Develop Bugs

screen dims/brightens when I scroll

I notice this in opera, and today in the facebook app too, and was really baffled. The effect is quite subtle, but repeatable. When moving my finger around the screen, eg on the bbc news website panning to the top left, my screen dims. It stays dim when I remove my finger, and brightens again when I pan back down to the right.
Weird, huh?
So far it's just a curiosity and not an annoyance. Has anyone else seen this?

So I am not the only one who noticed this. I sometimes find this behaviour a bit annoying, especially in low light.

The phone has an ambient light sensor. It is adjusting because you are causing a shadow over it.
You can probably turn it off

Under the power settings/backlight - auto adjust backlight. Just uncheck it.

Any idea where the sensor is located?

Do you really think it is the ambient/light sensor? I sure don't. Scrolling through different websites I can easily reproduce this:
You scroll from one point to another, this just has to be a couple of pixels, and the screen adjusts the brightness. That is within a room with a fixed source of light and I am keeping my body as constant as possible to avoid the shadowing.
Scrolling from point A to point B makes the backlight adjust itself, even without casting any shadows or similar. Scrolling back from B to A makes the backlight instantly adjust itself back.

It's your finger causing the shadow, not your body. If you introduce an object into an ambient light source, you will find that said object will reduce the ambient light by a percentage due to partial or total obstruction. The light sensor is detecting this percentage and adjusting the screen accordingly.
The sensor itself is somewhere near the speaker.

I'm pretty sure this doen't have anything to do with the light sensor UNLESS it's cause by the screen itself becoming brighter and this registering on the light sensor, eg internal light leak.
My best guess is that it's connected to the presence/absence of certain colours on the screen, and is related to the video driver. Next time I get it I'll see if I can reproduce when scrolling via the kbd, to eliminate the theories about casting shadows on the screen.

This is not FINGER SHADOW!!!
You can notice this same thing when you plaing Solitare cards and using Stylus.
I'm sure i did't do any shadows and anyway when i pick up any card and moving aroud screen u can notice screen brighting up and down.

Using Opera 9.5, on this site http://game-board.blogspot.com/2008/05/alternative-monopoly-rules-and-game.html zoom in with double-click, scroll about half way down to the paragraph beginning "property has too much pollution on it", then scroll up and down and notice the change in screen brightness. please post if you can repeat. it does not work with the keyboard.
btw, does anyone know monopoly "bloodbath" alternative rules?

I've noticed my screen doing this without causing any shadows & without even touching the screen at all, like a 'breathing effect' when it is completely idle. I think it has something to do with light sensor polling interval which is editable via the registry, advance config and HD tweak...but since I flashed NRGZ ROM (21/08/09 build) this issue has gone anyway.

Light Sensor?

The Desire seems to quite blatantly have a light sensor due to the automatic flash, buttons lighting up in low light and automatic brightness setting.
However, I can't see the sensor on the phone?
Any idea where it is?

I think I read something somewhere about it being above the screen, next to the HTC logo. Gee, I'm SO useful

If you hold your screen agains the light at an angle, you'll see it.
It's on the left from HTC logo -- directly opposite from where LED light is.

Setting to disable dimming on white screens?

So the Lumia 900 dims the screen based on white pixel percentage (for battery) like the Focus and Focus S. Is there an extra settings option to disable this like on the Focus S?

What I'm asking is if there is an 'Extra Settings' category in the settings menu with a field called auto display intensity (like on the Focus S). Thanks.

I'm not seeing it. Today starts my 30-day trial to see if it can pull me away from my investment into Android and my HTC Desire..

I think you can just turn off the Auto brightness. There are no other display settings like on the Samsung WP7's
Sent from my Lumia 900 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App

Yeah, the screen looks a little dim on the auto setting. Someone said that is the way AMOLED screens are. When you disable the auto and change the setting to high, it looks great. I just wonder what the effect on the battery life will be.

I recommend disabling auto-brightness and setting to medium. I personally use low indoors and medium outside. Auto-brightness should be off to save power.

The original poster is correct. Even on Bright with auto turned off, the message area is grey'ish, but white everywhere else seems fine. I went and tested it with the Focus Flash, and it had the same behavior, except when you turn off the "auto display intensity" (or words to that effect) it goes white. I think the Nokia has the exact same behavior, except that we don't have a control to turn it off. I'm keeping my screen on bright to alleviate this, and I know it's hurting the battery to do so.

Seed 2.0 said:
I recommend disabling auto-brightness and setting to medium. I personally use low indoors and medium outside. Auto-brightness should be off to save power.
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Auto brightness = dims based only on the ambient light sensor. Auto display intensity = dims based on % of white pixels on the screen.

drleospaceman said:
Auto brightness = dims based only on the ambient light sensor. Auto display intensity = dims based on % of white pixels on the screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know of a way to switch the Auto Display Intensity?

Is there a fix to this? I got my Lumia today and when I opened the browser and loaded Google it seemed very dim. Even if you change the background of the phone to white instead of black, it looks almost grey and dimmer than some of the other whites on the phone. Is it a bug? Should I replace the phone for another one, or are they all like this?

unity04 said:
Is there a fix to this? I got my Lumia today and when I opened the browser and loaded Google it seemed very dim. Even if you change the background of the phone to white instead of black, it looks almost grey and dimmer than some of the other whites on the phone. Is it a bug? Should I replace the phone for another one, or are they all like this?
Click to expand...
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"Feature" not a bug. Samsung presumably provides Nokia the AMOLED panel which has it programmed into the firmware. Samsung modified WP7 on the Focus S to let you disable it.

Cool LED Light Charging Tidbit Stock JB

I discovered some interesting behavior by the LED notification light on our phone since the JB update. This isn't a bug since I can confirm it is repeatable and seems to have a purpose.
Okay so while your phone is on the charger you know how the LED light comes on if the screen is off? Hold the phone in your hand and make sure the screen is on. Turn the screen off with your power button and notice the brightly lit LED light (red or green, depending on your charge state). Now, turn the screen back on and set the phone down on a flat surface. Turn the screen off again now and notice the LED is much dimmer.
Another thing to try is to turn off the screen while the phone is in your hand to get the bright LED and then set it down. The LED will set itself to a dimmer state after some time goes by. Cool, huh? Seems to be designed that way to more efficiently sip the juice while charging.
Class dismissed!
EDIT: poit correctly determined the reason behind the intensity of the LED light is directly related to the ambient light in the phone's immediate environment. Kudos to poit!

Cool.

satur9ine said:
I discovered some interesting behavior by the LED notification light on our phone since the JB update. This isn't a bug since I can confirm it is repeatable and seems to have a purpose.
Okay so while your phone is on the charger you know how the LED light comes on if the screen is off? Hold the phone in your hand and make sure the screen is on. Turn the screen off with your power button and notice the brightly lit LED light (red or green, depending on your charge state). Now, turn the screen back on and set the phone down on a flat surface. Turn the screen off again now and notice the LED is much dimmer.
Another thing to try is to turn off the screen while the phone is in your hand to get the bright LED and then set it down. The LED will set itself to a dimmer state after some time goes by. Cool, huh? Seems to be designed that way to more efficiently sip the juice while charging.
Class dismissed!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The LED brightness seems keyed to the ambient light sensor. It's it's in a dim environment (or you have the sensor blocked) when you turn off the screen, the LED will be dim. If it's in a bright environment when you turn off the screen the LED will be bright.

Mine didn't change at all stayed dim. Got me thinking though, could it be adjusting for how bright it is?
It sure does if I go to a bright room my indicator is bright. Dim room and a dim indicator. While charging if you set the phone down if and while bright it will go dim.

poit said:
The LED brightness seems keyed to the ambient light sensor. It's it's in a dim environment (or you have the sensor blocked) when you turn off the screen, the LED will be dim. If it's in a bright environment when you turn off the screen the LED will be bright.
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I believe you are correct. I thought it had something to do with gyroscope sensor(hence why it was dim on a flat surface). But I just tried it somewhere with more light and your assessment is correct. Bright environment equals bright LED. Dim environment equals dim LED. Still cool!
:good:
P.S. - this is best tested in a dim room with a lamp you can shut on or off. Lamp on = bright LED, etc. The LED will go back and forth while you play with the lighting.

satur9ine said:
I believe you are correct. I thought it had something to do with gyroscope sensor(hence why it was dim on a flat surface). But I just tried it somewhere with more light and your assessment is correct. Bright environment equals bright LED. Dim environment equals dim LED. Still cool!
:good:
P.S. - this is best tested in a dim room with a lamp you can shut on or off. Lamp on = bright LED, etc. The LED will go back and forth while you play with the lighting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or you could just cover the light sensor like I just did and then remove your hand.

S9 / S9+ Ambient Light sensor disabled in stock... Ish rom

The notification led is connected to the ambient light sensor so in a dark room the led is dim, in a light room the led is bright.
However if you're out and about in even a slightly bright day and take your phone out of your pocket (which is dark) you can barely see the led because it's been in your dark pocket.
This isn't a hardware limitation, if you install Resurrection Remix or Liniage OS the led is bright all the time.
I'm running a stock based custom os because of the camera quality.
I just wondered if anybody has worked out a way to either disconnect the led from the ambient light sensor or even disable the light sensor all together... I don't use it.
I've tried the Xposed Sensor disabled but it didn't work on either BRF5 or ARC5

batfink1 said:
The notification led is connected to the ambient light sensor so in a dark room the led is dim, in a light room the led is bright.
However if you're out and about in even a slightly bright day and take your phone out of your pocket (which is dark) you can barely see the led because it's been in your dark pocket.
This isn't a hardware limitation, if you install Resurrection Remix or Liniage OS the led is bright all the time.
I'm running a stock based custom os because of the camera quality.
I just wondered if anybody has worked out a way to either disconnect the led from the ambient light sensor or even disable the light sensor all together... I don't use it.
I've tried the Xposed Sensor disabled but it didn't work on either BRF5 or ARC5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Turn off Automatic screen brightness? Is the LED not connected to the screens brightness level?

Ummm, actually when I said I don't use the light sensor, I figured it was obvious that I don't use automatic screen brightness (since it uses the ambient light sensor).
Anyway, no.. The led isn't connected to the screen, it's connected to the same sensor as the screen... The ambient light sensor.
You can tell the screen to ignore the ambient light sensor by turning off automatic screen brightness, that however doesn't turn off the sensor.. So the notification led is still controlled by the light sensor.

Have you tried any of the notification apps on Play or Samsung Appstore? There's quite a few free ones available on Play but I've never had the need to try any on this phone.

I've tried them all, I like lightflow the best.
They let you control the brightness up to 100%, but that's 100% of the brightness controlled by the ambient light sensor which in turn answers to the Samsung software.
*Sigh*, if I can't find an answer, I might take my balls in my hand and open one of the phones and physically disconnect the sensor.. It's only a cable with a plug.
I also have an S8+ and it does the same thing.

batfink1 said:
I've tried them all, I like lightflow the best.
They let you control the brightness up to 100%, but that's 100% of the brightness controlled by the ambient light sensor which in turn answers to the Samsung software.
*Sigh*, if I can't find an answer, I might take my balls in my hand and open one of the phones and physically disconnect the sensor.. It's only a cable with a plug.
I also have an S8+ and it does the same thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, if you do let us know how it comes out.....the sensor not the balls.

Has anyone solved the troublesome problem?