MELANCHOLY404 TECHNOLOGY

In one of the motivational talk shows I saw on TED, I learned that freedom to make mistakes helps you to free yourself from all constraints of being perfect and helps you to open yourself to all kind of opportunities and possibilities. This holds true in all walks of life, even when you are working on your computer. As you are working on Windows or Mac, the OS gives you the freedom to work carelessly  with files. You know that there is a fail safe designed called the Recycle Bin that will store deleted files, giving you a chance to restore them if deleted by accident.

However, even after six generations of Android, there is no failsafe yet to tackle such accidents. A file deleted from your phone is gone forever. You can certainly try to recover them using some file recovery tool, but chances of success are thin and totally dependent on your luck.
So today, I am going to introduce you to an app for Android that will give you the freedom to commit mistakes. Dumpster for Android is a free app which brings in the recycle bin feature, just like one you have on Windows and Mac, right on your Android. Also, you don’t need root access for the app to function and works with all the file managers out there.

Dumpster for Android

To get started, the very first thing you will have to do is install the Dumpster app from the Play Store (which is free, btw) and once it’s initialized, simply press the home button and let it run in the background. If you have a built-in Auto Start App Manager, make sure to include this app as an auto start app so that the services are not stopped in case you reboot.

 
Dumpster will now monitor your internal storage and no matter what you delete from any of the file managers, it will be recorded and cached by Dumpster.

The Features of Dumpster

The best part about using Dumpster is that unlike other recycle bin apps available on Android, you don’t need to share files to the app in order to add them. The app automatically monitors the files that have been deleted from the files system. Also, the app works on almost all the file types including images, videos, audio, pdf, zip, mp3, mp4, ppt, doc, avi, mpg, jpg, rar, etc and you don’t need to work on a 3rd party file manager to manage your files.
 
After the deleted files are collected by Dumpster and you now have two options. You can select files and restore them to the original location if you deleted them by accident or you realize later that you needed those files. Or, if you wish to free device storage, you can delete them permanently. In the settings menu, you can choose which of the files you would like to protect using Dumpster and which one you would like to delete directly, as all the files stored by Dumpster are still in the system storage and thus, occupy storage space lest you delete ’em permanently. You can also choose self-cleaning period after which the cached files on Dumpster will be cleaned automatically.
 
There are premium features using which you can get cloud backup along with ad-free interface, but it’s expensive at $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year. The ads are not obtrusive and you can work with a free version as long as you don’t need cloud backup for files through Dumpster. This can anyways be done for free using other apps available on the Play Store.
 

Conclusion

That was Dumpster using which you can have a failsafe on Android for files that you might delete by accident. No need to root your device and even Internet connection is absolutely not required. The only thing that it needs is a persistent notification so that its services are not killed by the OS in order to free up some RAM as any file deleted while it’s not running will be deleted automatically. So make sure you try out the app and don’t forget to share your views about it.

Sometimes the notification drawer in Android gets too crowded with multiple notifications stacked under each other. And, most of the space is taken up by those fully expanded notifications (*ahem* Amazon Ads *ahem*). So, did you ever feel the need to personalize (or customize) such notifications in Android? Maybe bundle up multiple notifications of the same app in one notification or always show a notification in it’s expanded view. Well, guys, don’t worry if you didn’t feel the need for it. Because NOW YOU DO.

Many developers don’t make full use of the Notification API for Android. They’re not giving you full control of how the notification should look in the notification drawer. For your information below are the notifications types.

• Bundle: Collection of multiple notifications into one single notification. (Like we have in Gmail.)
• Head-Up Notification: You know that. (eg. WhatsApp)
• Multi-Line Text: Notification with a large chunk of text or data in it.
• Elastic List: Minimized version of Multi-line text but can be stretched to get the full view of it.

So, now what if you could enable these different types of notification views and customize the look of notifications?

Let the Nevolution Begin

Yes, you can. A new open source Android app called Nevolution can give your smartphone the ability to do so. Nevolution gives you the freedom to customize the views of notifications in the notification drawer the way you like. Let’s dig in and see how you can do it. It can run on Android devices powered by version 4.3 and above.

Choose a Notification of an App to Customize it

After you download and install the app you’re pretty much good to go. If you already have notifications in the notification drawer then it will show up in the Notification list of the app. Tap on the notification to customize it.



At the bottom, the customize button will pop-up. Along with that, you get the option to make the notification appear again in the notification drawer if you had swiped it away.

Customizing the Look of Notification

I’ve chosen Flipboard’s notification. And, its notification view is of the Elastic list type. But, I always want it to show in multi-line text view. Always expanded so I don’t need to stretch it down to fully view it. Now tap on the customize button. On the next screen, at the bottom, you’ll find different notification styles that you can apply to the notification. (Notification styles mentioned above).
So, here I’ll choose the Multi-line Text style for Flipboard Notifications.

The same way you can customize the notification by applying different styles. You can even bundle notification into one single notification. For example news stories from your News app.

Also, for messaging apps like WhatsApp and WeChat, you get special tweaks. You can separate multiple bundled notification into the separate notifications as shown below.

The notification list on the home screen of the app also works as notification log. It saves all the notification and its actions. You can make the notification appear again and perform the same action of notification again.
It’s a great way to keep track of notifications and customize the way you want it.

It’s Underrated

The app currently has mixed reviews on Play Store with an average rating of 3.7. I myself experienced some issues like notifications not showing up. But, if you’re having issues with the notifications and if it’s misbehaving then you should install the extension pack. Go to settings of the app and you’ll get the option for it. Also, you can join the conversation about it on XDA-forums thread. One of the reason could be that other notification based app installed by you might be conflicting.
However, in my usage, it’s performed well. I’ll give it a 4.3 out of 5 .

It was the Google I/O Conference yesterday and as always, there is so much to talk about it in the tech world. So many new things – apps and services were launched like Allo, Duo, Google Home, etc. But out of all these, the one thing that caught my attention was the Android Instant Apps. In simple words, the feature allows a user to work on an Android app without installing them on their device and from what it looks like, the feature is going to be a game changer.

So let’s talk about the new feature as to what it is all about and how it’s gonna be useful for both, the user and the developers.

What is Android Instant Apps

Android Instant Apps is Android apps running on your phone without installing themselves. Basically, whenever we open up a website which needs us to install an app to continue or we get a link in our instant messaging which redirects us to a page on Play Store to install an app to view the contents, things become quite tedious. Just because you wanted to watch live updates of a cricket inning or you wished to buy a cell phone online, making it mandatory to download an entire app from Play Store doesn’t make sense.
What Android Instant Apps does is that it rather than downloading and installing the entire app to get something done, it downloads only the necessary code which is necessary for the task you are performing and executes it on the fly. You won’t even feel the difference and it will run just like a normal Android app. If you think you would want to use the app in the future, you can tap on the install button to get the entire app experience on your phone or just close the browser page to clear the memory.

The Android Instant App download is limited to 4 megabytes and thus, it makes sure that it’s available instantly and does not take too much of memory on the device RAM. Google claims that a user won’t even feel the difference as everything will be as smooth as the app is installed on the device.

Uses and Availability of Android Instant

One of the most important uses of Google Instant is for the websites which are mobile only, and ask you to download the app if you are browsing from the phone. Using Google Instant, they can give you a taste of the app directly from the web and if you like it, you can go ahead and install it. These are also helpful in places like a parking lot where you need to pay for parking using an app but instead of downloading it, you can go to the pay zone and get things done on the go.

Google Instant App will not be limited to Android N or Marshmallow, but will work on any device running on Android 4.1+ (API Level 16) or higher with Google Play services. Devices which don’t have Google Play Services, most of them which are from China, will not be able to access Android Instant App for obvious reasons.
At the moment about a half dozen partners are trying Instant Apps which includes Buzzfeed, B&H Photo Video, and Medium. Google plans to expand Android Instant App and welcomes more partners over the next few months and users will be able to experience it later this ear.

For Developers

As a developer, Google claims that it’s pretty easy to be a part of Android Instant. As a developer, if the source code of the app is modularized, it can take less than a day of setup to make it Instant App ready. Keeping things modular allows Google Play Services to download only the part which is needed on the fly.

Conclusion

As far as my opinion is concerned, I am glad Google launched something like this. This can streamline a lot of things when the user is browsing on the web and he is suddenly asked to install an app to proceed. I just hope Google does it right and keep things simple for everyone to catch up to it. If you’re a developer, for more information and details regarding Android Instant Apps, you can visit g.co/InstantApps.

Android Marshmallow introduced some improvements in copy-paste functionality of Android devices. We also showed you how you can get these improvements on older versions of Android. But, we still don’t have a native clipboard manager for Android. We copy text every now and then between apps and PCs. So, here I’d like to share some clipboard apps that will let you easily manage these copied texts on your Android smartphone.

1. My Clipboard Manager

My Clipboard manager is customizable clipboard app that you can access from any screen. After you install the app you need to turn on the copy buffer of the app. Thereafter it will start tracking your copied text and add it to the clipboard.
You can sort the clipboard based on date or usage (other sorting options available). You can access the clipboard with a simple swipe up (enable the feature in settings for floating window). Also, you can expand the width of the area from where you can swipe.
Additionally, you can further edit the clipboard texts and delete. A single tap in the clipboard will copy that particular text, thereafter you can paste it wherever you want. It’s the best app if you want quick access to the clipboard.

2. Easy Copy

Easy Copy clipboard manager lets you easily manage copied text and also allows you to perform tasks with the text. Easy copy pops out a menu from the bottom of the screen which contains apps where you can use this copied text. If it’s a phone number, you can open the Dialer app and it will automatically paste it to the Dialer. Same with Google Maps and Search.
Easy copy also provides quick access to copied text from the notification tray. If you frequently copy some specific text like your email or phone number then you can favorite them and quickly access them from this clipboard pop up. You can switch between your favorite clips and clipboard.
One annoying thing is, of course, the ads. To remove them you need to pay for the Easy Copy+ app.

3. Clip Stack

Clip Stack is my go-to app for clipboard management. It’s open source and free. Many developers have contributed to its development till now, and it’s one of best apps you can use. It has similar features to the above apps, but, there are tiny little add-ons to this app that no other app has and that’s what makes it the best for me.
It shows you the number of words and character that you copied in a particular clip. You can set the priority of the notification in the notification tray. The floating clipboard has more options, works like a full fledge clipboard manager.
You can also set a PIN lock if you copy some sensitive content. Also, you can limit the storage history of clips in the clipboard. It’s the one app I definitely recommend.

4. Native Clipboard

Native Clipboard is a lightweight and highly customizable clipboard manager. It’s easy to use and doesn’t throw many features to deal with. Copy some text and it will be added to the clipboard buffer. When you want to paste some text from clipboard, you get a pattern, like – double tap on the text area that will pop out the clipboard. You can change these patterns at any point in time.
You can customize the look of the clipboard with whatever color you like. You can set the size and scaling according to your needs. Also, you get the option to back up and restore your clips.

After getting a new Android phone, there are tons of apps that you are recommended to install on your device either by your friends or blogs like us to get the most our your Android experience. People give you a long list of apps which include crazy games, productive apps and a long list of customization that you can do on your Android and the list would be same for anyone with any Android device.

But if you own a Samsung Galaxy S7, there are 3 specific apps that you must install and try on the device to increase its feature and performance. These apps are designed for Samsung devices and I am sure you will love the feature enhancements it will bring in. So let’s have a look.

1. App Lock: Fingerprint&Password

App Lock: Fingerprint&Password is one of the most important you must install on your Samsung Galaxy S7. The fingerprint app lock can give you an added layer of security on your Galaxy S7 using which you can lock your private apps like WhatsApp and Gallery. However, thanks to Samsung’s open fingerprint API and the Android Marshmallow update, you don’t have to use a PIN or pattern anymore to unlock these apps. You just need to use the fingerprint sensor on the home button to get things done.
 


The app gives you the option to use a PIN or password as an alternative if by any chance you are not able to use your fingerprint to unlock the particular app. The app is free and works great with your Samsung Galaxy S7.

2. Good Lock by Samsung

No! It’s not another app locking app that you should try on your Android. Good Lock is an interesting app from the house of Samsung themselves, that gives you a crazy alternative UI to your Samsung Galaxy S7 Lock Screen, Notifications and Quick Settings. The best option is to sideload the app using the APK file but the phone will be rebooted once the app is installed. This is the first time I have seen such a behavior on an Android. After the phone reboots, the fist thing you will notice is a list of shortcuts at the bottom of the lock screen.
 
The app gets so deeply integrated with the system and the colors of the Status bar and the dropdown notification panel can be changed without downloading any themes from the theme store. The lock screen is completely customizable and you can select to include widgets, notifications and app shortcuts for convenience.
 
The app, however, is not completely compatible with 3rd party themes and you might have to uninstall it or you might face some UI crashes. To be frank, Good Lock is something you must only install if you are an advanced Android user a few UI crashes won’t bother you.

3. easyHome for Samsung

easyHome for Samsung is another interesting app that you must install on your Samsung Galaxy S7 and get away with pressing the home button all the time. After you have installed and activated the services of easyHome, you will now have to press your phone’s Home button anymore! Just touch it slightly like the back or the recent app keys and it will be all. No root is required for the app to work and takes minimum battery drain from the device.

The app works because of the fingerprint sensor and the official Samsung SDK. Moreover, you can configure long press gesture to lock the phone, start camera or jump to the last app used. I am sure you will like the app and consider that this is something that Samsung should have provided by default in the very first place.

Conclusion

So friends, those some of the app that you can install on your Samsung Galaxy S7 to increase its features and functionalities. These apps are just for you and works great on the Samsung Galaxy S7. If you come across any other app that you think a Samsung user should install for better performance of the device, just let us know in the comments section and we will be happy to test it.

Many Android users are on a limited internet data plan. And, Android apps consume loads of data nowadays, leaving your data plan exhausted within a week. There are many apps that upload user statistics and information to their server without us knowing it. So, today I’d like to share some Android apps that will let you track your internet data usage and will also show you which app consumed how much data along with a speed meter.

1. Internet Speed Meter Lite

Internet Speed Meter Lite shows you the download and upload speeds in the status bar of your Android phone. Along with that, it also shows you how much data has been used throughout the day. It displays both mobile data and Wi-Fi data.

You can even see the speed meter on you lock screen which can be turned off. If you tend to use more of mobile data then you also get the option to set a data limit. When you reach that limit you’ll get a notification. If you want some more customization like showing the speed meter only when you’re connected to internet or themes for speed meter and the app then you got to buy the Pro version. One thing to note is that the free version has no ads.

2. Internet Speed Meter

If you want much more control over the app and also would like to check which app consumed how much data then you should Internet Speed Meter. It’s not just a speed meter. It’s a complete package to track your internet data usage on per app basis. Yes, you do get daily internet usage report, but along with that, you also get complete information about the Wi-Fi connection you’re connected to. Information including Wi-Fi frequency, IP address, Link Speed, SSID and much more.

In this app, you can fully customize the features according to your needs. You can set the position of the speed meter widget in the status bar and even choose to show it or not when there is no internet connection. Whereas, in the above app, you need to have a Pro version. Well, all this free customization does come at a cost – ads. Though you do get an option to make it ad-free by buying the ad-free key.

3. Internet Speed Meter – by PersianGeek

If you don’t want any internet usage tracking feature and no customizations but only a widget in the status bar with speed meter then you should use Internet Speed Meter by PersianGeeks. It’s the most simple app in the list. It just does one thing and that is to show you the speed meter in the status bar. Well, in the app you get a graphical representation of the speed varying as you use it. But, I wonder if it is really useful.

Native OS Support?

Many Android phones now provide native support for displaying network speed in the status bar. My phone just got the Marshmallow OTA update and it had this feature built in. So, if you too got Marshmallow, do a quick search in the settings for network speed. I don’t think it’s a stock OS feature but your phone might have it.

It’s been a while now that we have fingerprint sensors on Android devices to securely lock the phone with biometrics rather than using a pattern or a PIN. However, that was it, there was no option from the Android’s end to extend the feature to provide an additional layer of security like locking apps and settings with the fingerprint sensor. Either developers, like Samsung, had to give their API access to developers to come up with working apps, or they made one themselves just for particular devices like Xiaomi or Coolpad.

This feature was limited as most of the phones with a fingerprint sensor didn’t have a supporting app. But thanks to Android Marshmallow, developers have now included the fingerprint hardware for the developers to work on and there are apps which now works on Android devices universally using which one can lock apps using the fingerprint sensors.
In the past, we have already covered an app using which one can lock apps using the fingerprint sensor to lock apps on Android Marshmallow, but the app was pulled down by Google due to unknown reasons. So to make things right, today I am going to talk about three new apps you can install on your Android Marshmallow devices with fingerprint sensors to provide the extra layer of security and if at all any one of them has issues with development, you will always have an alternative.

1. App Locker

App Locker is the first app that you can try on your device. It’s a very basic app with a simple interface. After you install it to your Android, it will ask you the primary and secondary lock mechanism that you would like to use which should ideally be fingerprint followed by PIN or Pattern.
 


Having done that, the app will ask you to grant Accessibility access from the settings which will enable the app. All you need to do now is look for the app you wish to lock in the list and turn on the toggle.
 
In Settings, you can choose to relock the apps immediately and also change the primary and secondary lock preference. But the global settings can be overridden by individual apps if you choose to give different settings to some of the apps. The app has ads and they would show up on the lock screen and you can buy the pro version to remove them.

2. FingerSecurity

The second app that you can try is FingerSecurity and the initial setup is similar to App Locker. You will have to check is the app is compatible with the device and grant it Accessibility Access which is mandatory for such apps to function. Having done that, you are free to load the app lock list and enable toggle switch to lock the particular app.
 
Here too you get the option to override global settings with per-app custom settings. However, there are no ads on the lock screen even though the app is completely free. You can buy premium features like location based module or different unlock themes by in-app purchases.
 

3. CM App Lock Fingerprint Unlock

CM App Lock Fingerprint Unlock is the third and the most feature rich fingerprint app locker that you can install on your Android, but the fact that it’s from Cheetah Mobile developers made me skeptical of sharing it. But the app has good ratings and works good, so there is no harm in trying it out. CM App Lock Fingerprint initial configuration is very similar and just like any other app, you will have to lock the apps from a list. The option to lock Bluetooth and Wi-Fi state is also an added feature.
 
The features that are worth mentioning about the app is that you can download several lock screen themes for free and give your lock screen a new color every day. Apart from that, you get the option to reset the password using the Google account you have on the Android. The app also gives you the option to snap a picture from the front camera if it detects multiple failed attempts to unlock the app.
 

Conclusion

So these were the top 3 working apps using which you can lock apps on your Android devices using the fingerprint sensor. There are chances that Google might include the fingerprint app lock feature by default in Android N, but we all know that it’s gonna take some time. So till then, these are your best alternatives for Android Marshmallow.