New to android questions

[sbesozzi]

Hey guys!

I just switched from iOS to android and so far I'm loving it but a few things leave me puzzled. My phone is a Sony Xperia ZL.

First, when I plug my headphones, my music starts playing and it's always the same song, any way around this?

When I have a notification, it only displays as a small message in the status bar. No pop up, no vibration and no sound if I'm listening to music. Can I make this more noticeable?

Any of you got the remote control app to work for tv and stuff in manual set up?

Can I have my notifications show up on the lock screen?

What's the best music player app you recommend? I'm using the built in walkman app and while I find it elegant and simple I also feel it's a bit limited compared to the iOS music player.

Thanks!

 

[funkylogik]

Its probably a setting in your music player making it auto-start. And i recommend PowerAmp music player. Free 14day trial. The rest im not sure of :thumbup:

 

[chanchan05]

I've never used Sony so I can't comment on why the music player behaves that way. Maybe you don't have it on shuffle?

As for the message, it depends on the message app if it has a popup option or not. There are several message apps you can get on the store to replace the one on the phone if you don't like it.

 

[Slug]

Hwhen I plug my headphones, my music starts playing and it's always the same song, any way around this?

Do you have Sony's Smart Connect app installed? One of its default events is "Music On The Go", which automatically opens the Walkman app and starts playing whichever track was last in the queue. A quick-and-dirty solution is to simply remove the "Play Track" task.

When I have a notification, it only displays as a small message in the status bar. No pop up, no vibration and no sound if I'm listening to music. Can I make this more noticeable?

Check the notification settings for the various apps affected, as mot have their own settings. Also ensure that Ringtone/notification hasn't been lowered in the Settings/Sound menu.

Any of you got the remote control app to work for tv and stuff in manual set up?

Can I have my notifications show up on the lock screen?

Not that I know of. You can still access the pull-down from the lock screen though - no need to actually unlock the handset.

 

[sbesozzi]

Thanks for the replies! You were right, it was just a setting I didn't see that stopped/started the music when the headphones were plugged/unplugged. And Poweramp is ******* badass. Way better than the ios player

As for changing the message app, the thing is that it's not only the messages but any kind of notification (facebook, mail, twitter) that I want more noticeable.

 

[Doit2it]

When I have a notification, it only displays as a small message in the status bar. No pop up, no vibration and no sound if I'm listening to music. Can I make this more noticeable?

Make sure notifications are on:
Default notification is located at Settings / Sound / Default notification - set it to what you want.

Notification for the messaging app:
May be different for your phone, but: open app you read texts with / Menu key / Settings / Notifications - set tone and vibration.

Your music player may be turning notifications off while playing music. Under your music player: Menu key / Settings - look for anything pertaining to notifications.

Most stock messaging apps do not have pop ups. Download a messaging app suck as Handcent SMS or Chomp SMS. I know Handcent has pop ups, along with MANY customizations, both for the entire UI and for individual contacts.

 

[gtbarry]

As for changing the message app, the thing is that it's not only the messages but any kind of notification (facebook, mail, twitter) that I want more noticeable.

You have to go the settings for each app for that. Most will allow a "popup notification" or something in their settings. But not all of them. For example Whatsapp can, but gmail can't.

You can try a third party app like LightFlow. It will allow the screen to flash on for 5 seconds if it is off when the notification comes in. Or a text alert on your screen. Even better, you can csutomize the LED light, ringtones and vibrations per alert. Try the free one first.

 

[Slug]

You can try a third party app like LightFlow.

Good suggestion, plus it also lets you choose which LED colour is displayed by each supported app.

 

[nickdalzell]

If you want notification badges (that is one iOS feature i have to have in Android because the cluttered-with-icons notification bar doesn't quite cut it) there is also Nova Launcher Prime (paid) and Missed It! plugin. supports any apps that support notifications.

If you really want to have the iPhone experience in Android though, there is a launcher known as Espier Launcher that brings the iOS interface to Android. i myself just prefer to keep the customizations and add in any features that were in iOS that i miss.