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Most of our rooting and ROMing readers should be familiar with the name GravityBox, which is a set of tweaks that use the Xposed framework to modify AOSP-based ROMs with features and tweaks typically found in third-party projects—giving you ROM-like features while running stock, basically. Earlier today we were interested to see the tool had a listing on the Play Store, but after reaching out to GravityBox developer C3C076, we've learned it has no association with the project.
Xposed, a framework that allows users to install heavy modifications to Android, usually takes a few months to be updated for every new Android release. However, it took over a year for the creator of Xposed (Rovo89) to update the framework for Nougat, due to the major changes Android 7.0 made to the app runtime.
Xposed Framework was extremely popular in the KitKat and Lollipop days for heavy system modification, but until today, it lacked support for Android 7.0 Nougat. While the developer shared status updates every once in a while, progress was slow thanks to major changes in Nougat's app runtime. At long last, Xposed is finally available for Android 7.0 and 7.1 devices.
The Xposed Framework and its associated modules are the best friends of users who know their way around root-level tools, but don't want a full custom ROM (or can't find one for their less-popular devices). One downside is that Xposed is the passion project of a single developer, "rovo89." He (we have it on fairly good authority that it is he, though the dev is very private) works on the framework outside of his day job, and it's often several months before rovo89 has it working to a level that's ready for general users.
Bless you, Xposed Framework. Thou art the last refuge of power users whose hardware has been forsaken by manufacturer and ROM developer alike. The root-enabled tool has a new module that back-ports a bunch of Android Nougat features to earlier versions of the OS. It's called AndroidN-ify, and the latest update includes a tweak that exposes Google's fancy new voice-controlled Assistant search tool to users on Android 6.0. An earlier build.prop tweak allowed Android 7.0 users to try Assistant on non-Pixel phones, which won't be officially supported when the new hardware launches.
Following the launch of Xposed Framework for Android 6.0 last week, C3C076 has just announced a Marshmallow-compatible version of his popular all-in-one toolkit, GravityBox. As with previous releases, GravityBox is available as a separate app for Marshmallow, so older versions will continue to be accessible to users on JellyBean, KitKat, or Lollipop.
Xposed Framework is a modification for root-level users that allows them to apply a wide series of mods and tweaks to a variety of Android releases and skins. It's become a popular alternative to full custom ROMs, especially for users who only want one or two tweaks to their devices instead of a full transformation. The creator of Xposed, who goes by "rovo89" on XDA-Developers, posted a new version for Android 6.0 Marshmallow this afternoon after a brief tease earlier this week.
The Xposed Framework is one of the most versatile tools available for tweakers and tinkerers in the Android community. Installing the framework on a rooted device unlocks a world of possibilities for changing the behavior of system and user apps without any modifications to the app files themselves. These sorts of tweaks used to only be accessible to users on custom ROMs, but the ease and flexibility provided by Xposed caused it to very quickly gain popularity among fans of pure vanilla Android as well. There are currently hundreds of installable modules, which allow for everything ranging from YouTube background playback, to enabling Force Touch on Android, to even making several devices water resistant.
Android 5.0 brought major changes to the platform, and that made it hard to get the Xposed system tweaking framework functional. The project's developer has finally announced that Xposed for Lollipop is ready after months of betas and unofficial builds. That doesn't mean it's completely without risks, but nothing should be obviously broken.
A discussion on Google+ started yesterday by Yahooer (and former Nexus device maintainer) JBQ about modified firmware and app bug/crash reports has started something of a debate: should developers actually heed crash and other logs from users with things such as modified frameworks, or even custom ROMs?
Xposed is a fantastic tool for modders whose phones aren't as popular as mainstream models and don't get as much ROM support, or if they simply want a few Android tweaks without flashing completely custom firmware. Unfortunately, both the Xposed Framework and the module you're using need to be updated with each major release of Android for the functionality to reliably work. That's now true for GravityBox, a popular collection of tweaks and mods bundled into a single module, and Lollipop 5.1.
Before Android 5.0, the Android power menu (reached by pressing and holding the physical power button) included options for an airplane mode and setting the ringer to on, vibrate, or silent. And that was just the AOSP implementation: some manufacturer skins, custom ROMs, and root tools added extras like a screenshot button, a reboot menu, and other goodies. But with Android 5.0, we get... this.
Android 5.0 has a lot of smart features, and battery saver mode is one of them. When your phone reaches a user-defined low battery level, Lollipop will automatically reduce animations, turn off most background data, cut vibration from alerts, and lower the standard brightness on the screen. It's a smarter implementation of the feature than, say, the ultra power saving modes on recent Samsung or HTC phones, which disable all but a few apps.
Most Xposed modules add a simple change or tweak one or two settings. The Xposed GEL Settings module, colloquially known as XGELS, is a bit more ambitious. This tool for customizing the default Google Experience Launcher keeps adding new features every few months, and the latest actually adds something that isn't available in erstwhile competitors like Nova or Apex. You can download it on the Play Store now, though you'll need root and the Xposed Framework to run it.
Xposed GEL Settings, or XGELS, is an Xposed Framework module that aims to make the default Google Now launcher (AKA the Google Experience Launcher) just as customizable as alternatives like Nova. The latest update adds a handful of new options for customization nuts, including tweaks to the icon display on the homescreen and app drawer. You can download XGELS via the Play Store, but you'll need a rooted device and the Xposed Framework (sideload) to make it work.
It never ceases to amaze me how much rooted users can get done with the Xposed Framework customization engine. The latest add-on module lets you expand the somewhat basic canned responses available on Android Wear-enabled text messaging apps. With WearResponses, you can add in just about any custom message to the list that appears on your watch, which should be handy for specific work replies that are too unique for voice detection. Like "GB419 is ready to ship," or "Horiguchi wants the meeting changed," or "SOON BACKANSWER!"
It really is staggering how much customization you can do with the flexible Xposed Framework, even on a stock phone or tablet. The latest interesting Xposed module adds some much-needed options to Chrome for Android, at least if you're a root user who knows your way around the tool. ChromePIE is not a delicious browser-flavored snack cake, it's a module that adds swiping controls to Chrome, modeled after the popular LMT-PIE navigation bar replacement.
I don't think the developer behind the Xposed Google Experience Launcher Settings (XGELS) module will be satisfied until he's made the stock Google Search launcher every bit as flexible as Nova and Apex. The latest update to the popular module adds even more customization options. Premium users can now assign custom icons to a single app or the app drawer icon, with or without a full icon theme applied, like most of the more advanced launchers allow.
Last year we told you about GravityBox, easily one of the most complete and far-reaching Xposed modules for rooted Nexus and AOSP ROMs. The creator is still expanding the module, and has quickly incorporated the Heads Up notifications recently featured in CyanogenMod nightly builds. Heads Up notifications pop up for easy viewing and action while in full screen mode. The feature is hidden deep in Android 4.4 code, and easily enabled here.
As useful as the Google Experience Launcher (GEL) is, it's not exactly what you'd call "customizable." But intrepid modder Alexander Schulz has been working on that, making the GEL bend to his will through the magic of root and the Xposed Framework tool. The latest update to Xposed GEL Settings adds some really cool features. The most impressive is probably the dynamic home button: the home button on the virtual nav bar will switch to the app tray icon on the default home screen if that's the function you've selected. You can also change the Back button to a power button on the launcher. Neat!