Android Magazine Issue 54 - 2015 UK.pdf

Feature
»101 hacks to upgrade your Android
15
Increase battery life
with Kernel Toolkit
Purchase Pro
Unlocker
Install Kernel Toolkit.
Launch the app, open
the side menu, then
tapUnlockPro
Features. Follow the
instructions and
purchase Kernel
Toolkit Pro Unlocker
(£2.18).
Group tasks
into least
threads
Launch the app,
swipetothePower
tab. Tap Multicore
Power Savings and
settoEnabledor
Aggressive. You’re
lesslikelytohave
issues with Enabled.
Confused?
Request help!
Depending on your
kernel,you’llsee
different options. If
you’re confused about
any of these settings,
youcangetmore
information by tapping
the‘?’towardsthe
topofthemenu.
TweakwithXposedandmodules
16
Don’t have Xposed?
To grab Xposed for Android 5.0 Lollipop,
follow this link to download it from the XDA Forums:
http://goo.gl/B3GLjo. Once installed, add modules
by launching the Xposed Installer, tapping Download,
andsearchingforthemoduleinquestion.
17 Swipeuptosleep
On some Android devices the Power button
isn’t always in the most convenient location. The
SwipeUpToSleep Xposed module enables you to
turn your screen off just by swiping up from the
home button.
18 Makeyourdevicebootfaster
Certain apps may take it upon themselves to
start running automatically when your device boots,
which can really eat into your performance. Control
exactly which apps start running on system startup,
with the BootManager module.
19
Get control over apps
Android M’s new permissions model will give
users more control over what information apps can
access. Until then, use AppOpsXposed to restrict
permissions on a per-app basis, which also restricts
the information these app(s) can access.
Feed apps fake data
Similar to AppOpsXposed, XPrivacy is a
module for the privacy-conscious, which has a
few more options. Use this module to restrict the
data categories each application can access while
feeding your apps fake data.
Customise Google Hangouts
The XHangouts module enables you to
personalise the stock Hangouts app by changing its
colour and hiding all the buttons that you don’t use.
It also gives you more control over the format and
quality of your MMS images.
Tired of Google’s stock apps? Try these alternatives
20
21
Password-protect your
individual apps
Addanextralayerofsecurityto your Android device
by protecting individual apps with a password, PIN
or pattern. With the ProtectedApps module, you can
lock down both third-party and system apps.
22
Get more detailed
Do your lock screen widgets fail to deliver
enough information at a glance? When you install the
aptly-named Maximize Lockscreen Widgets module,
all your widgets appear expanded by default, so you
can see more details.
23
14
Calendar widgets
Boredofthestock
Google Calendar widget? Grab
Calendar Widget: Month and
get access to over 70 new
calendar widgets, which sync
automatically with your Google
Calendar account.
Replace keyboard
SwiftKey Keyboard +
Emoji is a popular replacement
keyboard. It adapts to your
writing style, supports both
tapping and swipe-to-write,
and is fully customisable with
over 70 designs and themes.
Get Xperia
keyboard
Lollipop and KitKat users
can enjoy the Sony Xperia Z3
keyboard, even on non-Z3
devices. In order to get hold of
this keyboard port, head over
to: http://goo.gl/tNGDg8.
PortedXperiaapps
24 25 26 27 28
Ifyouwanttogetmore
of that Z3 experience, Lollipop
users can grab a selection of
ported Xperia apps from XDA
Developers (http://goo.gl/
Z4hRua) and then flash them
to their device.
CyanogenMod
without root
Download CM Apps, and you’ll
have access to the apps,
wallpapers and the launcher
that usually come pre-installed
when you flash the popular
CyanogenMod custom ROM.