WaveUp App: an open source based wave to wake application for Android phones

In the not too long ago, manufacturers of smartphone used to place standby/power button in various places within the bodies of the modern smartphones. Overtime, it was discovered that this alternative placements are replete with flaws that does not only inconvenience the user, but also can even harm the phone itself.

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For instance, to carry out such basic action as taking a peek at your lock screen to view your notification or check the time, you have to press the power button in order to turn the screen on. A lot of folks see this as a great inconvenience, and thus hold the opinion that simply taking a look at a phone screen should not be tied to performing such odd finger gymnastics. Secondly, in a situation where you have wet fingers and still want to turn on the lock screen to check time or your notification, you risk harming your phone.

Following these concerns, both the smartphone manufacturers and app developers are constantly coming up with several solutions to wake up phones without having to touch any button. Currently, there are two solutions which have been developed in this regard; one is known as:

• Raise to wake (otherwise also known as ambient display), and the other is called;

• Wave to wake

As you can see, these features sound quite different in names, but, technically, they work on a similar principle. With regard to how they work, the two features are quite self-explanatory considering their names. However, I will give very brief explanations on each of them for the purpose of laying a strong foundation for understanding how the WaveUp App works.

Whereas in "Raise to wake" method, you need to pick the phone up in order to trigger the sensor systems of its gyroscope and accelerometer into turning on the screen. In "Wave to wake" systems, however, phone screens are turned on by merely waving hand above the proximity sensor, which is usually located near the front-facing camera.

As you can see, you don't have to press any button in order to turn on the phone screen in both cases. However, while you still need to touch the phone at all in the first case, there is no need to touch the phone in the second instance. It is, therefore, on the basis of this latter technology that WaveUp app is built. That brings us to the essence of this article, which is primarily to review the WaveUp app based on my experience with it. So here we go...

What's WaveUp App?

WaveUp is an Android app that wakes up your phone - switches the screen on - when you wave over the proximity sensor. _source

The above definition is no difference from what I have been saying. The only age, I think, WaveUp has over other similar apps, is the fact that it's probably the only open source variant. And that's what makes it the top choice among the user public. Most people, especially within crypto circle, are weary of downloading applications that are not open source. They fear that such applications could be infested with malwares to track and steal users' sensitive information. This is almost non-existent with open source apps; reason being that their source codes are public. So anyone can access it to ascertain that it doesn't contain any malicious code.

Even though there are many other apps doing the same thing, this 'Wave to wake' app is the only open source variant I was able to find. Like other crypto players, I am very careful with what I download from the internet. I hardly download any app that's not open source.

WaveUp app has really been amazing since I started using it. It has been very helpful to me in waking my phone screen without regards to the state of my hands. You know, there are times you would want to turn on your phone screen (to check time, for instance) but had to back down after finding out your hands are too dirty or wet for such operation. WaveUp App is developed to handle such a situation, which is where it proves its utility. You just wave over the proximity sensor and your phone screen is on! Isn't this amazing? Personally, I think it's a huge improvement over "Raise to wake" alternative, because you don't have to come into contact with the device to get its screen on.

I know you must have been confused as to what proximity sensor is; here is its definition and image of its location on mobile devices. Just take note of it while we push forwards with rest of the review.

...it is a small thingie that is somewhere near where you put your ear when you speak on the phone. You practically can't see it and it is responsible for telling your phone to switch off the screen when you're on a call. _source

The very good thing I noticed about WaveUp app is its simplicity. You don't need to be a wizard to actually understand how it works or configure its settings the way it suits you. For everyone of its feature buttons, there is a brief description of its purpose and what it does in an easy to understand language. So I don't envisage you would need anyone to help put you through on how to use the app. Another good thing about WaveUp app is the fact that it does not drain your phone battery. This is because it is programmed to allow you to control whether your screen remains on or "go to sleep" after waking up for sometime. At this point, let's consider how to set it up and its features.

The app functionalities/features and setting up your preferences

The app's appearance is quite blurred when you first open it as you can see in the above two images. This indicates that the app is in inactive state. To activate it, click the "Slider bar" corresponding to the Enable button. This should brighten the app's appearance to show that it is now active. And once it's active, both the Wave mode and Pocket mode features are automatically activated too. This is indicated in the below image

Wave mode

This is the feature that regulates whether the screen would turn on or off when a hand is waved over the proximity sensor.

Number of waves

This feature dictates the number of times you will have to wave your hand over the proximity sensor in order to turn on the screen.

Pocket mode

This feature ensures that the phone screen is turned on once you take it out from your picket or purse.

Both Wave mode and Pocket mode are enabled by default. You can, however, disable them manually through the settings.

To access other setting parameters (i.e Lock screen features) of the app that will enable you to adjust the preferences to your liking, you have to activate the Device Administrator feature first. Carry out this activation by selecting the Lock screen feature box and following through to complete the set up. How to do this is demonstrated in a step by step fashion indicated in the four images below.

Read the explanatory notes under each of the selectable options to ensure you set up the preferences according to your liking.

How to Uninstall the app

You cannot uninstall the app like any other app, because it was activated as a Device administrator.

To deactivate it, you have to open it and make use of the Unistall WaveUp button at the bottom end of the menu page. See the image below:

Summary

I have taken time to review WaveUp App in the way that even a layman would understand how it works. As you have seen, it works on the principle of "Wave to wake" mechanism which remains the best alternative to waking a phone not only without picking it up but also without even touching it! You only have to wave at the proximity sensor to turn on the screen and, perhaps, check the time or your notifications. This is truly an amazing app and best suited for such situations when your hands are too dirty or wet to even touch your phone.

You can follow the instructions in this review to enable the service and specify your preferences, and then try it out. I bet you will find it an amazing app. Thanks for reading.

Links

• Gitlab Repository: https://gitlab.com/juanitobananas/wave-up/tree/HEAD

• Available for download on F-Droid and GooglePlay

• All images images used in this post were taken with my android phone, otherwise are properly sourced.

Resources

1, 2

Github Profile

https://github.com/sciece-tech