Develop Bugs

Proximity / Light Sensor

Hey guys,
I was talking with a guy from my bank the other day, and the guy was mumbling something which I couldn't hear, and after asking him what did he say, he said I was pressing some keys on the phone which was a bit annoying..
but in reality I was just holding the phone to my ear and my cheek was dialing.. too embarassing.. :/
I know theres this proximity sensor on the Samsung Galaxy S, but I dont know when it is used exactly.. So if it isnt used specifically in situations like this (during call) then I think there must be a mod...
Can a Mod be built such that when the phone is held against the ear during the call, the phone gets locked, the keypad gets tucked in and display brightness gets dimmed and when its moved away from ear it gets unlocked by itself (even if there's a pattern lock), the keypad comes back on the screen and display brightness goes back to normal?
is this cool or stupid? you decide...

The proximity sensor works like this. When you cover the sensor, usually with your ear or side of your head while talking, it turns off the screen. Maybe yours is faulty? Mine is working very well, a lot better than on my previous device.

Are you female? Or do you have long hair?
My moto milestone too had that issue with long hair. It was a bad proximity sensor.
I have not had any such issues with my galaxy. : touch wood :
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Beast using XDA app.

aditya_t90 said:
Are you female? Or do you have long hair?
My moto milestone too had that issue with long hair. It was a bad proximity sensor.
I have not had any such issues with my galaxy. : touch wood :
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Beast using XDA app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have long hair I have the same problem... Is there a way to hold the screen ? While on the phone? Because i didnt find one..

omzart said:
I have long hair I have the same problem... Is there a way to hold the screen ? While on the phone? Because i didnt find one..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can NEVER HOLD A PHONE WRONG(well unless that phone is an apple)
Try asking someone else who has long hair to make calls and see if the sensor works or not.
Then do the same thing with someone that has short hair, i.e. no hair over the ears.
If your tests are inconclusive, download the sensor test from the market and see what happens when it is placed near your palm first.
If it works as it is supposed to then next try your ear and face...tuck you hair in once. If it still works then try it without tucking your hair.
I really hope samsung did not use those defective moto sensors.
tl;dr version download sensor test from the market and ask a bunch of people to check the sensor.(You will see everything on the screen. You dont need to make half a dozen calls)
Get back and we will see what happens next
All the best

aditya_t90 said:
You can NEVER HOLD A PHONE WRONG(well unless that phone is an apple)
Try asking someone else who has long hair to make calls and see if the sensor works or not.
Then do the same thing with someone that has short hair, i.e. no hair over the ears.
If your tests are inconclusive, download the sensor test from the market and see what happens when it is placed near your palm first.
If it works as it is supposed to then next try your ear and face...tuck you hair in once. If it still works then try it without tucking your hair.
I really hope samsung did not use those defective moto sensors.
tl;dr version download sensor test from the market and ask a bunch of people to check the sensor.(You will see everything on the screen. You dont need to make half a dozen calls)
Get back and we will see what happens next
All the best
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I meant an hold button http://www.dvhardware.net/reviews/freecombeatman/4.jpg
sorry ^^

Haha
Try pushing the screen lock button during the call.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Beast I9000 using XDA app.

aditya_t90 said:
Are you female? Or do you have long hair?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL NO! I'm a guy.
I have tested the proximity sensor, and I started observing when I made a call.
the screen locks when I hold it to my ear and unlocks it when I move it away.
guess I didn't enable pattern lock earlier..
problem solved

[Q] Proximity sensor calibration

I am having an issue with my proximity sensor and believe it may be some sort of calibration issue. It works (ie when I am in calls, if I cover it with my finger, it shuts off the screen) but the sensitivity has become very poor. I've had the phone since the day it was released and the proximity sensor had no trouble reflecting off my head and keeping the screen off during calls. Over the last few months I've noticed I started hitting buttons with my ear during calls because the screen is not shutting down. It seems like the sensitivity has decreased by some fixed amount in the last few months. It is very annoying because I keep accidentally hanging up on people or hitting the hold call button while I am talking.
The only two things I thought it could be would be either the sensor needs to be calibrated or possibly the sensor is going bad. I'm running the cyanogen 7 nightlies but have also tried reverting to some of the more stable RCs and still had the issue. I will try going back to a t-mobile rom tonight to see if that helps.
Has anyone else experienced this? Or does anyone know how to re-calibrate the sensor?

z test from market calibrates (im pretty sure)

smokeuout said:
z test from market calibrates (im pretty sure)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I gave it a shot, but I didn't see anything for calibrating the proxy sensor in that app.
I did however do a test using the camera on my transformer and compared the intensity of the proxy sensor LED to that on other phones. It appears as if mine is very dim and barely blinks. I think the infrared LED is burning out or the circuit that supplies it is not putting out the correct power.
Has anyone ever tried replacing a bad proxy LED before?

try sucking over the surface with a vaccum...i know it sounds crazy but its fixed alot of proxy sensors

smokeuout said:
try sucking over the surface with a vaccum...i know it sounds crazy but its fixed alot of proxy sensors
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That, or use one of those compressed-air cans for cleaning stuff and blow it into the speaker hole towards the proximity sensor (to the left of the speaker hole.) The proximity sensor seems very sensitive to dust particles.

You haven't installed or changed screen protectors recently, by any chance? Those have been known to mess up the sensor. Also, make sure the protector or glass is nice and clean in the area of the sensor.

Thanks for all the great advice! I'm going to give the vacuum and air can a shot.
Oh and to answer redpoint, I haven't installed any screen protectors on this phone ever, but thanks for the advice.

My GF's Vision behaves the same...
Still looking for a calibration tool, i found only one, but that don't work.
Also tried to "clean" the sensor
I think we have to return it to htc...

Same problem with my DZ since I put Virtuous G Lite on it. Did you guys find a solution for your proximity sensor ?
Cleaning or software ?

cri-cri16 said:
Same problem with my DZ since I put Virtuous G Lite on it. Did you guys find a solution for your proximity sensor ?
Cleaning or software ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am having the same problem. I keep hitting the hold button. Any fixes?

bottom buttons (light)

Has anyone else noticed that the bottom lights on the phone only stay on for 5 seconds and then turn off even when screen is active? Its annoying as hell.

Most (if not all) phones with capacitive backlit buttons do this, to conserve battery life and reduce the amount of needless ambient light when doing things like reading and watching videos. There are only three of them and they're in the same place on every Windows phone handset, so it shouldn't be that hard to get used to, especially compared to an Android device.

Very true, but when a screen is turned sideways when watching said movie or reading, it takes a bit to discover what direction to turn the phone because you can't see the buttons. This is especially true when you have a case on the phone and the physical buttons aren't viewable. Just a comment and was curious if anyone knew how to keep them on while the screen was on. Obviously this is a windows thing but we curious. Like the phone otherwise.

Well actually it's a Nokia thing. My Surround lights always stayed on. They thought it would be good for the battery. Took a few days but I am used to it now.
Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

jimski said:
Well actually it's a Nokia thing. My Surround lights always stayed on. They thought it would be good for the battery. Took a few days but I am used to it now.
Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correction, its actually a Lumia 900 thing. My lumia 800's lights always lit up when the screen was on (as long as it was in auto mode)

Ok, so mixed reviews. Is it driving anyone else mad? It sounds like my previous comment about it being windows was incorrect. It appears to be a firmware issue.

I have noticed they don't stay on very long. It is sometimes annoying. If they could just have them lit up for a little while longer it would be very helpful.
I don't need them on constantly.
Also, I had a Lumia 800 for a while and those buttons would stay lit for a lot longer until Nokia pushed out an update and one of the things they changed was a shorter time for those buttons to stay lit and I couldn't figure out why because it was so much better before that.

Drives me crazy too. Might as well not have the lights at all - forever missing the spot and hitting the screen multiple times to register. At least make the dead space around the back arrow register as "light up"!

Ok, at least in not the only one. I am probably going to contact Nokia about it. But obviously that will do nothing. ohwell, I guess it's something I will have to deal with.

If anyone would like to vote for this change, you can go here.
http://windowsphone.uservoice.com/f...ption-to-have-button-backlights-on-while-scre

Drives me nuts too. And I hated it on the Captivate, but a little Root action fixed that. I'm so used to having physical buttons on my Desire, which didnt matter if they lit up or not, I could still feel them.
Only thing I don't like about physical buttons is in very circumstantial situations it is unDesireable (see what I did there?) to apply the required pressure to press the buttons (like whin in a gooseneck car mount for instance)

[Q] Proximity Sensor dead. Suggestions to simulate its working?

Alright. My proximity sensor has been dead for a while now. (And yes, it indeed is dead. I've used Proximity Sensor Recallibrator and different apps for testing it.)
It's not a very big issue to use the phone without a working Proximity Sensor. But it gets annoying while attending calls. With a functional sensor, the phone locks itself when you place the phone next to your ear. However, as expected mine doesn't. I've made it a habit to manually lock the screen by pressing the power button before making a call or after receiving a call. However, there are times when I forget in the rush and it leads to very annoying things, the notification drawer slides down and apparently 'my ear' presses and activates wifi, bluetooth and almost everything on the power widget in the notification drawer.
Its really annoying.
I know there's no real way of actually simulating a proximity sensor. So I just need suggestions from you guys as to how to tackle this problem. Any suggestions with creative ideas or workarounds would be welcome.

When i had an htc hd2 i had the same proble and i was using one out of two apps the problem is i can't fully remember the names, one was ditching the proximity sensor and using the light sensor for proximity and the other one was suposed to make the proximity sensor much snappier using partial info from light sensor. Search the play store for "proximity".
P.S. did you dismantle the phone to see if you have dust behind the speaker gril? I had the same problem with my handset , i could have swore that my sensor was dead but after i cleaned it it worked. Hoped i helped
Sent from my Desire HD using xda app-developers app

bondocel said:
When i had an htc hd2 i had the same proble and i was using one out of two apps the problem is i can't fully remember the names, one was ditching the proximity sensor and using the light sensor for proximity and the other one was suposed to make the proximity sensor much snappier using partial info from light sensor. Search the play store for "proximity".
P.S. did you dismantle the phone to see if you have dust behind the speaker gril? I had the same problem with my handset , i could have swore that my sensor was dead but after i cleaned it it worked. Hoped i helped
Sent from my Desire HD using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Light sensor data for proximity checks. Its an innovative idea... although wouldn't that make my phone lock itself when the lights are turned off?
Also, the dust thing might be a problem, I'll give it a try to see if it helps. Thanks.

if4ct0r said:
Light sensor data for proximity checks. Its an innovative idea... although wouldn't that make my phone lock itself when the lights are turned off?
Also, the dust thing might be a problem, I'll give it a try to see if it helps. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1 No that app activates only in call, it bypasses the the sensor data from proximity to light while in call then reverts back after call ends the only downside is that it is not as snappy but it is better than nothing
2 Dismantle your back casing and you will find the motherload of dust in speaker grill, if you didn't check that out first then i'm 99% sure this is your problem: filth in speaker grill and on proxy and light sensors you will find a carpet of dust
Caution!!!!
-watch a dismantling video before you start
-if you want to use compressed air to clean the speaker funnel don't exceed 2 bar max and blow at a distance of 15-25 cm not closer
For further support i will help you over forum but check google or xda for a tutorial

bondocel said:
1 No that app activates only in call, it bypasses the the sensor data from proximity to light while in call then reverts back after call ends the only downside is that it is not as snappy but it is better than nothing
2 Dismantle your back casing and you will find the motherload of dust in speaker grill, if you didn't check that out first then i'm 99% sure this is your problem: filth in speaker grill and on proxy and light sensors you will find a carpet of dust
Caution!!!!
-watch a dismantling video before you start
-if you want to use compressed air to clean the speaker funnel don't exceed 2 bar max and blow at a distance of 15-25 cm not closer
For further support i will help you over forum but check google or xda for a tutorial
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you recall the name of the apps? A bit more help than "proximity" would do.. there are a ton load of crappy apps out there with proximity in their names
And thanks for the suggestion I was indeed watching a dismantling video just now.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=TomReay.proxSensor&feature=search_result
This was the app i initialy used but back then it was't only for htc hero it was only fot htc
But i can't seem to find the second one it was something like :
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hardrock.smartscreenoff&feature=search_result
But i am not 100 % sure this is it
Any progres on dismanteling? i do the cleaning about once in 2 months and it works perfect

bondocel said:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=TomReay.proxSensor&feature=search_result
This was the app i initialy used but back then it was't only for htc hero it was only fot htc
But i can't seem to find the second one it was something like :
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hardrock.smartscreenoff&feature=search_result
But i am not 100 % sure this is it
Any progres on dismanteling? i do the cleaning about once in 2 months and it works perfect
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These were the apps that I found. The first one does not work. (I tried it out of desperation even though it stated it was only for HTC Hero ). I read the description of the second one you mentioned and it does not state any such feature about using the light sensor. The closest thing that app would do is to turn the screen off by shaking.
Anyway, you've given me the idea about using the light sensor data only when there is a phone call to lock the screen. I'll try to use Tasker to see if I can make a setting for that scenario. Otherwise I'll just go ahead and make the app.
As for the dismantling, I've seen the video and to get to the grill all I have to do is to remove the gps cover, remove the agency sticker, unscrew 5 screws of the main body cover and remove the cover... right? But unfortunately I don't have the screwdrivers right now, I'll get them first tomorrow and then definitely clean the grill.

if4ct0r said:
These were the apps that I found. The first one does not work. (I tried it out of desperation even though it stated it was only for HTC Hero ). I read the description of the second one you mentioned and it does not state any such feature about using the light sensor. The closest thing that app would do is to turn the screen off by shaking.
Anyway, you've given me the idea about using the light sensor data only when there is a phone call to lock the screen. I'll try to use Tasker to see if I can make a setting for that scenario. Otherwise I'll just go ahead and make the app.
As for the dismantling, I've seen the video and to get to the grill all I have to do is to remove the gps cover, remove the agency sticker, unscrew 5 screws of the main body cover and remove the cover... right? But unfortunately I don't have the screwdrivers right now, I'll get them first tomorrow and then definitely clean the grill.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have the phone for a long time and you never cleaned it , that might be your problem.
Btw didn't you notice that the phone would turn off harder and sometimes sporadickly while in call before it stoped working?

bondocel said:
If you have the phone for a long time and you never cleaned it , that might be your problem.
Btw didn't you notice that the phone would turn off harder and sometimes sporadickly while in call before it stoped working?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually.. I don't recall when it actually stopped working. So no, I have no recollection of such happenings. But I do believe you that it might be a possible cause because of the way I handle the phone, dust is a very real possibility.

Ok my friend i will stay tuned on the topic. i will go to bed now but i will be here tomorow to help and assist with whatever i can.
Good luck m8!

Tell me if you mannaged to fix anything.

First of all try to clean the sensor

I've got a simple one... Call a friend and place your hand over the sensor. If the screens turns off its working lol

[Q] Light Sensor flickering

Hey Guys,
got my new Note II yesterday, but already having 2 problems.
The biggest is the light sensor; the Screen keeps adjusting it's Brightness like hell.
Read out the Sensor data, which is going from 0 to 13 lux when I cover the Sensor with my hand.
Do you experience the same?
Also my USB wire plug is very loose. Also normal?

try turning off auto brightness...
and yes USB wire IS a bit loose

Jamal Ahmed said:
try turning off auto brightness...
and yes USB wire IS a bit loose
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, just bought it brand new, I think this shouldn't be on a 600€ device
Does your Light Sensor Value also jump around in same light conditions?
Low-Light mine goes from 0-28, normal it goes from 400~ to 80.000 sometimes, which results in frequent readjustment in brightness.
Thats very irritating for me, cause I use it everytime
Would be nice if someone could give me his values/behavior of the sensor with AndroSensor or so.
Will return this device then

substancer said:
Well, just bought it brand new, I think this shouldn't be on a 600€ device
Does your Light Sensor Value also jump around in same light conditions?
Low-Light mine goes from 0-28, normal it goes from 400~ to 80.000 sometimes, which results in frequent readjustment in brightness.
Thats very irritating for me, cause I use it everytime
Would be nice if someone could give me his values/behavior of the sensor with AndroSensor or so.
Will return this device then
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just got my GT-N7100 and am having the same problems. Very irritating. Need this to work for better battery life. Tried a program from Play Store called Lux, but it works the same, maybe a little better. But Lux is showing the sensor readings varying all the time even when the ambient light hasn't changed at all, thus the brightness fluctuations. I am rooted, but on Stock ROM. Wonder if a custom ROM would fix it, or if it's a defective sensor.
Anyone else experiencing this?

580guy said:
I just got my GT-N7100 and am having the same problems. Very irritating. Need this to work for better battery life. Tried a program from Play Store called Lux, but it works the same, maybe a little better. But Lux is showing the sensor readings varying all the time even when the ambient light hasn't changed at all, thus the brightness fluctuations. I am rooted, but on Stock ROM. Wonder if a custom ROM would fix it, or if it's a defective sensor.
Anyone else experiencing this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The default auto-brightness should not be updating so fast that it flickers You might want to get it checked out. Or if you use a 3rd party app, reduce the time interval of the update.
And do note, there is a difference say, with your back towards the sun, you face the phone towards you, or towards the floor. So when you are on the move, expect values to change.

Stock auto brightness is woeful in my opinion. It was the same one my Gnex so I have used Luxbon both with good results. Takes a bit of tweaking but brilliant when set up.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

I'm not an expert at light sensors, but look at this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9Os3HyCR5Q
I'm moving phone, holding camera still.
It looks like light sensor problem on galaxy note 2.
Can you check yours GN2?
Use code *#0*# and enter sensor test.

promi said:
I'm not an expert at light sensors, but look at this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9Os3HyCR5Q
I'm moving phone, holding camera still.
It looks like light sensor problem on galaxy note 2.
Can you check yours GN2?
Use code *#0*# and enter sensor test.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not in the brightest room but I have 2 60W light bulbs above me and my sensor has 0 when the phone is towards me and 20 lux when it is towards the roof. And yes it's stable with the values.