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Simple Lockscreen App For Volume Control

Nijiiro

Nijiiro

Member
Can anyone recommend an app for me? I have seen that some lockscreen apps allow you to change the volume on your phone without having to unlock, and I would very much like to have this functionality. Unfortunately, every review I've looked at seems to suggest other issues with the apps.

I don't want my phone to be less secure or unlock with widgets or display 2 lockscreens or be glitchy. I just want the volume control to work. Is there such an app that allows just this? If not, what's the most reliable lockscreen app for the task?

TIA.
 
WidgetLocker allows your homescreen to be locked and then let's you use your volume rocker to control volume. You just need to make sure you enable it in the settings.
 
Thanks for the suggestion. Do you find it glitchy at all? I think that's one of the ones I saw but was put off by comments about bugs. Maybe it has been stabilised since.
 
Not glitchy on my phone.

Sometimes glitches are due to apps not playing nicely together. So take those comments with a grain of salt.
 
Nijiiro said:
I don't want my phone to be less secure or unlock with widgets or display 2 lockscreens or be glitchy. I just want the volume control to work. Is there such an app that allows just this? If not, what's the most reliable lockscreen app for the task?
Click to expand...

(Dev of WidgetLocker here :))

The truth is there is nothing simple about the lock screen from a development perspective. As implemented by the system it has very low level interactions, like handling buttons or how it's activated or how it interacts with other apps. The way most (all Market ones available I believe) lock screen modifications work is that they have an app that runs and either disables or suppresses the system's lock screen. There are some less invasive ways that could be done, but they'd be pretty limited (No volume buttons for example).
So a very simply implemented lock screen replacement isn't going to interact with the system well. Instead what you're looking for is a robust lock screen replacement that's been tested and developed for all kinds of system interactions. And that's WidgetLocker.

  • secure
    Widgetlocker respects the system's pattern/pin/password security
  • Unlock with widgets
    This is optional. You can have all widgets non-interactive, or you can have select widgets non-interactive, or you don't need to place any widgets at all. And you can put apps you want in custom sliders so you still have quick access to them but don't activate them by mistake. And none of these will bypass any security your phone is configured for.
  • 2 lockscreens
    This is a little hard to address as it depends on your security and your phone type. Assuming you're currently using PIN/Password you already have two lock screens, and for pattern you may also. I'm going to assume you mean you only want 1 slide to unlock screen and 1 security screen. In that case WL handles this perfectly on HTC Sense or the pattern lock on stock Android. Motorola android is more complicated, PIN/Password always require the moto-swipe, and pattern is a bit temperamental in that sometimes it wants it's own and sometimes it doesn't, working on this and should have it more reliable soon.
  • Other apps
    I've worked with several developers to get things to work well that normally wouldn't, either because of a lock screen replacement in general, or something specific on either of our ends. ClutchPad (in progress), Screebl Pro, Beautiful Widgets (animations), Fancy Widget (animations), ICE by Serra-Apps to name a few. Biggest known issues in this regard right now is with music apps that also try to replace the lock screen. This is something I plan on working out in the future.

Try it and if you don't like it you can refund it. If it's after Google's 15 minute period shoot me an email (kevin@teslacoilsw.com). As long as you're polite and let me know why you decided to uninstall, I won't have a problem refunding.
 
kevin@teslacoilsw said:
(Dev of WidgetLocker here :))

The truth is there is nothing simple about the lock screen from a development perspective. As implemented by the system it has very low level interactions, like handling buttons or how it's activated or how it interacts with other apps. The way most (all Market ones available I believe) lock screen modifications work is that they have an app that runs and either disables or suppresses the system's lock screen. There are some less invasive ways that could be done, but they'd be pretty limited (No volume buttons for example).
So a very simply implemented lock screen replacement isn't going to interact with the system well. Instead what you're looking for is a robust lock screen replacement that's been tested and developed for all kinds of system interactions. And that's WidgetLocker.

  • secure
    Widgetlocker respects the system's pattern/pin/password security
  • Unlock with widgets
    This is optional. You can have all widgets non-interactive, or you can have select widgets non-interactive, or you don't need to place any widgets at all. And you can put apps you want in custom sliders so you still have quick access to them but don't activate them by mistake. And none of these will bypass any security your phone is configured for.
  • 2 lockscreens
    This is a little hard to address as it depends on your security and your phone type. Assuming you're currently using PIN/Password you already have two lock screens, and for pattern you may also. I'm going to assume you mean you only want 1 slide to unlock screen and 1 security screen. In that case WL handles this perfectly on HTC Sense or the pattern lock on stock Android. Motorola android is more complicated, PIN/Password always require the moto-swipe, and pattern is a bit temperamental in that sometimes it wants it's own and sometimes it doesn't, working on this and should have it more reliable soon.
  • Other apps
    I've worked with several developers to get things to work well that normally wouldn't, either because of a lock screen replacement in general, or something specific on either of our ends. ClutchPad (in progress), Screebl Pro, Beautiful Widgets (animations), Fancy Widget (animations), ICE by Serra-Apps to name a few. Biggest known issues in this regard right now is with music apps that also try to replace the lock screen. This is something I plan on working out in the future.

Try it and if you don't like it you can refund it. If it's after Google's 15 minute period shoot me an email (kevin@teslacoilsw.com). As long as you're polite and let me know why you decided to uninstall, I won't have a problem refunding.
Click to expand...

Can you help me with something? I love your app, but would love to be able to differentiate between the music volume and ringer volume in your settings. Is this possible? I want to be able to reach into my pocket while listening to Pandora and change the volume w/out taking my phone out of my pocket. I can do that today by enabling your setting:

Buttons&Inputs->Allow Volume Buttons.

However, that also means that if the screen is off and no music is playing, if I happen to bump the volume rocker I may inadvertently change my ringer from vibrate only to on, for instance. I really ONLY want this to change when music is playing.

Note, while I'm on a wish-list comment, turning on the screen when I change the music volume is really unnecessary and I could do w/out as it's only going to waste battery (as I said, it's usually still in my pocket).

Basically I'm just looking for WL to behave like the stock lock screen in this regard.

I see you have expressed that there are some inherent limitations w/ system access, so maybe this is out of reach. But it would be a definite improvement IMO if it's possible.

Thanks for your time and efforts!
Kidd_Funkadelic
 
Thanks for the post Kevin, and apologies for abandoning my account for a little while. I just got a HTC Desire S. Does everything you've stated hold true for 2.3.3? If so them I shall give it go :)
 
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