The Android Useful Apps thread: Q & A

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#2134422 26-Nov-2018 13:28

regius:

Try Accubattery

To the OP - Just so you know, it doesn't stop your phone actually charging, but it will warn you audibly when your desired recharge % is reached. It was not compatible with my 2015 Galaxy A5, but works just fine with a recently acquired A8.

Edit: Actually I see someone else has already made my first comment (teach me to not read the entire thread before posting.)

Samsung

Shop now on Samsung phones, tablets, TVs and more (affiliate link).

MikeAqua

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#2134472 26-Nov-2018 13:58

This is a wanted post ..

I would like an app that turns the GPS off when it isn't being used - to save battery life.

I have granted a couple of apps permission to turn GPS on. But none of them turn GPS off again on exit. That makes sense because multiple apps could be using the GPS, so you wouldn't want one of them switching it off at exit.

But an app that could detect when nothing was using the GPS and switch it off would be useful.

Mike

landcruiserguy

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#2134476 26-Nov-2018 14:05

MikeAqua:

This is a wanted post ..

I would like an app that turns the GPS off when it isn't being used - to save battery life.

I have granted a couple of apps permission to turn GPS on. But none of them turn GPS off again on exit. That makes sense because multiple apps could be using the GPS, so you wouldn't want one of them switching it off at exit.

But an app that could detect when nothing was using the GPS and switch it off would be useful.

Tasker can automate everything if you go down that rabbit hole.

landcruiserguy

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#2134501 26-Nov-2018 14:32

d3Xt3r:

Agreed with all the above, except I'd recommend AdGuard over Disconnect Pro. Few reasons why:

- It works on all devices, so if you decide to buy a non-Samsung phone in the future, you'll still be able to use the same adblocking app and don't need to soend again (note: there's also Blockada which is a free app, but it's not as thorough).

-It's cheaper: currently only $12.47 for a lifetime license (Black Friday deal, valid till tomorrow)

- Samsung has a history of blocking retail apps which use the KNOX APIs (eg look at SABS, AdHell - the number of times they had to be forked/re-released with workarounds for Samsung's blocking)

- AdGuard uses the same filter lists that you use on your desktop: EasyList, Fanboy etc + they have their own filter lists too (which you can also subscribe to on your desktop browser addons). Anyone using these filter lists will know why they are better than a firewall/hosts-file/DNS based blocking solution (if you don't, see below).

- It's better than a firewall/hosts/DNS solution because AdGuard actually filters HTML code to remove ads and any junk (eg: empty boxes). In addition to making your Web pages look nicer, it's code filtering allows it to get rid of nasties like self-hosted cryptomining scripts, malware/phishing/xss scripts, Anti-Adblock scripts etc. But the most important feature is the ability to whitelist a website (eg: geekzone.co.nz 😉) without whitelisting the ad networks everywhere else - which is not possible with a firewall/DNS/hosts based solution - this way you can continue to support your favorite sites while blocking nasties everywhere else. :)

I don't think these two apps are the same although no disagreement with your points. Disconnect pro uses the build in firewall in Knox to block the known add networks. AdGuard (for non rooted android devices) create a vpn on your phone which all traffic goes through which enables the filtering. There are pros and cons of each approach but the VPN one has cons like you need to trust the company that writes the app as all your web traffic is going through it...

Disconnect Pro (unlike AdHell before it) has an official Know license which cost them money to buy so it won't be banned. AdHell used a development Knox license (the developer worked for Samsung) which is why it got banned.

askelon

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#2134521 26-Nov-2018 14:47

Opera Browser - chrome is such a pig in comparison!
Simple Pro - fantastic facebook replacement with active development
AccuBattery
Microsoft Launcher - Ive used all sorts of launchers from MIUI to Nova Launcher and have found once I turn off all the extra crap Launcher just works and works
Authy - I try and keep all my 2fa in this

d3Xt3r

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#2134579 26-Nov-2018 15:45

landcruiserguy:

I don't think these two apps are the same although no disagreement with your points. Disconnect pro uses the build in firewall in Knox to block the known add networks. AdGuard (for non rooted android devices) create a vpn on your phone which all traffic goes through which enables the filtering. There are pros and cons of each approach but the VPN one has cons like you need to trust the company that writes the app as all your web traffic is going through it...

Disconnect Pro (unlike AdHell before it) has an official Know license which cost them money to buy so it won't be banned. AdHell used a development Knox license (the developer worked for Samsung) which is why it got banned.

Fair points. :) But just to clarify, the VPN is created locally on the device just to capture the local traffic - endpoints are the intended IPs and no data is routed thru the AdGuard servers. I've verified this with an external firewall, but I encourage everyone to do their own testing. Also, https traffic isn't touched at all, unless you explicitly enable https filtering (and even then you can exclude sensitive websites, AdGuard already excludes popular banking and payment sites).

Batman

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#2134909 26-Nov-2018 21:37

Thanks all, you are amazing. Shout out to Dexter!

landcruiserguy

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#2140066 5-Dec-2018 19:27

Everyone should ignore what i said about disconnect pro as it's just disappeared off the gallery app store. I still have the apk and it still works but otherwise $35 down the drain...

After removing many crap add ridden apps or my son's phone i am wishing i had brought AdGuard during the black Friday sale. Let it never be said that landcruiserguy is afraid to admit when he is wrong.

Batman

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#2140091 5-Dec-2018 20:27

is there a camera app that is the "purest"

I am trying to bypass my Huawei camera app that applies "beauty mode" and everything looks like watercolour paintings! each of the 4 cameras, photo and video! (there is a "pro" mode that doesn't apply colour painting but it only allows to use 2-3 of the 4 cameras depending if photo or video)

d3Xt3r

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#2140109 5-Dec-2018 20:57

Batman:
is there a camera app that is the "purest"

I am trying to bypass my Huawei camera app that applies "beauty mode" and everything looks like watercolour paintings! each of the 4 cameras, photo and video! (there is a "pro" mode that doesn't apply colour painting but it only allows to use 2-3 of the 4 cameras depending if photo or video)

Open Camera is about as pure as you can get - it's open source, has some great no-nonsense features and even supports RAW image captures so you can do your own post-processing (both Snapseeed and Photoshop Lightroom are great at this).

Another alternative is Google's Pixel camera (gcam), but that's meant for Snapdragon devices, whereas Huawei mostly uses their in-house Kirin SoC.

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#2140113 5-Dec-2018 21:02

thanks i'll take a look

askelon

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#2140326 6-Dec-2018 08:36

I always found Snap Camera to be a good solid camera app - just doesnt work on my current phone all that well!

MurrayM

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#2140333 6-Dec-2018 08:44

+1 for Open Camera, I've been using it for ages on different phones and it always works well.

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#2140335 6-Dec-2018 08:47

hmm all the camera apps i tried only allows use of 2-3 of the 4 cameras for some reason ... oh well!

landcruiserguy

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#2140547 6-Dec-2018 14:11

I am taking Blockada (as well as running disconnect pro). Blockada is also a local vpn and it's free and open source which theoretically means it's secure. I have installed it on my son's phone as he just downloads crap games and adware which makes his phone like a toxic water dump.

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