Help I recently put my phone into some strange state. Does anyone know how I can put it back?

[Ali Shibaz]

By "split screen view", do you think the manual is referring to the "Multi Window" feature? Or what I've been calling the "Home Screen Edit" feature?

The tap and hold used to open the "Home Screen Edit" mode. But not any more. Now, it just opens that Search app.

I can't see those three vertical dots anywhere. Where do you suppose they may be?

 

[Ali Shibaz]

Hoo-Ray! Finally! Someone acknowledges that Samsung's users were hopping mad. I've been hopping mad ever since I first bought this phone.

Don't get me wrong. There are many things about this phone that I love very much and most of the problems I've had seem to me to be very interesting avenues to explore. None of the difficulties seem to be serious difficulties. Most all of them seem to be interesting challenges for me to work around.

All in all, I really love this phone. I have found it to be one of the most fun things I've ever bought and I wouldn't want to give it up. It is truly a wonderful little toy to play with. In any case, that is how I view it.

Also, I'm truly delighted to have discovered this forum. Because it seems to me that many of the members here are like-minded individuals and I've been having a whole lot of Rosie - Oops! - I meant "a whole lot of Fun!" It's truly been a huge source of entertainment for me.

But, now to get back to the bitching... Heh Heh! I'm really loving this thing and I just thought I should make that clear.

You may ponder that. But it will probably help if I admit that I love to bitch! Yippee!

 

[lunatic59]

I guess the best way is to show you. Here is the app drawer on my Note running KitKat 4.4.2

No dots.

Here's the app drawer on my Nexus 6 running Lollipop 5.1.1

Notice the dots under the time in the upper right.

When your phone was built, the menu button was still for a menu, so no software update can change the way it looks, but Lollipop wants to use it for recent apps.

What you are describing is a hodgepodge of TouchWiz KitKat and Lollipop features. It may be that Samsung, in their infinite 'wisdom' kept an old feature set built into TouchWiz for earlier phones getting the update. The S6 I tried certainly didn't behave that way.

 

[EarlyMon]

I can't see those three vertical dots anywhere. Where do you suppose they may be?

In the upper right of this screen shot you'll find the overflow button, often still called the menu button -

View attachment 90407

It's not available on all screens and all apps.

^ No matter how badly needed, the 3 dots don't just happen - they have to be specifically included anywhere they're needed.

And they're just not always there.

And split screen = multi window.

 

[EarlyMon]

Check out "Button Savior Non Root"

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.smart.swkey.nonroot

It won't fix everything but at least other Samsung users comment that it has helped since the recent change.

 

[Ali Shibaz]

I just heard something today and would like to ask if it's true.

Is it true that you can't use a Micro SD expansion card in the Nexus 6?

I was planning on getting the next model of the Nexus when my current contract expired. But I like to store a lot of music on my phone. I bought a 64GB expansion card for my S4 and I filled it up - mostly with music. I don't know if I'd buy a phone that only had a small amount of memory - like 8G or 16G if it didn't have any capability to expand the memory.

 

[Ali Shibaz]

I tried to disable all Google TTS apps. No change.
Then all Samsung TTS apps. No change.
Then I tried to use the Button Savior Non Root. No change.
Nothing I tried made any change.
I think I'll just try a factory reset.
At this point. I just want to know what happened and how to put it back. I don't really think it's a big problem.

However, there are many ways I can put my phone into Home Screen Edit mode and so I would really like to put my phone back into it's Original State if I can.

Since I bought this phone, I did one OS upgrade to OS 5.0.1 and one Factory Reset.

But this problem did not occur until two weeks after the Factory Reset. So neither of those things caused this problem.

 

[lunatic59]

I just heard something today and would like to ask if it's true.

Is it true that you can't use a Micro SD expansion card in the Nexus 6?

I was planning on getting the next model of the Nexus when my current contract expired. But I like to store a lot of music on my phone. I bought a 64GB expansion card for my S4 and I filled it up - mostly with music. I don't know if I'd buy a phone that only had a small amount of memory - like 8G or 16G if it didn't have any capability to expand the memory.

There is no SD slot on the Nexus 6. They have 32 GB and 64 GB models. If that's a deal breaker, then you might want to look at a different brand.

 

[dilpickle]

.

 

[dilpickle]

.

 

[funkylogik]

Back to the home screen. I think Samsung phones now have two launchers, normal and easy. Am I right guys?
Maybe the OP has set the wrong one as default?
I don't have time now to explain how to remove the default and change the launcher to his original but maybe one of you chaps will?
Cheers

 

[Ali Shibaz]

I recall going to Settings -> More -> Default Apps -> Home

There are two choices there - 1) Touchwiz Home and 2) Touchwiz Easy Home

I assume you are referring to "Touchwiz Easy Home"

I will try that and let you know.

OK. I set this to the "Easy" version. The effect seemed to me to be identical as choosing:

Settings -> My Device -> Easy mode

It had no discernable effect on my device.

But, one thing I have learned recently from this forum is:

There are a great many different kinds of phones that use the Android system and unless you are absolutely certain you are using the exact phone (make and model) that someone else is using, it is rarely any use to discuss similarities and differences between your two phones.

I managed to get several different books with "Samsung Galaxy S4" in their titles. But the information in those books differed markedly from one book to another and only very, very few of them ever mentioned their writing was about one specific make and model and may not apply to other makes and models.

And yet, unless I was certain the info in that book did apply to my make and model phone, it could often not apply to my phone. That has been very frustrating. But it was quite a valuable lesson to learn.

From now on, I will never again buy another book supposedly about my phone unless I am 100% certain that it applies specifically to my "Samsung Galaxy S4" phone.

What else can I do?

 

[funkylogik]

Sorry but I'm out of ideas mate
Take it you tried "touchwiz home" (the non easy version)?
If so then I'm stumped and suggest installing a good launcher (home screen replacement app, like touchwiz) like Nova Launcher https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teslacoilsw.launcher
It's widely regarded as the best launcher, highly customisable and FAST, can use icon packs and is even developed by an Android Forums guy.
Install that, start from scratch setting it up to your liking then set it as default (select "always" when you press home and get choice of launcher)
If you need any help with it, start a thread in Applications and just ask..
Thats my two pence anyway

 

[chanchan05]

Or, you could go to Settings>General>Applications>All>TouchWiz Home>Clear data to reset the launcher to default settings. Will delete your homescreen and folder setup though.

Personally I'd advise just gettinh a different launcher.

 

[Ali Shibaz]

FYI,

I finally tried a factory reset. No change. Except for one thing. I used to have a rather nice simple App called "Active Applications". After the factory reset, it has disappeared. It used to appear in my list of Apps. But no more.

I checked my list of Hidden apps and it's not there.

Funny things, when I tap on Task Manager, It's not in the actual list of apps. But if I swipe the list to the left (I never knew I could do that before this happened), I can see it in the list. It has a nice green circle as its icon.

I've tried to search for "Active Apps" and "Active Applications" in both the Play Store and Galaxy Apps. But I can't find it anywhere. Would anyone know where I could find it?

FunkyLogik, Thank you very much for your help. As a matter of fact, I'd like to thank everyone for all their help. In my opinion, I got more help from the members of this forum in this thread than I've received from all other members in close to a dozen other forums I have tried.

I have not tried "TouchWiz Home" yet. Mostly because I have never heard of it before and I'm afraid of what it might do. Please don't laugh. But it just sounds scary to replace my launcher. It sounds like replacing the Operating System or some other vital component. I'm afraid that it might change my entire interface and my phone might wind up appearing very different and I might have problems trying to use it.

Can anyone point me to a link that perhaps describes just what a launcher is and what the effect would be of changing my launcher. What would be the problems involved in changing it back to my current launcher (whatever that might be?) if I find that I don't like "TouchWiz Home"?

I'm a real novice. I've had my phone for a little more than a month. But I have only explored a very small part of the landscape. For the most part, I've never tried most of the features in my phone and I know almost zero about the majority of this phone.

 

[EarlyMon]

Can anyone point me to a link that perhaps describes just what a launcher is and what the effect would be of changing my launcher. What would be the problems involved in changing it back to my current launcher (whatever that might be?) if I find that I don't like "TouchWiz Home"?

Answered in full earlier.

Your desktop is an app, and in addition to giving you the desktop features, it also includes the app drawer, and it's the thing that launches apps, whether from a home screen shortcut or the app drawer - hence the name, launcher.

You're using the built-in TouchWiz launcher.

You can replace it with an alternative (probably a lot of us, if not most here, use Nova) and that's no big deal - it's just like installing another web browser.

If you try one, like Nova, and don't like it, uninstall it and the desktop that you have now comes right back - no harm, no foul, no big deal. (After you first install it, you'll be asked if you want to use it permanently/always/default, something like that. Say yes.)

I'm sure it's not what you came for but by now I'd have solved the problem by just getting Nova.

Plus - Nova lets you save your desktop setup, so it's one less thing to lose during a factory data reset.

And your phone will probably seem faster, more fluid. That's what a great number of people report anyway.

 

[lunatic59]

"Active Apps" is not an app, it's a widget that takes you to the task manager. Press and hold an empty area of your home screen and when the menu pops up, choose widgets (It might say "Apps and Widgets" if it's touchwiz, but it really should say app shortcuts and widgets.) If you see a list of apps, look at the top of the screen for a tab that says widgets and choose that. You should see the active app widget there. press and hold it and it will take you back to your home screen where you can drop it wherever you want it.

 

[Ali Shibaz]

"Active Apps" is not an app, it's a widget that takes you to the task manager. Press and hold an empty area of your home screen and when the menu pops up, choose widgets (It might say "Apps and Widgets" if it's touchwiz, but it really should say app shortcuts and widgets.) If you see a list of apps, look at the top of the screen for a tab that says widgets and choose that. You should see the active app widget there. press and hold it and it will take you back to your home screen where you can drop it wherever you want it.

DOH! Of course. I should have known better. Thanks so much.

 

[Ali Shibaz]

Answered in full earlier.

OK. I'll give it a try. I'll search the Play Store and Galaxy Apps for "Nova" and then download it and install it. If that is not the correct approach. Pls let me know? Thanks.

I installed Nova Launcher and I'm just exploring it a little.

One difference I noticed. In the past, whenever I wanted to use a new app, I downloaded it and then installed it. If I then uninstalled it, there would be an icon in the Apps section so I could just install it again. But not with Nova. I had to go to Play Store and Install it again. But I didn't have to download it.

This is no problem. I'm just remarking that it's a different kind of approach from the other apps I've installed. I've just begun to explore but I've found a couple of differences that I like.

I can't find my list of phone numbers or text messages. I'm sure they must be here somewhere. I'll keep you posted. And thanks very much. I'm enjoying this very much.

 

[EarlyMon]

OK. I'll give it a try. I'll search the Play Store and Galaxy Apps for "Nova" and then download it and install it. If that is not the correct approach. Pls let me know? Thanks.

Check out "Nova Launcher"

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teslacoilsw.launcher

That's the free version, if you like it and want more features, upgrade to Nova Prime.

 

[funkylogik]

OK. I'll give it a try. I'll search the Play Store and Galaxy Apps for "Nova" and then download it and install it. If that is not the correct approach. Pls let me know? Thanks.

I installed Nova Launcher and I'm just exploring it a little.

One difference I noticed. In the past, whenever I wanted to use a new app, I downloaded it and then installed it. If I then uninstalled it, there would be an icon in the Apps section so I could just install it again. But not with Nova. I had to go to Play Store and Install it again. But I didn't have to download it.

This is no problem. I'm just remarking that it's a different kind of approach from the other apps I've installed. I've just begun to explore but I've found a couple of differences that I like.

I can't find my list of phone numbers or text messages. I'm sure they must be here somewhere. I'll keep you posted. And thanks very much. I'm enjoying this very much.

In the app drawer (icon with 6 or 9 dots in a square) , find your dialer/contacts app, hold and drag it to wherever you want it on your screen, same with your messages app

 

[Ali Shibaz]

OK. Thanks. Everything is movin' right along.

 

[funkylogik]

OK. Thanks. Everything is movin' right along.

Nice one. Next thing you'll be downloading "icon packs"
Have fun mate

 

[EarlyMon]

Press and hold anywhere free on your desktop for more Nova options.

My favorite icons -

Check out "Moonshine - Icon Pack"

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nexbit.icons.moonshine

For more ideas -

http://androidforums.com/threads/post-your-android-desktop.4425/

 

[funkylogik]

Or check out these puppies https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dustinb.icons.cobalt

(I've also used moonshine in the past, totally forgotten the dev's name)