Customization has always been one of the biggest plus point for Android. While there are a number of options to customize your Android handsets, there are but a few options to customize a screen that you perhaps see the most – The Lock Screen of your device!
Lock screens are important from security point of view (assuming that you use some sort of screen lock, else it’s just a formality). That point noted, the lock screen is still a hindrance in quick access to the apps. Suppose you often need to check your SMS or access the Internet, unlocking the screen and browsing to the app can be a bit of a hassle.
LockMenu is a lock screen replacement app that puts your frequently accessed apps right on your phone’s lock screen. You still need to unlock the screen, but it gives you quick access straight to the apps that you most commonly use. Place your most frequently used app on the lock screen itself and save the time required to navigate to the app!
About LockMenu App for Android:
LockMenu gives you the ability to launch an application, any shortcut and direct dial or text from your Lock Screen. This can be done by customizing the 7 sliders that are placed on your lock screen by LockMenu.
Press Menu on the lock screen to access the preferences for the app.
LockMenu Settings and Preferences:
The app needs a bit of configuration before it sets up your lock screen. This mainly involves setting LockMenu as the default Home application (the app which opens when you press the Home key).
Even though you set LockMenu as the Home application, you have to set the normal Home Application. This is how it works – If you launch any app from the launch screen and then press the Home key, it will take you back to the lock screen. This is because, though the app is launched from the lock screen, the device is not unlocked yet.
Now, suppose you ‘Unlock’ the lock screen, your normal Home application comes into play. Pressing the Home key now, takes you to the actual Home screen. The functionality to unlock the device can be enabled for any slider when you configure the sliders.
Once that is done, its time to configure the lock screen features to your liking. You can customize the lock screen by choosing the number of sliders that you want and associate specific apps with them.
A maximum of seven sliders can be configured and the eighth one is reserved for unlocking the screen. Each enabled slider can be assigned an application or a shortcut. You can also set a Direct Dial, Direct Text or Home shortcut from the Lock Menu Options.
As date and time display can be a prominent part of the lock screen, the app allows you to enable/disable date and time, set format, size and alignment. You can choose to show or hide the weekday, month and year on the screen.
Under the other preferences option, you can customize the app display and its interaction with you. You can set the device to vibrate when you perform any action on the slider, enable a wallpaper to have a beautiful lock screen and set the screen timeout.
LockMenu also offers an option to hide the notification bar and use a transparent icon instead of a “lock” icon, but personally I would not recommend using these features.
Suppose you get a SMS and instead you launch Twitter from the lock screen, it beats the whole point of quick access. A visible notification bar is better as the notifications there will indicate which app to launch from the lock screen.
Using the transparent icon is also not a great idea as, even though not visible, the icon is still there and all you see is an space between the other notifications icons. I found this option to be a bit weird, but maybe if you don’t want to show that you are actually using this app, it can come handy.
LockMenu Features:
- Configure up to 7 sliders for direct access
- Launch applications, shortcuts, direct dial or direct text from sliders
- Go to Home screen from sliders
- Configure whether each slider unlocks the device
- Use Custom text for sliders
- Configure sound slider to toggle vibrate or silent mode or launch app
- Choose between pre-Gingerbread and Gingerbread slider styles
- Set lock screen timeout
- Enable/Disable wallpaper
- Fullscreen mode
- Configure date/time format and layout
LockMenu Pro:
LockMenu Pro hasn’t been released yet. Pro version is quite desperately needed for this app as its adverts seem very obtrusive and inconvenient. According to the developer, the Pro version is under testing and hopefully it will be released soon. LockMenu Pro will add two more sliders to the screen and will remove the adverts from the app.
Conclusion:
LockMenu is a refreshing and useful change from the default lock screen of Android. Not only does it pack a number of customization features but it also saves you a lot of time in accessing favorite apps quickly. It is a well implemented concept and its only getting better. Highly recommended!
Download LockMenu from Android Market:
Start a barcode (QR code) scanner on your phone and scan the QR code below. This will take you directly to the Android market to download the app. If you do not have a QR Code scanner app, choose one from the Best Scanner Apps for Android.
Download From Android Market
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