the lockscreen is wasted space. There's almost no way to add information and functionality you want. It's a major loss, especially when you consider how Apple's competitors have handled things. Obviously Apple wants a good-looking way to do it, and I respect that. But this idea definitely seems like it offers some good possibilities. According to Apple's patent, the sliding display would feature a touch-sensitive home button, and the way you'd get access to these apps would be to enter some specific combination of gestures on that button directly. Of course, like all of the patents we see come out of Apple, there's no guarantee that this will ever be implemented in this way. But man, I'd definitely like to see more functionality on my iPhone's lockscreen, however it's put together.
Facebook Home official, replaces your app icons with social info (video)
Today Facebook finally took the wraps off Home, a suite of apps and a home screen replacement for Android phones. It's not just a new UI for launching apps however; it replaces the lockscreen with Cover Feed and prioritizes updates from people instead of apps. There is a standard paginated launcher, that is always just a swipe away. But the focus is on the full-screen images that are your new welcome screen. These are status updates from friends that you can easily flip through and double tap to like when someone posts something exciting. Plain text status updates are placed over a user's cover photo, to keep the appearance consistent with photo-centric posts. Notifications are presented as small cards, which Facebook applies an algorithm to, in order determine the updates that are most important to you. Just like with the standard Android UI you simply swipe notifications off screen to dismiss them. But, if you want to remove all of them in one shot, you long press a single notification and the rest will be drawn to it and you'll be able to dismiss the entire stack.
Galaxy Note II vulnerability lets attackers (briefly) access home screen apps (updated)
A security flaw discovered by Terence Eden on the Galaxy Note II with Android 4.1.2 may make that device less secure than you think when it's locked by a code or other method. He discovered that the homescreen can be accessed, albeit it just for a split second, by pressing the "Emergency Call" icon, then the ICE button and finally pressing the physical home key for several seconds. While brief, it's still enough time to click on any of your homescreen apps, which normally wouldn't present a problem since access goes away when the home page disappears again. However, if one of your apps is a "direct dial" widget, for instance, a call can actually be placed by a hacker, and many other programs that perform an action at launch could also leave the device vulnerable. We've confirmed the flaw on our own handsets and the individual who discovered it says that after reporting it five days ago, Samsung has yet to respond. We've reached out to the Korean company ourselves and will let you know about any further developments. Update: Samsung's emailed us to say it's aware of the matter and is working on a fix (see below). Samsung is aware of the consumer inquiries regarding the pattern lock feature embedded on some of the Galaxy devices and plans to provide a software update to address it as quickly as possible.
Microsoft explains the origins of Windows Phone 8's home and lock screens
We've delved into just what we think of Windows Phone 8's interface, but not what led Microsoft to the final layout. The company isn't content to let us wonder -- a pair of new company blog posts explain some (though not all) of what was involved in that birthing process. Ignore the marketing spin and you'll learn that the wider, more densely packed home screen was chosen as much for balance as to stuff in more home tiles, and that it caused a momentary crisis for the app list as a result. The Redmond team goes on to justify choices behind the lock screen, such as why notifications are as customizable as they are, why the music controls fade and why there's a failsafe for PIN attempts. Don't expect to come out of the explanations suddenly craving a Lumia 920; just expect to make more sense of the OS inside.
Japan court rules Apple did not infringe two Samsung patents
In the latest scuffle between Apple and Samsung, a Tokyo court has ruled that the iPhone 4 and 4S do not infringe on two of Sammy's patents. According to The Asahi Shimbun, a decision on September 14th found Apple had not violated a patent related to app downloads, as Samsung's method is different. A dispute regarding flight / airplane mode also went in Cupertino's favor on October 11th, because the technology in question was regarded by the court as incremental. Only one case against Apple remains undecided in Japan -- for a patent on using "homescreen space" -- but, as usual, don't expect that to be the last chapter in the neverending story.
Daily iPhone App: ScreenDIY lets you beautify your iPhone homescreen
If you want to spruce up your home screen or add some flair to your iPhone's lock screen, then you should check out ScreenDIY from SoftEase. The app has a repository of retina wallpapers, but at 152 images, it's not an overwhelming amount. You'll find a nice mix of frames, patterns and professional images. There's also a decent selection of App shelves and icon skins if you prefer a snazzier look. The wallpaper selection is constantly being updated by the developer, so there's always something fresh and new for you to browse. Besides stock wallpapers, ScreenDIY also lets you customize both your homescreen and lock screen wallpapers by mixing and matching the stock images. You can select the DIY option and choose a custom background, a matching icon skin and more. You can also add a personal touch by importing a photo from your camera roll or by taking a photo on the fly using the camera. A preview button lets you see the skin in action. When you are done, you can save the custom skin to your camera roll and then set it manually as your background. You can also share it via Facebook, Twitter Flickr, Sina weibo and Tencent weibo. Though I usually don't install wallpaper apps, I decided to check out ScreenDIY because it had some attractive backgrounds and, at 6.6 MB, it wasn't going to take up too much space on my 16 GB iPhone. I'm happy with the app and look forward to the new wallpapers that are added each week. ScreenDIY is available for 99-cents from the iOS App Store.
