This object is in archive!
Proximity sensor for screen on/off
Completed
Hi there!
I am using Locus with my phone mounted on my bike for navigation. One really cool feature would be to use the proximity sensor of the phone to activate or deactivate the display.
Right now i am using "Tap Tap App" for this purpose and it works like a charm.
No need to touch the display or the buttons to turn the screen off or on. Holding the hand in front of the phone for a short time is enough, the screen turns on when i need it. This is even an aspect of safety (when on the bike).
I think this feature would be great for many users who are using Locus for Sport activities.
If it cannot be integrated, maybe other users can take this post as a suggestion :-)
Have fun!
I like this idea 
Its a nice idea, but I somehow think this is not something that Locus needs to do.It should work just as well when a Musicplayer is in front, or Googlemaps/earth, or anything else really. So isnt a separate app the correct place for this function?
Btw, I disable Lockscreen completely, systemwide. Lockscreens are useless when the phone is mounted on a bike. I can turn on the display simply with the big hardware button, maybe just as easy or even easier than the proximity sensor.
I havent yet found an app that handles the proximity sensor in a way I want to: Just do screen on/off, dont fuck with Lockscreen. Plus it must recognize even a very quick "swipe" of my hand. Anything longer than a tenth of a second is not acceptable. No idea if that is even possible, or possible without using too much energy. But if you have any suggestions, let me know :)
Its a nice idea, but I somehow think this is not something that Locus needs to do.It should work just as well when a Musicplayer is in front, or Googlemaps/earth, or anything else really. So isnt a separate app the correct place for this function?
Btw, I disable Lockscreen completely, systemwide. Lockscreens are useless when the phone is mounted on a bike. I can turn on the display simply with the big hardware button, maybe just as easy or even easier than the proximity sensor.
I havent yet found an app that handles the proximity sensor in a way I want to: Just do screen on/off, dont fuck with Lockscreen. Plus it must recognize even a very quick "swipe" of my hand. Anything longer than a tenth of a second is not acceptable. No idea if that is even possible, or possible without using too much energy. But if you have any suggestions, let me know :)
hmm I like this idea and think it should be useful. In my case, I have power button on stupid side place so it`s not much easy accessible when phone is in bike holder. Anyway as I`m playing with it, I found that there is no simple way how to turn on/off screen on Android programaticaly, damn ... I`m going to search, but seems that there will be only some dirty hacks which I don`t want to do, because it usually break compatibility in the future or on other phones
hmm I like this idea and think it should be useful. In my case, I have power button on stupid side place so it`s not much easy accessible when phone is in bike holder. Anyway as I`m playing with it, I found that there is no simple way how to turn on/off screen on Android programaticaly, damn ... I`m going to search, but seems that there will be only some dirty hacks which I don`t want to do, because it usually break compatibility in the future or on other phones
hmm sorry, I`m giving up this idea. I like it, but there is no simple official way to handle screen on/off state. When there will be any idea for other usage of proximity sensor, it`s prepared :)
hmm sorry, I`m giving up this idea. I like it, but there is no simple official way to handle screen on/off state. When there will be any idea for other usage of proximity sensor, it`s prepared :)
How about using the proximity sensor for a "temporary zoom in": When I wipe my hand across the phone, Locus would zoom in (like + button) and set a 10s timer, after which the zoom will be returned to what it was before.
I could then simply wipe my hand two or three times quickly over my handlebars to see something really close and just keep cycling. Everything will be back to normal after the timeout automatically. All without even touching the phone.
This will only make sense if the sensor is really quick detecting those wipes... more than a tenth second is not acceptable, I might just as well use buttons then
How about using the proximity sensor for a "temporary zoom in": When I wipe my hand across the phone, Locus would zoom in (like + button) and set a 10s timer, after which the zoom will be returned to what it was before.
I could then simply wipe my hand two or three times quickly over my handlebars to see something really close and just keep cycling. Everything will be back to normal after the timeout automatically. All without even touching the phone.
This will only make sense if the sensor is really quick detecting those wipes... more than a tenth second is not acceptable, I might just as well use buttons then
Hi!
Thank you for your answers! It`s just like Menion said, my power button is not easy to reach when the phone is mounted on my bike. I believe you that there is no official way to handle the screen from the app. For example "Tap Tap App" needs admin rights and a lot of people are confused about it...
@joeloc
I like your quick-zoom idea! Maybe the function of the proximity sensor could be customizable
e.g.
- show current speed or current track-profile for some seconds
- zoom in for some seconds
On the other hand: this functions could be realized with a custom button on the right toolbar. The main reason for me to use the proximity sensor was the energy-saving aspect, as the sensor needs much less energy as the touchscreen.
But again, thanks for the positiv feedback ;-)
Hi!
Thank you for your answers! It`s just like Menion said, my power button is not easy to reach when the phone is mounted on my bike. I believe you that there is no official way to handle the screen from the app. For example "Tap Tap App" needs admin rights and a lot of people are confused about it...
@joeloc
I like your quick-zoom idea! Maybe the function of the proximity sensor could be customizable
e.g.
- show current speed or current track-profile for some seconds
- zoom in for some seconds
On the other hand: this functions could be realized with a custom button on the right toolbar. The main reason for me to use the proximity sensor was the energy-saving aspect, as the sensor needs much less energy as the touchscreen.
But again, thanks for the positiv feedback ;-)
I found this feature in another program and must say it is super useful when riding a bike.
The idea is simple: wake up the screen, using its proximity sensor, by waving a hand or something in front of the phone.
I use Locus on bike just when I need to look on the map from time to time, so I let the screen power off most of the time in order to save battery. But waking it again using the tiny button on the phone i sometimes quite difficult, especially when wearing gloves.
This function makes sense only when "Disable lock screen" is checked.
This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled
<a class="notranslate" href="http://getsatisfaction.com/locus/topics/screen_on_using_proximity_sensor/changes" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Screen on using proximity sensor</a>.
I found this feature in another program and must say it is super useful when riding a bike.
The idea is simple: wake up the screen, using its proximity sensor, by waving a hand or something in front of the phone.
I use Locus on bike just when I need to look on the map from time to time, so I let the screen power off most of the time in order to save battery. But waking it again using the tiny button on the phone i sometimes quite difficult, especially when wearing gloves.
This function makes sense only when "Disable lock screen" is checked.
This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled
<a class="notranslate" href="http://getsatisfaction.com/locus/topics/screen_on_using_proximity_sensor/changes" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Screen on using proximity sensor</a>.
Well, I know nothing about Android programming but I believe there has to be a way how to do it as I already know two apps which can do it without admin rights:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/de...
http://play.google.com/store/apps/det...
Menion, can you say what was exactly the problem you had? Maybe I/you could ask the developers of the other apps how they solved it.
Well, I know nothing about Android programming but I believe there has to be a way how to do it as I already know two apps which can do it without admin rights:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/de...
http://play.google.com/store/apps/det...
Menion, can you say what was exactly the problem you had? Maybe I/you could ask the developers of the other apps how they solved it.
For this purpose you can use tasker: https://groups.google.com/forum/?from...
For this purpose you can use tasker: https://groups.google.com/forum/?from...
ehm ... implemented ;)
in next version (probably only in Locus Pro), will be ability to turn on/off screen by two swipes before proximity sensor
ehm ... implemented ;)
in next version (probably only in Locus Pro), will be ability to turn on/off screen by two swipes before proximity sensor
i use this feature with locus.
it works good, but really slow, it reacts after seconds. my phne is a z3, so thats not the problem. sometime i try to touch a second time because it take so much time
i checked this app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.omd.autoscreenon&hl=de
the display went on in a millisecond.
is it possible to make this feature faster?
i use this feature with locus.
it works good, but really slow, it reacts after seconds. my phne is a z3, so thats not the problem. sometime i try to touch a second time because it take so much time
i checked this app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.omd.autoscreenon&hl=de
the display went on in a millisecond.
is it possible to make this feature faster?
Slower than ?
Phone Samsung Ace2: Sensor 0/5cm. https://youtu.be/CkAd6meQwOg
Phone THL4000:Sensor 0/1cm. https://youtu.be/Ep6H_wt8nhU
Slower than ?
Phone Samsung Ace2: Sensor 0/5cm. https://youtu.be/CkAd6meQwOg
Phone THL4000:Sensor 0/1cm. https://youtu.be/Ep6H_wt8nhU
I tried using this feature with my Nexus 5 with Android 6, but it barely works for me. Watched the video, tried all sorts of waves, but with it set for single wave, it rarely works, and when set for double wave, never works.
According to the Proximity Sensor Finder app, my phone only reports two values: 0 or 5cm, nothing in between. Could this have something to do with it?
It's a low priority for me. I've gone back to using the power switch, which works just fine. :)
EDIT: Seeing another thread, I see I have 500ms to complete the wave. If my phone's sensor takes 400ms to react (it's a guess), that would explain a lot. I have to do it juuust right...
I tried using this feature with my Nexus 5 with Android 6, but it barely works for me. Watched the video, tried all sorts of waves, but with it set for single wave, it rarely works, and when set for double wave, never works.
According to the Proximity Sensor Finder app, my phone only reports two values: 0 or 5cm, nothing in between. Could this have something to do with it?
It's a low priority for me. I've gone back to using the power switch, which works just fine. :)
EDIT: Seeing another thread, I see I have 500ms to complete the wave. If my phone's sensor takes 400ms to react (it's a guess), that would explain a lot. I have to do it juuust right...
Replies have been locked on this page!