I built an Android widget that learns your app habits — without sending anything to a server

I had a problem. My home screen was organized chaos: folders for Work, Music, Streaming, Chat, Hobbies. Every evening I’d open the same three folders in the same order just to launch the same handful of apps. I wasn't finding apps — I was repeating a ritual.

My phone already knows what I do and when I do it — it just never puts that knowledge to use. So I built Habits to teach it to repeat what it has already seen.

The constraint: Android only remembers a few days

The predictive feature needs the Usage Access permission. The problem? Android only retains raw usage history for a few days by default. After that, the data is gone.

I needed enough history to recognize actual patterns — not just what I opened yesterday, but what I open at 8 AM on a typical Tuesday. That requires weeks of accumulated history, and Android doesn’t give you that out of the box.

I also wasn't willing to ship app usage logs to a backend. This widget was going to be smart, but only if it could be smart without touching a server.

How it works under the hood

Habits accumulates usage history on the device — timestamps, durations, which apps — storing it for long enough to smooth out noise and detect recurring patterns. A statistical model then correlates the current time slot with past behavior to assign relevance scores to installed apps.

The model balances two signals:

• Long-term habits (default weight: 75%): apps you tend to use at this time of day over the past weeks
• Short-term context (default weight: 25%): apps you opened in the last few minutes, which suggest what you’re about to do next

You can adjust the relative weight of each factor in settings, so the widget adapts to how predictable your routine actually is.

What the widget actually does

• Surfaces apps contextually: morning coffee → news apps, Friday evening → streaming and music
• Customizable grid (columns/rows) directly in widget settings
• Monochromatic icon support natively — no third-party icon packs needed
• Material You dynamic colors, custom backgrounds, adjustable icon sizes
• Pin/exclude apps: keep essentials always visible, hide outliers
• Full icon pack support if that's your setup
• Export/import your history: the usage database can be exported and re-imported on a new device — your model follows you, no lock-in

The honest version (the stuff I'd want to know before installing)

• Usage Access is required — the core feature doesn't work without it. The app prompts for it on first launch.
• No accounts, no IAP, no ads — but also no cloud sync, no server fallback.
• No magic: the predictions are based on patterns in your own history. If your habits are genuinely unpredictable (shift worker? seasonal routine?), the widget won't help much.

Stack

• Kotlin, native Android
• Jetpack Compose + Glance widget
• Apache Commons Math for the statistical model
• Local DataStore for historical usage accumulation

Feedback wanted

This is my first attempt at on-device predictive UX. Two things I'm actively grappling with:

1. Model scope vs. accuracy: I'm deliberately keeping the model narrow (time-based patterns) to avoid permission sprawl. I'd love to hear from others who've tried adding signals like location or calendar overlap — what worked, what broke the battery.

2. Detecting "out of pattern" periods: The model learns habits, but habits break. Vacations, travel, sick days — how do you signal to an on-device model that "this week is different" without adding heavy heuristics or extra permissions? I'm wary of turning this into a full scheduling system, but ignoring those periods makes predictions worse for a chunk of the year.

I'd love to hear from other Android devs — especially anyone who's hit the Android usage history wall or tried on-device prediction.

Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nick.applab.habits

I have been working on an Android App quite a while now, starting from a simple idea.

A messenger where messages travel directly between phones with no servers in between. Using direct WebRTC encrypted connections (SRTP/DTLS), there are no servers that stores, reads, or relays content. Group chats use a gossip protocol where members relay to other members.

The only infrastructure the app touches is a signalling relay to set up the connection (no message content), a push notification to wake up a sleeping phone (also no content), and a TURN relay for restricted networks (encrypted packets only).

I wrote a detailed white paper explaining the full architecture on my landing page:

www.mindtheclub.com

The app is in Free Open Testing on Google Play (1,000 tester cap):

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bolimot.mindtheclub

I’m interested in this community’s perspective on whether the architecture holds up, and in finding a group of users willing to stress test the App.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/48011911

I found this very promising app that looks like it can be an alternative to Ferdium, Rambox, Franz, Hamsket.

WebSpace is an app that brings websites and web apps together in one organized, streamlined interface. Any web app you can think off can be used in WebSpace in its own web instance instead of your main web browser. Basically it is a web browser but for web apps you use often and may want running in the background.

For use degoogled users who use website, web apps, PWAs over native apps, this makes using these services much easer.

WebSpace also adds many privacy features such as ad blocking and filtering, cookie isolation, and more.

Also it is written in Flutter! Meaning this could become available on desktop in the future! One app, one codebase for all major OSes!

Check it out and contribute!

A WebRTC messenger where message content never touches a server and the push layer can’t see who’s messaging whom

Android app, solo-built. Trying to find out where the architecture breaks before I scale it.

The core idea. Messages travel through direct WebRTC data channels (DTLS/SRTP) between two phones. No server stores, reads, or relays content. Group chats use a gossip protocol, sender fans out to a few reachable members who relay onward; members who come online late fetch missing messages from any peer who has them.

The supporting infrastructure, and what each piece can see.

Signalling: needed to set up any WebRTC connection. I use a Cloudflare Worker (ephemeral, nothing persisted). The SDP/ICE payload is encrypted with the recipient’s public key before it leaves the sender, and the two participants are addressed by opaque per-session hashes. The relay forwards ciphertext between un-linkable identifiers.

Push wake-up: FCM, because Android. Sealed-sender design: the wake-up payload is encrypted to the recipient’s public key, and the sender’s identity is inside that envelope. The push layer sees who’s receiving (it must, that’s how push works), not who’s sending. The FCM request is also forwarded via a Cloudflare Worker so Google doesn’t see the sender’s IP either.

TURN relay: Cloudflare again, for restricted networks. Carries encrypted packets only, like any TURN.

The code is open source (GPLv3).

I wrote a detailed white paper explaining the full architecture on my landing page: https://www.mindtheclub.com/

Mainly interested in where the design assumptions break. The sealed-sender piece, I’d like to know if the threat model I’m assuming there is too generous.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/47583791

Physical keyboard layouts were optimized for typing with ten fingers. Most virtual keyboards just copy the look of those physical layouts — even though the writing experience is completely different, since on a screen we're really only using one or two thumbs. On top of that, most of these keyboards focus on how the keyboard looks, and pay far less attention to how it sounds and feels.

With Honeyboard, I wanted to explore what it means to redesign a keyboard specifically for screens, and build the best possible writing experience around that. I focused on the essential core features that define what a virtual keyboard actually is:

• Write in your native script. Honeyboard ships with 122 languages and 295 layouts.
• A coherent experience for your senses. Organizational structure, visual, haptic, and auditory feedback all work together to make typing genuinely feel satisfying.
• Adapts to any device. Phone, foldable, or tablet — it looks and works perfectly on all of them, so it feels like a native part of your system.
• Fully local. It runs entirely on-device, with no special permissions required.
• Public domain. The code is contributed to the public domain, with a modular, clear structure, thorough tests, and documentation — so it's easy to contribute to or adapt yourself.

This isn't just another keyboard. It's a vision of what digital typing could look like in the future — and it already works today.

There's still some polishing and optimization to do, especially on the sound design, the layout sources, and the layouting algorithm, but none of that gets in the way of everyday use.

I'd love to hear what you think.

Greetings, would like some recommendations for a good weather app, i'm in Europe if that's a needed criteria.

Tried some and they are hit and miss and some like Windy want way too much personal data

Currently tried:

AccuWeather, Weawow, Weather Underground, Windy,

Looking for apps that aren't that invasive (if there are any) and accurate.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/47843683

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/47843635

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/47843624

I have been working on an Android App quite a while now, starting from a simple idea.

A messenger where messages travel directly between phones with no servers in between. Using direct WebRTC encrypted connections (SRTP/DTLS), there are no servers that stores, reads, or relays content. Group chats use a gossip protocol where members relay to other members.

The only infrastructure the app touches is a signalling relay to set up the connection (no message content), a push notification to wake up a sleeping phone (also no content), and a TURN relay for restricted networks (encrypted packets only).

I wrote a detailed white paper explaining the full architecture: https://www.mindtheclub.com/white-paper.html

The app is in Open Testing on Google Play (1,000 tester cap): https://www.mindtheclub.com/beta-signup.html

I’m interested in this community's perspective on whether the architecture holds up.

Since EDS client for Android is discontinued, there has not been any Veracrypt clients available until I found these two apps...

https://github.com/jmccoy600/androidCrypt

Pros

• Small app size
• On F-Droid

Cons

• Basic features

https://github.com/AlsatianConsulting/CryptoContainer

Pros

• Many features

Cons

• Not on F-Droid

I hope CrypoContainer gets on F-Droid and both apps get the ability to mount to a directory on the "main internal drive" simular to EDS client. Please help these apps out and spread the word.

I posted a few weeks ago (in ask lemmy) about an android app I was working on. At the time I didn’t have a google play account, but I do now! They allow for internal testers. I thought maybe I'd got some better traffic here.

Well, my post got a little traffic in ask lemmy, but no one volunteered. Here’s the thing though. I can’t find the issues, or crappy workflows, I need someone else to put eyeballs on it. I’m not a big company so I can’t offer much, but I can offer a free copy of the app if that’s a selling point.

Anyway, I’m going to take a real big leap here and just toss the link for testing out in the open.

I have an Amazon Echo Show (1st Generation) that I've installed LineageOS onto and am using it as a desk clock. I'd love to be able to have basic stats displayed on it, such as Masto stats and word count for my writing.

Are there any apps that match that description?

Looking for an Android keyboard with a tab-space function...

Hi all, I've created my first Android app and in order to get it published in the play store, I need some closed beta testers. If anyone would be willing to test out the app I would be very appreciative! The app is a digital adaptation of the card game Kalooki, a Gin/Rummy variant using 2 decks of cards, 2 Jokers and a specific ruleset. You do not need to know anything about the game already, there are tips that display on first-run (can be re-enabled from the settings screen if you want to view them again) as well as a full rules screen from the main menu, and a Quick Reference popup that is available from the game screen itself. To join the closed beta, you will need to join the associated Google Group and then I can add your emails to the tester list - https://groups.google.com/g/kalooki Currently the app is only available in UK/US/NZ/AUS but if there is interest from elsewhere I can expand the beta Thanks!

I've been wanting to Curb my Doom Scrolling Habits as of Recent as I've been wasting waaaay to much time opening the Same Apps 5 Times in 10 Minutes.

One Method thats been Said to Work wonders in that Regard is to have Apps only be accessible after typing in a Password. After doing a bit of Light research it seems I'll need an App for this as I don't wanna deal with Samsungs "Safe Folder" needing a Samsung Account stuff.

Do any of you have Suggestions for Trust Worthy Apps for this?

:schenklradio: Google warnt vor neuer Gefahr für Android-Nutzer

:loading: Google arbeitet an einer neuen, tiefgreifenden Funktion für Android-Nutzer, die den Umgang mit dem Smartphone verändern könnte. Unter dem Namen „Screen Automation“ soll die Gemini-KI in der Lage sein, selbstständig Aktionen in bestimmten Apps auszuführen, wie etwa eine Fahrt buchen oder eine Bestellung aufgeben. Google spricht allerdings auch eine deutliche Warnung aus.

https://www.giga.de/tech/google-warnt-vor-neuer-gefahr-fuer-android-nutzer--01KGMR0J9Z4HK7ANTQ3F2X31V5

@Gigade

@androidapps

All of the music apps I've found are pretty anemic. I just want a nice app with good features to stream my music from my home server.

The best I've found for the TV is Jellyfin, which is... Passable. But it's hard ro search the library to find specific songs or artists, etc. I'd like to have one with good playlist support (maybe even smart playlists?) And easily searchable. It should be able to play a genre, album, artist, easily.

I am willing to move my library from Jellyfin to navidrome, etc. if there is a TV app that is really worth it. Open source is preferred, but actually not absolutely necessary.

I need to get an app that can be left to record continuously for days at a time. Essentially turning an old android phone into a security camera. I don't really care if the video is stored locally or remotely.

My downstairs neighbour has started complaining about excessive noise coming from our apartment, including while everyone in the apartment is asleep. So I need to have something recording continuously where I can clip out the complaint and the hour leading up to it, to prove that whatever they're hearing isn't us. Ideally it would show the noise in dB and the time. They have no legal basis for throwing us out, but I'd like to provide irrefutable evidence that they are delusional.

Thanks in advance for your help.

I’ve been using fossified calendar. It’s okay but I kind of want prettier UI. Do you have any suggestions?

FOSS is welcome. It’s okay if it’s not anti consumer.

Hey there, I'm currently trying to publish an app to the Play Store, but apparently need 12 people to beta test it first, and it sadly seems only 3 of my friends use Android. Can anyone else share tips on recruiting beta testers? Thanks!

Hey all, I've got a few apps I rely on daily, such as Total Commander, CX File Explorer and Material Files. Regarding my current needs, none suffice 🙁

The closest I guess would be Material Files, but it will only show a grid of two columns or just a list. I'd like to have the kind of flexibility of a typical desktop file browser like Explorer. Or on iOS FileBrowser by Stratospherix. That app is amazing but they don't make it for Android.

I've tried so many. On older devices I can use Asus File Explorer which comes stock on their phones, but I only have a version that's a little older, and it won't do SMB on my Androis 13 device. It works on older ones.

I've also tried out Astro and Amaze, they both have good and bad aspects but neither provides what I want.

Anyway, verbose post I know, but if you have any recommendations I would really appreciate it.