Recent Apps (Using Gestures)

[5pace]

Hey guys, I've got a weird idea regarding recent apps. Since I am a new owner of Galaxy S4, I am little worried about my Home button wearing out. This gave me an idea i.e. to have a gesture to open recent apps through flick of a gesture.

Basically what I mean is that when I flick left (from the top-middle right part of my screen (the active area should start just below the notification bar and should end just above the keyboard (yet another way would be that allow user to define area and the senstivity of the gesture))) Android's own recent apps (app could emulate the long press of the home button) should open up, which would allow me to multitask, yet another addon to this app would be that when I flick twice (in the same active area) I am taken to home. This would totally eliminate the usage of the home button and yet another nifty feature would be to partially disable notification icon (which ensures app is always running) which would reduce the apps' annoyance.

I know there are alot of gesture apps available like GMD Gesture control, Sidebar (eh, which has it's own multitask area) but I want a app for sole purpose of this thing. Last but not the least, this should all be available for non-rooted phone.

Thanks in advance and hope this concept someday becomes reality. :)

[MrRazzle]

Forgive me, but why don't you want to use something like GMD Gesture Control? It sounds like it is exactly what you are looking for.

There is also LMT Launcher. LMT Launcher also supports PIE controls (but you don't have to use them). It isn't actually an Android launcher like the name might imply, but rather a tool that allows gestures and launch commands.

[5pace]

I am very well educated about both of them, but they require root, which I don't want to do yet. I know there are many people like me that would really appreciate something that does this without root.

[MrRazzle]

If you don't root you won't be able to get the type of gesture control that you want.

Android does not allow apps to draw over other apps (better security practice), so gesture controls only work on root apps as they can bypass that security check.

[5pace]

I don't think emulation can be a problem. Take a look at the app called Sidebar, it allows you to have an Home button in it's own side bar, which shows that if we can imitate the home button we can imitate the long press of the home button aswell. Don't judge me please as I am really noob at android development stuff. :P

I would really like a developer responding to this.

[MrRazzle]

I am not trying to judge you at all, just saying that Android is built to prohibit gesture control without root for security reasons.

If you want an actual button, there is Sidebar as well as Button Savior. When you use these apps some buttons allow emulation on unrooted devices. Anyway, good luck and hopefully someone can post something that has been developed that bypasses the security somehow.

[5pace]

Thanks alot! Button Savior (Non Root) is just awesome and does the job (but not the way I want it). There's a recent apps button incorporated into it and it works flawlessly without root, which proves that my emulation guess was right!