No Universal Inbox on homescreen = FAIL

[mgladden2]

Hey guys,

Nearly every feature on my Droid X (OS 2.2.1) is incredible, but this whole business of no Universal Inbox directly on the homescreen is a massive FAIL.

I tried homescreen > long-hold > shortcuts > activities > universal inbox, but on my phone, I don't get an "activities" menu, it's called "applications," and more to the point, there is no "universal inbox" listed there.

Is this really an impossibility on OS 2.2.1? I did run a system upgrade to Version.2.3.340.MB810.Verizon.en.US, so maybe that's why I can't do the above-listed work around. I'll return the phone for a new one if that's the case, but if it's really an impossibility, screw that, I'll get another phone. It will slow me down big time at work.

What's worse, the "Messaging" application that has the "Universal Inbox" in it, won't let you move the "Universal Inbox" icon lower, so you are forced to do a huge thumb stretch to the top left of the phone for that second click to open it.

Why in god's name isn't there an option in "Messaging" to just open directly to the Universal Inbox??? This feels like a no-brainer.

 

[John.Edwards]

Do you mean SMS/texts, emails, Voicemails and twitter/RSS in a single inbox? I don't think there is a phone to do that, maybe slidescreen might be what you are looking for.

 

[mgladden2]

Do you mean SMS/texts, emails, Voicemails and twitter/RSS in a single inbox? I don't think there is a phone to do that, maybe slidescreen might be what you are looking for.

Did you even read the post? Of course phones can do this. Blackberry's have been doing it for years, and Androids have the feature (notice the title of this post? "Universal Inbox"), but they put it inside their "Messenger" app, which does not allow you to move it out to the homescreen and/or set the Universal Inbox's position inside the Messenger app. They also default its to the absolute top left corner of the screen, making a one-handed thumb gesture to open it a real pain. Worse yet, apparently some Android phones or OS + System Version combinations allow you to manually create a shortcut to it from the homescreen, but the brand new Droid X Os 2.2.1 with the latest sys version does not allow this. BUNK is what it is.

 

[John.Edwards]

Yes I read the post. Messenger is for SMS/text messages. I thought you were talking about some new feature of some other phone - obviously not. Serves me right for check this forum...

I think you mean the app called email. The shortcut is called "email". What you are talking about is the combined inbox.

It is not android if it is not there, but moto's skin. Works fine on the Droid 1. But I think you should probably get another phone if you are not happy with your DroidX. Good luck.

unsubscribe.

 

[BodyBagz]

Do you mean SMS/texts, emails, Voicemails and twitter/RSS in a single inbox? I don't think there is a phone to do that, maybe slidescreen might be what you are looking for.

Did you even read the post? Of course phones can do this. Blackberry's have been doing it for years, and Androids have the feature (notice the title of this post? "Universal Inbox"), but they put it inside their "Messenger" app, which does not allow you to move it out to the homescreen and/or set the Universal Inbox's position inside the Messenger app. They also default its to the absolute top left corner of the screen, making a one-handed thumb gesture to open it a real pain. Worse yet, apparently some Android phones or OS + System Version combinations allow you to manually create a shortcut to it from the homescreen, but the brand new Droid X Os 2.2.1 with the latest sys version does not allow this. BUNK is what it is.

You can do what you want, but it requires running a different launcher instead of the stock launcher. If you download Launcher Pro, you can then make a short cut to the Universal Inbox..bone stock, I do not know of any way to do this...

 

[mgladden2]

I really don't mean to be rude, but you're wrong again. The Messenger app is for all feeds, including facebook, twitter, email (both my corporate and personal), and text messages. It works perfectly for all of those, and it has an icon called "Universal Inbox" inside of it which puts all of those feeds into a single inbox, similar to what Blackberry's have long done. I've been using it all day with no problems. The issue is getting the dang "Universal Inbox" icon out onto the desktop, and the fact that the "Universal Inbox" icon (inside Messenger) is locked into the absolute top-left of the screen. It's a real pain. I'm only responding here because your post could confuse another reader. Really, it's best to respond to things that you have a matching phone and/or matching experience with, otherwise you get these pages of back and forth corrections and clarifications. Thank you for the effort, though. I do appreciate the good intention.

 

[harrellj]

Pure messenger widget - Android app on AppBrain might fit then?

 

[mgladden2]

Pure messenger widget - Android app on AppBrain might fit then?

Thanks, harrellj. It's good to know a third-party app might be an alternative. I'd rather use the built-in Universal Inbox, but if there's no other solution...

 

[mgladden2]

You can do what you want, but it requires running a different launcher instead of the stock launcher. If you download Launcher Pro, you can then make a short cut to the Universal Inbox..bone stock, I do not know of any way to do this...

Thanks. I guess a third-party solution is looking more and more likely. Any idea why some people report being able to do a manual shortcut from homescreen > long-hold > shortcuts > activities > universal inbox? My phone doesn't list "activities" but calls it "applications" instead, and it doesn't have "universal inbox" under applications.

 

[harrellj]

One of the posts I found on this was someone who stated that they used LauncherPro (a 3rd party launcher replacement). I can confirm that activities is an option in LauncherPro but not ADW (another launcher replacement).

 

[BodyBagz]

You can do what you want, but it requires running a different launcher instead of the stock launcher. If you download Launcher Pro, you can then make a short cut to the Universal Inbox..bone stock, I do not know of any way to do this...

Thanks. I guess a third-party solution is looking more and more likely. Any idea why some people report being able to do a manual shortcut from homescreen > long-hold > shortcuts > activities > universal inbox? My phone doesn't list "activities" but calls it "applications" instead, and it doesn't have "universal inbox" under applications.

Yes...because they are running Launcher Pro. The exact place where you got that info string came from a post here below....

I have yet to check, but my wife has a Droid 2, so I will go and see if it is possible to do the same method on her phone...but I would believe it is not since the D2 is basically the Droid X with a keyboard and smaller screen.

[...] How to get a shortcut on the home screen with one click that gets you to your universal inbox? For a phone with such an open architecture, I am shocked this is an issue.

I'm using Launcher Pro on a Droid 2, but I think this will work with just about any launcher.

1. Long-press on home screen to get Add to Home Screen menu.
2. Select Shortcuts
3. Select Activities (long wait on mine)
4. Scroll down to Universal Inbox and expand
5. Select Universal Inbox

This gives me the Universal Inbox icon on the home screen. Why it's handled differently than the regular mail/gmail apps, I don't know, but it works.

My only niggle is that signature settings are shared between all accounts using UI.

- Bob

 

[BodyBagz]

Ok, for the sake of the argument, I just went and checked my wifes Droid 2...it does not have the ability to set a shortcut to the Universal Inbox either running stock Froyo operating system.

My only guess at this point is either use a different launcher or find a 3rd party standalone app that will do what it is you are after...

 

[takeshi]

Nearly every feature on my Droid X (OS 2.2.1) is incredible, but this whole business of no Universal Inbox directly on the homescreen is a massive FAIL.

If it matters to you. The real FAIL in this thread is assuming that your particular needs/wants are everyone else's as well. If you need help finding a solution, that's fine. Just don't proclaim FAIL just because you haven't found a solution for your particular needs.

Are you looking for a shortcut icon or a widget?

Blackberry's have been doing it for years, and Androids have the feature (notice the title of this post? "Universal Inbox"), but they put it inside their "Messenger" app, which does not allow you to move it out to the homescreen and/or set the Universal Inbox's position inside the Messenger app.

Your device does. Messenger on the Droid is just an SMS/MMS app.

Thanks, harrellj. It's good to know a third-party app might be an alternative. I'd rather use the built-in Universal Inbox, but if there's no other solution...

In general, if a stock app doesn't meet your needs there's a good chance that an app will. I don't get the reluctance of many to using apps. The extensibility of Android, IMO, is a huge selling point. Otherwise, it's like using a PC with Wordpad, Notepad and Paint.

 

[Beka27]

In general, if a stock app doesn't meet your needs there's a good chance that an app will. I don't get the reluctance of many to using apps. The extensibility of Android, IMO, is a huge selling point. Otherwise, it's like using a PC with Wordpad, Notepad and Paint.

+1

This is an entirely new OS and phone. Your options to customize, even without being rooted, are very expanded. As you use it, and stick around on this site, you'll find even more apps and options, some that you don't even know you want yet.

 

[mgladden2]

The real FAIL in this thread is assuming that your particular needs/wants are everyone else's as well.

Fair enough, I assumed most people would like to click once on an icon on their homescreen and see all of their emails, txts, and social media messages. I forgot most people prefer to do things the hardest possible way because they don't know any better. Oh, wait, that's just Motorola software programmers and embarrassed users who get defensive and overly protective of the junk they paid too much for. It's pretty clear to me the issue is that Blur is trash, and that I need to run LPP instead. Many thanks to those who pointed this out. I'm on it.