inkOS v0.4 update

[gezimos]

Hello people, happy holiday!

inkOS v0.4 is here.

To download go here and download, v0.4:

Releases · gezimos/inkOS

I’ve prepared a simple website hosted in github to list the features and some faq:
https://gezimos.github.io/inkOS/

Please read this, or click on the website above:

This will be the last topic about inkOS and I’m opening a new one because the old ones had comments about disabling Mudita Launcher which now it’s not necessary with 1.4.0 update, and I don’t want users to get confused. I know the forum search is very confusing, please don’t open other topics about inkOS questions. Post here, on reddit r/inkos or in the github issues page.

Again: you don't need to disable Mudita Launcher if you're in 1.4.0 Mudita OS K

v0.4 has these changes/features:

Home:

1. Home alignment will allow u to set the mode to left and right. Left is set as default so users can know that this is now possible. You can go change it back to center if u wish to do so.
2. Dual clocks option, 24/12hr clock option, AM/PM option for those that use 12hr clocks. Second clock time is set with a simple time-zone offset, it won’t have city names or search for simplicity reasons.
3. Added charging indicator in home, appears automatically.
4. Removed re-order apps.

AppDrawer Settings:

1. AZ filter will be the default option it allows you to filter quickly to see apps that start with “X” letter. It supports diacritics so apps with “Ë will appear under E”.
2. Page indicator dots have been removed.
3. Hide home apps is added, which will filter apps that u already have in home so you won’t have duplicates.
4. Search function has been added. Auto-show keyboard will enable keyboard automatically when you open AppDrawer.
5. Auto-launch result will open the closest matching app automatically without you having to press ok.
6. If there are more than 1 app with the same keyword, pressing search/enter will open the top one.

Look & Feel: Colors:

1. Added Rule to disallow having the same background color as the color of text to avoid the mistake some users have of making everything the same color which makes everything impossible to read.
2. Merged all text colors into one color preference for easier management. (this is for users with lcd/oled screens, or color -eink). I don’t reccomend using anything other than white and black for E-ink/E-paper. 3. Removed System theme mode, which wasn’t working properly in devices that had scheduled theme change.
3. Wallpaper system has been changed to use Android Wallpaper System because a lot of devices didn’t allow access through files app to embed images. It also includes a wallpaper editor, and some wallpaper presets.
4. Background opacity has 0/255 values and sets the opacity of the background color (which affects how visible the wallpaper is). For full transparency use 0.
5. Added text islands, so you can have proper contrast if you decide to use wallpapers.
6. Added icons
7. Corner style (affects text islands, buttons, and boxes).
   
   

Fonts:

1. I’ve added more font choices.
2. I’ve changed the default to be PublicSans
3. Please try other fonts, System (roboto) doesn’t look good in E-ink at all.

Gestures:

1. Added Swipe up and Swipe down gestures in home. Because we already swipe pages there can be a conflict, so i’ve added Swipe Treshold slider, so u can configure short swipes and long swipes.
   1.1 Default: Short swipe 0.35x (swiping pages up and down).
   1.2 Long swipes 2.0x(swiping up and down to access Simpletray, or App Drawer). If you’re having issues, only use swipe left and right, or keep only 1 page of apps in home.

Notifications

1. Added 2 new settings at the bottom for SimpleTray. Notifications per page, and enable/disable the 2 bottom buttons. It uses the same “notification allowlist” as Notification Window.
2. I’ve added setting icon for each notification in SimpleTray/Letters. So you can click and go to app notification settings for that app.

inkOS only previews hidden notifications, if android can’t see it. inkOS can’t see it. If your app is not showing you notifications, it’s not inkOS problem it’s a Google Play Services (lack of) problem, Push Notification problem from your app.

The allow-lists are empty by default they allow all notifications to come through, so you have 2 choices:

1. Add apps that u want in allow lists, there’s 3 (one for home, one for letters, one for simpletray).

2. Click. the setting icon for that app and disable those notifications at android level.

   Extras

3. Removed mKompakt Bluetooth fragment from Extra Settings, it’s not needed anymore. 2. Added default apps shortcut in SystemShortcuts

2 New fragments have been added:
**1.Simple Tray: **

This is a replacement tray that combines QuickSettings and notifications.

It is added as a default gesture for Swipe Down (long swipe)

In order to utilize this page you need to accept these permissions:
Allow modifying system settings (for audio on/off).
Allow Inkos to find connect and determine the position of nearby devices (for blutooth on/off)
Allow inkOS to make and manage phone calls. (for data on/off airplane mode on/off).
Allow inkOS to take pictures and record video. (Is used to turn on/off the flash light)

If you don’t want to use simpletray, don’t accept these.

2. Recents
This is a replacement for the Missing Android Recents in Mudita Kompakt.
First page will show your most recent apps, so u can navigate quicker instead of having to dig in the appdrawer. The other page will show you the Most used apps (tap hourglass icon).

It’s added by default as Swipe Right Gesture
Usage access is used for Recents/most used apps fragment.

---

There might still be some bugs, but during testing there wasn’t anything major. So it should be good for an update. However as always:

1. Backup your inkOS data at Advanced / Backup&Restore / Backup.
2. If you’re happy with v0.3 you don’t have to update.
3. There have been some sizing changes so the default gap for home apps is 10, same for App Drawer is 8. So if you get big gaps, update those.

---

A big thank you for those that donated to the project, a big thank you for those that helped me test the new version. For those that want to support the project here’s the BuyMeAcoffee link.

[gezimos]

Reserved!

Again please read the post above. It’s holiday time, and very busy with work. So I might not have time to answer questions that are answered above or in the website here:
https://gezimos.github.io/inkOS/

Forgot to mention:
Home Audio widget now works with Mudita Music Player. However the app still shows a fake “transport” notification. So in the label you might not get the audio/song name.

But it will work fine in the SimpleTray here:

[YYZ]

As InkOS 0.4 is now using the Android wallpaper system, which automatically zooms in on the wallpaper, those of you who have been using their own pixel-exact wallpapers will notice that because of the zoom effect, part of the wallpaper border is cut off in InkOS 0.4. If you want to continue using your own custom-made wallpaper, there is a workaround: use an image editor (such as Photoshop), open your regular 480x800 wallpaper, and add 80 pixels to both X and Y. In other words, don’t resize the image (keep it at 480x800), but enlarge the canvas size to 560x880, and save that as the new wallpaper. Despite of the Android zoom, you will now still see the original wallpaper like you did in InkOS 0.3.

I re-uploaded some of my own custom-made wallpapers (removed some, added a bunch of new ones), both for InkOS 0.3 and InkOS 0.4, along with a small selection of fonts. The wallpapers for InkOS 0.4 are the same ones as for 0.3, but the canvas size has already been changed, so you can use them as is. Merry Christmas!

Download here:

Filebin | ptyez0flgdsxm98v

Thanks to @gezimos for your INCREDIBLE work. You outdid yourself once again.

HOWEVER, I just noticed that even the adjusted wallpapers now appear off-center. Obviously @gezimos made some more changes, so custom wallpapers that were precisely fitted to the edges of the screen are now shifted somewhat to the right, and are therefore not useable at the moment. If you are able to, feel free to edit the wallpapers yourself until they fit again.

[gloomypanda]

Fantastic additions. Recent apps is great since it also covers the need of switching between apps that are in use (or easily closing an app), which has been one of my biggest annoyances with the MK so far. Also love the new design implementations. Everything is looking great.

With wallpapers though, how do you remove one and just go back to blank slate? Also with the opacity slider, for me 0 is full opacity and 255 is transparent. I personally liked the ‘re-order apps’ function but I guess it was redundant?

Sidetrack: I am unable to go back to Mudita launcher. It simply doesn’t show up. Do I have to undo the ADB command in web ADB to have it appear again? I installed inkOS before the 1.4 Mudita update. I have one of those drop down menus in ‘manage apps’ but there is no ‘default apps’ setting.

Thank you for your work. You make the MK so much more enjoyable and user friendly. I’m sending over some coffee contributions when I’ve recovered from gift buying this season!

[YYZ]

@gloomypanda

With wallpapers though, how do you remove one and just go back to blank slate?

You can either move the opacity slider to the other end, or you can download my wallpapers (see link in previous post), go to the folder “NoWallpaper” and set one of the two (light/dark) “blank” wallpapers.

[xer0]

How do you make the text islands square? is it related to the font? Also, what font are you using in the example image with the square islands? i love that look.

[gezimos]

@gloomypanda

With wallpapers though, how do you remove one and just go back to blank slate? Also with the opacity slider, for me 0 is full opacity and 255 is transparent. I personally liked the ‘re-order apps’ function but I guess it was redundant?

Opacity is for the background color, just make the background opacity to 255 and wallpaper will not be visible.

Re-order apps has been removed because I’m looking to make a better system how to set up apps in home, quicker.

@gloomypanda

Sidetrack: I am unable to go back to Mudita launcher. It simply doesn’t show up. Do I have to undo the ADB command in web ADB to have it appear again? I installed inkOS before the 1.4 Mudita update. I have one of those drop down menus in ‘manage apps’ but there is no ‘default apps’ setting.

Yes you have to re-enable Mudita launcher:

Enable
pm enable com.mudita.launcher

add adb shell in front of it if you’re using normal desktop adb and not web adb…

@gloomypanda

Thank you for your work. You make the MK so much more enjoyable and user friendly. I’m sending over some coffee contributions when I’ve recovered from gift buying this season!

Thank you, glad you’re finding the update useful!

[gezimos]

@xer0

How do you make the text islands square?

Look&feel, Enable Text Islands. Then you can choose to invert them, and you can choose the corner shape at the bottom (pill, rounded, square).

That font is SpaceGrotesk, it’s one of the preset fonts included with the launcher. It’s one of the fonts that looks the sharpest in this low resolution display.

[gezimos]

In next version there will be an option for those that want to bypass android wallpaper manager.

[YYZ]

You’re an ace. It was funny when you said “I still don’t know anything”
I do like the preset wallpapers (aside from the dithering that makes text even harder to read), it’s just a pity that other wallpapers have to be adjusted, and then they still don’t fit. So if you can implement an alternative, you deserve more than just a coffee
P.S.: LOVING the corner shapes!

P.P.S.: Would it be possible to add a feature to the wallpaper editor that converts regular 480x800 images into InkOS wallpaper, so they can be used for both InkOS and Android ?

[gloomypanda]

@gezimos

Opacity is for the background color, just make the background opacity to 255 and wallpaper will not be visible.

Ahaaa, sorry, I misunderstood the slider values. I thought it might be a bug of some kind, as sometimes when I unlock the screen, the wallpaper flashes briefly after setting it to transparent.

@gezimos

Yes you have to re-enable Mudita launcher:

Thanks for clarifying, it’s all good now!

[gezimos]

@gloomypanda

Ahaaa, sorry, I misunderstood the slider values. I thought it might be a bug of some kind, as sometimes when I unlock the screen, the wallpaper flashes briefly after setting it to transparent.

No worries because in previous version the opacity set the image opacity, so I changed this.

@gloomypanda

the wallpaper flashes briefly after setting it to transparent.

Did you set just homescreen or lockscreen too? Because the lockscreen might be the one u flash. For Mudita Kompakt only set the homescreen, lockscreen is hidden but it appears sometimes after restart or switching between apps.

In the next update there will preset wallpapers for white, so users can take it to it’s original state.

[somastudy]

I am using the launcher on my hibreak pro model and I absolutely love it! I am not able to utilize the wallpapers and I would love to be able to access some of my own black and white images for the wallpaper. Are you able to help assist with this? Thank you for this service in the community! Please no rush.

[somastudy]

Just wondering if this layout supports widget? It would be cool to add a reading habit tracker widget on the home screen.

[gezimos]

@somastudy I would like to keep this topic for Mudita Kompakt only, if you’d like please post an issue in: GitHub · Where software is built

or if you’re a reddit user r/inkos

And post screenshots of your settings in Look&Feel and explain how is it not working and i’ll try to guide you

@somastudy

Just wondering if this layout supports widget? It would be cool to add a reading habit tracker widget on the home screen.

No third-party widget support, it’s a nightmare to support them.
But i’m looking to expand to some widgets, I already have some written but I’m not happy with the performance I want to improve on them before I consider including them.

[somastudy]

Hi sorry - I literally just switched my mudita today and this has been my main community. I am trying to stay off reddit but thank you. I appreciate the help and my boyfriend figured out the wallpaper! Thank you!

[gezimos]

@somastudy I understand, but I don’t want to confuse other users with comments about other devices. General questions are welcome here, but device specific issues I’d keep them in Github.

No need to post on reddit, if you have other issues u can post on the github page it has a section specifically for issues/bugs or feature requests.

And I’m glad you figured out the wallpaper issue

[gloomypanda]

Yes, I’m certain I’d only set to homescreen. It only happens once in a while, I haven’t been able to replicate it to figure out why it would happen. But I have been testing out several wallpapers, and it’s happened with most of them. It’s not a big deal at all to me though. Just thought I’d let you know. Tried to test it with setting both home and lockscreen, and it hasn’t happened yet.

[kad]

Update seems to have broken the empty spaces on the home screen, I can’t seem to figure a way to make the text disappear. Am sad. Love the new features a LOT. Simple tray and recents are so useful, but I preferred some of the older customization options.

[gezimos]

@kad Sorry, yes the empty space was removed. I’m working to improve the way how apps are added in home to make it easier and faster, so Empty Space and the old re-order apps have been removed because they were part of the old text-view (xml layouts) which have been removed as I tried to make the app fully Compose.

In addition to the new adding apps I will make some typo of separators. However it would help to know how you used Empty space as a feature. Originally it was meant just as a quick way to push home apps lower (off-center).

@somastudy So I don’t have a Hi-break phone to test, and I don’t know if it supports lock screen images. But if you ever get the issue try to record it and share it.