Use this tag for questions related to issues with sensors equipped in devices, such as: Ambient light (ALS), Accelerometer, Back-illuminated sensor (Backside Illumination, BSI or BI), etc. Note that 'compass', 'gps', 'gyroscope', and 'proximity-sensor' have their own tags.
12
votes
2answers
743 views
How does the automatic brightness settings work?
Maybe a dumb question, but I couldn't find any official documentation to confirm.
Does it use the light sensor? Do most devices support it?
11
votes
3answers
1k views
How does in-pocket detection work?
My Droid Bionic has an option on the Display Settings page "In-Pocket detection: locks your device automatically when inserted in pocket"
How does the phone sense that it's in your pocket? I'm ...
9
votes
2answers
3k views
What does the pressure sensor measure?
What kind of pressure does it measure? Air pressure? Finger pressure on the touchscreen?
8
votes
3answers
736 views
Automatic adjust brightness through out the day
It does not seem that automatic brightness works well on my Nexus S.
Basically, I want my phone's brightness to adjust throughout the day. Either that, or something that automatically adjusts ...
7
votes
3answers
2k views
What does the ambient light sensor look like?
Naive question, but when I check the specs of a phone, one website says phone has feature X, the other says it does not have this feature. Here I am interested in the ambient light sensor.
What does ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
How does an android compass application work?
I recently installed a Compass app on my phone (it's a HTC Wildfire S if it matters) and I'm curious as how it works.
Found some answers online that the phone's hardware has a digital compass in it, ...
2
votes
1answer
630 views
Test Accelerometer alignment?
Is there any app around that lets an Android user see the "flat" on the accelerometer? The reason I'm looking for such is because I recently got the Need For Speed Shift game. And I notice that the ...
2
votes
1answer
328 views
Does the Android specification include minimum sensor parameters?
Android apps can access sensor data. How do I know how accurate the sensor readings are? Is there a universal standard that specifies operational parameters of a sensor?
E.g., a temperature sensor ...
2
votes
1answer
6k views
Does Accelerometer Sensor work on my Samsung Galaxy S2?
I have Samsung Galaxy S2 and i'm experiencing with an issue that is annoying me very much.
When I do \auto rotate\ , the rotation happens after 4-5 seconds.
I've done the calibrations and all that ...
2
votes
0answers
71 views
Emulate touch scrolling by rotating device - tilt to scroll
Does anyone know of an app that emulates a swipe touch or slow scrolling action by simply rotating the device? presumably by using the accelerometer sensor. This could be used for example in a pdf ...
1
vote
1answer
487 views
Which hardware sensors are supported by Android? [closed]
Which hardware sensors are supported by Android? Are there any imaginable sensors that may be planned to be supported in the future?
For every sensor:
How is the sensor useful?
Which devices ...
1
vote
2answers
59 views
What information is available to an app from the magnetometer?
I would like to know what other functionality is provided by the magnetometer inside android devices besides allowing applications to display a compass. Can an app do anything else with it besides ...
1
vote
2answers
381 views
Can a phone without a gyroscope measure angles sufficiently?
It seems that a gyroscope sensor is currently not so common amongst Android devices. But does an accelerometer (in conjunction with the compass?) provide enough accuracy to measure angles (tilt, yaw) ...
1
vote
2answers
420 views
Can you damage the proximity sensor if you keep it always on?
If you keep the proximity sensor always on (like for applications that turn on the screen when you tap the sensor a few times) is there a risk to damage it?
I'm assuming that the sensor works only in ...
1
vote
1answer
113 views
Is there any android support for bicycle sensors?
I've seen some Bluetooth Smart (4.0) technology for tracking tire rotation rate (bike speed), peddle rotation rate (cadence) and even heart rate monitors.
Some heart rate monitors are supported by ...
0
votes
1answer
70 views
Is it possible to intercept and override sensor events in Android?
I want to intercept sensor events in Android and override (fix) transmitted data. Is it possible?
The solution should work for all applications using that sensor.
UPDATE
I need to override ...
0
votes
1answer
396 views
How would one use the Android accelerometer to measure one's mass? [closed]
Pretty much what the title states.
The Android CDD says of the Accelerometer
MUST be able to deliver events at 50 Hz or greater
MUST comply with the Android sensor coordinate system as ...
0
votes
2answers
527 views
Disabling the nexus-one proximity/position sensor?
I think my nexus one is trying to be too smart. For each incoming call the phone stops ringing as soon as I pick it up. That's perfectly fine as long as the phone is sitting on my desk, but when I'm ...
0
votes
1answer
1k views
My phone is giving inaccurate readings of battery level
I have a Huawei u8160 running Cyanogenmod 7.2 .
my phone is giving inaccurate readings of the battery charge level (e.g one day morning it was 33 that day evening it became 34 without touching the ...
0
votes
1answer
543 views
The meaning of 3 axis values of magnetometer [closed]
Could someone explain to me the meaning of 3 axis x, y & z of Magnetometer
0
votes
1answer
93 views
Is there a way to estimate building movements? [closed]
I wish to determine if, or how much, movement there is of the building in which I'm currently living. Is there any way for me to do this? Is it even possible at all based on phone hardware?
0
votes
0answers
561 views
Auto rotation, proximity sensor issues in Xperia Arc S after updating to ICS
My auto-rotation and sensors was working fine in my Xperia Arc S with Gingerbread, but when I updated it to Ice Cream Sandwich via Sony PC Companion, now the auto-rotation and some sensors are not ...
0
votes
0answers
47 views
Is it possible to check “Contacts” and “Messaging” apps Status using a Background Service in Android? [closed]
Introduction
As some of you might know, the new Samsung Galaxy S3 have some cool motion features that can be used for making some "tasks" easier.
For those who don't, here is the link for the ...
0
votes
0answers
173 views
Does anyone has magnetometer working on Samgung Galaxy Tab 10.1?
I am comparing the behavior of "Compass" program from Smart Tools and the "natural" old-fashion physical compass and see the former is not working correctly. Is this a manufacturing defect or by ...
