[APP] Pixel Pulse for ambient display

[grokus]

Introducing Pixel Pulse - a simple app to make your Ambient Display pulse when you have notifications!

Choose the interval and select the apps you want you to cause your screen to wake.

Optional paid features let you select different icons and colors for specific apps but the interval and app filter core functionality is all free.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.compass.pixelpulse

If you had previously purchased Ambi-Turner, it has been updated for the new permissions, but because it was written for 8.0 and when Google's ambient display worked differently I decided to leave it as it is. You may however transfer your purchase status of Ambient Display to Pixel Pulse using both apps.

 

[PuffDaddy_d]

FIRST!

So, I've installed and tested and here are my initial findings:

• It works great and looks gorgeous!
• If you have your notifications set to display the notification contents, those contents will also flash on the screen.
• The default display interval of 60 seconds works perfectly, but when I set it to 30 seconds, it flashed approximately every 10 seconds for some reason.
• The notification it chooses to flash doesn't appear to be based on the most recent received or highest priority. Can you explain how the app knows which notification to flash on the display?
• So far, there is no way to interact with the notification. Swiping away or double tapping do nothing.
• The only way to wake the phone is to press the power button or fingerprint scanner.

This is a great start and I hope you please keep up the great work! I will be donating to the cause!

 

[grokus]

FIRST!

So, I've installed and tested and here are my initial findings:

It works great and looks gorgeous!
If you have your notifications set to display the notification contents, those contents will also flash on the screen.
The default display interval of 60 seconds works perfectly, but when I set it to 30 seconds, it flashed approximately every 10 seconds for some reason.
The notification it chooses to flash doesn't appear to be based on the most recent received or highest priority. Can you explain how the app knows which notification to flash on the display?
So far, there is no way to interact with the notification. Swiping away or double tapping do nothing.
The only way to wake the phone is to press the power button or fingerprint scanner.


This is a great start and I hope you please keep up the great work! I will be donating to the cause!

The times were accurate on my pixel 2, but my pixel 3 which only just arrived, was being stopped. Probably due the aggressive process killing I've read about. So this morning I quickly added a secondary wake to keep it from being killed. I'll sync the times when I get home from work.

It uses the natural order of notifications. A priority option would be a good idea.

No interaction yet, but that's planned. So is a blackout period (don't pulse when you're sleeping for example).

 

[PuffDaddy_d]

Ignore my comment about the notification priority - that was user error.

Feature request: Can you add an option to have the ambient display stay on (no pulsing) until the user bypasses the ambient display screen? The flashing of the ambient display is a little distracting when the phone is on a desk. This way, we could still tell at a glance when we have a notification waiting, but the screen will go back to all black once we act on it or simply unlock the phone.

 

[grokus]

I can try but it may not be possible without root.

 

[PuffDaddy_d]

I can try but it may not be possible without root.

No worries - this is xda, root is all we do!

 

[BLuFeNiX]

Introducing Pixel Pulse - a simple app to make your Ambient Display pulse when you have notifications!

Choose the interval and select the apps you want you to cause your screen to wake.

Optional paid features let you select different icons and colors for specific apps but the interval and app filter core functionality is all free.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.compass.pixelpulse

If you had previously purchased Ambi-Turner, it has been updated for the new permissions, but because it was written for 8.0 and when Google's ambient display worked differently I decided to leave it as it is. You may however transfer your purchase status of Ambient Display to Pixel Pulse using both apps.

I have been working on a similar app, and could not find a way to get this to work while still allowing the device to doze, so the battery life is heavily impacted. Did you solve the battery drain issue?

 

[grokus]

I have been working on a similar app, and could not find a way to get this to work while still allowing the device to doze, so the battery life is heavily impacted. Did you solve the battery drain issue?

I haven't noticed a battery drain issue, but I'm hoping xda can help find one if it exists. I'm not actually turning on the screen so doze should remain active.

 

[BLuFeNiX]

I haven't noticed a battery drain issue, but I'm hoping xda can help find one if it exists. I'm not actually turning on the screen so doze should remain active.

Ah, I see. I have not actually run your app. I did not realize that your were pulsing the notifications themselves -- that's clever! For my own implementation, I am animating a fake LED that fades in and out, which obviously requires the screen to be on. The AOD has a way to doze with the screen on, but I have not found a way to expose that functionality to an app without root.

Anyhow, I see you are using setExactAndAllowWhileIdle to schedule your pulses. I wonder what the battery (and timing) impact is compared to setAndAllowWhileIdle?

Nice work on this!

 

[grokus]

I originally went down the road of doing a custom screen to mimic the LED until I came up with this idea.

From other threads I've seen some people will prefer that even if it uses slightly more battery.

 

[PuffDaddy_d]

Ah, I see. I have not actually run your app. I did not realize that your were pulsing the notifications themselves -- that's clever! For my own implementation, I am animating a fake LED that fades in and out, which obviously requires the screen to be on. The AOD has a way to doze with the screen on, but I have not found a way to expose that functionality to an app without root.

Anyhow, I see you are using setExactAndAllowWhileIdle to schedule your pulses. I wonder what the battery (and timing) impact is compared to setAndAllowWhileIdle?

Nice work on this!

I'm willing to be a tester for you if you need one. Pixel 3, rooted with magisk.

 

[grokus]

There's now an option to be able to swipe to dismiss and double tap to open the app. I'm working on notification actions next.

 

[PuffDaddy_d]

There's now an option to be able to swipe to dismiss and double tap to open the app. I'm working on notification actions next.

Dude, you're a beast! Keep it up!

 

[grokus]

I may be able to use the real icons and colors. If so should I just remove the icon customization or would people still find that useful?

 

[Serial Kazama]

Hi mate, i bought your app right away. If you can integreat the original Icons for the famused apps, that would be great.

And can you look at the puls time? I set my time to 20 seconds but it puls every 40 - 50 seconds? Strange.

 

[Milchbeck]

I may be able to use the real icons and colors. If so should I just remove the icon customization or would people still find that useful?

just as it is perfect now, only the repetition time does not work reliably

 

[Milchbeck]

There is a possibility that the AOD stays on until the message has been read

 

[Chronzy]

Been looking for a way to customize the notifications since there's no LED light on this phone. I installed and bought you a coffee, I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for your efforts.

 

[Fuzzywire]

Hi is this app only usable to Google Pixel phones???

 

[KUSOsan]

Man this sounds like an awesome app however I'm on an LG V30 (which also doesn't have an LED but this doesn't seem to work. The notification interaction feature alone would be worth the donation.

I'll mess around some more and see if I can get anything