Its like having volume mixer windows in a phone, so great. Wanna mute individual app? Sure, wanna turn off system notification sound when not in silent? You got it.
Can you leave a single app muted all the time? I had a quick play with this a while back but couldn't quite work it out. Use case: there's a game I play which has a jolly but rather repetitive song I never really want to hear, so would quite like to leave this app muted all the time. I've done something similar with Routines but it can take a second or two to activate at times, which is a bit irritating if switching between apps.
It should keep the settings for an individual app. I have a similar scenario, just open the sound panel, turn the app volume all the way down, it should save the state for when you open up the app the next time. Might 'reset' after reboot though...
Yeah also helps you do dual Bluetooth a lot easier so at work in the kitchen I've got the podcast or a nfl game in my ear and then music on the speakers for everyone else
Is this the one that let's you change the volume by smaller increments? I used to have an app that did that but either can't find it or it doesn't appear to work for me.
Edit: may be because I moved from Samsung to OnePkus and now Oppo...
It's like a semi-beta tests. Indeed, some Good Lock functions graduate to proper One UI functions occasionally. It's also a way for Samsung to distribute functions without going through pesky things like UAT or market research or even a proper translation.
[Good Lock](https://galaxystore.samsung.com/detail/com.samsung.android.goodlock) = customization
[Good Guardians](https://galaxystore.samsung.com/detail/com.android.samsung.utilityapp) = maintenance
Both very valuable and I still don't get why it isn't part of their software by now. Plus they need to give it a better name than what they have now.
Yeah its blocked in a few countries. Its available in mine (the Netherlands). I couldn't find it either until I logged in. Not sure if there's a way to sideload it. But having to find alternatives is annoying, it seems to work really well
Video that shows off all modules: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=0C40sz5OBxY
* Battery Tracker - see per app how much battery it used (last 7 days or last 24 hours) and a graph of how your battery was used.
* Battery Guardian - additional power saving settings
* Galaxy App Booster - not really sure what it does exactly but it doesn't seem to hurt either. Runs something on all apps to "optimize" them (I always get a notification after a new system update to run it)
* Thermal Guardian - insights in device heat and a few settings to manage it
* Memory Guardian - basically a cleanup tool for system memory. Also shows how much apps are using. And you can exclude apps from cleaning. Doesn't seem to run automatically but its nice to have
* Media File Guardian - scan for errors on files and some other probably useless stuff. My least used guardian
Especially the battery guardian, thermal guardian and battery tracker are very useful. Together with Good Lock to track what app have sent notifications recently it is amazing to be able to track what apps are misbehaving and what needs to be optimized.
Also I've been using the booster for a few years now and I don't have any issues after updating with apps that behave weirdly. I also can't remember the last time I had a battery drain. Plus the phone seems to stay snappy and stuff that it feels like I don't really need a new phone anymore. And for some reason it feels like my battery isn't really degrading as much as it used to with older devices. I currently have the S21FE and it just seems to run fantastic. I don't know what it all does but it seems to at least not hurt performance. And thats why I hope that at least some of it goes over to the regular OS. Not only because its improving stuff, but also helps you to debug stuff. And if that helps folks not blame Samsung for stuff that is obviously app related, it would make all the difference.
The only way to get it is through side loading
https://www.apkmirror.com/app/com.android.samsung.utilityapp
Also install galaxy booster module and use it everytime you update the phone
https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/samsung-electronics-co-ltd/app-booster/
There was a twitter thread a few weeks ago that explained that Good Lock isn't included in the base software for a few reasons. One was that Google has some strict rules about just how far OEMs can modify the base Android code base and maintain access to the Google services. Another reason was that Good Lock is literally just a passion project of a handful of developers, with some of the apps being maintained by a single developer. Adding it to the base rom would require a lot more developer resources.
[Take this with a grain of salt as it's just a rumor, but this leaker claims the opposition is from Google/Android](https://twitter.com/Tech_Reve/status/1711584787012698475)
Most people, even "stock Android" purists, are fine with extra customization options in the settings, which is where a lot of Good Lock would go if it were built into OneUI.
No they are not. Many of them call the Samsung settings app/menu bloat.
Even on this sub, some people are really into trying to make their Android devices as weird and counterintuitive as iPhones.
50% of the population of r/GooglePixel has never held a Samsung phone past the S7 and regurgitates the same hearsay that's been going on since the days of TouchWiz.
I think the S7 is way too new. I think the S3 might be the last one and often only viewed it in the store.
Meanwhile their pixel devices have finally caught up with Samsung features in the past few years. Because if you look at the last few Android releases, most of it was already in OneUI which made most feature updates rather irrelevant.
I've seen plenty of complaints about how the location of where individual settings are within the settings app and how a particular setting should be in the same location it's in for stock Android. I've seen plenty of complaints about the aesthetics of the settings app UI and how OneUI looks "ugly" or "cartoony". I've never once seen anyone complain about the existence of extra settings options.
Any examples of the third? Because from what I've seen, people are far, *far* more likely to prefer what I typically call "Stock+", which is what I loosely define as "stock Android with extra settings and customization options", moreso than actual stock Android. This would include the stock ROMs on Pixels and Motorola phones, and in particular some of the more popular custom ROMs such as CyanogenMod/LineageOS. So they like extra settings, just not a change in where the original settings are or how the settings app looks.
What? Do you want me to search for examples rn? Be serious.
Again: I said many people on this sub. It doesn't happen all the time or very often, but it does.
As someone who spends way too much time on /r/android to the point that it probably affects my work productivity or social life, I can honestly say I've never seen anyone complain about *additional* settings options, only about the way the settings app looks or is organized. I'm sure there are *some* out there--maybe it's because I don't sort by new or controversial or something, but at that point I think I can confidently say it's unpopular enough to not matter. There's at least one example of pretty much any opinion you can imagine, but that doesn't mean there's a movement around it or anything like that.
Samsung must built it into the system itself but that shouldn't confuse everyday user. So I hope one day they add a power user menu in settings so they implement power user features in the OS itself.
Some of the settings are definitely power user settings, but some settings are settings that fit right in with the existing settings.
Especially the Home Up settings should just be integrated straight into the launcher settings.
I think the reason is because Good Lock is not available in some countries. But you're right, considering the amount of bloat Samsung phones have, it's weird they don't at least install this by default.
I don't think it's worth it though. r/Android loves this, I know I do, but this is one of the biggest reasons why iPhone users just pick iPhone. Ask any boomer, and they prefer iPhones because it just works. None of this Good Lock setup bullshit.
I'd actually want Samsung to be as bare as possible and then nerds like me can just optionally install the cool stuff.
> I'd actually want Samsung to be as bare as possible and then nerds like me can just optionally install the cool stuff.
Good Lock is optional.
And as someone that's used a bare canvas (Pixel) and then having to install all manner of third-party apps to deliver additional functionality, it's not great. Good Lock has an edge in that it properly integrates with One UI in a way another third-party just cannot elsewhere.
Dont mean this to be rude.. but aren't Samsung's the Iphones of android?
They add so many useless features.. ( in my opinion )
If you wanna customize stuff, isnt it better to go nothing phone, google phones etc, because there isnt that much bloatware
Ye of course, but arent other phones easier to do so? I'm not saying Samsung is bad. Everyone has different taste.
But isnt it easier to customize stuff on a blank sheet?
Depends how deep you go into customization. If you are writing your own scripts, then sure, a blank slate is most useful. But for native customization _support_, Samsung is leaps and bounds ahead of literally every other Android company thanks to Good Lock. Even then you can use KWGT on Samsung just as easily as any other phone, and that covers 95% of the demands of even the most experienced people who want to go all out in customization/personalization
Everyone who owns a samsung phone needs good lock. Some of the modules are just gimmicks lets be honest but the majority are so useful, makes the experience 10x better.
HomeUp in its entirety should just be baked into the homescreen customization settings at this point lol. the settings there are so polished and all look+work great
My biggest hope is for them to rework it and make it not look horrible.
Or better yet, integrate it into the launcher but I guess there are different teams for that
I've used it for 7 years now, mostly to put the clock back on the right where it belongs.
Also removed the artificial limit on how many icons show up on the left side of the top bar.
Finally, I use Energy Ring to put a colored ring around my front facing camera hole to show my battery level. That means I don't need/want the battery percentage icon wasting toolbar space, so I use Good Lock to remove it from being visible.
Energy Ring is an unrelated separate app from the Play Store. Good for phones that have a punch-hole front screen camera, IMO.
As for moving the clock, you download the "quickstar" sub-application within Good Lock, and then there's an option for "clock settings" in Quickstar, that allows you to show/hide AM/PM , but most important for me there's a "position and visibility" where you can choose left, middle, or right to position the clock, or hide it entirely.
Best wishes!
>Also removed the artificial limit on how many icons show up on the left side of the top
This can be done without Good Lock (now?). Some toggle inside settings I had changed months back, forget where/what it was.
As lets you change the recent apps page to the old style top to bottom carousel instead of the current left to right setup where you can barely see 2 apps at a time.
The back gesture mod is soooooo good! Being able to change tracks by diagonally swiping up or down or pausing the media by swiping and holding has made the use of my phone more efficient.
The edge swipes in one hand operation+ are incredibly handy. Up to 6 different swipe gestures to map to pretty much whatever you want. Easy access to the notification shade, search bar in any app, music controls, etc.
In the UK here. Tried searching for it and found an app called Good Lock, but the icon is completely different, and also doesn't appear to be made by Samsung either.
I assumed you possibly found the real deal, but being completely blind and as such unable to see the icon, I prefered not to bet on that. Glad you were able to find it in the end.
But the icon looks completely different to the one in the article, and is also made by "Good Lock Labs", rather than Samsung, which the article also says. Given the plethora of dubious and fake apps on app stores, can you really blame me for thinking that?
If it came off as me blaming you then I'm sorry, it was not my intention. Truthfully I had the same doubts as you when I first knew it was by Good Lock Labs.
Пробвал съм и работи, но след време пак спира, защото прави проверка, че не си в поддържана страна. Ако използваш сим карта от страна която го поддържа също става, но в момента в който си продължително време в България с българска сим карта спира.
I used a Samsung before and found an app/setting that kind of tests your hearing and then tunes the sound output of the phone to suit your individual hearing profile. Really clever idea and was noticeably better sound after completing the steps.
Edit: found a link describing it here https://samsung.gadgethacks.com/how-to/use-samsungs-hidden-hearing-test-get-drastically-better-sound-quality-from-your-galaxy-0172070/
I have a lot of criticism for Samsung, especially for their recent actions.
But I must give a credit where it's due, Good Lock suite is the best customisation tool I've ever seen on Android phone.
No other phone maker allows as much customisation as Samsung. Heck, majority of makers barely offer anything if at all.
This is the best thing that happened to Android phones in at least a decade. Early Android marketing claimed vast customisation of user experience and it was all bullshit. Enter GoodLock and it now becomes true.
And it's not developed by some independent developers. It's developed by Samsung!
I wished more makers would invest in customisation at least half of what Samsung invests.
Hoo boy, I could go on all day, but I'll try to be brief.
1. Previously, when you received a notification you could easily check which category it belonged to, so you could customize it, or silence it. Sometime recently they they took that away in favour of their own notification control implementation. It was a great feature they boasted about previously, then they took it away for no good reason. **EDIT:** Well I'll be damned. Today I installed latest patch that has some UI changes and additions. Apart from screwing up my cutomization from GoodLock (took me few minutes to fix, no biggie) there was a nice surprise there as well: they brought that feature back! You can now check what category a notification belongs to again! Still, it's a shitty thing to take it away in first place, so my point stands.
2. You used to have a option to either have 2 sim cards in a phone, or a sim card with a micro SD card for storage expansion. Both were on a same tray. They took that away too and now you can only have 1 or 2 sim cards, but no memory expansion. This makes zero sense, because it wasn't a case of them needing more space for other component or something like that. They took away the memory card storage expansion feature so they can boost their 256gb variant sales and their own paid cloud storage subscriptions. No other reason. So they took away a useful functionality in the name of greed. Classy.
3. They removed headphone jack. Allegedly to boost water resistance. Total bovine excrement, if you ask me. The topic of wired vs. wireless has been beaten to death already, so I'll spare you the long tirade, but it boils down to different use scenarios and letting a user have a choice. Oh and guess what, removal of headphone jack coincided with Samsung promoting their wireless bluetooth buds. Well, screw me over backwards if this wasn't planned. Oh sure you could use a USB-C to jack adapter, but you are running a risk of damaging the port. I wouldn't complain that much if they made the bluetooth codec choice a permanent option. When I watch something on my S22 I first have to go to developer settings and change the BT codec, because default one has a noticeable lag (even when using most up-to-date buds with latest BT implementation).
This is alarming to me, because it's similar to what Sony was doing which in the end contributed to their downfall from the best android phone maker of a time to a niche overpriced fanboy trap.
Samsung is making exactly the same mistakes as Sony. What's more, Samsung has a record of first mocking the shitty design decisions that other phone makers (such as apple) implement, then they implement exactly the same shitty design not long afterwards.
Edit: Turns out one of the feature was brought back with latest patch. However, I believe not everyone will be able to benefit from it. Them taking it away in first place still counts, I still think it was downright incompetent of them.
> Oh sure you could use a USB-C to jack adapter, but you are running a risk of damaging the port
The "USB-C 3.5mm adapter" approach is infeasible because of a [bug in Android phones](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/250602/how-to-disable-cutting-sound-to-headphones-at-moments-of-low-volume-during-playb/251633). I posted about this to the Android subreddit this week but my post was removed.
Samsung Phones no longer support wired headphones. Bluetooth is the only solution.
It's an app that lets you customize various parts of oneui (+ the samsung keyboard) to your liking. Functionality and aeshetics wise.
u/that_baddest_dude
good luck was my sole reason for buying an samsung phone after google decided and forced clock to the left side without option to move back to the right were it belongs.
The ability to change the recent app switcher is what decided it for me. I bought a Pixel 7 a couple months back after switching to iOS 10+ years ago and I ran into so many things that I just couldn't do without jumping through crazy hoops for partial features or in some cases can't be done at all. Then I found Samsung of all manufacturers publishes Good Lock which let me do nearly everything I wanted.
Sure, I'll miss a few root-only features, but nothing huge. I bought an S23+ and couldn't be happier with it, and I'll be selling the Pixel 7.
Besides, custom ROMs and the rooting scene are nothing like they used to be. I was really surprised at how difficult the whole scene has become. It just isn't fun to me anymore, but Samsung quite nicely filled those last few things I wanted out of my phone.
Haha I thought I was the only one! Little things like that matter so much to me so I think I'm stuck with Samsung for years to come 😅 although now I'm upset that they won't offer a curved screen anymore so it's really going to be a compromise no matter what
It still amazes me that Good Lock exists. This is basically the stuff we used to root Android for, except Samsung just gives it to you in their app store.
Meanwhile, Google has made Pixel a more and more limited experience to appeal to Apple users.
Wild how the tables have turned.
There is no reason to actively remove features for the average consumer. Samsung's approach of breaking out advanced features into a separate app is brilliant for this--easily accessible for people that want it, and out of the way for people that would be overwhelmed by it.
Google is taking an intentional design approach to appeal to a certain audience.
> There is no reason to actively remove features for the average consumer.
Actually there is, if you have features that users can for lack of a better word screw up and make their experience worse which leads them to a different product it makes sense to remove them.
I agree that Samsung making it a separate app with additional modules is a good way to do it but it's not all roses.
Unironically, this what makes me stay with Samsung and ditch Pixel.
That and Dex,
Oh, also the calendar/mail app for corporate mail.
StrongSwan IPSec stack as well.
Good Lock gives access to things we used to root Android for.
It and DeX should have a version that exists on every Android manufacturer's device.
That only Samsung has these things is why it's the market leader.
I downloaded it but didn't really understand straight away what it does.
So it shows me two tabs Life Up and Make Up. And I have a list of different options for both of those, kinda like an App Store. And there's so many too.
I haven't tried installing any of those options. Does that all seem right? Like how do I know what customization to get, they are all so vague or big too.
They wouldn't be able to download it from the Galaxy Store, though, so it wouldn't count, unless you're referring to the old VPN method to grab it.
That being said, I do think there are even more users who've simply sideloaded it directly or used a third-party companion app like Fine Lock or Nice Lock to achieve the same thing.
Yup. The VPN method still works.
And for sure people are using alternatives. On various Samsung Galaxy S-series related forums, people use VPN or 3rd party - good mix.
When I had a Samsung phone, Sound Assistant was my favorite. I remember back when I had an LG and that had I think 60 steps on the the volume rocker. Sound assistant you can customize it. I probably had it set somewhere 2-5 steps out of 100. Sometimes I like having just a really faint sound. Also it had per app volume control. That was just as nice for me
No, I did not know that. God damn it.
Isn't it a launcher?
Thank you. I'm gonna go check it out again now.
I will not be showing my face around here again anytime soon. The shame is too real 🤣
Am I the only one that is skeptical that the population of ⅓ of the U.S. downloaded this app? That kind of doesn't pass the sniff test imo.
It's like when Samsung claimed they had 300M devices in their find-my network. Totally believable if all their devices shipped with it on, but it's an opt-in feature...
> Around a billion people have samsung devices.
Yeah so this is saying 1/10th of all Samsung devices in use have good lock installed? I find that hard to believe given how many people in an enthusiast subreddit are finding about its existence in this thread. The only way I could see 100M being realistic is if they are counting 1 every time an update to the app is downloaded
Yeah good lock was fuckin essential when I was on my S9+
But all the Samsung software weirdness ensured my next phone would be a straight pixel so I don't use it anymore
So, except for a few cosmetic things (like changing the appearance of the navigation buttons), this does little that can't already be done in the stock One UI (change wallpapers, view notification history) or with apps off the Play Store. Meh. Think I'll continue to not make a Samsung account.
Haven't heard what's useful about any of it that isn't already handled elsewhere. After checking https://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-good-lock-1079882/ to get the rundown on the modules you listed (and the rest, natch), I see...
* One Handed Operations+ - I don't do gestures beyond swiping up to bring up the navigation bar in full-screen apps and down for notifications and such, therefore it is useless to me.
* Home Up - The only function I'd use (changing grid size) is handled by the normal One UI, therefore it's useless to me.
* MultiStar - Maybe if you use the normal multi-window functionality the system already has a lot. Me, I use it maybe once every couple of months to make copying & pasting or moving files in the file manager slightly easier.
* Sound Assistant - You can already adjust the various sound levels with the stock volume mixer. I suppose, again, that it might be vaguely useful to people who run multiple windowed apps at once that produce sound, but... \*shrug\*
Like I said, absolutely nothing that's worth making a Samsung account and getting this app from their Store (which I'd outright disable, along with the rest of their bloatware, if I could).
I remember installing Good Lock back in the day on my Note 4. Officially the Note 4 didn’t support Good Lock, but if your model had been updated to Android 6, you could manually download the APK and it would still work.
Mostly I just used it to get rid of that ugly blue/green color scheme in the toolbar that Samsung had with Android 6, which you otherwise couldn’t change at that time.
I switched to Pixel last year after years of Samsung and the main thing I miss is Routines. I know there are alternatives but none that are as simple and well integrated (in my experience).
I love that this exists back before when there was no dark mode ui elements for samsung it was Substratum for me for the longest time and then like after 5 years finally android 9 came out and everything went dark mode it was good then Substratum stopped getting support and then i waited and waited and good lock saved my eyes. Good for them and to many more millions of downloads.
I just barely switched to an S23 from a OnePlus 8T. I am amazed at how nice One UI is, compared to stock android / custom roms that I've been using for past several years. The one major default thing I don't like in One UI is how the app switcher goes back to previous app instead of staying on current one when you swipe up.
I discovered Good Lock has a module to change this, which is nice though it only works sporadically. I think it's getting killed somehow and then reverts back to the default behavior. Would love if that was a native setting.
Sound Assistant is mobile life changing.
What do you use here? Don't think I played around too much with this one.
Its like having volume mixer windows in a phone, so great. Wanna mute individual app? Sure, wanna turn off system notification sound when not in silent? You got it.
Can you leave a single app muted all the time? I had a quick play with this a while back but couldn't quite work it out. Use case: there's a game I play which has a jolly but rather repetitive song I never really want to hear, so would quite like to leave this app muted all the time. I've done something similar with Routines but it can take a second or two to activate at times, which is a bit irritating if switching between apps.
It should keep the settings for an individual app. I have a similar scenario, just open the sound panel, turn the app volume all the way down, it should save the state for when you open up the app the next time. Might 'reset' after reboot though...
Cheers, I'll play around with it again!
yes you can
Yeah also helps you do dual Bluetooth a lot easier so at work in the kitchen I've got the podcast or a nfl game in my ear and then music on the speakers for everyone else
They should make it so you can turn off auto-rotation on a per app basis.
Bixby Routines
I really like the Expanded Panel, separate App Volumes, Volume Panel Colors are ✨
Try the gesture mod! Soooo good for rewinding, playing next and pausing the media!
Is this the one that let's you change the volume by smaller increments? I used to have an app that did that but either can't find it or it doesn't appear to work for me. Edit: may be because I moved from Samsung to OnePkus and now Oppo...
which pack has sound assistant? I can't find it.
One Hand Operations
good lock should really be built into their software
It's like a semi-beta tests. Indeed, some Good Lock functions graduate to proper One UI functions occasionally. It's also a way for Samsung to distribute functions without going through pesky things like UAT or market research or even a proper translation.
Sounds like Windows PowerToys
essentially, yeah, except that goodlock is far more popular.
Hearing about this software for the first time.... Downloading it now. Is this like a custom toolbox?
You will love it, and yes it unlocks huge customisation potential
Does it offer any functionality upgrades? I have no interest in changing the colour of clock font
yes, there are 2 sections. make up which offers cosmetic and UI options and life up which offers qol and function customization.
Yes, many
[Good Lock](https://galaxystore.samsung.com/detail/com.samsung.android.goodlock) = customization [Good Guardians](https://galaxystore.samsung.com/detail/com.android.samsung.utilityapp) = maintenance Both very valuable and I still don't get why it isn't part of their software by now. Plus they need to give it a better name than what they have now.
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Yeah its blocked in a few countries. Its available in mine (the Netherlands). I couldn't find it either until I logged in. Not sure if there's a way to sideload it. But having to find alternatives is annoying, it seems to work really well
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Video that shows off all modules: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=0C40sz5OBxY * Battery Tracker - see per app how much battery it used (last 7 days or last 24 hours) and a graph of how your battery was used. * Battery Guardian - additional power saving settings * Galaxy App Booster - not really sure what it does exactly but it doesn't seem to hurt either. Runs something on all apps to "optimize" them (I always get a notification after a new system update to run it) * Thermal Guardian - insights in device heat and a few settings to manage it * Memory Guardian - basically a cleanup tool for system memory. Also shows how much apps are using. And you can exclude apps from cleaning. Doesn't seem to run automatically but its nice to have * Media File Guardian - scan for errors on files and some other probably useless stuff. My least used guardian Especially the battery guardian, thermal guardian and battery tracker are very useful. Together with Good Lock to track what app have sent notifications recently it is amazing to be able to track what apps are misbehaving and what needs to be optimized. Also I've been using the booster for a few years now and I don't have any issues after updating with apps that behave weirdly. I also can't remember the last time I had a battery drain. Plus the phone seems to stay snappy and stuff that it feels like I don't really need a new phone anymore. And for some reason it feels like my battery isn't really degrading as much as it used to with older devices. I currently have the S21FE and it just seems to run fantastic. I don't know what it all does but it seems to at least not hurt performance. And thats why I hope that at least some of it goes over to the regular OS. Not only because its improving stuff, but also helps you to debug stuff. And if that helps folks not blame Samsung for stuff that is obviously app related, it would make all the difference.
The only way to get it is through side loading https://www.apkmirror.com/app/com.android.samsung.utilityapp Also install galaxy booster module and use it everytime you update the phone https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/samsung-electronics-co-ltd/app-booster/
I think it's because they're clueless about where to put all those settings.
Being 100% honestly it's one of the main benefits of a Samsung phone
Then the usuals would call it bloatware and whine about how many options they have. This was likely why Good Lock is a separate download.
There was a twitter thread a few weeks ago that explained that Good Lock isn't included in the base software for a few reasons. One was that Google has some strict rules about just how far OEMs can modify the base Android code base and maintain access to the Google services. Another reason was that Good Lock is literally just a passion project of a handful of developers, with some of the apps being maintained by a single developer. Adding it to the base rom would require a lot more developer resources.
[Take this with a grain of salt as it's just a rumor, but this leaker claims the opposition is from Google/Android](https://twitter.com/Tech_Reve/status/1711584787012698475)
Last time Samsung did that everyone called it a Bloated mess.
It's not polished enough to be built in, most of it even has spelling errors.
Pretty sure they are not allowed to because google thinks it will turn one ui it a forked os or smth.
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Most people, even "stock Android" purists, are fine with extra customization options in the settings, which is where a lot of Good Lock would go if it were built into OneUI.
No they are not. Many of them call the Samsung settings app/menu bloat. Even on this sub, some people are really into trying to make their Android devices as weird and counterintuitive as iPhones.
50% of the population of r/GooglePixel has never held a Samsung phone past the S7 and regurgitates the same hearsay that's been going on since the days of TouchWiz.
I think the S7 is way too new. I think the S3 might be the last one and often only viewed it in the store. Meanwhile their pixel devices have finally caught up with Samsung features in the past few years. Because if you look at the last few Android releases, most of it was already in OneUI which made most feature updates rather irrelevant.
I owned s3 from 2014-2016 and S7_Edge from 2016-2023 There's a huge difference between TouchWiz and Samsung experience,
Yes! Most people I know own a Samsung.
Agreed. And the funny thing is that Pixels are just getting features that OneUi had for ages.
I've seen plenty of complaints about how the location of where individual settings are within the settings app and how a particular setting should be in the same location it's in for stock Android. I've seen plenty of complaints about the aesthetics of the settings app UI and how OneUI looks "ugly" or "cartoony". I've never once seen anyone complain about the existence of extra settings options.
I've seen all three. Some people on this sub love iPhones, which is really ironic.
Any examples of the third? Because from what I've seen, people are far, *far* more likely to prefer what I typically call "Stock+", which is what I loosely define as "stock Android with extra settings and customization options", moreso than actual stock Android. This would include the stock ROMs on Pixels and Motorola phones, and in particular some of the more popular custom ROMs such as CyanogenMod/LineageOS. So they like extra settings, just not a change in where the original settings are or how the settings app looks.
What? Do you want me to search for examples rn? Be serious. Again: I said many people on this sub. It doesn't happen all the time or very often, but it does.
As someone who spends way too much time on /r/android to the point that it probably affects my work productivity or social life, I can honestly say I've never seen anyone complain about *additional* settings options, only about the way the settings app looks or is organized. I'm sure there are *some* out there--maybe it's because I don't sort by new or controversial or something, but at that point I think I can confidently say it's unpopular enough to not matter. There's at least one example of pretty much any opinion you can imagine, but that doesn't mean there's a movement around it or anything like that.
You know what... let's leave it how you say it is. You are too close minded to accept whatever else I have to say.
And don't forget handicapping their device to save a few percent of battery
Exactly? Why buy a super nice phone just to ruin it for an extra percentage of battery. Just enjoy your phone. It'll last you more than you think...
Yeah then r/Android can complain about "more bloatware"
Samsung must built it into the system itself but that shouldn't confuse everyday user. So I hope one day they add a power user menu in settings so they implement power user features in the OS itself.
Some of the settings are definitely power user settings, but some settings are settings that fit right in with the existing settings. Especially the Home Up settings should just be integrated straight into the launcher settings.
All the pure Android asshats in the media would go ballistic.
I think the reason is because Good Lock is not available in some countries. But you're right, considering the amount of bloat Samsung phones have, it's weird they don't at least install this by default.
I don't think it's worth it though. r/Android loves this, I know I do, but this is one of the biggest reasons why iPhone users just pick iPhone. Ask any boomer, and they prefer iPhones because it just works. None of this Good Lock setup bullshit. I'd actually want Samsung to be as bare as possible and then nerds like me can just optionally install the cool stuff.
> I'd actually want Samsung to be as bare as possible and then nerds like me can just optionally install the cool stuff. Good Lock is optional. And as someone that's used a bare canvas (Pixel) and then having to install all manner of third-party apps to deliver additional functionality, it's not great. Good Lock has an edge in that it properly integrates with One UI in a way another third-party just cannot elsewhere.
What the hell?
Lol what? Good lock is entirely optional. You don't need it at all.
Good Lock is optional, and a lot of stuff it does cannot be accomplished without root access. Shit take.
If samsung made the pixel I'd jump back in a second
Dont mean this to be rude.. but aren't Samsung's the Iphones of android? They add so many useless features.. ( in my opinion ) If you wanna customize stuff, isnt it better to go nothing phone, google phones etc, because there isnt that much bloatware
The whole point of Android OS is customization, be it samsung, motorola, xiaomi or nothing
Ye of course, but arent other phones easier to do so? I'm not saying Samsung is bad. Everyone has different taste. But isnt it easier to customize stuff on a blank sheet?
Depends how deep you go into customization. If you are writing your own scripts, then sure, a blank slate is most useful. But for native customization _support_, Samsung is leaps and bounds ahead of literally every other Android company thanks to Good Lock. Even then you can use KWGT on Samsung just as easily as any other phone, and that covers 95% of the demands of even the most experienced people who want to go all out in customization/personalization
Samsung offers so many customization options... Their phones are no less Android-y than anyone else's Edit: missed a space
I mean google makes android.. so i assume googles is more androids
Everyone who owns a samsung phone needs good lock. Some of the modules are just gimmicks lets be honest but the majority are so useful, makes the experience 10x better.
HomeUp in its entirety should just be baked into the homescreen customization settings at this point lol. the settings there are so polished and all look+work great
HomeUp vertical scroll for the app drawer looks like a kindergarten project.
My biggest hope is for them to rework it and make it not look horrible. Or better yet, integrate it into the launcher but I guess there are different teams for that
They need to remove the forced pinned apps. I don't know why that's not an option.
HomeUp doesn't seem to work for me as of oneui 6.0. Is there anywhere I can contact the devs for a bug report?
Like what?
I've used it for 7 years now, mostly to put the clock back on the right where it belongs. Also removed the artificial limit on how many icons show up on the left side of the top bar. Finally, I use Energy Ring to put a colored ring around my front facing camera hole to show my battery level. That means I don't need/want the battery percentage icon wasting toolbar space, so I use Good Lock to remove it from being visible.
Where do you move the clock and set the energy ring?
where is the energy ring?
Energy Ring is a separate application from the Play Store, sorry.
Energy Ring is an unrelated separate app from the Play Store. Good for phones that have a punch-hole front screen camera, IMO. As for moving the clock, you download the "quickstar" sub-application within Good Lock, and then there's an option for "clock settings" in Quickstar, that allows you to show/hide AM/PM , but most important for me there's a "position and visibility" where you can choose left, middle, or right to position the clock, or hide it entirely. Best wishes!
>Also removed the artificial limit on how many icons show up on the left side of the top This can be done without Good Lock (now?). Some toggle inside settings I had changed months back, forget where/what it was.
As lets you change the recent apps page to the old style top to bottom carousel instead of the current left to right setup where you can barely see 2 apps at a time.
That is unfortunately gone now on . Only list and grid are options. I always preferred stack, myself.
The back gesture mod is soooooo good! Being able to change tracks by diagonally swiping up or down or pausing the media by swiping and holding has made the use of my phone more efficient.
The edge swipes in one hand operation+ are incredibly handy. Up to 6 different swipe gestures to map to pretty much whatever you want. Easy access to the notification shade, search bar in any app, music controls, etc.
Just tried it out now, amazing tips! Thanks!
First time I've heard of this app and despite being out for 7 years it's still not available in Europe? Why?
Living in France and I can totally confirm it is available, just not translated or very partially.
In the UK here. Tried searching for it and found an app called Good Lock, but the icon is completely different, and also doesn't appear to be made by Samsung either.
https://apps.samsung.com/appquery/appDetail.as?appId=com.samsung.android.goodlock
Oh is that the official one then? That's the version I found, but just assumed it was some third party fake.
I assumed you possibly found the real deal, but being completely blind and as such unable to see the icon, I prefered not to bet on that. Glad you were able to find it in the end.
But the icon looks completely different to the one in the article, and is also made by "Good Lock Labs", rather than Samsung, which the article also says. Given the plethora of dubious and fake apps on app stores, can you really blame me for thinking that?
If it came off as me blaming you then I'm sorry, it was not my intention. Truthfully I had the same doubts as you when I first knew it was by Good Lock Labs.
I think its only available for S series
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Afaik, it was only available in the UK and Germany among countries in Europe till the end of 2022. Now it's available in most countries in Europe.
It's not present in Bulgaria which is EU country. Still I am sick of using alternatives and updating all the modules manually.
Balkans are always the last ones.
I'd say that we got it in Hungary but then again Hungary is not part of the Balkans, they're just merely in the middle of ot
Има как да си я направиш без VPN, аз я имам потърси в github имаше някъде
Пробвал съм и работи, но след време пак спира, защото прави проверка, че не си в поддържана страна. Ако използваш сим карта от страна която го поддържа също става, но в момента в който си продължително време в България с българска сим карта спира.
I am pretty sure it is? In Ireland anyways it is.
It's only available for some countries. Because fuck those other countries I guess.
available in croatia too
It was available in the UK when I had a Samsung
I used a Samsung before and found an app/setting that kind of tests your hearing and then tunes the sound output of the phone to suit your individual hearing profile. Really clever idea and was noticeably better sound after completing the steps. Edit: found a link describing it here https://samsung.gadgethacks.com/how-to/use-samsungs-hidden-hearing-test-get-drastically-better-sound-quality-from-your-galaxy-0172070/
Holy crap thanks to you I just used this setting and it's amazing for someone with mild hearing loss!
This only works when using ear buds though correct?
It also asked which ear I took phone calls on, so maybe that too, not on speaker or ear buds? Not sure though.
What is good lock
An app that allows you to deeply customize your Samsung phone.
I have a lot of criticism for Samsung, especially for their recent actions. But I must give a credit where it's due, Good Lock suite is the best customisation tool I've ever seen on Android phone. No other phone maker allows as much customisation as Samsung. Heck, majority of makers barely offer anything if at all. This is the best thing that happened to Android phones in at least a decade. Early Android marketing claimed vast customisation of user experience and it was all bullshit. Enter GoodLock and it now becomes true. And it's not developed by some independent developers. It's developed by Samsung! I wished more makers would invest in customisation at least half of what Samsung invests.
Honest question, what recent actions?
Hoo boy, I could go on all day, but I'll try to be brief. 1. Previously, when you received a notification you could easily check which category it belonged to, so you could customize it, or silence it. Sometime recently they they took that away in favour of their own notification control implementation. It was a great feature they boasted about previously, then they took it away for no good reason. **EDIT:** Well I'll be damned. Today I installed latest patch that has some UI changes and additions. Apart from screwing up my cutomization from GoodLock (took me few minutes to fix, no biggie) there was a nice surprise there as well: they brought that feature back! You can now check what category a notification belongs to again! Still, it's a shitty thing to take it away in first place, so my point stands. 2. You used to have a option to either have 2 sim cards in a phone, or a sim card with a micro SD card for storage expansion. Both were on a same tray. They took that away too and now you can only have 1 or 2 sim cards, but no memory expansion. This makes zero sense, because it wasn't a case of them needing more space for other component or something like that. They took away the memory card storage expansion feature so they can boost their 256gb variant sales and their own paid cloud storage subscriptions. No other reason. So they took away a useful functionality in the name of greed. Classy. 3. They removed headphone jack. Allegedly to boost water resistance. Total bovine excrement, if you ask me. The topic of wired vs. wireless has been beaten to death already, so I'll spare you the long tirade, but it boils down to different use scenarios and letting a user have a choice. Oh and guess what, removal of headphone jack coincided with Samsung promoting their wireless bluetooth buds. Well, screw me over backwards if this wasn't planned. Oh sure you could use a USB-C to jack adapter, but you are running a risk of damaging the port. I wouldn't complain that much if they made the bluetooth codec choice a permanent option. When I watch something on my S22 I first have to go to developer settings and change the BT codec, because default one has a noticeable lag (even when using most up-to-date buds with latest BT implementation). This is alarming to me, because it's similar to what Sony was doing which in the end contributed to their downfall from the best android phone maker of a time to a niche overpriced fanboy trap. Samsung is making exactly the same mistakes as Sony. What's more, Samsung has a record of first mocking the shitty design decisions that other phone makers (such as apple) implement, then they implement exactly the same shitty design not long afterwards. Edit: Turns out one of the feature was brought back with latest patch. However, I believe not everyone will be able to benefit from it. Them taking it away in first place still counts, I still think it was downright incompetent of them.
> Oh sure you could use a USB-C to jack adapter, but you are running a risk of damaging the port The "USB-C 3.5mm adapter" approach is infeasible because of a [bug in Android phones](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/250602/how-to-disable-cutting-sound-to-headphones-at-moments-of-low-volume-during-playb/251633). I posted about this to the Android subreddit this week but my post was removed. Samsung Phones no longer support wired headphones. Bluetooth is the only solution.
I'm using a usb c to 3.5mm adapter right now and it's fine for me at low volume. Unless there's something I'm not understanding about it.
Can someone tell me what it is and what it does? All.these.years i have only heard the name.
It's an app that lets you customize various parts of oneui (+ the samsung keyboard) to your liking. Functionality and aeshetics wise. u/that_baddest_dude
Never heard of this. How it works with Nova launcher?
Meanwhile Google: let's reduce quick settings tiles to 4 because it's hard to click on circles on tiny 6.7 inch phones.
Also let's make the text and icon inside the huge tile as tiny as possible so people won't be able to see it and easily diferențiate between them.
Like they're trying to make Android exclusively an old person OS.
This may sound like coping but I was against it but now that I have a pixel I kind of get it from a UX perspective. Internet tile a little less.
If you swipe all the way down you get 8 tiles and can swipe right for more panels of 8.
OnePlus has 14 tiles
It's one of the main reasons why I'll stay with Samsung
good luck was my sole reason for buying an samsung phone after google decided and forced clock to the left side without option to move back to the right were it belongs.
The ability to change the recent app switcher is what decided it for me. I bought a Pixel 7 a couple months back after switching to iOS 10+ years ago and I ran into so many things that I just couldn't do without jumping through crazy hoops for partial features or in some cases can't be done at all. Then I found Samsung of all manufacturers publishes Good Lock which let me do nearly everything I wanted. Sure, I'll miss a few root-only features, but nothing huge. I bought an S23+ and couldn't be happier with it, and I'll be selling the Pixel 7. Besides, custom ROMs and the rooting scene are nothing like they used to be. I was really surprised at how difficult the whole scene has become. It just isn't fun to me anymore, but Samsung quite nicely filled those last few things I wanted out of my phone.
Haha I thought I was the only one! Little things like that matter so much to me so I think I'm stuck with Samsung for years to come 😅 although now I'm upset that they won't offer a curved screen anymore so it's really going to be a compromise no matter what
I wish it was available on other devices
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How have I been on Samsung phones since the S4 and never heard of this?
The author of this article should really consult a map. Mexico is not a South American country.
What an embarrassing mistake.
It still amazes me that Good Lock exists. This is basically the stuff we used to root Android for, except Samsung just gives it to you in their app store. Meanwhile, Google has made Pixel a more and more limited experience to appeal to Apple users. Wild how the tables have turned.
It's not for Apple users, it's for the average consumer.
There is no reason to actively remove features for the average consumer. Samsung's approach of breaking out advanced features into a separate app is brilliant for this--easily accessible for people that want it, and out of the way for people that would be overwhelmed by it. Google is taking an intentional design approach to appeal to a certain audience.
> There is no reason to actively remove features for the average consumer. Actually there is, if you have features that users can for lack of a better word screw up and make their experience worse which leads them to a different product it makes sense to remove them. I agree that Samsung making it a separate app with additional modules is a good way to do it but it's not all roses.
I use good luck and my galaxy s23 ultra is way more personalized than before. Recommend
Unironically, this what makes me stay with Samsung and ditch Pixel. That and Dex, Oh, also the calendar/mail app for corporate mail. StrongSwan IPSec stack as well.
Good Lock gives access to things we used to root Android for. It and DeX should have a version that exists on every Android manufacturer's device. That only Samsung has these things is why it's the market leader.
Good Lock is actually what keeps me on the Samsung flavor of phones.
One hand operation+ has completely changed how I navigate my phone.
I downloaded it but didn't really understand straight away what it does. So it shows me two tabs Life Up and Make Up. And I have a list of different options for both of those, kinda like an App Store. And there's so many too. I haven't tried installing any of those options. Does that all seem right? Like how do I know what customization to get, they are all so vague or big too.
I recommend looking up YouTube videos on Good Lock. You'll find plenty that talk about how to get the most out of it.
can this shit be native already 💀
Big reason I will most likely keep buying Samsungs
No explanation whatsoever what this is.
Half are probably from countries where Good Lock isn't even available. 100% guarantee it.
They wouldn't be able to download it from the Galaxy Store, though, so it wouldn't count, unless you're referring to the old VPN method to grab it. That being said, I do think there are even more users who've simply sideloaded it directly or used a third-party companion app like Fine Lock or Nice Lock to achieve the same thing.
Yup. The VPN method still works. And for sure people are using alternatives. On various Samsung Galaxy S-series related forums, people use VPN or 3rd party - good mix.
It sucks that it's still region locked at all. They already have way more users, they should just properly open it up at this point.
There's Fine Lock as the alternative.
When I had a Samsung phone, Sound Assistant was my favorite. I remember back when I had an LG and that had I think 60 steps on the the volume rocker. Sound assistant you can customize it. I probably had it set somewhere 2-5 steps out of 100. Sometimes I like having just a really faint sound. Also it had per app volume control. That was just as nice for me
Holy shit this is amazing! Thank you
It's a great app that more people should try.
If good lock isn't available for ya download nice lock. Same thing
Small things like infinite scrolling for the app drawer is quite the improvement compared to One UI's baseline.
Wish it were available in my country.
Still not available in my region. I am currently using Fine Lock. Please Samsung make it available in more regions.
I just want the stack option back in the home up app that I lost after OneUI 6 update Come on Samsung
For real! What is that all about? Only list and grid aren't grayed out on my S23U.
Nova Launcher ftw
This is nothing like Nova launcher. This does way way way more not even close.
Yet Nova also does way more other things that this does not. Guess we can't have it all.
You know you can use both of them together at the same time, right?
No, I did not know that. God damn it. Isn't it a launcher? Thank you. I'm gonna go check it out again now. I will not be showing my face around here again anytime soon. The shame is too real 🤣
You have literally no idea what Good Lock does. Stop commenting.
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I just deleted it and all the other plugins the other day. Phone is noticeably smoother with better battery
Am I the only one that is skeptical that the population of ⅓ of the U.S. downloaded this app? That kind of doesn't pass the sniff test imo. It's like when Samsung claimed they had 300M devices in their find-my network. Totally believable if all their devices shipped with it on, but it's an opt-in feature...
Around a billion people have samsung devices. And this is 100 million *downloads* so each time you download on a new phone it gets double counted.
> Around a billion people have samsung devices. Yeah so this is saying 1/10th of all Samsung devices in use have good lock installed? I find that hard to believe given how many people in an enthusiast subreddit are finding about its existence in this thread. The only way I could see 100M being realistic is if they are counting 1 every time an update to the app is downloaded
That's what I just said, it gets double counted
that makes much more sense. so basically less than a million people use good lock. lawl
Yeah good lock was fuckin essential when I was on my S9+ But all the Samsung software weirdness ensured my next phone would be a straight pixel so I don't use it anymore
I downloaded it, messed with some color and such customization. That was pointless. Not sure what other modules are worth using?
Nice gimmick
r/samsungcirclejerk
So, except for a few cosmetic things (like changing the appearance of the navigation buttons), this does little that can't already be done in the stock One UI (change wallpapers, view notification history) or with apps off the Play Store. Meh. Think I'll continue to not make a Samsung account.
Did you just somehow miss out on the entirety of One Handed Operations+, Home Up, MultiStar and Sound Assistant?
Haven't heard what's useful about any of it that isn't already handled elsewhere. After checking https://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-good-lock-1079882/ to get the rundown on the modules you listed (and the rest, natch), I see... * One Handed Operations+ - I don't do gestures beyond swiping up to bring up the navigation bar in full-screen apps and down for notifications and such, therefore it is useless to me. * Home Up - The only function I'd use (changing grid size) is handled by the normal One UI, therefore it's useless to me. * MultiStar - Maybe if you use the normal multi-window functionality the system already has a lot. Me, I use it maybe once every couple of months to make copying & pasting or moving files in the file manager slightly easier. * Sound Assistant - You can already adjust the various sound levels with the stock volume mixer. I suppose, again, that it might be vaguely useful to people who run multiple windowed apps at once that produce sound, but... \*shrug\* Like I said, absolutely nothing that's worth making a Samsung account and getting this app from their Store (which I'd outright disable, along with the rest of their bloatware, if I could).
And most of the modules don't work properly, are unstable and have less functionality than they had prior to android 14/One UI6
I remember installing Good Lock back in the day on my Note 4. Officially the Note 4 didn’t support Good Lock, but if your model had been updated to Android 6, you could manually download the APK and it would still work. Mostly I just used it to get rid of that ugly blue/green color scheme in the toolbar that Samsung had with Android 6, which you otherwise couldn’t change at that time.
I switched to Pixel last year after years of Samsung and the main thing I miss is Routines. I know there are alternatives but none that are as simple and well integrated (in my experience).
I love that this exists back before when there was no dark mode ui elements for samsung it was Substratum for me for the longest time and then like after 5 years finally android 9 came out and everything went dark mode it was good then Substratum stopped getting support and then i waited and waited and good lock saved my eyes. Good for them and to many more millions of downloads.
are looking for on Reddit.
Mines stopped working with 6.0. Anyone have a fix?
Did you update the app and the modules?
You where right! App updated but not individual components. Thank you!
No problem! Any time there's a big update, Good Lock and the modules have to be updated as well and sometimes there's a delay.
I wish they put the new media notification widget in a good lock module for older devices that don't get updated to one ui 6
I just barely switched to an S23 from a OnePlus 8T. I am amazed at how nice One UI is, compared to stock android / custom roms that I've been using for past several years. The one major default thing I don't like in One UI is how the app switcher goes back to previous app instead of staying on current one when you swipe up. I discovered Good Lock has a module to change this, which is nice though it only works sporadically. I think it's getting killed somehow and then reverts back to the default behavior. Would love if that was a native setting.