OS & Software - EMUI 4.1
Huawei Nova Plus – OS & Software
First question about an Android smartphone is usually the one and only – what version of Google’s platform is this smartphone running? So first thing first, Huawei Nova Plus runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow out-of-the-box. On top, the firm ships its emotion user interface (EMUI) version 4.1.
I know many people do not like Huawei’s software layer on Android OS due to various reasons, I am not listing them here again. Seekers should really be excited about Huawei’s latest EMUI 5 which brings a lot for those who disliked most of the things in its software. EMUI 5 was first shipped with company’s latest flagship Mate 9 and is set to roll out to various recent models, which is good.
Talking about Nova Plus here – this specific model is not listed in the devices rumored to get Android 7 with EMUI 5 but the other variant Huawei Nova is indeed listed. Hopefully, this one will too receive the upgrade, but don’t take our words as guarantee.
Like previous iterations, Nova Plus software has no app drawer. There are only home screens that can be rearranged in anyway how the users like. There are ways how the home screens swipe through, there are widgets which we can add into home screens along side the app icons and folders. You can switch from 4 columns grid view to 5 columns if you prefer.
Lock screen be customised with Magazine style which shows a different wallpaper whenever you wake the phone from sleep. Swiping in any direction the the screen gets unlocked but swiping from the bottom edge, a set of quick controls and shortcuts appear. Along with a standard pin code or pattern unlock feature, the fingerprint security is there to take you straight to the home screen without even showing the lock screen.
Home Screens and Features
Home screen offers with multiple walls of app icons and a sticky bottom row that serves with the feature to use for most frequent functions of the phone e.g. Calling, Messaging, Internet browsing etc. There is no app drawer and if you like to have the app drawer for all of your apps and instead want only a few (your favourite) ones on the home screen then you will miss it. That’s the way EMUI has been offering, but with EMUI 5 it’s been changed – you can do all what you wanted, plus a lot more which now makes it a real contender among various other Android skins.
Swiping anywhere on the home screen, but not from top-edge, initiates the search feature that provides search box on top with recently used apps or functions below it. This feature searches through everything on the phone, in contacts, in messages, in emails, in apps, in settings etc. If you don’t find anything, it also provides a link to search online for the keyword you have put in.
Notifications and Shortcuts
Notification center can be pulled down from the top status bar that brings two sections. There are shortcuts in the right tab, and the notifications on the left.
The third screen above is customization section that opens right from the shortcuts section and serves with all the available shortcuts where the upper half lists the shortcuts which are currently present on the main shortcuts section (middle screen above). The shortcuts in the lower half are unused which can be dragged to the upper half to display in the main shortcuts section.
It’s pretty much same across EMUI 4.1 in other Huawei devices as well.
