[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Datastream33:
What's going on, guys?

I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend so far!

I'm so excited to announce that Toolbox V28.0 has just been released! 🎉

In today's update, we have so many exciting things to go over, including a new method to bring back custom launchers on tablets running FireOS 7.3.2.2 and above!!! 🥳

So without further ado, let's jump into the meat and potatoes of the new update!

The Return of Custom Launchers and Other Improvements!​

So, as you guys may know, it's been pretty difficult to use third party launchers ever since FireOS 7.3.2.2 dropped. We had a workaround, but it was ideal and wouldn't survive a reboot. Fortunately, with the help of my favorite app ever... Automate, we now have a pretty decent method that even survives a reboot! Using Automate, we can await a keypress from the navigation bar and then launch any custom launcher of our choice!

There are, however, a few downsides, of course. For example, when opening an app that has a white background... it will appear as if the home button has vanished. This is a limitation of the method used, and we're looking into a workaround, but I'm afraid one might not be found... but we will see.

Anyway, along with the new activation method, there have also been some improvements to the tool itself. Firstly, as recommended by our good friend @blaacksheep, the "Enable widget Support" checkbox is now checked by default - because who doesn't widgets? Next, the decision to use the shell to re-route the home button for both Re-route and Downgrade methods has been reversed (it will now use cmd again). The reason for this is that it didn't really seem to be as effective as the cmd method. Finally, the method for reading FireOS version has been improved, and as a result the Toolbox is now capable of detecting what Launcher Activation Method is the best for your tablet and will select that method automatically.

Modify System Settings Has Been Modified!​

So, I promised a few folks I would add a subtool, that would make it easier to modify the tablet's overscan values. Well, in this update, I've decided to act on that promise! Firstly, I needed to figure out where this subtool would exist. I decided to create a new tab in the Modify System Settings tool just for the overscan... but then it occurred to me, that I could use this opportunity to create a display options tab and move a few of the existing "display" options to it. So, the tab was created, and the Display Timeout was moved to it firstly.

Now with this new tab, it was also decided that the Device Density tool would be also moved here instead of being its own tool. As a result, it's been removed from the Main Menu. Lastly, you'll find the Overscan option. From here, you can change both the portrait and landscape overscan values. Unfortunately, there isn't a way to retrieve the current overscan values by default. However, we can store a key in the settings database that will keep track of the overscan values changed by the Toolbox (it will not keep track of changed overscan values from outside the Toolbox) so that's good!

The last change in this tool is to the Device Dashboard Icon setting. Now, when you toggle it off, you'll be given the option to change the navigation bar's layout from 3 options: Default, Compact, and Android. This gives you greater control over how your navbar should look after the device dashboard icon is removed!

Device Detection is Now Dynamic!​

I've been noticing a few issues with Device Detection in the previous update. For whatever reason, it was detecting the device states wrong and was seeing a device when there really wasn't one. This has been addressed and should no longer occur. However, along with this change, the Toolbox's device detection has been improved in a certain manner that now allows it to detect device states dynamically. What I mean by this is, say you have a tablet plugged in, but the Toolbox is awaiting authorization... but then you unplug the device. In the past, the toolbox would still be awaiting authorization even though the tablet has been unplugged. Well, now when this occurs, the Toolbox is capable of seeing the device disconnect and will go back to the "no device" detected state. Pretty cool right? This works for authorization, no device, and too many devices detected.

Well, that's all the big highlights! But, that's not everything today's update has to offer! Feel free to check out the changelog below for more awesome changes!

Ready to download V28.0? Well, be sure to drop by the Downloads' section of the OP and get you either the installer or the archived version! However, if you have a previous version of the toolbox installed, you could also update using the Toolbox's built-in updater!

As always guys, I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for being such amazing people! I feel blessed to be a part of a community as great as this one! Thank YOU all for the support, donations, and kindness you guys continue to show! The respectful nature, and the helpfulness of everyone is just so overwhelming! THANK YOU guys! :D

I'd also like to THANK our good friend @blaacksheep for being such a great friend and helping out the community as much as he does! I mean, the post where he shared his workarounds for the FireOS 7.3.2.2 issues is really amazing, and I can't thank him enough for it! You rock, my friend! :D

Before this post ends (I know it's a little long as is, but please bear with me) I'd like to give an update on the Python port. Been working on it a lot as of late and have made some pretty decent progress. I would like to state now that this will be the last update to the VB version of the Toolbox for a while, so I can focus all my attention on the port. Remember, I'm updating the port progress page as I go, so keep an eye on it if you'd like to keep updated with the progress. I may have a public test build coming up soon.. well have to see. But just thought I should let you guys know what's going on.

Well, that's all I've got for now! I sincerely hope you guys enjoy the update, and until next time guys... Peace! ✌️