The option to turn off BlinkFeed is good to have — but you’ll be missing out on a great feature
One of the more radical changes HTC brought in its Sense 5 user interface was the addition of BlinkFeed, a somewhat customizable news reader built into your home screens. In fact, it was meant to serve as your home screen, showing you the latest from your favorite news sources, Facebook and Twitter.
And as you’d expect, BlinkFeed was polarizing. New features can be hard to sell, especially when it comes to forcing them onto a home screen — and doubly so when there’s no way to turn them off. Sure, you could just install a new launcher — or just ignore BlinkFeed in the first place — but that wasn’t really the point for many.
But starting in Sense 5.5, which debuts on the new HTC One Max, you’ll be able to easily turn off the BlinkFeed pane.
How to turn off BlinkFeed in Sense 5.5
This is quick and easy:
- From the home screen, pinch your fingers together. That’ll open up the home screen overview.
- Tap the BlinkFeed On/Off button in the top left.
That’s it.
It is worth mentioning, however, that plenty of folks love having BlinkFeed around. We’re rather fond of it, too — and not just because you can get all the latest Mobile Nations news in it. But for those who just can’t stand BlinkFeed just lurking there, even unused, you’ve now got the option to make it disappear altogether.