Glance puts the day on the Kompakt’s lock screen, so it can be seen without unlocking the phone. Under the clock and the date, in the lock screen’s own dotted rules: today’s events, the weather, and what is unread. Press a line and the phone unlocks into the app it came from.
It shows what four apps hand it, each with its own switch in its own settings:
An app that is not installed, has nothing to say, or has its switch off simply leaves no line. When there is not room for all of today, it shows the first event and how many more.
It measures where the lock screen’s own items end - the date, the charging line, Mudita’s music player - and sits below them, above the music strip Music Box and Audio Reading can draw. It works with Mudita’s launcher, inkOS, or Katapult, and stands aside while Katapult’s own lock-screen widgets are on.
To turn it on: the phone needs a screen lock, even just Swipe, and Glance switched on in Accessibility - the only way an app is allowed to draw above the lock screen. It has no permissions, no network access, and posts no notification.
Review for version 0.1.5
Author’s rating: ★★★★★ · Author of this review
That’s by design. If they both were on, it would stack in a funny way. This service is providing the same service Katapult does for people who don’t have it as their launcher (inkOS, stock OS).
Review for version 0.1.5
Author’s rating: ★★★★★ · Author of this review
You’re right. Glance was stepping aside whenever Katapult’s service was on, even when it was only there for double-tap to lock. Version 0.1.7 is out now and makes room only for what Katapult actually draws. It fits around Katapult’s notifications and music controls wherever they sit.
When there isn’t room for all of it, Glance keeps today’s events. You can change that to the weather or to what’s unread under “When there is not room for all of it” in Glance. If Katapult’s notifications sit too high for even the events to fit, drag them a little lower.
Review for version 0.1.7
Author’s rating: ★★★★★ · Author of this review
Glad it works — thanks for saying what was wrong so clearly, that’s most of what made it quick. If Katapult’s music controls ever end up covering it, let me know.
Love this ecosystem you are building! One bug I noticed with Glance - when I click on the weather shown on my lockscreen, the keypad for me to unlock my phone flashes for less than a second before reverting back to the basic lock screen. My guess is that the intention is that I can click on the weather, unlock my phone, and see more details on the Sky app, but the unlock screen/keypad does not stay visible long enough for me to do that.
Review for version 0.1.8
Author’s rating: ★★★★★ · Author of this review
Thanks for the clear description. You guessed right: pressing a line is meant to take you to the PIN pad and then into the app. With a PIN lock, Glance asked Android to unlock a moment too early, and Android dropped the request just after showing the pad. A swipe lock was never affected, which is why I hadn’t seen it.
Version 0.1.8 is out now. The pad stays up, and once your PIN is in, Sky opens.
I’ve noticed an issue that may or may not be other people’s experience. The weather on the lockscreen merely shows the info that was received the last time I opened Sky and doesn’t seem to retrieve up-to-date information behind the scenes or even when I open the lock screen. This limits its use to basically becoming another button to take me to the Sky app. Is this something other people are experiencing?
Review for version 0.1.17
Author’s rating: ★★★★★ · Author of this review
Thanks, Wahlo, you’re not the only one: mine did the same, and once I looked, it was easy to see why.
When Sky isn’t open, Android won’t tell it where the phone is, and it cuts it off from the internet a few seconds after Glance has asked for the weather. So when the lock screen asked, Sky started a new forecast and never finished it, and the old one stayed.
It’s fixed in Sky 0.7.10 together with Glance 0.1.18, so update both. Now, when you wake the phone and the weather is more than half an hour old, Glance waits while Sky fetches a new forecast, and the panel changes a few seconds later. The forecast is for the last place Sky found you, so open Sky once after updating to give it a place to start from.