[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Datastream33:
Hey, hey!

What's going on, guys? I hope everyone is having a wonderful day/night so far!

Yesterday, V29.0 was officially released! So, as usual... let's take a look at what this new update brings to the table!

System Backup Improvements and Package States​

In an effort to make the System Backup tool more effective, we have a few changes in tonight's update that I think you guys will enjoy. Firstly, it's now possible to lock a backup to a specific device, ensuring that the backup can only be restored to that tablet. Next, generation checks have been also added to ensure incompatible backups can't be attempted to be restored. Lastly, and perhaps the most exciting, is the new backup option that allows you to back up package states.

With package states, you can now disable/hide all the apps you want and restore those disabled/hidden states at any time. For example, if you disable a bunch of apps but for some reason need to factory reset, you can create a backup of those states and upon a backup restore (after the factory reset) the Toolbox will take into account those package states and re-disable/re-hide those apps again automatically. Can also be used to set up multiple tablets with the same package states.

Lockscreen Ads and FireOS V7.3.2.2+​

It's not possible to remove lockscreen ads once more on newer versions of Fire OS without requiring Automate to be installed. This new method effectively works by revoking permissions from the Special Offers app. Huge shoutout to XDA member @RiCkLaR for finding this workaround!

Screen Capturing Improvements​

While working on the Python Port, I just recently got done coding the Screen Capturing tool. During that whole process, I was looking at the VB version of the tool and realized it was broken in a few areas... in fact, this tool is what inspired this update. Anyway, I noticed the timer wasn't accurate and was off by a single second... a problem with the logic that was sorted out pretty quickly. I also learned that ADB only supports 3 minutes of recording at a time... so that time limit is now taken into account and displayed alongside the timer. Also took the liberty of fixing the recording animation along with the timer and is now working as intended.

A 3-second delay has also been introduced and is now displayed before screen recording starts. This gives you a few seconds to prepare before recording starts. Along with the other improvements... it's also ensured that the tool no longer closes after recording or screenshotting, and timestamps are adjusted/refreshed afterwords. Pretty happy with the way things turned out for this tool.

Some Cool Modify System Settings Updates​

Surprisingly, Night Mode (Dark Theme) can be enabled on the newer gen Fire Tablets, so it's been added as a toggle able option to the System UI tab. I found that pairing this with the Custom Navbar Key activation method for Custom Launchers really does help when it comes to apps with white backgrounds. Apps that would have a white background (we're looking at you Play Store), can now adopt the dark mode theme and switch over to a more friendly color... one that would allow the home key to still be visible.

We also have changes directed at the OTA Updates option that when disabled/hidden the tool will now clear the ota package's cache. This gets rid of any OTA packages that may have been downloaded and were awaiting installation. Finally, the Automatic Update subtool has been updated to actually disable app automatic update in the Amazon AppStore (if it's enabled).

New Theme Who 'Dis?​

Joining our lineup of themes, we have a brand one! It's called PuPur, and it's essentially a purple theme! Not too much more to talk about... but a nice addition, I think.

Google Services (Manage), and Google Assistant Additions!​

Ah, now these two tools have an awesome component to them that I'd like to discuss! Firstly, let's talk about the Manage subtool for Google Services. This subtool now contains an option to disable Automatic app-updates in the Play Store! This is achieved by a new component of the Toolbox that is capable of reading the window layout, grabbing the bounds for a UI element, calculating the tap x and y values, and tapping the element!

This means the Toolbox can effectively interact with the UI of any given app. Only problem is... it's kind of slow because it relies on Android to dump the ui layout... which can take a few seconds. It is effective, but kind of slow. Anyhow, using this component the Toolbox can now launch the Play Store, and navigate to the Play Store's settings to turn off Automatic App-updates automatically! Pretty cool yes?

The component is also utilized in the Google Assistant tool (and Modify System Settings tool to toggle of automatic Updates in the Amazon AppStore) to download and install the Google App directly from the Play Store. Through this method, we no longer need to host the Google App files (which can be massive in size) ourselves, which helps astronomically.

Wait, that't not everything! This post dives into the highlights, but doesn't include everything! If you're interested in all changes... please take a look at the changelog for more info:

Ready to download and install V29.0? Head on over to the Downloads section of the OP and get you a copy of the installer or the portable build!

I'd firstly like to apologize to you all for not showing up in here for so long. There have been some things said that were extremely kind, and I just never got around to responding to. There have also been some questions and concerns that needed to be addressed by the developer, but because of my lack of attendance went unanswered. I'd like to apologize and let you all know that I'm going to do my best to be present more.

Next, I'd like to sincerely THANK @blaacksheep, and @Jumbo100 for being so helpful and active here on the forums! You guys are a blessing, and I'd like to take the time to show my appreciation for everything you two have done! Thank you both... you guys are absolute troopers!

The Toolbox has grown so much over the years, and I just want to take a minute to THANK YOU all for that. I don't get much pleasure in life, but seeing the project grow like this has put a smile on my face, and I just can't thank you all enough for that. You guys are just so freaking friendly, and nice, I just don't know what I've done to deserve any of this. Thank you all for everything! :D

Well, that's it for now! Please have a wonderful rest of your day/night and until next time, guys... Peace!