Locale Feedback on UserVoice

Add once a day/one per x conditions. [updated]

2012-05-19T02:44:14-07:00

Add the ability to set a condition to be true only once (per day/hour/time range/location, etc.), or only if another situation has/hasn't fired. I have my phone tweet my status based on location, but certain situations I only want to tweet once, like the fact that I've arrived at work. Currently, every time I go across the street and come back it says I'm at work again. Also, when my bus gets to a certain point, I send an SMS to my wife to pick me up at the bus stop. However, if I'm driving (i.e., never was at the bus departure stop), I don't want this to happen. There is no way to do this.

Victor Amador l said:

how would i accomplish this with variables plug-in?

Backup settings. [updated]

2012-05-17T16:53:40-07:00

Add a function to back everything up via either SD card or the web.

Carter said:

@mela: We've found that some devices have a permissions bug that prevents Locale from writing manual backups to external storage. The menu item won't appear if Locale is not able to write the backup. Based on our testing, this primarily seems to occur on European devices. We've built new backup and restore functionality for an upcoming version of Locale to work around this particular Android bug.

Backup settings. [updated]

2012-05-16T16:55:03-07:00

Add a function to back everything up via either SD card or the web.

Mela Eckenfels said:

Thank you for the quick answer, Carter. But I've installed the backup enabler on both devices and on both devices I can't see the new backup menu item. It just isn't there. Shouldn't it be at least on the ICS-device?

Backup settings. [updated]

2012-05-16T16:27:53-07:00

Add a function to back everything up via either SD card or the web.

Carter said:

@mela: Cyanogen is most likely the problem.

Backup settings. [updated]

2012-05-16T16:23:18-07:00

Add a function to back everything up via either SD card or the web.

Mela Eckenfels said:

Automatic backup is activated on both devices, but the locale configuration didn't sync. Can't get the manual backup to work either. Any suggestions? Old device: Milestone, rooted, with Cyanogenmod 7 New device: Samsung Galaxy Note, not rooted, with standard ICS.

Plugin Development - Retrieve plugins configurations [updated]

2012-05-16T07:06:11-07:00

Hi, I'm the developer of the app Voice Control, and I'm trying, after some users request, to integrate it with Locale trough the plugin system, in order to provide a "Voice Activation" feature for Locale. My current approach is to create a condition plugin, in which users can insert an activation text that will be used to "enable" the specific condition when spoken inside Voice Control. It works quite well, but this approach have a problem: Locale plugin paradigm requires that all condition configurations are stored inside Locale itself, but to provide an efficent and reliable recognition for which configured condition have to be enabled, Voice Control needs to know the full list of configured "texts" from Locale (Voice Control needs this list in order to handle ambiguities due voice recognition inaccuracy, handling them automatically or asking it to the user). My thought is that, in order to handle it, the best solution would be to provide an Intent that, within an ordered broadcast, returns a list of Bundle that enumerates all configurations of a plugin (using some sort of package filtering, like does the Query intent).

Luka Kama said:

I'm sorry, but after some thoughts, I ended up dropping Locale support, as currently it is not possible to implement what users asked me in a way reliable and simple enough for the user using the current plugin system.

I will try to find a completely alternative approach, maybe with a better integration with Locale concepts and usages. I had something in mind, but it would require a lot of work on Voice Control, and I'm not sure that users would use it.

However, thanks again for your support,
Luca.

Backup settings. [updated]

2012-05-07T02:37:39-07:00

Add a function to back everything up via either SD card or the web.

Clare said:

I had backup and restore working - but the Locale settings were not restored when I reset - annoying!

Plugin Development - Retrieve plugins configurations [updated]

2012-05-06T15:45:29-07:00

Luka Kama said:

Yes, accuracy and reliability are the main issues. And I agree that having some orphan items in the cache ins't this big problem.
Also, as you said, I could use some sort of timed cache in order to prune orphan items.

My only concern is that I need to be sure to avoid missing item in cache, as this would make Voice Control unable to trigger the missing configuration (maybe I can fire a QUERY intent on Voice Control start, just to be sure to add item that, for some reason, still miss from the cache).

Anyway, I still think that an intent would be the best for plugin point of view, as Locale already has all needed information and would reflect the real and actual configuration state, but I must admit that it could require a lot of effort on your own, so as far that there isn't a better solution, I will use the suggested approach.

Thanks for your help,
Luca

Plugin Development - Retrieve plugins configurations [updated]

2012-05-06T12:49:33-07:00

Carter said:

Even if the cache is slightly stale, I don't see this being an issue for your use case. I think a greedy cache that stores everything it sees and perhaps ages them out if not seen again for some period of time would be reasonable.

How many plug-in conditions might the user set up within Locale? 5? 10? Let's say the user deletes one or two or those. Now the plug-in has a stale entry in its database. Is that really so bad? Unless those one or two commands were very ambiguously close to another command, I don't see this causing a problem with recognition accuracy. And recognition accuracy is the problem that you're trying to solve, right?

Plugin Development - Retrieve plugins configurations [updated]

2012-05-06T12:41:24-07:00

Luka Kama said:

If it is guaranteed that every plugin condition is called at least once, I could cache them, but it would lead to stale data if the user remove a configuration (or if it clears Locale data), I must be really careful for configuration modification inside Locale, and I need to ensure that cached data is cleared on phone boot (if the BOOT_COMPLETED Android intent is fired before Locale queries, but I'm pretty sure that it would lead to some sort of concurrency problems...).
So, at this point, I don't know if it would be simpler to directly store plugin settings locally in Voice Control...

However, in my opinion, both solution are quite not fully reliable... But if there isn't any other, I will use them.

Thanks for your support,
Luca.

Plugin Development - Retrieve plugins configurations [updated]

2012-05-06T11:19:14-07:00

Carter (admin) responded:

I think the best solution is the simplest: the plug-in already knows what plug-in instances were created because they are fed back to the plug-in as queries whenever Locale's process starts up. If the plug-in caches a local copy after a requery, shouldn't that effectively solve the problem?

We don't normally recommend this as a best practice, but in this particular circumstance it seems to be the best solution.

Plugin Development - Retrieve plugins configurations

2012-05-04T02:51:14-07:00

Luka Kama suggested:
Hi, I'm the developer of the app Voice Control, and I'm trying, after some users request, to integrate it with Locale trough the plugin system, in order to provide a "Voice Activation" feature for Locale. My current approach is to create a condition plugin, in which users can insert an activation text that will be used to "enable" the specific condition when spoken inside Voice Control. It works quite well, but this approach have a problem: Locale plugin paradigm requires that all condition configurations are stored inside Locale itself, but to provide an efficent and reliable recognition for which configured condition have to be enabled, Voice Control needs to know the full list of configured "texts" from Locale (Voice Control needs this list in order to handle ambiguities due voice recognition inaccuracy, handling them automatically or asking it to the user). My thought is that, in order to handle it, the best solution would be to provide an Intent that, within an ordered broadcast, returns a list of Bundle that enumerates all configurations of a plugin (using some sort of package filtering, like does the Query intent).

Internet Call Settings for native SIP in Android 4.0 [updated]

2012-05-03T08:35:57-07:00

Support for the 'internet call settings' for android 4.0. I would like to use voip and receive incoming calls only when i'm connected with my wifi. Settings: Phone -> Settings -> Internet call settings -> Use Internet Calling / Accounts -> Receive incoming calls

Carter said:

@carson: Many apps use private APIs or security flaws in Android to do things they aren't normally supposed to do. Such apps will not work reliably across different Android devices or different Android versions. To ensure great reliability, Locale doesn't rely on such private APIs.

While I can't speak for any specific app, I imagine that is what is going on here.

Either way, what don't you email the developer of this widget and ask if they'd consider creating a Locale plug-in?

Internet Call Settings for native SIP in Android 4.0 [updated]

2012-05-03T08:23:04-07:00

Carson Brown said:

If possible, could you revisit this decision? Here's an example of a widget app that toggles the stock SIP "receive incoming calls" option: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.siebeck.sipswitch

So it is possible...

allow for a quick SMS reply when I ignore a phone call. [is now declined]

2012-04-29T06:58:37-07:00

If I get a call and choose to ignore it, I would like it to either automatically send a SMS with a message I have created or maybe a popup, asking me if I would like to send a SMS, with multiple replies that I could send. Such as "I'm busy, I will call you back ASAP." or "I'm driving, I will call you back soon."

allow for a quick SMS reply when I ignore a phone call. [updated]

2012-04-29T06:58:36-07:00

Carter (admin) responded:

This feature is built in to Android 4.0, as well as a number of Samsung devices running Android 2.3.

While this is useful (and clearly Google and Samsung agree), it probably isn't the highest priority for features to add to Locale. By the time we got this completed most phones would be running Android 4.0 anyway thus making it no longer necessary.

Temporary overide locale. [updated]

2012-04-20T20:40:42-07:00

Make a widget that I can tap on to temporarily disable all Locale events for an hour or so. Could also be done with a notification area icon.

Dan J said:

This really needs to be revisited now that it's two years later and the buttons of this plug-in still look like proof-of-concept graphics. I've been using Locale for years, and honestly love it so much that it's one of the primary reasons I won't switch to iOS. <bad pun warning> It feels like I actually have a smart phone. However, I (and I suspect most people) quite frequently run into situations where I need to silence/vibrate-mode my phone quickly and have it stay that way for a while. These aren't the types of situations that could be automated based on locations, calendar events, etc. For example, my phone is my personal device, so meetings at work don't show up in the calendar, and I need to have my phone muted during meetings, and resume normal work conditions afterwards. Another example: I'm at the movie theater - I probably don't want the phone muted while I'm in the lobby, but once I'm seated, gotta pull out that phone and mute it. I can cite other examples for bluetooth, etc. Anyway, right now, this button plug-in is the only way to manually adjust settings that Locale otherwise only sets automatically.

I otherwise adore Locale so much that I regularly try to convince my buddies to jump on the bandwagon. But they inevitably ask about how to manually turn things on/off, and when I show them the buttons, their first reaction, without fail, is "eww."

Display current state (and why) [updated]

2012-04-20T11:45:41-07:00

I find it hard to figure out what Locale is doing. E.g. I can see my wi-fi is on or off, and I can see the many settings related to wi-fi. But I can't tell why my wi-fi is in its current state. I wish there was a screen that said something like: Wi-fi on if any of these have triggered: * Location of known wi-fi network < x m. (False, nearest y m). * Location manually enabled since last screen on (true) ...and if none of these have disabled it: * Low signal (true! z% < w% 4 mins ago) * Low traffic (false, x KB/s > y KB/s 2 mins ago) etc. (and of course for other things besides wifi).

Lorrin said:

Yes, at least knowing the active situation is helpful. But certainly more information would be welcome, I'm glad that is in the works.

I understand your point about Locale not being the only one in control of the phone settings. Please interpret my original message to be: Locale should explain what it has most recently done. (For that matter, Locale could even highlight the discrepancies with the actual phone state.)

Display current state (and why) [is now completed]

2012-04-20T05:08:00-07:00

Display current state (and why) [updated]

2012-04-20T05:07:59-07:00

Carter (admin) responded:

The current state of Locale is displayed in the ongoing notification as well as the status indicators within the Locale UI. These tell which situations are active and therefore inform which settings are currently applied. We have plans to improve these indicators further in the future.

Beyond those indicators, Locale cannot accurately display detailed state as to why the phone is currently configured the way it is. Settings can change outside of Locale so Locale wouldn't have any reasonable way to explain why the ringer is perhaps set to 100% when Locale thinks it should be 0%. Maybe the user changed it manually or maybe a third party app changed it? In addition, Locale wouldn't be able to explain any settings changed by a third party plug-in.

When close to known wi-fi location and screen turned on, turn on wi-fi [is now completed]

2012-04-20T03:51:14-07:00

I have been home for 2 hours. I turn on my phone and wi-fi is disabled. I check the location-based wi-fi and it says my access point is 740m away, +- 1km. (I live on a small property!). Given the margin of error, it sounds like Locale knows it might be within range of my wi-fi. In that situation, I would like it to turn on wifi and check to see when I turn the screen on! Instead, I have to have the screen on for many minutes before it bothers to check.

When close to known wi-fi location and screen turned on, turn on wi-fi [updated]

2012-04-20T03:51:13-07:00

Carter (admin) responded:

Locale does this already.

Please contact support directly from within the app, as this is a support inquiry rather than a feature request.

Calendar condition; add time to end of meetibg

2012-04-12T19:47:47-07:00

Scott Carle suggested:
Like lead time before a meeting, meetings always tend to run long. Would be nice to be able to add time to condition after meeting end time.

Screen On condition [updated]

2012-04-10T20:53:55-07:00

When the phone enters and leaves partial wake lock (Screen locked/unlocked) you could use this to enable and disable a loud ring tone ( pointless if you are holding the phone and it's unlocked) or you could use it to call forth Astrid tasks ( that you don't necessarily care about in context. ) Coupled with my other Sub Situations suggestion it could also limit the amount of checks locale needs to make, for example you may want all your shopping tasks to come up when your near the shops, but not unless you pull the phone out to check, so that you are not bothered whenever you drive past the shops. Basically binary condition, unlocking screen or locking screen.

gurgle said:

You *should* add it to to the market.

NFC integration [updated]

2012-04-10T06:37:45-07:00

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:

There is a third party plug-in that implements this functionality. Note that the screen must be turned on for NFC tags to be recognized. The plug-in can be found here https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=se.badaccess.locale.nfc

For a NFC condition built-in to Locale, 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 [updated]

2012-04-10T06:06:41-07:00

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.

Magnus said:

There is a NFC plugin for Locale currently on the market. It however requires the device's screen to be on to allow scanning of tags.

Allow for smaller Radius for locations [is now completed]

2012-04-08T13:28:32-07:00

Right now the location radius when at it's smallest, it is still way to large for some of the conditions I would like. Previously it was allowed and it worked very well for me. IF someone finds it better to just use a large radius, then use a large radius. If I happen to have a condition that I use at a local business, I don't want the settings kicking in if I drive within a quarter mile of that business.

Allow for smaller Radius for locations [updated]

2012-04-08T13:28:32-07:00

Carter (admin) responded:

The minimum location size in Locale is 100 meters, which is the limit of modern location technology. Any smaller than 100 meters and reliability suffers significantly.

The Location UI also adjusts the minimum size during setup depending on the accuracy available in your area. To be able to create the smallest locations, you need to be physically in the location when creating the Location condition. (For example, create your Home location while actually at home).

Continuing on this example, if the location accuracy at home is still above 100 meters, you could also perform Training under the menu of the location condition to achieve 100 meter accuracy at home.

Kill app setting [updated]

2012-04-05T08:22:27-07:00

If the phone has something unknown running in the background hogging battery this could prevent having a completely dead phone much earlier than expected. It probably shouldn't shut down if the screen is on or the user is in the middle of call, etc...

Carter said:

@Rafael Borja: Stock versions of Android 2.2 and later won't allow apps to kill other apps. Regardless of whether this would be useful, it simply isn't possible using the standard public Android APIs.

Kill app setting [updated]

2012-04-04T19:35:29-07:00

Rafael Borja said:

I use a shortcut launcher to launch a gps guide program when I connect to a car dock. I'd like to close it when the phone is disconnected from the dock. Won't a close app feature be useful? If I just launch the home screen the gps will keep guiding me anyway.

ability to restore from backup on other devices. Going from Nexus S to Galaxy Nexus the settings are not restore from the cloud. [is now completed]

2012-04-01T19:06:01-07:00

ability to restore from backup on other devices. Going from Nexus S to Galaxy Nexus the settings are not restore from the cloud. [updated]

2012-04-01T19:06:01-07:00

Carter (admin) responded:

Locale fully supports backup and restore between different device models. This feature is extensively tested and we've even tested it between the Nexus S and the Galaxy Nexus in our lab.

If you're data didn't restore, any number of things could have happened. Without more information I can't say what the problem is, but here are a few possibilities:

First, cloud-based backup and restore needs to be enabled in the Android settings.

Both the old device and the new device need to be set up with the same primary Google account, because backups are stored in the account.

If you didn't purchase Locale from Google Play, backup and restore won't work properly.

try typing long sentences into the suggestion box, edit words, and try typing on the far right, without hitting the dreaded X [is now declined]

2012-04-01T19:01:15-07:00

Feedback form

try typing long sentences into the suggestion box, edit words, and try typing on the far right, without hitting the dreaded X [updated]

2012-04-01T19:01:15-07:00

Feedback form

Carter (admin) responded:

This is a request for the feedback forum software itself, which has its own feedback website here: http://feedback.uservoice.com

Internet Call Settings for native SIP in Android 4.0 [is now declined]

2012-03-28T07:00:34-07:00

Internet Call Settings for native SIP in Android 4.0 [updated]

2012-03-28T07:00:34-07:00

Carter (admin) responded:

Unfortunately, Android doesn't allow third party apps like Locale to control this setting.

Instead of having a global SIP settings manager, each SIP client manages its own settings. The built-in Phone app happens to be a SIP client, and this is a setting private to the Phone app.

In Pocket Condition [updated]

2012-03-26T10:48:02-07:00

OK, so it's not that easy to detect if one's phone is in one's pocket, but it would be an awesome condition to incorporate... The face up / face down condition is great, but it means you have to take the phone out of your pocket to use it. I'm probably not the only one here who would agree that when the phone's in your pocket, turning off bluetooth and switching ring to vibrate would be ideal. This could either be done using the proximity or light sensor, or more simply achieved by turning the face up / face down condition to include upright, upside down and landscape (for purses or handbags). Sure, it would be difficult to achieve exact orientation, but also offering a definable range/variance would solve this issue.

Carter said:

@hwk: In general, many of the additional features offered by other apps fall into one of three categories: (1) They access non-public Android APIs, (2) they require root, or (3) they require a modified ROM. Such features are not guaranteed to work on any specific device and will break with each Android update.

By design, Locale only uses Android's publicly documented APIs to ensure that Locale works great across Android devices.

If you have specific questions, please let us know.

In Pocket Condition [updated]

2012-03-26T06:56:54-07:00

hwk said:

Or switch to Tasker, which I did. Only drawbacks are that its UI is not as nice and intuitive as Locale's, it doesn't know or-conditions and it doesn't have that kind of smart location detection. But on the other hand it's much more powerful out of the box without need for sorta 10.000 plugins...
btw, 244am people: I would love to go back to locale, I love Locale's UI, I love the smart location detection, but to attract users away from Tasker to Locale, you will have to provide MUCH more conditions and settings ootb, without sourcing nearly everything out to 3rd party plugins.
If you do an simple chart, on the one side everything Tasker provides ootb and on the other side the costs of the necessary plugins for locale in order to provide the same conditions and actions, the result is really not good looking for Locale... sad, but true. Make Locale as powerful as Tasker ootb and I bet you will (re)gain a lot of users!

In Pocket Condition [updated]

2012-03-25T13:18:02-07:00

verrue said:

Check the android market for plug-in called "Locale proximity plug-in" and "Locale screen off plug-in". They do what you want I think.
You can find a description of both apps here:

http://transparencecode.blogspot.com

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

2012-03-25T08:58:57-07:00

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

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

2012-03-25T08:58:57-07:00

Carter (admin) responded:

Locale 3.0 introduces enhanced Bluetooth management. If you're on a call using a Bluetooth device and Locale's Bluetooth OFF setting is fired, Bluetooth won't be turned off until either the call ends or the Bluetooth device is disconnected.

To learn more about Locale 3.0, please see the release notes here http://blog.twofortyfouram.com/post/19303488607/locale-3-0

Alarm Volume Setting [updated]

2012-03-25T08:48:30-07:00

A new setting to adjust the alarm volume

Lukas said:

Thanks for getting back to me!

Yes, I see your point regarding alarm volume. You're right. I set this once, then I'm done forever. However, with system volume, I think you need just as much control as ringtone and notification. When I'm in a meeting, I don't want others to be able to hear me making clicks and sleeping/unsleeping my screen, but I do like the noises otherwise.

(Perhaps I should be posting this in the other suggestion about system volume.)

Thanks for your consideration.

Calendar condition: Add Free or Busy Availability Filtering [is now planned]

2012-03-25T08:27:44-07:00

The Calendar condition currently matches all events, regardless of availability status. This request is to add an option that would allow events with "free" availability to be ignored by the Calendar condition.

Calendar condition: Add Free or Busy Availability Filtering [updated]

2012-03-25T08:27:44-07:00

Carter (admin) responded:

This feature was part of the original design of the Calendar condition but we cannot enable this until Google fixes Android bug 27651 http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=27651

Calendar condition: Add Free or Busy Availability Filtering

2012-03-25T08:23:47-07:00

Carter suggested:
The Calendar condition currently matches all events, regardless of availability status. This request is to add an option that would allow events with "free" availability to be ignored by the Calendar condition.

Create calendar alarms based on distance from "objective" [is now none]

2012-03-25T08:21:17-07:00

For example, say I'm at home and am 30 minutes away from work. I have a meeting at, say, 2:00. A reminder for travel distance plus a buffer would be nice- if I'm 30 minutes from work, have a reminder trigger 40 minutes before an event. If I'm already at work, have the alarm trigger 10 minutes before an event. I know Locale doesn't really do "alarms" but perhaps a text message (to myself) to remind me of something.

Create calendar alarms based on distance from "objective" [updated]

2012-03-25T08:21:17-07:00

Carter (admin) responded:

We are reopening this for further review, and Android 4.0 finally allows apps to access the calendar.

Calendar condition [is now completed]

2012-03-25T08:19:20-07:00

Calendar condition [updated]

2012-03-25T08:19:20-07:00

Carter (admin) responded:

At long last Locale 3.0 introduces the Calendar condition to detect events on your Google Calendar, Exchange Calendar, or any other calendar supported by Android.

While Locale 3.0 is available for Android 2.2 or later, the Calendar condition requires Android 4.0 or later. To learn more about Locale 3.0, please see our release notes here http://blog.twofortyfouram.com/post/19303488607/locale-3-0

Alarm Volume Setting [updated]

2012-03-25T08:16:00-07:00

A new setting to adjust the alarm volume

Carter said:

@lukas: Sorry for the confusion about volumes. Android makes this much more complicated than it needs to be!

Locale's built-in Volume setting manages both ringer and notification volumes. (For Android 3.2 and earlier, ringer and notification can be set independently. For Android 4.0 and later, ringer and notification volumes are set at the same time, due to Android API changes.)

As of Locale 3.0, a Media Volume setting is built-in as well. This improves compatibility with tablets and portable media player devices, which only have a media volume.

We've found that settings for ringer, notification, and media volumes meets the needs of most of our users. While Android provides APIs to change voice call, alarm, and system volumes, these settings are significantly less useful than ringer, notification, and media volume. For example, an alarm clock should be loud and audible. A user might adjust the maximum alarm clock volume once in the Android settings, but automatically adjusting the alarm volume on a daily basis with Locale seems like a stretch.