Ambient display and security settings - possible undocumented feature - Nexus 6 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

It appears that ambient display does not work when your screen lock setting is set to None.
I was showing a mate my Nexus 6 yesterday and started playing with a few settings. I noticed that all of a sudden my ambient display stopped working. I did some testing this morning and finally worked it out that when the screen lock setting is set to None, ambient display does not activate. Any notifications that come through stop appearing on the screen. Setting the screen lock setting to anything other than None ensures ambient display works once again.
1. Is this a known feature / situation for the N6 ?
2. Is anyone else experiencing the same behavior or is it just me ?

1. if you dont have a lockscreen then it cant show you notifications on it. duh, lol.
2. we all have known about this since before lollipop came out.

1. I see no reason why a notification could not be shown on the screen using ambient display even if I don't have a lock screen. It is not like I have actually turned the screen on yet.
2. And yet, when I tried searching for an answer to why my ambient display wasn't working, I found no mention of it at all, not in XDA or the web in general.
Thanks for clearing it up for me, it is clearly a feature of the phone.

budorat said:
1. I see no reason why a notification could not be shown on the screen using ambient display even if I don't have a lock screen. It is not like I have actually turned the screen on yet.
2. And yet, when I tried searching for an answer to why my ambient display wasn't working, I found no mention of it at all, not in XDA or the web in general.
Thanks for clearing it up for me, it is clearly a feature of the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you dont have a lockscreen, then it has nothing to show the incoming message on. if no lockscreen, then it would just show in the status bar.

I understand your point simms22, but I think you may be missing mine. Does it have to be the lock screen that the notification is shown on when it arrives.
For example, msg arrive, screen turns on to show msg. If I do nothing then the screen turns off. If I haven't interacted with the screen, does the notification really need the lock screen to be displayed? I guess that I'm just not convinced that the lock screen is needed to display notifications when I pick my phone up, ie before I touch the screen. If I then interact with a notification then perform the interaction, but if I touch a part of the screen where is no notification, open the device.
The above would be mute if I pick the device up and press the power button to open the home screen.
I guess I look at things a little different, I design systems and interfaces for a living for the Dept of Defence.
I have found that the ambient display does not always activate when I pick the phone up, I'd say its about 90% reliable, have u found the same ?

budorat said:
I understand your point simms22, but I think you may be missing mine. Does it have to be the lock screen that the notification is shown on when it arrives.
For example, msg arrive, screen turns on to show msg. If I do nothing then the screen turns off. If I haven't interacted with the screen, does the notification really need the lock screen to be displayed? I guess that I'm just not convinced that the lock screen is needed to display notifications when I pick my phone up, ie before I touch the screen. If I then interact with a notification then perform the interaction, but if I touch a part of the screen where is no notification, open the device.
The above would be mute if I pick the device up and press the power button to open the home screen.
I guess I look at things a little different, I design systems and interfaces for a living for the Dept of Defence.
I have found that the ambient display does not always activate when I pick the phone up, I'd say its about 90% reliable, have u found the same ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea, the way the code is written, there needs to be a lock screen to be displayed. i dont really use it anymore, but i found it to be around 90% as well.

Just to re-iterate, Ambient display is displaying the Lockscreen notifications, not SystemUI notifications, so to show the lockscreen notifications, Lockscreen must be on.

budorat said:
It appears that ambient display does not work when your screen lock setting is set to None.
I was showing a mate my Nexus 6 yesterday and started playing with a few settings. I noticed that all of a sudden my ambient display stopped working. I did some testing this morning and finally worked it out that when the screen lock setting is set to None, ambient display does not activate. Any notifications that come through stop appearing on the screen. Setting the screen lock setting to anything other than None ensures ambient display works once again.
1. Is this a known feature / situation for the N6 ?
2. Is anyone else experiencing the same behavior or is it just me ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally agree. I upgraded from my 2013 Moto X, with Moto DIsplay, to the N6. I NEVER used a lock screen on the Motox, and enjoyed being able to just glance at the phone to know what was incoming.. its quite annoying that I can no longer get my notifications to show up on my screen without turning the phone on, and pulling the shade down. I'm on the computer all day, and have my phone setup next to me and use it to get a quick view of incoming work emails, with out taking my hands off the keyboard, or even stop typing for that matter.
If I would have known that the N6 was unable to work in this matter I would not have gotten it. I would have gone with the Moto X 2 instead.

Hi guys. Do you know any, preferably minimalistic, screen lock app that is compatible with ambient display? Have tried my fav Zui Locker with no luck.

tr3mm0r said:
Hi guys. Do you know any, preferably minimalistic, screen lock app that is compatible with ambient display? Have tried my fav Zui Locker with no luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont think it works with any.

That's what I was afraid of. Sticking with stock locker then since I love the new feature.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app

Related

Is there a modification that I can unlock the phone with active display?

So for example, normally, you have active display turn on automatically showing you just the notifications (still need to slide to unlock/wake screen) by vibration (assuming also light is detected ie not in pocket).
Is there a mod that I can add or an option where I can have this 'on vibration' open the screen immediately and not just on active display?
So something like what it's doing now by skipping the active display screen directly and just waking the screen and go straight to the phone.
And of course I have no password on my lockscreen
Does that kinda make sense? Is there something like this out there or a setting somewhere?
I have rooted, unlocked bootloader XT1053 with xposed and gravity box.
Sounds like a dead battery waiting to happen to me. If I bump my desk wrong at work and my phone isn't face down, active display lights up. It can do this several times in the period of 10 minutes, in essence leaving the screen on permanently.
1dtms said:
So for example, normally, you have active display turn on automatically showing you just the notifications (still need to slide to unlock/wake screen) by vibration (assuming also light is detected ie not in pocket).
Is there a mod that I can add or an option where I can have this 'on vibration' open the screen immediately and not just on active display?
So something like what it's doing now by skipping the active display screen directly and just waking the screen and go straight to the phone.
And of course I have no password on my lockscreen
Does that kinda make sense? Is there something like this out there or a setting somewhere?
I have rooted, unlocked bootloader XT1053 with xposed and gravity box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is nothing like this currently available....and IMO, that is a terrible idea. The whole point of AD is to provide notifications while just barely sipping battery power. Assuming such a modification was made consider this one of MANY scenarios:
You have your phone in your car, it 'sees light', it feels vibrations and so it turns on the screen. Now, not only are you using full battery power to light the display, but unless you reach over and click it back of with the power button, it is going to stay on for whatever length of time you have the display timeout set to.
Just imagine how quickly this could kill your battery....
samwathegreat said:
There is nothing like this currently available....and IMO, that is a terrible idea. The whole point of AD is to provide notifications while just barely sipping battery power. Assuming such a modification was made consider this one of MANY scenarios:
You have your phone in your car, it 'sees light', it feels vibrations and so it turns on the screen. Now, not only are you using full battery power to light the display, but unless you reach over and click it back of with the power button, it is going to stay on for whatever length of time you have the display timeout set to.
Just imagine how quickly this could kill your battery....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well for those reasons I understand and would expect some toggle feature for when you want this and when you don't
1dtms said:
well for those reasons I understand and would expect some toggle feature for when you want this and when you don't
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you elaborate on which situations you would like the screen to turn on like that based on notifications instead or active display?
Enviado desde mi XT1058 usando Tapatalk 2
Set your screen timeout to 30 minutes and use the power button to turn it off. Then also turn off the lock screen. About as good as you're going to get, and short of coding the modification yourself, probably the best you'll get too.
I said in another thread recently.... Active Display is what it is. There's no way to modify it in anyway.

[Q] Lock screen - phone movement

This may have been answered elsewhere , but I am coming from an S4 and I was wondering why my Droid Turbo when I pick it flashes the lock screen.
I have moto display turned on for notifications and I like that, I do not have the the wave/hand proximity turned on.
The phone will slide in the car seat and the lock screen will come on I pick it up and it flashes on. Then it goes on and I keep moving it around it will then flash back on again. Or every time I take it out of my pocket it comes on.
I heard something about Moto screens breathing or something.
thanks!
joeunc said:
This may have been answered elsewhere , but I am coming from an S4 and I was wondering why my Droid Turbo when I pick it flashes the lock screen.
I have moto display turned on for notifications and I like that, I do not have the the wave/hand proximity turned on.
The phone will slide in the car seat and the lock screen will come on I pick it up and it flashes on. Then it goes on and I keep moving it around it will then flash back on again. Or every time I take it out of my pocket it comes on.
I heard something about Moto screens breathing or something.
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Moto Actions controls that. I actually like it because I can check the time just by waving my hand over the phone without having to hit a button. You could try disabling Moto Actions to see if that helps.
Ally Android said:
Moto Actions controls that. I actually like it because I can check the time just by waving my hand over the phone without having to hit a button. You could try disabling Moto Actions to see if that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All the moto actions are disabled, I only have active display on to show notifications. The one where you wave to turn the screen on is not enabled
thx
joeunc said:
All the moto actions are disabled, I only have active display on to show notifications. The one where you wave to turn the screen on is not enabled
thx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you just turn off the settings or disable the app?
Ally Android said:
Did you just turn off the settings or disable the app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is what I see happening, if you turn on Moto Display to flash notifications, each time I just pick the phone or move it the lock screen and time flahes.
If I turn off Moto Display, no notifications flash and when I move the phone no lockscreen, no nothing.
Should be a way to see the notifications flash in and out, but not react to just moving the phone by flashing lock screen
thx
There are two separate apps in play here. Moto Display and Moto Actions.
Moto Display is what you want to keep active so that it will show you on the lock screen when you get a message, etc.
Moto Actions is what happens when you move your hand towards the phone.
If you go into your apps settings and manually disable the Moto Actions app. It will prevent the phone from flashing the lock screen when it detects movement.
Ally Android said:
There are two separate apps in play here. Moto Display and Moto Actions.
Moto Display is what you want to keep active so that it will show you on the lock screen when you get a message, etc.
Moto Actions is what happens when you move your hand towards the phone.
If you go into your apps settings and manually disable the Moto Actions app. It will prevent the phone from flashing the lock screen when it detects movement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know,. all the Moto Actions are turned off, I only have Moto Display on and have chosen the apps I want to show.
Phone sits on the desk, for a few minutes screen black I reach over and pick it up lock screen comes on
I just restarted and no change
thanks
Do you have "Approach" turned off under moto actions? Cuz that's exactly what it sounds like you have turned on.
Sent from my XT1254 using XDA Free mobile app
Mine does the same thing it may be because the twist for camera is on? all other options are turned off (battery Saving)
Every time I move the phone the notification screen lights up but I noticed if you cover the proximity sensor on the top of phone it doesnt light up at all
Its part of the active display. It comes on when the phone is moved. I do wish there was a setting for it to only come on when you have a notification, but there isn't a setting for that that I know of. I know a lot of ppl like this "feature," but I do miss just the simple notification led.
i do not have approach or twist for camera on at all. I only have the notify on notifications.
phone sitting there , black screen just lift one side up and the screen comes on
Moto Actions/Moto Dispaly
Interesting thread because it illustrates the various preferences we all have in interacting with our phones. I think it's pretty neat that Moto developed these options despite the fact that I've turned off some of the features.
For example, I don't need it to sense my eyes, so I turned off that. I don't need it to turn on each time I wave my hand. It was turning on with shadows/sun/clouds while driving and anytime I'd move my arm. Don't like that.
What I do like is the intermittent notifications as well as the screen turning on if I move the phone. What we do with the notifications is pretty cool too. I like my Turbo Droid.
Cheers!
joeunc said:
i do not have approach or twist for camera on at all. I only have the notify on notifications.
phone sitting there , black screen just lift one side up and the screen comes on
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems to be some confusion in here.
Moto Display uses two methods to turn on the screen. It uses the phone's accelerometer to tell if you move the device. If you move the device at all, Moto Display will turn on. Only way to stop this is to turn off Moto Display.
The other method uses the front IR sensors to detect if you wave your hand in front of the screen. This method can be turned off within Moto Actions.
The screen constantly flashing (especially in the car) is annoying, but it has almost no battery impact.
That's what I was looking for, so it's the accelerometer making it come on as I don't have the hand activation turned on, I just have the moto notifications in Moto display turned on
joshm.1219 said:
Seems to be some confusion in here.
Moto Display uses two methods to turn on the screen. It uses the phone's accelerometer to tell if you move the device. If you move the device at all, Moto Display will turn on. Only way to stop this is to turn off Moto Display.
The other method uses the front IR sensors to detect if you wave your hand in front of the screen. This method can be turned off within Moto Actions.
The screen constantly flashing (especially in the car) is annoying, but it has almost no battery impact.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is the right solution
Go to settings > App > In all app tab select these two app 1) Moto Display 2) Moto Action, now disable these both app and now the phone wont flash clock..
If you have RR Rom installed I think there is an option to turn on and off the hand wave and/or the "pick-up" sensing.
I found out how to stop the clock and battery circle when I move. You set it by just clicking the Moto app. And turn it off.
It's not done I'm settings. You have to open the app from the home screen.
Trust me, the thing blinking every time I moved when the screen was turned off was driving me nuts!

Is Ambient display supposed to keep "pulsating" until I check the notifications?

Is Ambient display supposed to keep "pulsating" until I check the notifications?
I don't fully understand ambient display, how is it supposed to work? When I receive a notification, the display is supposed to light up and then turn itself off a few seconds ago (kinda like the iphone does ) until I pick up the phone and then it automatically turns on the display and show me the black & white version of the lockscreen , right? But why is it that sometimes the display keeps "pulsating" every couple of seconds like it does when you get a notification but it doesn't stop until I check it? Is this behavior app independent?
Yes. Me also faced the same issue. That's why I keep it off.
Read this, it's a pretty good explanation of ambient display http://www.androidcentral.com/ambient-display-nexus-6
Waynehead69 said:
Read this, it's a pretty good explanation of ambient display http://www.androidcentral.com/ambient-display-nexus-6
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep pretty much works like I thought it did , when it keeps "pulsating" it's probably because of a bug of the app that's sending the notification

Nexus 6 displsy light up when picked up

So I have a Nexus 6 and when i pick up my phone the ambient display does not light up the screen. In the ambient display settings it says "Wake screen when you pick device or receive notifications" and as i have said i get NO reaction when picking up my phone, even shaking it does NOTHING.
Trevaryn said:
So I have a Nexus 6 and when i pick up my phone the ambient display does not light up the screen. In the ambient display settings it says "Wake screen when you pick device or receive notifications" and as i have said i get NO reaction when picking up my phone, even shaking it does NOTHING.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I noticed with mine I was picking up the phone and covering the top near the sensor. It is likely designed that way so it does not waste battery when flopping around in a pocket or purse.
It doesn't matter how I pick the phone up, I have tried EVERY which way and the display will not come on.
I have also tested all my sensors. I have tried rooted unrooted and using different ROMs that also have ambient display, none of which work.
try gravity screen or use a custom Kernel and tap twice at the Display
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
Are you on 5.1? This guy is having the same problem.
Yea I'm on 5.1 but I have been having this issue for awhile which also includes custom roms
Try This
First, my Ambient display is working properly.
I am not sure the sensor on the top of the screen has anything to do with Ambient display. Why do I say this? If I put my finger over the sensor and pick up the phone, Ambient display works properly. But there are a few people who swear that replacing the screen protector solved their problem. My screen protector covers the sensor and mine still works. Who knows!
What we do know for sure is that Ambient display requires some level of security be set. This is by design.
After upgrading to 5.1, my Ambient display stop working. How did I fix it? In my case it was that the screen display security got reset to none during the update. When I changed it to "Swipe", Ambient display started working properly. Security --> Screen Lock --> Swipe. Of course you could change it to other options as well, like PIN, Pattern, Password.
This may not be your issue, but just in case ....
Thanks ...

Notification screen wake

Hey guys,
Just got my phone in the mail today. One thing I have noticed is that notifications don't wake the screen up at all, no matter the app. I can't seem to find a way to turn it on either. I've used the app Glimpse Notifications on my G6 but it was a bit buggy and drained the battery.
I don't use the AOD because I'm not a fan, but does anyone know a way to ensure notifications wake the screen?
As far as I know without AOD on the only notification you'll receive is the LED indicator at the top of the screen. The screen won't light up when something new comes in.
Also, does anyone else notice that you can't double tap notifications to unlock the phone? You have to tap then swipe - can this be changed? It's super annoying.
lemonliam15 said:
Hey guys,
Just got my phone in the mail today. One thing I have noticed is that notifications don't wake the screen up at all, no matter the app. I can't seem to find a way to turn it on either. I've used the app Glimpse Notifications on my G6 but it was a bit buggy and drained the battery.
I don't use the AOD because I'm not a fan, but does anyone know a way to ensure notifications wake the screen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android Oreo introduced new Notification Channels. From Settings -> Notifications, you can specify the priority for each app. Anything below URGENT will not wake the screen when it comes in.
I spoke to samsung support, even if urgent - only native apps will wake up the screen, Like Samsung SMS.
Gmail or Whatsapp will not or any other app you install, only the once that came with the samsung rom installed
I use the app Glimpse Notification. It works very well.
lemonliam15 said:
Hey guys,
Just got my phone in the mail today. One thing I have noticed is that notifications don't wake the screen up at all, no matter the app. I can't seem to find a way to turn it on either. I've used the app Glimpse Notifications on my G6 but it was a bit buggy and drained the battery.
I don't use the AOD because I'm not a fan, but does anyone know a way to ensure notifications wake the screen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The last 4 years Samsung has stop the faction to wake screen on with notifications...Instead you have AOD to notify you....
So the only solution is to use 3rd party app like ''Glimpse notifications'' that Works excellent with all samsung devices with no battery drain....
this is ridiculous.
I'm on 8.1 oreo latest build for unlocked Note9.
I turn off AOD, I have all apps notifications set to urgent.
Edge lighting works great with the screen on. With the screen off it's worthless. Nothing works with edge lighting and the screen off. And AOD off except the alarm app.
If its sms wake you want there are 3rd party sms apps that will wake the phone. but agree there should be a way. not even sure rooting the phone would do it.

Categories

Resources