[Update: Released] CypherOS 5.3 Will Bring Ambient Weather, New Features To Launcher, Support For Notification Theming & More

UPDATE #1 March 11, 2018 10:59AM IST (Please refer to the end of the article for the update)

CypherOS have been on a roll. After rolling out their first Oreo 8.1 based builds last month, the CypherOS team announced Ambient Play, a feature which mimics the Pixel 2's Now Playing functionality. CypherOS' lead developer Chris Crump has now announced a series of changes which will be making their way into the upcoming CypherOS 5.3.

Firstly, we have Ambient Weather. The implementation of Ambient Weather is similar to that of Ambient Play, that is both of them are shown on the lock screen and ambient display. Ambient Weather uses Omni's weather service Omni Jaws, pulls weather information from the Yahoo weather provider and uses the Outline icon pack to display the weather icon. The weather information shown by Ambient Weather include the temperature, location, weather condition and weather icon. Ambient Weather works alongside Ambient Play, meaning that when song information is being shown, the weather won't be shown, and vice versa. Crump has said that in the future, double tapping on the weather will open up the detailed weather information on Google.

Secondly, there are some new feature additions to the launcher. Last month Luna Launcher, the launcher shipped in CypherOS, was updated with support for icon packs, hidden apps and notification dots. In CypherOS 5.3, users will be able to access their Google Now feed with a swipe from Luna Launcher's home screen. Other features such as weather on the home screen and app predictions will also be integrated into Luna Launcher for CypherOS 5.3. If these features aren't enough to make you use Luna Launcher, there is support for theming via OMS, something not many launchers have at this time.

With Oreo 8.1, Google added the WallpaperColors API which is used by apps to obtain the wallpaper color. In official Oreo 8.1 for the Pixel and Nexus devices, this extracted color is used to set the quick settings and app drawer background to either light or dark. If a dark/light wallpaper is applied, the background of the app drawer and quick settings panel is set to as dark/light. Earlier this year, CypherOS launched Color Overlay Manager (ColorOM). ColorOM utilizes the WallpaperColors API and Overlay Manager Service (OMS) to theme Luna Launcher, Settings and various components of the SystemUI. Previously ColorOM couldn't theme the notifications; in CypherOS 5.3, ColorOM will be able to modify the looks of the notifications too. ColorOM not only allows the user to set the background color to light, dark or black, but also allows to select a custom accent color. The background color can also be set automatically based on the color extracted by the WallpaperColors API.

Lastly, battery styles and off-screen gestures are making a return. Battery styles will allow you to change the battery icon in the status bar. Off-screen gestures such as double tapping the screen and drawing alphabets (or other symbols) can be used to perform different tasks. For example, drawing ">" can be used to switch to the next music track. This feature will only be available on those devices whose kernels support off-screen gestures.

CypherOS 5.3 "will be released in the coming days." Crump has also said that there will be "big announcements for future releases" when CypherOS 5.3 is made official.

UPDATE #1 March 11, 2018 10:59AM IST

CypherOS 5.3 Cinnabun is now official. In addition to the aforementioned fixes, several issues of white accent not working properly with black and dark themed backgrounds have also been fixed. The complete changelog is as follows:

Changelog

This release contains new features, bug fixes and productivity enhancements throughout the system.

What's new

• Android 8.1.0 Security Bulletin (r18)
• Notifications can now be themed
• Fixed issues with white accent and dark themes
• Added support for Off-screen gestures
• Replaced recorder app with built-in screen recording support
• Added ability to unlock the device when face is recognized (Auto Face Unlock)
• Pocket Lock and Hand Wave features are now disabled on first boot
• Luna Launcher now supports Weather events, Google Feed and App Predictions
• Introducing Ambient Play (Music recognition service)
• Introducing Ambient Weather (Weather information service)
• Fixed issue where navbar switch wasn't checking default bool
• Added ability to Link/Unlink notification volume streams
• Added ability to change the battery icon to different indicators
• Fixed issue in charging alert notification where text was too long
• Added a new notification icon for MusicX
• Improvements for Bolt Browser
• More backend improvements


New Supported Devices
• Moto G5 Plus (Potter)
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Kenzo)


Device Candidates
• HTC One M8
• Oneplus 5 (Cheeseburger)
• Oneplus 5T (Dumpling)


Queued Candidates
• LG Nexus 5 (Hammerhead)


• Note: Nexus 6P & Nexus 5X require the "OPM3.171019.016" vendor image

With 5.3 Cinnabun, CypherOS have introduced their Candidates Program. Under this scheme, devices will be tested thoroughly before they become eligible to be supported officially. A maintainer can release several 'candidate' builds and use the community's feedback to improve the build. Once the candidate builds are stable enough, they will be accorded the official status. From now on, candidate builds will be released prior to every official update. OnePlus 5, OnePlus 5T and HTC One M8 are the first devices to be a part of this program.

CypherOS now officially supports the Moto G5 Plus and Redmi Note 3. CypherOS 5.3 builds can be downloaded from here.

Source: Chris Crump

[All images courtesy of Chris Crump]

Krittin Kalra

Krittin Kalra is a 20 year old Android freak. Striving for passions, chasing down his dreams and living a life without regrets is his sole mantra. A bit moody, he also does custom ROM reviews for AndroGuider. Currently pursuing his B.Tech, he aspires to follow his heart.