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MRU

macrumors Penryn
Aug 23, 2005
25,370
8,952
a better place
Well, just disabled a lot of Samsung things, checked out the Now Launcher again (anyone know how to lower icon sizes?) and turned off animations.

Fast is definitely a way to describe it.

You can't make icon size smaller in Now launcher.

You can in other Launchers, indeed the newest Nova when set up properly will mimic Google Now launcher albeit without the Google Now on the left home screen. However you will at least gain total control of icon size and app drawer / folder colour and arrangement.
 

Fernandez21

macrumors 601
Jun 16, 2010
4,840
3,183
Nice link. My opinion:

I actually think many, if not most, of the touchwiz menus and colors look better than stock options. The settings menu, for one, in touchwiz is fantastic. Color coded, organized and simple. It's just easier on the eyes making things eaiser to find and quicker to get to. Plus, with stock you no longer get the 6 or so "quick settings" at the top of the settings menu (fully customizable, of course!) Like you do in touchwiz. Likewise, I find touchwiz's pull down notification shade to be cleaner and easier to use, too. You get faster access to the quick toggles (vs having to pull down twice. That annoys me so much on stock lollipop. Goes against the idea of "quick"), and you get to customize what toggles go where. Secondary toggles go to a second page, too. So you get more and you get the main ones quicker.

Ditto a few other things like the dialer and such. I think touchwiz aesthetically looks and makes more sense than stock in many areas.

Well, except for those gawd awful touchwiz app icons. They truly are hideous. Stock Android icons win in this regard.

As for me, I use Google now launcher and this app called icon changer (free) along with the moonshine icon pack (also free). This allows me to keep the things I like about touchwiz while still functioning almost like stock.

Just my two cents.

I like most of the customization done on touchwiz, the extra features are nice. The problem for me is the design which is pretty bad IMO and the performance. With themes, we can at least make it look better, all they need to do now is work on performance.
 
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epicrayban

macrumors 604
Nov 7, 2014
6,517
5,353
I like most of the customization done on touchwiz, the extra features are nice. The problem for me is the design which is pretty bad IMO and the performance. With themes, we can at least make it look better, all they need to do now is work on performance.

Agreed on that last part. That aggressive RAM management is a shame. It luckily doesn't affect me very much but it should still be addressed.

That finger print scanner is also slow as molasses to unlock especially when compared to the iPhone 6's.
 

ZircoBen

macrumors regular
Jul 12, 2015
186
200
Utah, USA
Has anyone here tried a custom ROM, and if so is it worth tripping Knox?

I couldn't live with a Galaxy S6 without a custom rom :)

Google has built in so much of their own security stuff into newer versions of Android, you can totally go without Knox. My only concern is the ROM support in the long run with that Exynos CPU...
 

Michael Goff

Suspended
Jul 5, 2012
13,329
7,422
I couldn't live with a Galaxy S6 without a custom rom :)

Google has built in so much of their own security stuff into newer versions of Android, you can totally go without Knox. My only concern is the ROM support in the long run with that Exynos CPU...

I heard if you trip Knox, some of the things stop working. Also, what custom ROM do you use?
 

jamezr

macrumors P6
Aug 7, 2011
16,077
19,075
US
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ZircoBen

macrumors regular
Jul 12, 2015
186
200
Utah, USA
You can't use CM on a locked S6 without tripping Knox. To flash a non Samsung firmware rom you need an unlocked boot loader and to replace to kernal. Those things will trip Knox.
I would have expected that, I just know that some roots don't trip Knox. All I was saying.
 

Vegastouch

macrumors 603
Jul 12, 2008
6,185
992
Las Vegas, NV
Agreed on that last part. That aggressive RAM management is a shame. It luckily doesn't affect me very much but it should still be addressed.

That finger print scanner is also slow as molasses to unlock especially when compared to the iPhone 6's.
Still having issues with the fingerprint scanner? Mine works really good and it is quick. I only use it for certain apps though. Too much of a pain imo to use every time to unlock the phone.
 

epicrayban

macrumors 604
Nov 7, 2014
6,517
5,353
I've given up on the Google now launcher. Too many home screen refreshes. I'm going to give touchwiz launcher another try. If it doesn't happen anymore I'll stay on that. If it happens again, I'll force myself to use nova.

This is currently my biggest issue with the device so far.

Edit:
Finger print unlock seems snappier running on touch wiz launcher. Don't know if it's my imagination or not.
 
Last edited:

MRU

macrumors Penryn
Aug 23, 2005
25,370
8,952
a better place
.

Edit:
Finger print unlock seems snappier running on touch wiz launcher. Don't know if it's my imagination or not.

It shouldn't in 'theory' make any difference, but hey if you feel your getting better results it's good even if it's just a placebo affect :)
 

mi7chy

macrumors G4
Oct 24, 2014
10,626
11,298
Haven't seen a single home screen refresh with stock TouchWiz on Verizon Galaxy S6. I just hope the next OS update relaxes the memory garbage collection since I have about 1.2GB free DRAM.
 

epicrayban

macrumors 604
Nov 7, 2014
6,517
5,353
It shouldn't in 'theory' make any difference, but hey if you feel your getting better results it's good even if it's just a placebo affect :)

You're right. It's not. Same as before

Will need another few days to see about home screen refreshes though. People on here claiming they don't ever get home screen refreshes makes me hopeful.
 

Vegastouch

macrumors 603
Jul 12, 2008
6,185
992
Las Vegas, NV
I've given up on the Google now launcher. Too many home screen refreshes. I'm going to give touchwiz launcher another try. If it doesn't happen anymore I'll stay on that. If it happens again, I'll force myself to use nova.

This is currently my biggest issue with the device so far.

Edit:
Finger print unlock seems snappier running on touch wiz launcher. Don't know if it's my imagination or not.
It's all opinion but I think Nova is easily better than both of those.
 

MRU

macrumors Penryn
Aug 23, 2005
25,370
8,952
a better place
Haven't seen a single home screen refresh with stock TouchWiz on Verizon Galaxy S6. I just hope the next OS update relaxes the memory garbage collection since I have about 1.2GB free DRAM.

Samsung have never officially acknowledged their is any problem to fix, contrary to what 'media' outlets reported. As far as they are concerned the software is working as intended.
 

MRU

macrumors Penryn
Aug 23, 2005
25,370
8,952
a better place
It is the best launcher IMHO. I put it on all my Android devices.
Yep I just wish they made app drawer folder creation available inside the app drawer via drag and drop rather than through the menus. It's a great launcher especially prime version but it takes a while to learn it properly and I'm afraid that must put a lot of people off it. But still the recent updates have brought it a fresh coat of paint it definitely needed :)
 

iMi

Suspended
Sep 13, 2014
1,624
3,201
Here is a new leaked image of the S6

8565776934834352c525ce183655d001.jpg

Looks awesome. This could be my first Android device!!!
 

epicrayban

macrumors 604
Nov 7, 2014
6,517
5,353
Home screen still refreshing on touchwiz. I give up. Just something I have to live with on this phone.

Really a damn shame. I'll definitely be paying attention to the moto x, nexus 5 or the iPhone.
 

epicrayban

macrumors 604
Nov 7, 2014
6,517
5,353
I have noticed that the home screen refreshing happens mainly (maybe even only?) when I'm coming out of chrome. After spending a long time on chrome and I go home it'll happen.

Hm ..
 
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