Technology @beehaw.org Suck_on_my_Presence @beehaw.org 1 yr. ago

Just got a Samsung phone after years and years on a moto/droid. What apps should I get to up the qol?

New motos are just too big for my baby hands so I got myself an s23 for a steal, but I'm finding that I miss some of the functionality that I used to have, and that some features are just annoying on this phone.

What kind of qol apps do you galaxy-havers use? Specifically are there any that let me use more than just double tap and long press on the power button for quick actions?

Note: I don't know if I can jailbreak it and keep my carrier. I use Google fi so it seems like breaking it would break everything? But I have no idea :3

28 comments

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- Was going to recommend the same. It allows a lot of customizations.
See if DivestOS or Lineage support your phone and get rid of the crap Samsung software and spying.
- That's highly unlikely. Samsung phones aren't very custom-ROM friendly, especially if you're going for a recent device like OP did. Also, Samsung devices use a hardware eFuse which is blown up the moment you unlock the bootloader, which permanently voids the warranty, and permanently disables some Samsung features, which also reduces the resale value of the phone.
  
  So, I wouldn't advise rooting/ROMming a Samsung. Best to get something like a Pixel instead.
  
  Wow, I had no idea about this efuse things. That's absolutely terrible. Is it's only function to alert you of the bootloader being unlocked?
  
  Samsung phones aren't very custom-ROM friendly
  
  Boy how the times change. Back in my day, Samsung devices had their own dedicated community. RIP SDX-developers
- Except if you need banking apps etc which will refuse working when they detect a customized OS.
  
  Many work fine, see if yours is listed here
  
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  Or Android Auto.
  
  My banking app complains that I'm using a keyboard it doesnt recognize.
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If you download ADB AppControl to you computer, you can use that to disable bloatware over USB. Do this very carefully (consult guides, and make sure you know what something is before you disable it, and don't use any program that claims to "clean up" bloatware automatically). But the great thing about this app in particular is it lets you just disable things instead of fully uninstalling them, so that this way if you fuck up it's fully reversible; if your phone mysteriously starts having problems, just remember that you fucked with it and undo any recent changes to see if that fixes it.

Anyway, you might get a noticeable performance improvement out of disabling bloatware (there's probably a lot of it), and you can remove various annoyances/"features" that have their "disable" option grayed out in the phone's own settings menus.

You can also look into 3rd party launchers, like Nova launcher - some people prefer those.

Also, check the accessibility settings, in case there's something helpful in there.

Also also, there's probably a hidden "developer options" menu that may or may not be useful to you. You can look up how to activate it - it'll probably be something like going to the about phone section and tapping on the model or serial number 10 times, or something similar to that. But I haven't looked it up exactly for your phone model. With my phone, I use this mainly to manually change the audio codec when other menus don't allow it, but not for much else. Do keep in mind most of the developer options are truly intended for developers and shouldn't be tinkered with unless you know what you're doing/have a reason.

Edit: I don't know if the s23 specifically has this, but I'd check the lockscreen settings menu to see if you have the option to add quick buttons to it, if that'd be helpful to you vs the power key shortcuts.
- For ADB, I can recommend Shizuku (available on F-Droid) with aShell (for adb shell commands) and Amarok (for disabling apps). It uses wireless debugging to allow the device to run adb commands on itself.
- I used a Nova launcher while I used Samsung, much better customization options. It's worth trying if you like to customize the look of everything.
I use bxActions to remap buttons/add functionality. One of the few apps that I recommend buying the "pro" version.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jamworks.bxactions
Not exactly an App but I really enjoy the functionality that Samsung Dex brings.

It allows you to plug your phone into a desktop, monitor or lapdock (screen, keyboard/trackpad + battery) and give you a desktop like experience for when you need it. Plus each time you upgrade your phone you also get an upgrade to your laptop/desktop.

It does indeed have a bit of jank to it, but the functionality you gain is well worth it at least for me.
One handed operation. Sound Assistant

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