Few people know, but Android 6.0 Marshmallow, in addition to the menu for developers, contains another hidden settings screen- System UI tuner. With it, the user can customize the system interface a little and even start the demo mode.
To activate the System UI Tuner, just pull out the quick settings curtain and hold down the gear that opens the global settings. It will begin to rotate, and after that a notification will appear congratulating you on the addition of a new item, you should look for it in the "System" section.
At entering System UI Tuner a message immediately pops up warning that the options hidden in this menu are not for everyone and activating them can lead to negative consequences. You can’t call these settings extensive, because they have only four items: “Quick settings”, “Status bar”, “Show battery level as a percentage” and “Demonstration”.
The most useful for the user, of course, is the first one, because it allows you to rearrange and add items in the quick settings curtain. The process is extremely simple and self-explanatory, there is also the removal of options. "Status bar" allows you to remove the display of any indicator in this line, and there are a lot of them. The name of the third item speaks for itself, and the fourth one launches a special demo mode of the system. The latter is designed for app browsers who often take screenshots - the time and battery level in it are always the same, and pop-up notifications are disabled.
Judging by the presence of a hidden System UI Tuner, Google engineers are considering giving the user the opportunity deeper customization of the bare Android interface. Apparently, they are aware of a significant lag in this area of their own shell compared to third-party ones, but this does not mean that the company will eventually decide to take such a step.
The sweetest and smartest Android from Google
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Get a quick response with Now on Tap
With the new Now on Tap feature in Android 6.0 Marshmallow, it's easier than ever to find what you're looking for.
All you have to do is press and hold the home button and info, and you can do the same with the app. You will have information depending on what you watch, read or listen to.
Android 6.0 Marshmallow can extend the life of your battery with a new power saving feature that makes the software use your battery smartly, making it last longer.
Apps you rarely use or don't use at all go into App Standby mode, which means they won't waste battery life by running in the background. This will give you more time to work with your favorite applications.
Plus, the new Doze feature automatically puts your device to sleep when it senses you haven't been using it in a while, saving battery life even when you're not thinking about it at all.
Unlock your device with one touch
Fingerprint scanning is another built-in feature in Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It makes unlocking your Android device more convenient and secure.
The technology, known as Nexus Imprint, helps Nexus devices recognize fingerprints faster than anyone else, but older devices will also get this ability. You can now use your fingerprints not only to unlock your device, but also to work with Android Pay, the Play Store and other applications to pay for goods and services.
Better app permission management
Android 5.0 Lollipop lets you quickly access your phone and camera app from your lock screen. Android 6.0 Marshmallow takes things a step further by allowing you to access voice commands without unlocking your device.
Now you can talk to apps while controlling the device with your voice. For example, you can say "listen to NPR" and Android 6.0 Marshmallow will open the radio app and turn on the NPR radio station.
Android 6.0 Marshmallow has a new feature for finding and downloading your favorite apps. It shows a list of apps installed on your device in alphabetical order, and you can scroll vertically through the list to find the one you want.
You can also type in the name of the app you're looking for, but the new search engine has an even smarter trick: it remembers which apps you use at certain times of the day and in certain places so it can predict what you're looking for. These predicted apps show up at the top of the search engine and are now easier than ever to download.
With Android 6.0 Marshmallow, it's even easier to switch between devices with Auto Backup for apps. This means that when you get a new device, all applications will be automatically installed on it.
Even better, if you're using the new app on your device, you can pick up where you left off on your old device.
Call Log, sync settings, Do Not Disturb settings, access settings and more can also be automatically saved and restored.
While you can expand storage using microSD cards on many Android devices (we'd love to see Apple do that as well), there's still a difference between external and built-in storage features.
With Flex Storage, you can insert an SD card and Flex Storage makes it work like built-in storage, allowing you to install apps, games, and more on the SD card without any additional configuration. It will also encrypt your data so it can be used openly on your device.
If you enjoy sharing pictures, videos, and more with other people or your home devices, then the new Direct Share option is perfect for you.
All the people, apps and services you share the most will let you do so with just one tap.
The operating system plays a critical role in the functionality of a mobile device. Even many technical properties of tablets and smartphones depend on it. If there are several current firmware versions, users, of course, have a question: what is better than Android 5.1 or 6.0 and which version should you prefer? Each of them has strengths and weaknesses, which we will try to objectively understand. Having considered all the main advantages and disadvantages of the presented OS versions, you can easily decide for yourself which version of Android is better than Lollipop or Marshmallow and whether it is worth overpaying for a device equipped with a brand new operating system.
Main differences
You can find out which version of Android is better than 5.1 or 6.0 only by comparing the main features of the systems in which they differ from each other.
In the newest Android, the main menu with applications has been completely redone, search has been added. Users have the opportunity to closely monitor which programs use RAM more actively than others. By pressing the volume rocker, you can adjust the sound of all signals at once (alarm clock, notifications, calls) or activate the Do Not Disturb mode. You can call the assistant in any application, or even while in the device settings. It not only responds to voice requests, but also scans the information on the screen. There is also a built-in fingerprint scanner that improves security. An important innovation for users was the appearance of a battery optimization mode, which significantly increases battery life.
Android 5.1
This firmware version is distinguished by the correction of a large number of errors inherent in Android 5.0 and systems of previous generations. However, we are most interested in how Android 5.1 differs from 6.0, what new and interesting features can this platform offer?
Functional
In the fifth Android, support for several SIM cards appeared. The sound quality during voice calls has significantly improved thanks to HD Voice technology, although in this case it is necessary to take into account some nuances (support for the technology by telecom operators, the need to install Lollipop on both devices).
To quickly adjust the alarm volume, just use the volume rocker directly in the application.
Also, new sound settings are available in the music listening mode. If you press the volume rocker while the player is on, a new menu appears with settings for calls, notifications, etc.
Safety
It is impossible to ignore the new service running in Android 5.1, created to improve security - Device Protection. Its purpose is to protect the device from the actions of intruders. Even a factory reset and other manipulations are not able to breach this protection.
You can also prevent third parties from using your gadget too actively by restricting access to its functionality. To do this, you can specify the available applications.
Interface
It is worth noting the improvements in the interface. Users can enjoy carefully crafted, fluid animations while unlocking the device. At the same time, for each type of blocking (with protection in the form of a pin code, without protection, etc.), its own animation was invented.
Changes have also been made to the “curtain” - the quick access toolbar. In this version, from here you can quickly go to numerous settings, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and others. The contents of the curtain in Android 5.1 can be changed at your discretion, but this function is not fully implemented, so only some shortcuts are removed.
You don't have to delete the notifications that appear at the top of the screen - you can simply hide them by swiping up from the bottom. The Clock app has also received new animation options - small icons have acquired an interesting design.
performance, autonomy
Modernization of Android 5.1 has led to the fact that gadgets began to work much more productively. This is felt during their use, and is displayed in the results of benchmarks (performance tests).
Offline operation of devices has remained unchanged compared to previous versions of Android.
Advantages:
- correction of errors inherent in previous versions;
- productivity increase;
- Adding support function for 2 SIM cards;
- improving the quality of voice calls;
- launching the Device Protection service;
- improved interface;
- adding new functions to the quick access panel, as well as the ability to change some shortcuts;
- animation change for some applications;
- lock function in the application;
- reworking the design of icons in the menu.
Flaws:
- the inability to fully customize the "curtain" to your requirements;
- no changes in terms of device autonomy;
- some issues remain uncorrected.
Android 6.0
With a detailed overview of Android 6.0, we will be able to review the main features offered to users in this version, as well as find out if there are any gaps.
Functionality and security
In the range of functions of Android 6.0, it became possible to manage RAM. RAM is dedicated to a whole section in the settings, where you can check which processes are using RAM, as well as find out which programs use the most memory over a certain period of time (from 3 to 24 hours).
To adjust the volume of not only incoming calls, but also other signals, you can now make all the settings by pressing one button - the volume rocker. At the same time, a familiar slider appears, and an arrow next to it. If you click on it, two more sliders will appear to set the volume of the alarm and media.
An interesting feature of Android 6.0 before 5.1 was the fingerprint scanner, which previously appeared only in the functionality of certain smartphone models. Google Now smart assistant has been improved - to launch the assistant, just say the phrase “OK, Google”.
Interface
The main menu with applications is much more convenient. Now they are all located on one, but "long" screen, which can be scrolled up and down. But, as before, it is impossible to combine icons into folders. In addition, in Android 6.0, you can use the application search so as not to manually search for the desired program. The system also shows the four most important applications for the user based on the frequency of use. The design of the clock on the main screen has changed slightly. Below the numbers are the day of the week and the date in bold capital letters. Now you can create small notes that will be displayed on the lock screen. The text is placed just below the time and date.
autonomy
Where Android 6.0 is better than 5.1 is the optimization of the battery life of the mobile device. In the functionality of Android 6.0, there is now a section reserved for the battery and various manipulations with it. Here you can see how actively applications consume battery power, in particular when they are running in the background and not being used by the user. A number of programs can be closed to extend the autonomy of the gadget.
Advantages:
- optimized battery;
- added memory management function;
- more convenient volume control;
- a fingerprint scanner appeared;
- upgraded personal assistant;
- the ability to configure permissions for each application;
- a built-in file manager appeared;
- changed main menu.
Flaws:
- Wi-Fi more actively lowers battery power;
- economy mode is activated when the battery level drops to 20%.
Conclusion
An overview of the main features of the two versions of the popular Android system has been completed, you just have to decide what Android 6.0 or 5.1 is better for you, and whether it is worth buying a brand new gadget with an improved OS. Considering that the new firmware version has received many new advantages, while retaining all the advantages of the fifth generation, it can be called more interesting and functional. In addition, the sixth Android update is considered an effective fix for many of the bugs that were encountered in previous versions, and will really interest fans of new products.
There are many hidden features that can be quite useful. System UI Tuner is one of them. After activating this menu, the user gets more options in terms of customizing the Android interface. In one of the articles on Treshbox, we are already.
Some developers have already adapted System UI Tuner to the needs of ordinary users. For example, which was also available on previous versions of Android, uses UI Tuner to add custom buttons to the quick action menu that pops up from the top along with the notification shade. The coolest thing is that on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, using Custom Quick Settings does not require root access.
How it works
First of all, you need to activate the same System UI Tuner menu, which only works on the stable version of Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Some Android M previews didn't get this feature. You can read about activating UI Tuner in our corresponding article, but if you don’t want to go somewhere from this material, then: fully open the top “curtain” with quick actions and notifications, hold down the gear button that leads to in the settings menu - everything, System UI Tuner is activated. Now the corresponding item has appeared in the general Android settings menu, but you will hardly need it. The Custom Quick Settings app does everything for you.Next, install the Custom Quick Settings app itself, which is available for free, but with ads. It is removed through internal purchases - 99 rubles.
After installing the application, a custom button with an action in the top menu can be added with a couple of actions. By clicking on the Custom Quick Settings plus, you can select the name of the button, its action is to open any given web page, launch an application, go to some settings submenu, or activate a module. You can select an icon for the button (1,200 standard ones are available in total; custom ones are supported), as well as an additional long-press action. For example, you can create a quick link to the Treshbox, and by long pressing it will open any other site - a very convenient thing.
Capabilities
You can also do a quick action that will connect the device to a specific Wi-Fi, present in the list of saved ones. Custom application launch buttons will be very useful - there is no need to go to the desktop to open the desired program.The possibilities in terms of creating quick actions are very limited - you can only set the connection to a specific Wi-Fi network or device with Bluetooth. Here everything rests on the functionality of the System UI Tuner.
In the Pro version of the application, you can add functional shortcuts with quick actions. There is support for IFTTT. It's worth noting that all the custom buttons added using Custom Quick Settings don't work on the lock screen - they just don't show up in the "shutter", which is pretty expected.
Recall that all these features are also available on Android 5.0 / 5.1, but this requires . The developer notes that Custom Quick Settings does not use additional battery power - the program starts once when the system boots, and custom buttons are updated only after the user does it.
It's nice to see how the Android operating system with each new version takes over features that were previously only available with root rights. We hope that Google does not remove the System UI Tuner feature in a future Android 6.0.1 or 6.1 update. By the way, have you upgraded to Marshmallow yet?
The Android operating system is currently the most popular. It is installed on more than 1.2 billion devices worldwide. But few people know that this OS contains hidden features. The Internet project "Be mobile" studied the "secret functions" and prepared a list of the most interesting of them.
1. Hidden mini-game
id="sub0">Starting with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, Google will place on all Android smartphones, the so-called "Easter eggs" - hidden secrets that can be seen by performing a series of non-obvious actions. Like the names of OS versions, Easter eggs in it, as a rule, are also associated with sweets: in Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, they were flying jelly beans, in Android 4.4 KitKat - the OS logo in the style of the Nestle sweet of the same name, and in Android 5.0 Lollipop - hidden Flappy Bird style game. Android 6.0 Marshmallow did not stand aside either.
In order to access the mini-game, open "Settings". Go to "About phone" or "About tablet". Quickly tap on "Android Version" a few times. A marshmallow stylized as an android's head will appear on the screen. If you quickly click on it a few more times, a mini-game will open.
Like in Android 5.0, the Android 6.0 minigame is inspired by Flappy Bird, but the lollipops are replaced with marshmallows in the shape of a robot head. The game has fun graphics and, although it looks simple, it is quite difficult to score at least 10 points in it. I got 4 points max. Couldn't do it anymore.
2. Smartphone remote control
id="sub1">Lost mobile devices based on Android OS can be found and blocked, but Google has hidden this option deep enough. It is activated in the menu "Settings -> Security -> Device administrators" in the "Android Remote Control" section.
Check the box next to "Remote device search" and "Remote lock".
Activate extended rights for the device manager on request. Now you can manage the device from google.com/android/devicemanager in your Google account or through the Android Remote Control app
People who are familiar with Android will easily recover deleted files if you don't encrypt your mobile device. To enable this option, open "Settings -> Security -> Device Encryption". Set encryption.
3. Safe mode
id="sub2">Another Android security feature is "safe mode". It deactivates all third party applications. Moreover, in "safe mode" they can be deleted if for some reason they are incompatible with your mobile device, ended up in the boot loop by accident, are trojans or viruses.
To start the "safe mode" hold down the power button. When the menu for turning off the smartphone and activating airplane mode opens, hold your finger for a long time on the “Power off” item. Then confirm booting in safe mode.
The smartphone will boot into "safe mode". Icons of all third-party applications will be greyed out. In which case they can be safely removed.
4. Sync and push notification settings
id="sub3">When installing certain applications, you do not think about permissions to send push notifications or any other. Over time, these applications begin to spam unnecessary information. Games in particular suffer from this, but there can be quite ordinary applications. Luckily, notifications can be turned off.
To do this, open "Settings -> Applications -> All", find the culprit and select "Notifications". Here you can either disable all notifications at once (“Block All”), or allow only “swipe” notifications (“Short notifications”), etc.
5. Advanced WLAN settings
id="sub4">On Android, there is a settings section that is completely invisible to most users with additional Wi-Fi options. To get to it, you need to go to "Settings -> Wi-Fi", then press the menu key and select "Additional functions". Here you can turn off notifications about detected networks, turn off Wi-Fi in sleep mode, prevent the use of Wi-Fi networks with a bad signal, and set up Wi-Fi Direct (direct pairing of devices without using an access point).
6. Setting up mobile Internet traffic control
id="sub5">In Android, without third-party programs, you can monitor Internet traffic. For example, now many mobile operators provide a limited package of free traffic for a month. To control this traffic and not exceed the quota, or to understand how much traffic is left, you can set limits.
To do this, in the settings there is a separate item "Data transfer". There you can set a traffic limit, upon reaching which a notification will appear, as well as a limit, after which data transfer will be automatically turned off. For each application, separate statistics are kept on data in the background and active modes, a graph is built. Starting with Android 5.0, this interface is also available in quick settings, by touching the mobile network icon.
7. Blocking calls from specific numbers
id="sub6">It happens that you need to block calls from a specific number. There are no special blacklists in Android, and applications available on Google Play block numbers through dirty hacks and not always correctly.
However, the blocking of individual numbers can be obtained in the basic version of Android, for this it is enough just to send objectionable subscribers to voice mail. To do this, click on the desired contact, then click the edit icon, then the menu and select the item “Voice only. mail". In the same place, by the way, you can set a separate ringtone for the ill-fated subscriber.
8. Disable preinstalled apps
id="sub7">It happens that the manufacturer preinstalls a lot of incomprehensible programs and applications that you do not use. They occupy a certain memory, and you dream of getting rid of them.
On Android, you can disable many pre-installed apps. To do this, go to "Settings -> Applications" and open the "All" tab. Now you can view the list of available utilities. Select the desired application, and then click "Disable". Now you can click on "Erase data". For "frozen applications" that cannot be simply deleted, there is a separate "Disabled" tab. Unfortunately, not all applications can be frozen. Which one depends on the manufacturer.
9. Expand internal memory
id="sub8">In Android, there has always been a problem with expanding the internal memory of a smartphone. The connected SD card did not allow this, remaining external storage. The function of transferring applications to a memory card, which appeared in Android 2.2, also did not really save the situation. Finally, in Android 6.0, Google finally decided to fix the situation. Now, after connecting a flash drive or SD card, the system offers two options. The first is to use it as a removable medium. The second is to make an internal drive.
In the second case, the smartphone will format the flash drive in the ext4 file system using 128-bit AES encryption and mount it as a system partition. Next, a read and write speed test will be carried out. Now, unfortunately, all memory cards are significantly inferior in speed to built-in memory, which in theory can lead to slowness in the device. Fortunately, only the time of opening a particular application or loading part of it depends on the performance of the disk subsystem. And all calculations are carried out outside the disk.
10. Quick change of letter case
id="sub9">It happens that the text is already written and you need to change the case of individual letters or whole words. Android has a secret about this. To change the case of letters or to make words or sentences already capitalized in an already entered message, just select the message and press the Shift button one or more times until the desired result is obtained.
11. Quick access to settings
id="sub10">On Android 5 and Android 6, quick settings can be accessed by pulling out the shutter with two fingers. Of course, you can access quick settings the old fashioned way: swipe down twice across the screen. But this has nothing to do with secrets.
12. Quickly switch to silent mode
id="sub11">You can quickly enable vibration mode in Android 5 and Android 6 by pressing the volume key, and then clicking on the icon on the left side of the slider that appears. This option in practice turns out to be much faster than repeatedly pressing the volume down key on the end of the smartphone.
13. Call magnifier
id="sub12">Android has a screen magnifier. To enable it, you need to sequentially go to "Settings -\u003e Special. options -> Gestures to zoom". Now any part of the screen can be enlarged by clicking on it three times. This feature may be particularly useful for the visually impaired and the elderly.
14. Disable adding shortcuts to the desktop
id="sub13">To disable the automatic creation of icons on the desktop, launch the Play Store. Then go to settings and uncheck "Add icons". Now, by default, program icons will only appear in the general list.
15. Hidden Game in Chrome Browser
id="sub14">At the end of our selection, another hidden game, this time in the Chrome mobile browser. Try turning off Wi-Fi and mobile Internet on your smartphone (tablet). Next, open Chrome.
When you try to go to any address, the browser will display an error with its code. A dinosaur will appear above the text. If at this moment you click on the dinosaur, the character will come to life and begin to move around the screen. It's like the old PlayStation world: by touching the screen you can control a dinosaur that jumps over cacti, and, like in any similar game, your task is to survive and score the maximum number of points. Of course, the game is quite primitive, but catchy for a long time. Tested on myself!
By the way, now this game has become available for download in the Google Play Store and it is called Dino Run - Dinosty.
