Help Icons on home and application screens

[hajimeabc]

Hi, I am new to Android. I have the Galaxy Note with GB. Could you please let me know the following:

1. What is the different between home and application screens?

2. Are the icons on these screens the actual files or alias/short cut to the actual files?

3. I tried Go Launcher EX. When I dragged some icons to the home screen, the icons seem to be copied, rather than moved, to that screen. Does that mean the Go Launcher copied the apps or created aliases?

4. After trying Go Launcher EX for half an hour, I still feel more comfortable with the stock Samsung launcher. How can I do the following?

a) Create a folder, called bin, to store apps that I do not usually use in the Application folder. There are quite a lot of icons in that folder.

b) If the proper way is to copy/move commonly used apps (or their short-cut?) to the Home screen, please let me how how to do it.

Thanks.

 

[itsallgood]

4610893[/URL]]Hi, I am new to Android. I have the Galaxy Note with GB. Could you please let me know the following:

1. What is the different between home and application screens?

2. Are the icons on these screens the actual files or alias/short cut to the actual files?

3. I tried Go Launcher EX. When I dragged some icons to the home screen, the icons seem to be copied, rather than moved, to that screen. Does that mean the Go Launcher copied the apps or created aliases?

4. After trying Go Launcher EX for half an hour, I still feel more comfortable with the stock Samsung launcher. How can I do the following?

a) Create a folder, called bin, to store apps that I do not usually use in the Application folder. There are quite a lot of icons in that folder.

b) If the proper way is to copy/move commonly used apps (or their short-cut?) to the Home screen, please let me how how to do it.

Thanks.

1) Home is referring to which of your, say 5 home screens is the main home screen. meaning that when you hit the home button, it always goes back to this screen. Application screens are all the home screens that you place app. short cuts on. For example: you might have home screen 1 that has all social media apps on it. Screen 2 has game apps, etc.

2) This is a good question, although I'm not sure, but I do believe they are short cuts of the actual app. placed on the home screen.

3) Go Launcher is a different home launcher, so that would depend on the function of that launcher. I suspect it is just a short cut to that app.

4B) Long press on any open space on a home screen and follow the options.

 

[ForkliftFred]

When you say "Application screens" do you mean the screens you see when you touch the "Applications" icon? These screens have a black background and are full of app icons. This is sometimes referred to as the App drawer. If that is what you mean then the answers to your questions are as follows:

(I am assuming that your Galaxy Note has TouchWiz like my Galaxy Player and works the same way. As I have no experience of other devices or launchers, I don't know how much is standard and how much is TouchWiz specific)

1. Comparing to a Windows PC, the Home Screen is like your desktop and can be completely empty so you just see the wallpaper picture but it can also be customised with widgets (like clocks, weather reports, music players, etc) and most commonly used apps for easy access. You can also add folders to organise them if you wish. When you are using an app and press the Home button, you will be taken to the Home Screen that you last viewed, if you press the Home button when you are on one of the Home Screens you will be taken to the first Home Screen (furthest left)

The Application Screens (App Drawer) is simply a list or grid view of all the apps that you have installed. You can arrange them however you like but new apps will always appear at the end and you can not use folders. In the Windows analogy it's more like pressing the Windows Start/Logo button and seeing a list of the installed programs.

2. The icons you see on the Home Screen are shortcuts. If you long-press them (tap and hold) you will be able to drag them to the "Remove" area with a dustbin icon and it will remove the shortcut but the app will still be installed and will still be available from the App Drawer. The icons you see in the App Drawer are, essentially, the actual apps and you can delete uninstall them from there.

3. I've not used Go Launcher, only the stock TouchWiz but the principle will be the same. As described in my first answer, what you saw on the Home Screen was just a shortcut. You can not move apps from the App Drawer.

4. I'm perfectly happy with the stock launcher too. It would be nice to change a couple of the icons but I'm used to them now.

a) As I've said, the App Drawer contains all your apps and isn't really designed for accessing the ones you regularly use. Think of it as a directory for accessing everything (or literally the drawer that you keep them in) and don't expect to go in there very often.

b) There are two ways of putting shortcuts on your Home Screen. The easiest way is to open the App Drawer and long-press the app you want. The screen will change to your Home Screen and you can drop the shortcut wherever you want, or drop in into the Remove area to cancel. Alternatively, you can long-press a blank part of your Home Screen and you'll be presented with a menu of options (Widgets, Shortcuts, Folders and Wallpapers) If you select Shortcuts you'll Applications and see all sorts of other things you can link to. If you then sellect Applications you'll get another list containing all your Apps in alphabetical order (you might need to wait a while before it appears though)

 

[hajimeabc]

When you say "Application screens" do you mean the screens you see when you touch the "Applications" icon? These screens have a black background and are full of app icons. This is sometimes referred to as the App drawer. If that is what you mean then the answers to your questions are as follows:

Yes. Thank you very much for the detailed explanations.

Samsung filled 5 out of 7 home screens with stuffs by default.

 

[Stuntman]

Samsung filled 5 out of 7 home screens with stuffs by default.

Android phones tend to come with home screen objects by default. Partly it is done so that new users can access apps and objects without having to do any configuration of the phone. Partly it is done as an example on how you can customise your home screens. If you delete objects on your home screens, you are not actually removing them from your phone. You can simply readd them later.

The idea of home screens is to allow you to configure your phone to allow you to access apps and functions that you commonly use. You can organise your home screens however you like. You will probably spend a few weeks customising and trying out different home screen configurations before it settles down. Feel free to experiment. In general your centre home screen is likely going to contain objects you use most often or objects you want to have quick access to when you need them. Other home screens would be ones you use less often or ones you don't mind having to switch home screens first.

 

[ForkliftFred]

Android phones tend to come with home screen objects by default.

5 screens is a bit excessive though From what I'd seen before getting my SGP I was only expected 3 screens as a starting point and from experiences installing Windows I was expecting them to be completely blank (nothing worse that installing Windows and having nothing to do ) Instead, I had 7 screens with the first being mostly full including the Google search widget.

My first screen is still nearly full but most of the icons have been changed and the search widget is gone. I then filled up the other 6 trying out all the different audio players and their widgets, but that was just temporary and I'm testing weather widgets now

So, yeah, play around and take your time settling in