Software

What’s New in the Sense 6 update for One M7

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Will do a quick little list now, and add to it if I’ve missed anything.

And, as always

This is a list for regular unlocked EMEA (possible the same as APAC as well) version of the phone. A carrier/network version will/might be different.

What HTC says

System and Power improvements

  • HTC Sense 6 update
  • Color coded themes for easy navigation
  • Personalized font style
  • Addition of new Extreme Power Saving Mode
  • Add a button to clear all recent apps

Imaging experience improvements

  • New interface for Gallery and Camera
  • Add Image Match to find photos faster and easier
  • Support POI (Point Of Interest ) in Map view

Blinkfeed improvements

  • Smooth, continuous scrolling
  • New interface to intuitively add new content
  • Enhanced sidebar for easier navigation
  • Nearby restaurant recommendations

HTC Sense TV improvements

  • Check sports scores, stats and social media buzz in real-time
  • Redesigned interface for better user experience

Others

  • Enhanced music app for more visually stunning themes
  • Add schedule function to specific time and event in Do Not Disturb mode
  • Improved Mail, Message, Calendar, Phone apps

Droider finds

Generic

  • Wifi icon looks different
  • Widgets redesigned to match the new look
  • Lock screen reworked, you can swipe in 3 directions to get to “just unlock”,  “unlock to regular home screen” or “unlock to blinkfeed”. Swiping up starting over home button unlocks directly to Google Now.
  • Auto Answer, just put phone up to your ear to answer. Actually works pretty well. Feels a bit odd though. You disable it under Settings > Call > Auto answer calls if you don’t want it
  • HTC Guide app, whichs helps you troubleshoot the phone and can help you to contact support etc. I liked it. Very clean look of it as well.
  • HTC Power to give app is now default installed.
  • The Zoe app isn’t live yet, so I will get back on that.
  • Double tap on active lock screen to turn off the display

Be aware of

  • Enable lock screen widgets under Settings > Security is OFF by default, so Enable it if you want to use lock screen widgets.
  • Panorama in camera is STILL there, things have just moved around.

Personalize

  • Lock screen wallpaper, you can now set if you want your lock screen to use the same wallpaper as home screen or a custom one.
  • Theme, you can select 4 different themes that gives you a selection of colors. No customization on the themes yet. If you don’t like colors there’s a black/white (dark) theme.
  • Ringtones are new and different, since it’s a new main version of Sense.  If you’ve used custom ringtones/etc then those will of course stay as they are. Will do a post on just how you get back the ringtones you’re used to from previous sense versions.
  • Home screen, gives you a simple way of selecting the default launcher if you have more than just HTC Blinkfeed installed.

Security

  • Screen lock, you can now set it to “None”. Which is a very welcomed change.
  • Setting to Enable lock screen widget is there, but by default OFF.

Display

  • Font style, you can now choose a font style. There’s 3  there, and more you can download. Will take a closer look at this later.

What you don’t get from M8

Since they don’t share the same hardware platform, there’s of course things from Sense 6 in M8 that you will not see in the Sense 6 update for M7.

  • Ufocus and any other hardware dependent feature, 360 panorama could be this as well. Since it’s not on the M7. You can use Google Camera if you want such a feature on your M7.
  • Motion Launch. Could be because M8 got more sensors than M7 and that it uses s801 instead of s600 in M7.
  • Boomsound, you have Beats Audio in M7 instead.

I’m sure I’ve missed stuff now

That I will add the second that I find it.

What I think about it

It’s a VERY good update. The phone feels quick, it feels smooth. The extreme power saver is BRILLIANT. It makes M7 almost to feel like a new phone. It makes the other phones released at the same time to look old and outdated. Again.