So, as we know Lollipop finally introduced lockscreen notifications, a step that took Google a long long time. Just like fixing the Drive client for Windows 8, which already is taking them a year by now. But that is not the topic. The topic now is to show you a new way of lockscreen interactions, which are being introduced in the new lockscreen app called AcDisplay by Artem Chepurnoy. And I have to say, it looks pretty nice and usable. Just like a good app should. Nice to see that someone isn’t just copying over the work of community developers and is introducing something fresh, even if it is just the smallest detail.
Looks and usage
If we enable AcDisplay as our lockscreen replacement we are greeted by a simple clock, date and battery percentage (optional) every time we unlock our device, which is pretty normal. But things change quickly as soon as we receive notifications, which are displayed under the clock. Let’s say we received an SMS message and we pressed on the notification icon to see its content, we don’t only get to see the content, but also the contact picture is displayed as a background. How neat is that? We can also directly reply or open the app from the lock screen by swiping up or dismissing it by swiping down. By swiping left or right you can also cycle through multiple notifications instantly.
Active mode
This will enable your sensors and use a bit more of your precious battery life (even if the app says it does not, for now) and it works as follows. By locking your phone, Active mode enables your proximity sensor to keep your screen off as long as you have it in your pocket. As soon as you take it out, the proximity sensor detects that and it will switch the screen on, to give you a glimpse at your notifications. Simply as that, you will have a new reason to look at your phone every 5 minutes. If only governments could be so useful.
Lockscreen blacklist
Probably everyone by now knows what a blacklist is, but you never know, so here is a simple explanation. A blacklist enables us to block certain apps lockscreen notifications, so no matter how many “private unicorn pictures” we get, they will never be shown on the lockscreen. Just like those files on your system partition, nobody will ever know about them.
Pinnable notification
We can find this feature under Settings> More and it displays the notification content for a few seconds after we let go of the notification icon, which is pretty useful.
Lock on dismiss last notification
As the title says, when you swipe away the last notification, AcDisplay will lock your phone instantly, without you needing to press the power button. This will help to prevent some wear and tear in the long run.
Inactive hours
You don’t like being disturbed when you undergo serious surgery? Just punch in the time span and of you go, I mean you will not be disturbed.
Well this sums up AcDisplay pretty much. It’s a nice app and we can only hope that the dev will take good care of it in the future. It deserves it.
