Multi-Task Switch Your recent screens appear here

Note Series
#1

Why don’t my notes I’m currently working on appear here?

Why doesn’t the book I’m currently reading appear here?

I would like to journal notes about a book I am reading and be able to 1-touch switch from the screen displaying my pdf I’m reading, 1-touch switch to my notes, write a sentence or two, then 1-touch return back to reading.

Currently from reading my book, I have to:
1.) Press the home icon
2.) Press the Note App icon
3.) Find the Note I was currently working on (3-8 second search)
4.) Press that note icon to open it up
5.) Write

To get back to my book I now have to:
1.) Press hardware HOME button
2.) Press Library icon
3.) Press book icon
4.) Resume reading

The ability to quickly toggle IMMEDIATELY back and forth between these two PRIMARY apps should be implemented. So very strange that all other apps and Windows appear on the “Recent Screens” EXCEPT for these two!!

:frowning::sob::nauseated_face:

6 Likes
#2

Noted with thanks! This request has been forwarded to our relative colleagues to follow up already. We will keep you updated.

1 Like
#3

I would also very much like to see this feature implemented soon.
Having a shortcut to get back to what you are reading is of key importance, as well as getting back in a click to the note you were writing.

1 Like
#4

I also would like to see this feature implemented.
I was digging through the settings, and found that neoreader and notes are system apps.
I’m guessing this is the reason why they do not show up in the recent apps list?
Should be easy enough to find a work around right?

1 Like
#5

I agree, it would be very useful for all boox devices (I own a novaPro), I suggested here a possible implementation: enable double tapping on navigation ball to go to previously opened app. In this way user may jump between notes and neoreader

#6

So in brief, basically we need the two primary native apps (Neo Reader & Note) to be available options when clicking the "Multi-task"icon.

Currently, these two appear to be the ONLY ones NOT registering!

1 Like
#7

Neo Reader and Notes seems to be part of the launcher app. I do not know if “Content Browser” or the app with the Chinese name is the launcher app (can anyone translate the name of the app, please?).

Anyway, I wanted to report this issue, too. The current behavior is a usability killer! So please, extract the Neo Reader and the Notes app into a separate app so you can switch between those apps. If you find a way to leave these apps in the launcher, but be able to switch between them in the task manager, that is fine, too.

Kind regards
Erik

Update: I just checked the packages on my device. You can do this with apps like “Package Name Viewer 2.0”. The Note and KOReader are separate system apps. The launcher / home application is “ContentBrowser”. Those apps are missing in the task manager, because those apps are non closable system apps. So the packages have to be reconfigured and they will appear in the task manager. Hope you will fix this in the next update. :slight_smile:

1 Like
#8

I add my voice as well. This should be toward the top of any usability/feature list.

2 Likes
#9

Yes, me too. Please implement that. Notes and the currently reading book should be available in the Android task manager so we can quickly switch between them.

1 Like
#10

Bumping this up. Apparently the latest “update” removed the recents key altogether from the top bar, so Onyx doesn’t even pretend that this is a device that can switch between apps! Particularly its own apps.

Dear Onyx, we bought a device for reading AND note-taking. Nowhere on your promotional materials did it say that you can either read OR take notes. This is either a bug or false advertising. Over at least a year there were several responses saying that this was “reported” and “being worked on”, but nothing ever happened.

No, the split screen view in the reader is NOT the same, and does NOT make up for the switching between notes and reader. As everyone else is pointing out, many books are unreadable in the half-screen view, even at Max screen size.

If there is no response with a commitment to fix it in the next update, I’m going to write a big blog post for academic audience detailing why Onyx is a waste of time rather than something genuinely useful for reading scientific literature. The inability to read AND take notes is a deal-breaker.

#11

It’s not clear what you’re saying they took away. As far as I know there was no single button switch between Neoreader and Notes and back. At least now you can the Notes app to the navigation ball.

#12

@HammockTime Yes, there was never a way to switch between notes and reader. What seems to be gone in 2.3.1 is the “recent apps” button in the top right corner, which enabled switching between other apps.

I know the notes can be mapped to a navigation ball button, but (a) that’s useless without switching back to the reader, (b) it makes you waste time by re-opening the application, rather than getting you directly to where you left off. So even taking notes while reading in a 3rd party reader is impossible, unless you’re willing to waste at least 3 clicks and a minute to get to your notes.

#13

When you say “recent apps” button isn’t this the square button when you pull down the top menu? There’s a triangular button for going back, a round one for the home screen and a square one for “recent apps”. The same function that can be set in the navigation ball which uses the overlapped squares icon.

Are you saying that you don’t have the three buttons I mentioned above when you pull down the notification shade?

#14

@HammockTime Ah, so they’re in the pull down now? I don’t have a device with this update, just saw that the icon was gone in a video.

If they’re in the pull down menu, this objectively sucks from the multi-tasking perspective: more clicks to switch. Not to mention that it’s impossible to switch between the two apps that actually work without lagging.

#15

Well, the recent apps button is in two places now and I either one isn’t that out of the way. I can’t say that this is my biggest problem with the current firmware. I wish there was a one button switch between the reader app and the notes app, though.