Android Lollipop brings us Material Design, smooth scrolling, and a nicer UI in general. But it also takes away some things. The most visible changes are the lock screen. Notifications have reached the lock screen – finally. But we had to say goodbye to lock screen widgets. Apps like DashClock and others have created super useful lock screen widgets. You can view notes, even switch system features from these widgets.
But don’t worry. All is not lost. Since notifications are now officially on the lock screen, we can do all sorts of great stuff with them. Includes toggles, shortcuts, and more. And we’ll do all that without a lock screen replacement app. That’s right, we’ll stay true to the original Lollipop lock screen and upgrade it in the process.
1. Action widget
As you may already know, Android supports fixed notifications. These notifications aren’t really there to inform you about the content.
The best among them are Action Widgets. It has awesome Lollipop style and polygonal background. Also you can put any switch there that you like. Wi-Fi, GPS, data, everything. However, some toggles like GPS require you to be rooted.
Just download the app and activate it. You will see the Actions widget in the lock screen. Depending on how your phone is set up, you’ll see it either directly on the lock screen or after swiping down on the lock screen (rather than swiping up to unlock it).
2. Hanger
Hanger is a notification widget that monitors your app usage and places shortcuts to the apps you use most right in the lock screen. So now you can access all of that from the lock screen.
From the widget, just tap the app icon, the Hanger widget. And right from the lock screen, the app will launch.
There is also a rather unconventional alternative to Hanger. As I said in my Android Launcher article, EverythingMe is my current favorite launcher. And it has the feature to place shortcuts to smart folders as notifications, right on the lock screen. If you already use EverythingMe (as you should), just enable it from settings instead of trying out a whole new app.
3. Transient Notice
Is it a bit annoying when your phone is right on the table where you can see it, you get notifications.. and nothing. It just buzzes, shows the notification light but that’s all. You don’t know what that notification is until you pick up your phone or press the power button.
Glimpse is a simple app that tries to solve this problem. Whenever you receive a notification, it lights up the screen for a few seconds so you can see the notification and decide if it needs any response.
Of course, the app is smart about that and uses the sensors in your phone to know when your phone is in a pocket or outdoors.
Alternative: AcDisplay works like Glimpse but it’s really a lock screen replacement app. Although we’re not talking about those things right now, I can’t help but mention it. Using AcDisplay, you lose the traditional Lollipop notifications, but you get features like automatic screen wake-up, a minimalistic interface, and more. The video below explains the appeal of the app.
Reward: Notes on Lock Screen
I used to say that I am a forgetful person. But I never forget to check my phone’s lock screen before leaving somewhere. That means it’s the perfect place to leave small notes. I talked about this in detail in a previous post but here is the gist. Just use Pushbullet to send notes to your own device. It will show up on the lock screen and will stay there until you swipe it away.
What’s more, Brute?
Now it’s your turn. Let us know about the upgrades you’ve made to your lock screen in the comments section below.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
