Hi everyone! The bulk of this update are optimizations aimed at improving app performance. In addition, a couple of minor new features and bug fixes have been included as well.
This update is being released to Dispatch's beta track first. If no major issues are uncovered, the release will later be rolled out to the stable track.
Performance Improvements
The specific updates that affect performance are too numerous to list, as there are hundreds, but with this update, users should see improved app performance across the board. In terms of changes to the app's code, the performance improvements take up roughly 95% of the code changes in this update.
Wallpaper Themes
When a custom wallpaper has been set, Dispatch will now theme the rest of the app accordingly.
Note: A minor bug currently requires that Dispatch be restarted after a new wallpaper theme has been applied. This will be fixed before this feature reaches the stable track.
Wallpaper Page Customization
Users can now also configure
where
the wallpaper is shown. For example, in the following screenshots, the user has opted to show the wallpaper on the Navigation Menu
as well as on the Media Libraries
pages.
The following options are available:
- Navigation Menu
- Favorite Apps & Search Button
- Apps Library
- Media Libraries
- Home Feed
Additionally, the user wallpaper will now show in the
Wallpaper Settings
page, allowing users to preview changes to the wallpaper and the wallpaper's brightness. Options have also been added here to control which pages the wallpaper is shown on, as explained above.
An additional option has been added to control the Shelf Peek opacity when that option is being used.
Manually activate the device screensaver
Users can now manually activate their screensaver by pressing the back button while the
home tab is highlighted
. This behavior is on by default, and can be disabled from Settings → Experience.Activate the Home Directory from anywhere in the Home Feed
When browsing the home feed, users can now long press the back button to activate the
Home Directory
no matter where they are. Previously, the Home Directory could only be activated by pressing the left direction button while the user is highlighting the first item in a row.As a reminder, the Home Directory is a simplified view of your home feed that is more similar to other launchers and the stock Android / Google TV launcher. It's a great way to quickly see more content on your home screen or zoom out of Dispatch's large artwork focused UI.
Bug fixes
The following fixes are included in this release
- Fixes an issue causing Plex watchlists to fail to sync.
- Fixes an issue where scrolling up in certain settings pages would cause the app to lose focus and become unresponsive.
Roadmap / What's Next
The roadmap has not changed. Work continues on the following features, which I will have more to say about when they are ready.
- User Profiles / Profile Switching
- Multi-Server support for Plex
- Version / Quality selector when opening Plex media
- Support for Android / Google TV notifications, including Now Playing and Casted Media notifications.
- Translate Dispatch into other languages (If you'd like to help translate Dispatch, please leave a comment here)
- Continue investigations into the possibility of integrating with Stremio, as it is by far the most popular feature request.
Please note:
While features selected for the roadmap are always my main focus, users can still expect other updates to be released here and there addressing smaller issues or features while those larger projects continue to be worked on.