Hi folks.
My first post.
I am not entirely sure if I should post this question into the Nexus 4 forum (as that’s the device I have) or if there is a Apex related forum? Or whether it is best to put it in this Android Q&A forum. As this is not device specific I have decided to post it here. Please more it is that's the wrong move to make.
MY QUESTION - APPS IN APEX LAUNCHER
When I install an app (which is typically via the Play Store) the app icon does not end up on my home screen. Or what I think Apex calls a drawer. Occasionally an app does appear there automatically, but perhaps a couple out of the 50 or so apps I've installed.
The only way I have found to get them onto my drawer (or home screen) is I have to hold my finder on the screen and the "Add to Home screen" menu pops up. From there I can select "Shortcuts" and from the top of that menu I can select "Apps". I can then select just ONE app to appear on my home screen. But the thought of doing this for every app doesn't make sense to me. Is there a way to get them there automatically?
Perhaps I am completely misunderstanding the concept of the home screens. I am switching over from iOS, and there one organises all apps on home screens. Perhaps on Android the home screen is not meant for storing and accessing all the app icons??
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
If you can hold down on the a home screen one of the options is to create a shortcut. Next you go to apex options. Then app drawer, you can then move it onto your dock and move it as you please. Pic. Tutorial attached on nexus 7 but it should be about the same.
Hope this helped~Flainz
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Flainz said:
If you can hold down on the a home screen one of the options is to create a shortcut. Next you go to apex options. Then app drawer, you can then move it onto your dock and move it as you please. Pic. Tutorial attached on nexus 7 but it should be about the same.
Hope this helped~Flainz
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Thanks for taking the time to answer and to post the images.
I do actually have an icon for the App Drawer down on the Dock.
So am I correct in understanding that the App Drawer is the primary place to access apps on Android?
If that is so, then is it correct that the home screens are only for storing some apps, and displaying widgets?
Just now I tried to organise some apps in the App Drawer into folders. But holding on an app (I just now discovered) engages the process to move the app to the Home Screen. At least now I have found a more direct way to get apps onto the home screen. The process I outlined in my OP was somewhat convoluted.
So this is starting to make more sense to me. Please correct anything I have misunderstood:
- Home screens are for quick access to apps I specially want direct access to
- Homes screens are for displaying widgets
- The App Drawer is where all apps can be found, and any I want quicker access to I must manually copy to the home screen
Am I thinking along the right lines here?
One question though. Why is it that occasionally when I install a new app it does in fact appear on the Apex launcher home screen (automatically, or as soon as I move something around like an app icon or a widget)… and yet most apps do not ??
Thanks...
Yup that's how it is, unlike apple if that's what you came from the main home screen is the middle one and if you hold down on any home screen you can access your wallpaper to change it
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---------- Post added at 09:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:55 PM ----------
PS. I just realized I read your op wrong lol the home screens are basically a place for widgets and storage for app shortcuts you can go into your app drawer and hold down on an app then you can draw it to the home screen or if you do not have Google now you can use Google search to look up your apps. Unlike iOS if you want to uninstall you can not just delete it off of the home screen you can go into Settings>Apps>[app you want to delete]>then uninstall or clear data, for launchers, and app set to default, a clear defaults to revoke the app as launching by default for certain files hope this helps
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PS. I just realized I read your op wrong lol the home screens are basically a place for widgets and storage for app shortcuts you can go into your app drawer and hold down on an app then you can draw it to the home screen or if you do not have Google now you can use Google search to look up your apps. Unlike iOS if you want to uninstall you can not just delete it off of the home screen you can go into Settings>Apps>[app you want to delete]>then uninstall or clear data, for launchers, and app set to default, a clear defaults to revoke the app as launching by default for certain files hope this helps
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Great. Thanks.
Much appreciated. I am greatly enjoying my Nexus Android experience thus far. I had to spend weeks hacking away on my jailbroken iOS device to get it even half as nice and functional as this beast, and I've only had this out of the box for a week!
Nice I'm glad you like and not to mention the extra screen size right xD
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Related
On the S2, it seems when you remove an app, the app drawer doesn't re-org it just leaves a gap meaning it has to be manually sorted. Is there a way to automatically sort it other than using the list view?
I also have a similar question to this that I can't find the answer to anywhere..
Basically I have the same problem with around 9 app drawers half filled. I could sit here for an hour dragging each app icon, one at a time, to other app drawers to consolidate them into less drawers but it's very tedious and annoying to do this.
In some apps, I can select multiple icons (such as multiple pictures) and then move them all to another folder, or perform an action on all the selected icons; I can't seem to find a way to do this with my non-rooted SGS2.
I'm trying to find an app that will allow me to set categories and then assign app icons to those categories and then be able to sort all my icons based on the different categories... again, I've not had any success finding an app like that...
...so I've ended up here, on XDA Forums, to ask the people who know more than me.
light487 said:
I also have a similar question to this that I can't find the answer to anywhere..
Basically I have the same problem with around 9 app drawers half filled. I could sit here for an hour dragging each app icon, one at a time, to other app drawers to consolidate them into less drawers but it's very tedious and annoying to do this.
In some apps, I can select multiple icons (such as multiple pictures) and then move them all to another folder, or perform an action on all the selected icons; I can't seem to find a way to do this with my non-rooted SGS2.
I'm trying to find an app that will allow me to set categories and then assign app icons to those categories and then be able to sort all my icons based on the different categories... again, I've not had any success finding an app like that...
...so I've ended up here, on XDA Forums, to ask the people who know more than me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you have let me think 3 options or maybe two...either download appzorter application from the market..that basically will sort all your applications in alphabetical order and also the folders you create. then if you have gaps it will sort that for you as well and fill the empty spaces.
or second option use a different launcher from the market and it sorts the icons and folders for you.
one launcher that lets you organize your apps into categories i think its either nova launcher or 360 launcher..no need to be rooted or anything like that to be able to use those apps. good luck let me know how you guys get on
Thanks, I have the EX Launcher.. but I don't like it because I have to setup the home screen gain and I had trouble finding the same widgets I had on the out-of-the-box launcher.. maybe I will try again one day.. but for now I will have a look at appzorter to solve my immediate annoyances
+1 for Appzorter
Why Samsung didn't include this function is beyond me.
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Samsung does. But on Epic 4G which has an auto organized TW4 launcher. I only fine one custo which ported it to our model. But i am not able to make it run on another rom. So bad...
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light487 said:
In some apps, I can select multiple icons (such as multiple pictures) and then move them all to another folder, or perform an action on all the selected icons; I can't seem to find a way to do this with my non-rooted SGS2.
I'm trying to find an app that will allow me to set categories and then assign app icons to those categories and then be able to sort all my icons based on the different categories... again, I've not had any success finding an app like that...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To add a folder just go to Applications -> Context menu (hardware button) -> Edit -> Add Folder
light487 said:
Thanks, I have the EX Launcher.. but I don't like it because I have to setup the home screen gain and I had trouble finding the same widgets I had on the out-of-the-box launcher.. maybe I will try again one day.. but for now I will have a look at appzorter to solve my immediate annoyances
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have a look in themes and apps. there is a thread there that has modified touchwiz launchers and implemented in the touchwiz there is a modified version of appzorter. have a look there
I seem to have stumbled on a quirk I haven't seen mentioned yet and am looking for help with it.
I'm using folders to categorize apps and when I add them to the homescreen as shortcuts, they work as expected. If however I then add more items to the folder, it doesn't seem to update the shortcuts properly. The number in the corner stays the same and the new items are not displayed.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Yup. Same for me.
Also for the TW app drawer, if I reboot the phone, the app orderings would mess up. I've organized mine to a certain order...and it varies a little bit everytime I reboot which is extremely annoying.
Unfortunately still the case in the new KE7 build. I'm surprised it's not bugging more people, is this not an oft-used feature?
you forgot that there are other launchers , i use go launcher
nechmadi said:
you forgot that there are other launchers , i use go launcher
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Sorry for bumping the thread but..i just wanted to say thank you for that useful information.may i ask what color of your jeans you prefer?
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I don't think this a bug.. it seems that whenever you drag the folder fo you home launcher it is treated as a single entity and not linked to your folder in your app drawer.
The only solution for this is wheneved you update your folder, simply delete the old one from your home launcher and drag the updated one from your app drawer again.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA
First, I'm not a developer (any more), just a novice user of a Nexus 10.
I've been playing with various widgets, putting them on the home screen & building groups of apps to keep the screen simple,
so I can actually see my wallpaper. (Nothing special, just pics I like.)
Problem is that huge Google bar at the top. Is there an simple way to get rid of it, like the select-drag-drop for other home screen stuff.?
Also, there seems to be some limits on where I can actually put apps or widgets. Is there a way to adjust this too?
I'd really like to put a dashboard widget in place of that Google bar.
Finally, is there a way to disable Google when I select or swipe nearby the bottom of the screen?
This is a real pain-in-the-patootie when playing solitaire & the cards get near the bottom of the screen.
Thanks in advance. I could not find this anywhere in the Q&A forum for Android.
Try a different launcher, like nova, which will allow you to disable the persistent search bar.
Ok, what' a "launcher"?
bodh said:
Try a different launcher, like nova, which will allow you to disable the persistent search bar.
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Sounds helpful, if I knew what a launcher is.
I am soooooo out of date re: computers of any kind anymore...
Just go on google play and search "launcher"! It is the app which launches other apps, provides the app drawer, and many other setting options, like how pages scroll, etc.
Thanks!
Thanks for the info. I'll go see whats I can find, & come back here to make sure its a good one.
Root file manager under system then apps. Look for Google search bar and add .back at end then restart phone
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... and how do I...?
aandkharris said:
Root file manager under system then apps. Look for Google search bar and add .back at end then restart phone
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using xda premium
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Sounds good, a real engineering solution instead of a workaround (not that there is anything wrong with a workaround).
How to I get to the root file system to modify filenames?
I'm on a Nexus 10. Any idea what app/widget/setting function to use?
I've got "androzip" which let's me see the file system down to a certain point ( /.) & shows a bunch of folders,
but crashes when I try to see what's in the folder named "root"
Suggested launcher?
bodh said:
Just go on google play and search "launcher"! It is the app which launches other apps, provides the app drawer, and many other setting options, like how pages scroll, etc.
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Click to collapse
Which one is best/most reliable/free-or-cheap?
If I muck this thing up, Duh Hubby will get really upset!
I know there is/was a list of recommended apps & widgets, but can't find the thread now. Don't know if it mentioned a launcher anyway.
Thanks again!
bodh said:
Try a different launcher, like nova, which will allow you to disable the persistent search bar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just now realized that you suggest a launcher here... Doh!
The other suggestion about changing s filename may be good too. I suspect a launcher will be safer for me.
Yes, using a launcher is better. Otherwise you'd have to unlock the bootloader of Nexus 10, which will wipe all your data, then set it up all over again and restore backed up data, then get into the root filesystem and modify the file name of the app file, which can be too much since you say you're not experienced (unless you're interested in learning to do all that) The app is called QuickSearchBox.apk btw not GoogleSearchBox.apk.
Also, custom launchers like Nova and Apex launcher look exactly the same as the default launcher you're using right now, but have a boatload of additional features a lot of which you may find interesting and useful. The default (stock) launcher is very basic in functionality.
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Now using Nova launcher
sashank said:
Yes, using a launcher is better. Otherwise you'd have to unlock the bootloader of Nexus 10, which will wipe all your data, then set it up all over again and restore backed up data, then get into the root filesystem and modify the file name of the app file, which can be too much since you say you're not experienced (unless you're interested in learning to do all that) The app is called QuickSearchBox.apk btw not GoogleSearchBox.apk.
Also, custom launchers like Nova and Apex launcher look exactly the same as the default launcher you're using right now, but have a boatload of additional features a lot of which you may find interesting and useful. The default (stock) launcher is very basic in functionality.
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Thanks!
Much nicer than Android basic, more "toys" to play with & no Google bar at the top!
I even learned what a home screen actually is & have set up several for different uses.
Another fun time waster to play with beyond just games... would be nice to set
different wallpaper for each screen, but being able to actually see the whole
image is really nice.
I think I'll get the Pro version to get rid of other Google launch with the sweep/touch near
the bottom of screen- the answer to the second part of my original question.
Thanks to all who replied... I feel like such a noon at this point. These forums are truly the best place
to find/get answers to basics questions. The Help provided by Google is distinctly lacking in detail.
Now to search for answers to more questions....
damn. the stock launcher is actually pretty nice on the hydro edge at least for my pop but I want that damned google bar gone (BUT WANT google search and google now) I just want the stupid useless homescreen bar gone (its too small for him to use he can't hit the mic icon reliably) so I just put a regular voice search icon on the screen for him.
Grrr I hate when they "shove" things down your throat like that.
nerys71 said:
damn. the stock launcher is actually pretty nice on the hydro edge at least for my pop but I want that damned google bar gone (BUT WANT google search and google now) I just want the stupid useless homescreen bar gone (its too small for him to use he can't hit the mic icon reliably) so I just put a regular voice search icon on the screen for him.
Grrr I hate when they "shove" things down your throat like that.
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Agree with you
Is there any way to go into system and delete it all together?
You can't delete system apps unless you are rooted, which if you have a nexus device than this is super easy
Yes as mentioned before the simple fix is just use another launcher, there are many amazing ones to pick from often with a free version that works great
As for removing the bar from the stock launcher the easiest way would be to decompile the .apk and find the xml file for it and chances are change a simple bit of code from true to false but without ever decompiling this myself can't say how its set up. But in truth this may be more work than it is worth
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Hi everyone, I am looking for a launcher/app that allows multiple horizontal scrollable docks. Does something like this exist? Or even a dock that can be placed in the middle of the home screen rather than the top or bottom. I guess I just assumed something like this existed.
You could have a 5x1 " games" row that would allow you to scroll through all your games. I would imaging it could hold approximately 7 apps total. And a "social" row that you could scroll through to access all social apps.
Seems like a very practical I idea if possible. I appreciate any input.
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You could create folders and organize your important apps that way.
Just drag one icon on top of another, and the launcher will create a new folder and ask you to name it.
Then add more similar apps to each folder.
That way you can have all your apps on your launcher desktop, organized in folders.
Yes, simi folders gives an option to scroll horizontally after opening the app folder. However, it's not quite the same functionality as having multiple docks on one screen. I'm in talks with a Dev to see if this is even possible. IMO, it would open a lot of doors to customization of home screens
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You should look @ Home-UX. I believe this is what you are looking for. A great launcher with nifty tricks, unfortuanately the dev team seems to have abandoned it. Need to revivew it, for the great feature set it supports
Go launcher has a 1 2 or 3 dock option
Edit: found a much simpler way, feel silly now. Just open app drawer, move from dock to app drawer, then add any app you want to dock.
So I've been stumped on this since I got my One. Just stumbled into this solution. Stock unrooted 4.1.2 T-Mobile HTC One. Here's what I did.
To replace the browser icon with Chrome:
Go to Settings, Apps, All Apps, go to the stock browser (Internet), select Disable. Check to ensure it has disappeared from the dock bar. Open the launcher drawer, long press Chrome as if to add to a home screen, then put it in the empty space where the stock browser was before.
Voila.
If you want, you can enable the stock browser again.
The only thing I've noticed so far is that this caused Chrome to actually disappear from my app drawer. Strange, but I'm happy with it in the dock.
Hope this helps anyone like me.
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thanks for sharing your ideas.
the way to change the dock icons are to hold down app icon in drawer and drag down, to remove do the opposite drag icon up out of dock into app drawer... much easier than disabling apps and yes it does make it disappear from app drawer however it seems on the home screens if you drag an icon up from the dock it clones it if you want the icon somewhere else too
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