How Customizable is Touchwiz these days?

[apjans]

I'll be coming from a Galaxy Nexus, with which I've become pretty used to flashing ROM's and reaping the benefits of those customization options. Listed below are the options that I would miss the most if gone. While I know I can get most of these options simply by unlocking/rooting the phone and installing a launcher like Nova, I also understand that there are a variety of options inherent to the Note 2 version of Touchwiz that I would lose the use of by using a different launcher and/or ROM.

What kind of options does Touchwiz give you for customizations? Does it allow you to change the power toggles in the notification shade? Can you customize the dock and which apps are located there? Is it possible to create custom folders in the app drawer?

Beyond just customization, what are the cool features and options that it gives you that you really like? What are the options that you feel it needs?

 

[drexappeal]

I'll be coming from a Galaxy Nexus, with which I've become pretty used to flashing ROM's and reaping the benefits of those customization options. Listed below are the options that I would miss the most if gone. While I know I can get most of these options simply by unlocking/rooting the phone and installing a launcher like Nova, I also understand that there are a variety of options inherent to the Note 2 version of Touchwiz that I would lose the use of by using a different launcher and/or ROM.

What kind of options does Touchwiz give you for customizations? Does it allow you to change the power toggles in the notification shade? Can you customize the dock and which apps are located there? Is it possible to create custom folders in the app drawer?

Beyond just customization, what are the cool features and options that it gives you that you really like? What are the options that you feel it needs?

I don't have the Note 2 yet, but I'm just curious, I noticed you mentioned rooting/unlocking and installing Nova...but why would either be connected? There's no need to root/unlock, in order to use a 3rd party launcher.

 

[bonerp]

i dont think the note 2 suffers performance problems from any apps in touch wiz so whats the point in worrying about rooting to remove them? Its a quick device and I've had no issues with any apps on the touchwiz

 

[apjans]

I don't have the Note 2 yet, but I'm just curious, I noticed you mentioned rooting/unlocking and installing Nova...but why would either be connected? There's no need to root/unlock, in order to use a 3rd party launcher.

Nova requires root to use the app drawer organization features. I have it so tools, games and misc. apps all have their own folder, as well as the widget folder in the app drawer, as opposed to just a folder for apps and a folder for widgets like stock ICS and beyond.

 

[apjans]

i dont think the note 2 suffers performance problems from any apps in touch wiz so whats the point in worrying about rooting to remove them? Its a quick device and I've had no issues with any apps on the touchwiz

Which is why I'm primarily curious about the customization options such as app drawer organization, customizing toggles, or customizing which apps are in the dock.

 

[drexappeal]

Nova requires root to use the app drawer organization features. I have it so tools, games and misc. apps all have their own folder, as well as the widget folder in the app drawer, as opposed to just a folder for apps and a folder for widgets like stock ICS and beyond.

Thanks for that info. I didn't realize that. That's one of the reasons I was looking at Nova over all of the other launchers. Glad you posted up that info, otherwise I wouldn't have known.

 

[R4nd0mJ0k3r]

Nova requires root to use the app drawer organization features. I have it so tools, games and misc. apps all have their own folder, as well as the widget folder in the app drawer, as opposed to just a folder for apps and a folder for widgets like stock ICS and beyond.

Not on the Galaxy Note 2 it doesn't. I have it and all the app drawer features work perfectly, tabs etc. Even viewing widgets in app drawer too (which didn't work on my GNote 1 without root). My phone is not rooted.

 

[drexappeal]

Not on the Galaxy Note 2 it doesn't. I have it and all the app drawer features work perfectly, tabs etc. Even viewing widgets in app drawer too (which didn't work on my GNote 1 without root). My phone is not rooted.

That's news to my eyes! Thanks so much.

 

[apjans]

Not on the Galaxy Note 2 it doesn't. I have it and all the app drawer features work perfectly, tabs etc. Even viewing widgets in app drawer too (which didn't work on my GNote 1 without root). My phone is not rooted.

That's news to me too. I wonder if this holds true across other devices now. Nova must have figured out a way to program it so root is no longer required. Cool!

Evidently, this means you're using Nova, are there any Touchwiz features you find you miss while running Nova?

Also, I'd love to hear about about Touchwiz dock and toggle customization options, if they even exist.

The only Touchwiz device I've played with is my gf's Galaxy Player 5.0, which is running gingerbread I'm pretty sure. The options on that are pretty miserable, by which I mean entirely absent. You can't choose how many home pages you have, which is your primary homepage (I prefer my primary home page to be in the center, with business related tools to the left, and entertainment to the right), you can't choose which apps are in the dock, or what order they are in, and same goes for the power toggles.

 

[drexappeal]

That's news to me too. I wonder if this holds true across other devices now. Nova must have figured out a way to program it so root is no longer required. Cool!

Evidently, this means you're using Nova, are there any Touchwiz features you find you miss while running Nova?

Also, I'd love to hear about about Touchwiz dock and toggle customization options, if they even exist.

The only Touchwiz device I've played with is my gf's Galaxy Player 5.0, which is running gingerbread I'm pretty sure. The options on that are pretty miserable, by which I mean entirely absent. You can't choose how many home pages you have, which is your primary homepage (I prefer my primary home page to be in the center, with business related tools to the left, and entertainment to the right), you can't choose which apps are in the dock, or what order they are in, and same goes for the power toggles.

Quite honestly, from past versions of TouchWiz, I never really liked the UI (just the top skin and widgets). Some of the interior functions of TouchWiz were actually very nice (e.g. toggles for wifi/gps/brightness in the notification bar). But if we're primarily talking about the visual skin on the UI...yeah, TouchWiz has always been a 'bit lacking for my tastes (although, I did like the clear/transparent app drawer I've seen in Note 2 videos).

 

[Regnum]

I'll be coming from a Galaxy Nexus, with which I've become pretty used to flashing ROM's and reaping the benefits of those customization options. Listed below are the options that I would miss the most if gone. While I know I can get most of these options simply by unlocking/rooting the phone and installing a launcher like Nova, I also understand that there are a variety of options inherent to the Note 2 version of Touchwiz that I would lose the use of by using a different launcher and/or ROM.

What kind of options does Touchwiz give you for customizations? Does it allow you to change the power toggles in the notification shade? Can you customize the dock and which apps are located there? Is it possible to create custom folders in the app drawer?

Beyond just customization, what are the cool features and options that it gives you that you really like? What are the options that you feel it needs?

I have tried every decent launcher on Google Play, incl. Go, Launcher Pro, Nova, Apex, Regina, ADW to name just a few. Finally, I am back to TouchViz, but with Go installed in background (you can use its icon packs and widgets that way).
Here is what I would miss if I had to part ways with TouchViz:

1. Icon shadows. No other launcher has them!
2. The folders. Their graphics presentation is just lovely and is the best.
3. Its speed. Well, because it is just too simple.
4. And the MAIN reason: no other launcher supports 4X4 S-Planner widget, which is one of the best things in the device.

At the same time, this is what disappeared with the latest update:

1. The static wallpapers no longer move along while scrolling the home screens. However, the live ones still do.
2. If I remember correctly, the ICS had the Stack transition effect in the app drawer, which went missing.

To answer your questions:

1. The power toggles can not be changed. But now there are 10 of them, so they are scrollable. They've finally added the one for Data toggle, but it is on the next page, so you have to scroll left to get to it.
2. You can customize the dock, but it is still only one row. You can even change icons but with 3rd party software.
3. It is possible to create folders in app drawer, no issues here. By the way, now the apps can be sorted alphabetically (not sure ICS offered that).

I wanted to write a proper review on all launchers I used, but there's never time. So here is a brief of why I am not using some of them:

1. Apex and Nova have a graphical glitch: when scrolling home screens, the widgets and icon backgrounds blink. Really annoying. Otherwise, Apex is the best of all, in my opinion.
2. Go is just too heavy and, even on Note 2, it has lags.

 

[breadnatty08]

One issue is some ROMs don't support S-pen features but looking through some of them on XDA for the Note 1, doesn't seem to be much of an issue.