two forty four a.m. on UserVoice

include altitude as a criteria. [is now declined]

2012-02-05T04:51:46-08:00

I'm a frequent flyer and always forget to turn my phone to airplane mode. It would be great to have my phone do it for me in case I forget. I routinely land with a low battery.

include altitude as a criteria. [updated]

2012-02-05T04:51:46-08:00

I'm a frequent flyer and always forget to turn my phone to airplane mode. It would be great to have my phone do it for me in case I forget. I routinely land with a low battery.

Carter (admin) responded:

I miss the days of flying Independence Air: they had different comedians or celebrities doing the in-flight announcements every flight, so you always paid attention.

Anyway, this proposed feature would drain the battery all the time, and would not accomplish the goal of improving battery life. The only way to get altitude information on Android is to use GPS, and GPS will drain the battery in about 4 hours. (The Galaxy Nexus does have a barometer, but that's the only Android phone with such a feature.)

Don't turn off Bluetooth while in use [updated]

2012-02-01T07:46:22-08:00

Happened yesterday: I was calling my girlfriend over my bluetooth headset and while I was speaking, the time condition switched bluetooth off. Well, the call continued, but she wondered what I was doing

Donald Steward said:

If you need someone to BETA test, I would happy to assist, as I use this daily.

Don't turn off Bluetooth while in use [is now started]

2012-02-01T07:17:33-08:00

Don't turn off Bluetooth while in use [updated]

2012-02-01T07:17:33-08:00

Carter (admin) responded:

We're currently testing this enhancement for an upcoming Locale release.

delayed conditions [updated]

2012-02-01T07:16:07-08:00

Astrid supports Locale, so the obvious thing one might do is to trigger reminders when you, say, come home. However, getting reminded the moment you walk in the door (or more likely, when you're near your home) isn't always useful. You might just be dropping off your bag. So, a location condition that waits a configurable timespan, and then checks if it's still valid before firing off the actions would be handy. Some of the other conditions might also benefit (say, "if I'm *still* on the phone with mom after 30 minutes, then..."), while it would be rather useless for some (if it's still between 9 and 10 in ten minutes).

Carter said:

@carlos: I think this request might work better for your specific use case http://feedback.twofortyfouram.com/forums/5655-locale-feedback/suggestions/389767-don-t-turn-off-bluetooth-while-in-use

Notifications volume on ICS [updated]

2012-02-01T06:20:12-08:00

On my HTC phones with Android 2.x I could set different volume settings for Ringer and Notifications in Locale, but on my Galaxy Nexus there's only a unified "Ringer and notifications" volume? I used this for a special condition where notifications volume is set to zero, when the phone is connected to the bluetooth handsfree in my car, otherwise every time I get a notification (email, G+ etc.) it would disrupt what I was listening to in the car. I can not do this on the Galaxy Nexus, and it's very annoying to have ones favorite radio program disrupted for 2-3 seconds, because of an email that I can't (shouldn't) read, while driving anyway.

Carter said:

Yes, that might work in your specific scenario. Let us know how that works!

Notifications volume on ICS [updated]

2012-02-01T06:15:13-08:00

Thomas said:

I'm going to try the following workaround: I've installed the Media Volume Plug-In (so I'll still be able to stream music) - In my handsfree car situation I've set "Ringer & notification" to zero (since the bluetooth has it's own ringer) and Volume, Media to 80% - that should solve my problem on the ICS device...

Notifications volume on ICS [updated]

2012-02-01T06:06:26-08:00

Carter (admin) responded:

Android 4.0 does not allow independent control of ringer and notification volumes. There is currently no workaround for this.

Notifications volume on ICS

2012-02-01T04:50:00-08:00

Thomas suggested:
On my HTC phones with Android 2.x I could set different volume settings for Ringer and Notifications in Locale, but on my Galaxy Nexus there's only a unified "Ringer and notifications" volume? I used this for a special condition where notifications volume is set to zero, when the phone is connected to the bluetooth handsfree in my car, otherwise every time I get a notification (email, G+ etc.) it would disrupt what I was listening to in the car. I can not do this on the Galaxy Nexus, and it's very annoying to have ones favorite radio program disrupted for 2-3 seconds, because of an email that I can't (shouldn't) read, while driving anyway.

Timing based condition [is now none]

2012-01-31T14:25:56-08:00

It would be really great if it were possible to switch off for instance Bluetooth automatically after it is idle for more than x minutes. I have this feature on my Maemo phone where it turns out to be a real battery saver.

Widgets and more options... [is now declined]

2012-01-31T11:48:04-08:00

Widgets for each individual condition, and ability to move app to the sd card. Also add GPS as a modifiable setting. So if I have a situation with no condition like a silent mode condition for general use at any time I could set up a widget to activate that situation. If not something as specific a widget containing a list of all my situations would be nice. Also I think the ability to move the app to the SD card would be great as a lot of phones have limited on board memory. I have also noticed that there does not appear to be a setting for GPS. The situation I want to set up with GPS is: When getting in the car and plug my phone into charge I want WiFi and bluetooth off but the GPS to come on.

Widgets and more options... [updated]

2012-01-31T11:48:04-08:00

Carter (admin) responded:

This is a laundry list, not a specific feature request. By searching for these requests individually, you'll find they all already exist.

Manual mode can be accomplished with the Button Plug-in: http://feedback.twofortyfouram.com/forums/5655-locale-feedback/suggestions/67878-manual-mode

It is not possible to toggle GPS. This is an Android limitation and is documented here http://feedback.twofortyfouram.com/forums/5655-locale-feedback/suggestions/997853-gps-settings-change-option

It is not possible to move Locale to the SD card due to limitations in Android. This is documented here: http://www.twofortyfouram.com/support.html

check gps when airplane mode on [is now none]

2012-01-31T11:46:08-08:00

I have gps off to save battery. If locale enables airplane mode it can no longer get position. Could it activate gps from time to time to check whether airplane mode needs to be disabled? (I assume gps is passive and therefore allowed whilst in airplane mode...)

Location based GPS [is now none]

2012-01-31T11:45:09-08:00

Control GPS based on location. For example turning GPS on as default and off when I'm at home, work or school. This would help battery life and make finding certain locations easier.

delayed conditions [updated]

2012-01-31T10:38:30-08:00

Carlos Lopez said:

I have a condition that turns on bluetooth if I'm not at home. As soon as I arrive near home by car, the bluetooth turns off, I would like a 5-10 minutes delay, to prevent losing calls.

Allow other sounds to be used [updated]

2012-01-30T16:41:57-08:00

So I found the 'Play sound' Setting, and I assumed that Cough, Cat, Laugh, Camel, etc. were just sound files on the hard drive. So I went and found http://www2.research.att.com/~ttsweb/tts/demo.php, and got recordings of "Locale is set for the gym", "Locale is set for speech therapy", "Locale is set for <fill in the blank>". I just connected my phone to my laptop, moved those sound files to D:\media\audio\notifications, expecting them to show up in Locale's Play sound Setting... and no. C'mon, this would be sweet! You could have your phone announce ANYTHING when a situation becomes active, to keep you aware of it. It would quell the "oh no, is my phone silent?" worry. And also, if a Situation turns both media volume to silent and also plays a sound, the user obviously wants the sound to be played -=right before=- the media volume is knocked off.

Jeff Knox said:

That text-to-speech plug-in is EXACTLY what I wanted, thanks for the pointer! However in my limited test of it in the last 3 minutes, if the Situation has a Text to Speech saying and ALSO turns the volumes off, It says the first word then gets cut off. What I had originally wanted was a way for the phone to announce why it's going silent, THEN go silent. Is that technically possible?

Speed Condition [updated]

2012-01-26T12:56:42-08:00

A condition to detect the current speed the phone is moving. This could be used to detect when the phone is moving by a vehicle, such as when the user is driving.

Thomas said:

I could also use this option

NFC integration [updated]

2012-01-26T11:49:43-08:00

I think some kind of NFC condition would be great. Especially for things like "in car" where neither location nor time conditions work very well.

Carter said:

Yes, Google has documented this limitation here: http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/nfc/nfc.html#tag-dispatch

Speed Condition [updated]

2012-01-26T11:41:16-08:00

A condition to detect the current speed the phone is moving. This could be used to detect when the phone is moving by a vehicle, such as when the user is driving.

jacoblmueller said:

Count me in for "speed + charging = car dock". Would be super useful!

NFC integration [updated]

2012-01-26T11:36:19-08:00

I think some kind of NFC condition would be great. Especially for things like "in car" where neither location nor time conditions work very well.

jacoblmueller said:

Interesting. I dis not know NFC required the screen to be on but I guess that makes sense.

What I am ultimately trying to do is replicate the car dock feature from my OG Droid on my Galaxy Nexus. I was hoping NFC would do the trick.

Perhaps some kind of screen on/NFC checker setting? Could be combined with a speed condition?

NFC integration [is now under review]

2012-01-26T11:15:28-08:00

I think some kind of NFC condition would be great. Especially for things like "in car" where neither location nor time conditions work very well.

NFC integration [updated]

2012-01-26T11:15:28-08:00

I think some kind of NFC condition would be great. Especially for things like "in car" where neither location nor time conditions work very well.

Carter (admin) responded:

We've been reviewing this already. There are two problems:
1. NFC only works while the screen is on. There's no way to fire up NFC while the screen is off.

2. Even if NFC could work while the screen was off, using it would have a 10 minute delay.

For these reasons, we don't see an NFC condition as being viable with current versions of Android. As new versions of Android are released, we'll look into this further.

NFC integration

2012-01-26T10:46:11-08:00

jacoblmueller suggested:
I think some kind of NFC condition would be great. Especially for things like "in car" where neither location nor time conditions work very well.

Enable the 'plugged in' and other conditions on the galaxy nexus. [is now completed]

2012-01-26T10:43:44-08:00

On the galaxy nexus, im missing a lot of conditions i used to have on my droid. Now time, orientation, and contact are the only condition options. I need 'Plugged In' for sleeping! Thanks!

Enable the 'plugged in' and other conditions on the galaxy nexus. [updated]

2012-01-26T10:43:44-08:00

On the galaxy nexus, im missing a lot of conditions i used to have on my droid. Now time, orientation, and contact are the only condition options. I need 'Plugged In' for sleeping! Thanks!

Carter (admin) responded:

The Galaxy Nexus incorrectly reports to Locale that no battery is installed. Locale is working correctly and this is a bug in the Galaxy Nexus battery driver, which has been reported to Google here http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=22035

Locale 2.5 contains a workaround for this Samsung bug.

Enable the 'plugged in' and other conditions on the galaxy nexus. [updated]

2012-01-26T10:41:13-08:00

On the galaxy nexus, im missing a lot of conditions i used to have on my droid. Now time, orientation, and contact are the only condition options. I need 'Plugged In' for sleeping! Thanks!

jacoblmueller said:

In the mean time the Locale Power Source plugin works on my Galaxy Nexus

Get rid of the continuous notification in Locale 1.0 [is now declined]

2012-01-24T22:02:34-08:00

On the whole I'm liking 1.0, and I'm happy to pay for it as it's an excellent app. However. The continuous notification is REALLY annoying. The entire raison d'etre for Locale is that it runs silently and invisible in background without the user being aware of the clever stuff it's doing. There is absolutely no technical reason to have the notification constantly displayed (as the beta proved), and it's cluttering up my screen/notification bar. You have to get rid of it, or provide the option for the notification to be disabled. This in itself is potentially enough for me to uninstall/refund - it's that big an issue. Sort it please, guys. If you really think there's a technical/development reason why it should be there, update this thread and I'll put you in direct contact with a contact of mine who is on the Android developer team, and he'll help you understand why it is totally not necessary.

Get rid of the continuous notification in Locale 1.0 [updated]

2012-01-24T22:02:34-08:00

Carter (admin) responded:

In general, Locale is required to display an ongoing notification in order to run reliably. Background apps displaying a notification are given higher priority, such that they are killed last when Android runs low on memory. A notification has no impact on performance, only on reliability. If Locale is killed, it will no longer work. In fact, Android 2.3 is very aggressive about killing background apps running for more than a few minutes without displaying a notification. In order to ensure that Locale runs reliably, it must display an ongoing notification. Locale simply cannot offer an option that makes the app unreliable.

display a picture [updated]

2012-01-22T06:59:32-08:00

have locale display a picture when a condition is set. example when you are on high street a buzzer and picture of that items ( kettle, electric razor ) you need to replace pops up. example 2 a friend sends you a pic of a place to meet - as you approach the buzzer and pic pops up

george jackson said:

You currently have a music feature where the user has to select a song for each condition . A picture would be as or more meaningful. Google maps displays a picture of the destination when it arrives . The Locale advantage would be you choose exactly what you want to see. I don't think Astrid is needed.

Change the ring tone and text alert based on location or time. [is now completed]

2012-01-18T09:01:40-08:00

When working in a noisy environment a loud ring tone or text alert may be desired for certain contacts, and a more subdued or comical sound for other times of the day or locations.

Change the ring tone and text alert based on location or time. [updated]

2012-01-18T09:01:40-08:00

When working in a noisy environment a loud ring tone or text alert may be desired for certain contacts, and a more subdued or comical sound for other times of the day or locations.

Carter (admin) responded:

This already exists in Locale.

Condition for Wifi connected or not

2012-01-16T12:21:43-08:00

Steve suggested:
I would like a condition that is just whether or not I'm connected to Wifi. I visit multiple places when if I'm connected to wifi, I'd want to turn on auto-sync, etc. where a location based condition won't work because there are numerous places I visit.

display a picture [is now declined]

2012-01-10T18:21:23-08:00

display a picture [updated]

2012-01-10T18:21:23-08:00

Carter (admin) responded:

Given that the user would have to configure each photo to be displayed, I don't see the value this adds over simply using Locale+Astrid for location-aware reminders http://blog.twofortyfouram.com/post/1576204148/improve-productivity-with-locale-astrid

Not on Conditions [updated]

2012-01-10T17:33:14-08:00

Ability to have NOT on conditions. This is most useful for location (e.g. leaving a location).

george jackson said:

Ive quickly scanned the comments regarding a 'not' operator - what would happen if you are late for an appointment. in other words you are NOT in a location at a specific time - thats what i am looking for . so you can be notified .. fire off a auto SMS etc . Is this already available ?

Add 'tween Situation [is now declined]

2012-01-08T19:40:23-08:00

The "Defaults" are applied only when no other Situation is eligible for application. In order to simplify making sure each non-Default Situation starts from a known state, add an "in-between" Situation that is applied before any other Situation is applied. So, the change from one Situation to another would always involve the application of the "in-between" Situation before the application of the newly eligible Situation.

Add 'tween Situation [updated]

2012-01-08T19:40:22-08:00

Carter (admin) responded:

Defaults is just a situation without any conditions, which means it is always active. Defaults doesn't behave differently in any way.

When a higher priority situation is active, those higher priority settings mask lower priority settings of the same type. Suppose an At Work situation turns the ringer volume to 0%, while the Defaults situation turns the ringer volume to 100% and also sets the Wallpaper. When At Work, the At Work volume and the Defaults wallpaper will both be applied.

Based on feedback from the original creator, this request is closed.

Add 'tween Situation [updated]

2012-01-08T18:52:10-08:00

danapple0 said:

I believe that I left my original description and suggestion when I had an incorrect understanding of Locale. I no longer believe this is a relevant suggestion.

Voice Volume Setting [is now under review]

2012-01-08T16:29:45-08:00

A new setting to adjust voice volume

Voice Volume Setting [updated]

2012-01-08T16:29:44-08:00

A new setting to adjust voice volume

Carter (admin) responded:

We're investigating whether a Voice call volume setting makes sense.

Although a 3rd party developer has implemented the "Locale AllVolumes Plug-in" we strongly discourage using this plug-in because it is extremely buggy. This plug-in may appear to work correctly, but will actually fail in many circumstances. For example: it does not set ringer or notification volumes correctly and may cause the ringer or notifications to go off unexpectedly, it does not correctly perform backup and restore across different devices, and may set all volumes to the incorrect level.

Voice Volume Setting [updated]

2012-01-08T16:29:25-08:00

A new setting to adjust voice volume

Carter (admin) responded:

We're investigating whether an Alarm volume setting makes sense.

Alarm Volume Setting [is now under review]

2012-01-08T16:29:05-08:00

A new setting to adjust the alarm volume

Alarm Volume Setting [updated]

2012-01-08T16:29:04-08:00

A new setting to adjust the alarm volume

Carter (admin) responded:

We're investigating whether an Alarm volume setting makes sense.

Media Volume Setting [updated]

2012-01-08T16:21:16-08:00

A new setting to provide control of media volume

Carter (admin) responded:

The Locale Media Volume Plug-in is available for free on the Android Market here https://market.android.com/details?id=com.twofortyfouram.locale.setting.media_volume

For those who are looking for Voice or Alarm volume settings, I've created two new requests. Please cast your votes there.

Voice Volume Setting http://locale.uservoice.com/forums/5655-locale-feedback/suggestions/450512-voice-volume-setting

Alarm Volume Setting http://locale.uservoice.com/forums/5655-locale-feedback/suggestions/450514-alarm-volume-setting

Add 'tween Situation [updated]

2012-01-08T16:18:03-08:00

Carter (admin) responded:

Defaults is just a situation without any conditions, which means it is always active. Defaults doesn't behave differently in any way.

What specific use cases would a single global "in-between" situation enable?

Allow other sounds to be used [is now completed]

2012-01-08T16:10:26-08:00

Allow other sounds to be used [updated]

2012-01-08T16:10:26-08:00

Carter (admin) responded:

To get specific Text to Speech output, it would be much easier to use the Text to Speech plug-in available here: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.DroidMunkey.localeTextToSpeech

Alternatively, there is a different Play Sound plug-in https://market.android.com/details?id=com.droidmunkey.localePlaySound which can play arbitrary sounds placed in the Notifications folder on the SD card /sdcard/media/notifications.

Portrait or landscape mode condition [is now declined]

2012-01-08T16:01:58-08:00

I use locale to switch my android to dock mode based on charging (some docks do not automaticly set the phone to car mode) I would however prefer for it to know when I have it in my hands (portrait mode) or when it is in the dock (landscape mode)

Portrait or landscape mode condition [updated]

2012-01-08T16:01:58-08:00

Carter (admin) responded:

I'll first address the specific request of a Portrait/Landscape condition: we will not add this feature to Locale because it won't work as expected. The first problem is that "portrait" and "landscape" are not well defined on Android and do not match user expectations. For example, the Motorola Charm is actually in landscape when the device is held vertically. This weird behavior is documented here http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2010/09/one-screen-turn-deserves-another.html The second problem is that Locale is a background app and therefore it should detect changes while the screen is off. But Android's notion of portrait/landscape is only updated while the screen is turned on.

Let's take a step back though and take a broader look at this request. If a car dock isn't opening Android's Car Mode, most likely it isn't a real dock. A real Android dock tells Android what type of dock it is, and these are usually made by the manufacturer of the Android device (e.g. Samsung makes docks for Samsung phones, HTC makes docks for HTC phones, and so on). Third party docks, on the other hand, are usually nothing more than some plastic and a power connector, and present themselves to Android as merely a charger. In general, the real solution to this "problem" is to buy a real dock from the phone's manufacturer rather than a third party knockoff.