DISCLAIMER:

I am not liable for any instance of device “brickage” as a result of using the herein contained information.

DISCLAIMER 2:

The application linked in this article is not a conventional launcher. It won’t work the way it is intended if it is not installed in the manner described by yours truly.

Quick Instruction:

You need to satisfy at least one of these two conditions to install this application:-

1. Rooted phone (and a windows PC)
2. TWRP recovery (or any custom recovery ) installed on your device.

With that out of the way, let’s get started.

They say necessity is the mother of invention and as it turned out, I was in a position to turn things around. Let me explain: The thing about using budget smartphones is you quickly realize that the battery life on the device is absolute shit and the manufacturer knows that they are selling you a garbage battery. So the popular budget phones in the shop today spot a very useful power saving feature called the Ultra Power Mode. Actually most smartphones have a power saving feature of some kind but Ultra Power Mode in devices like TECNO, INFINIX and iTEL is the mother of them all.

I have used all of the above mentioned brands and the Ultra Power Mode doesn’t disappoint. Once activated, the device can stay in idle for days. I can’t lambast an app for doing what it is supposed to do. But, yes here comes the big but, the things you can do with Ultra Power Mode are limited. You can call, that is cool, text, also cool and a few other things and that’s about it.

Here is the thing: if you are like me, then you are rarely satisfied with things as they are. I want more, I want to eat my cake and have it. Some people say I am greedy, and me being the skinny creature I am, I can’t entirely refute that accusation. Skinny people are greedy – it’s not a stereotype if it’s true. Facts, people, just facts.

Anyway, so I was looking for a way to use my phone like I usually do without exiting Ultra Power Mode. I just wanted to see if it would extend my battery life with regular usage while in Ultra Power Mode and here comes the invention part: I created an app!

The App

I name the app, “Power Launcher” but I won’t go into the back story of how I got it to work but if you are curious, dial *#*#4636#*#* on your android device and you will maybe understand how I worked it out.

Usage

So you’re thinking, how does it work? Well, once installed (see installation instructions below) you dial a secret code (*#*#000#*#*) and the screen below should appear momentarily.

Power Launcher Features:

1. Launch any app
2. Enable/Disable Mobile data
3. Turn torch on/off
4. Enable/Disable Wifi (Wifi should already be saved in Android Settings)
5. Kill background apps after you’re done with them (experimental)
6. Enable/Disable Hotspot (Like wifi, hotspot should be configured beforehand in Android Settings)

NOTE: Once you have launched an app, you can go back to Power Launcher using the Recent tasks.

System requirements:

1. Android 4.4+

Installation Method One – rooted phone.

Things you’ll need:

1. Windows PC
2. USB cable
3. USB drivers (see my article on phone flashing and install the drivers provided)
4. Rooted android phone

Procedure:

1. Download the “PowerLauncher PC” package from the link below and extract the zip file.
2. Power on your device and connect it to your PC with the USB cable.
3. In the extracted folder, locate and run “Install.bat” – Installation takes less than a minute.
4. Reboot your device, activate Ultra Power Mode” and test the app by dialing *#*#000#*#*
5. Buy me a beer.

Installation Method Two – Non-rooted phone with TWRP recovery.

Things you’ll need

1. Android device with TWRP recovery ( or Clockworkmod, Philz etc) installed.
2. A cup of tea.

Procedure

1. Download the “PowerLauncher TWRP” package but DO NOT extract.
2. Copy the downloaded zip onto your SD Card or your phone’s internal storage.
3. Reboot to recovery.
4. Tap install once you’re in TWRP and locate the zip to install.
5. Reboot device after installation, activate Ultra Power Mode” and test the app by dialing *#*#000#*#*
6. Buy me a raccoon. Don’t ask, just do it.

Screenshots:

DOWNLOADS

PowerLauncher PC – Download[MEGA]

PowerLauncher TWRP – Download[MEGA]