Screen Suite: Lock screen and utilities

Features

Frequently asked questions

1. I keep on getting "Application not licensed" message.  How do I stop this?
   Screen Suite utilizes the Android licensing infrastructure to verify app purchases.  This message occurs when Screen Suite cannot contact the Android market if the app was purchased legally.  Click the "Verify" to be redirected to Screen Suite home screen.  Ensure you have data service (access to the internet) on your phone and click the verify button.  This will contact the Android license servers and verify your purchase.
2. How do I override the HOME button on the lockscreen?
   By default, the Screen Suite lockscreen protects you from unwanted button presses and pocket dialing even when your HOME button is pressed.  This is because the Screen Suite lockscreen overlays your device's default lock screen when the screen shuts off (with some exceptions i.e. Force mode).  Hitting the HOME button then only displays your default lockscreen for five seconds, but still prevents access to any phone functions.  However, this is not the case during calls and with the Custom (Force) option.  So we introduced HOME control functionality that completely prevents a HOME button override.  Here is how to configure this:
   • Hit your HOME button after installing Screen Suite.  You will be presented with a menu (titled "Complete action using") to select your default HOME app.
   • Click the "Use by default for this action" checkbox and select the Screen Suite Home control.
   • Screen Suite HOME control makes the custom lockscreen a "HOME" screen and prevents redirects to the Android default homescreen while your phone is locked. 
   • When unlocked, Screen Suite hands the HOME button control back to your default phone lock.
   • If there are multiple HOME apps installed on your phone, Screen Suite may pick the wrong default app to forward to when your screen is unlocked.  You can configure the default device HOME screen in the Screen Suite "HOME button override" preference.  On most Android phones, this should be Launcher, on HTC phones this will be HTC Sense
   • If after installing, you hit the HOME button and the menu above doesn't come up, that means a different app is already selected as the default HOME app. Unfortunately, Android does not allow 3rd party apps set themselves as default, so you will have to take one of two actions: uninstall and reinstall Screen Suite again, or access your device's installed apps, click on the current HOME application (usually some name variation of Launcher or Home) and select "clear data".  At this point hitting your HOME button should present you with the menu described above.
   • If you would like to clear the Screen Suite HOME button control functionality.  Hit the four corners of the custom lockscreen in clockwise direction starting at the TOP LEFT corner to reveal a menu.  Select "Clear Screen Suite HOME control" to clear.
3. I have to unlock twice even when I set the "Override phone lock" setting. How do I stop this?
   This is typically caused by interactions from other 3rd party apps, most notable are task killers, app protectors and anti-virus apps:
   Ensure that the Screen Suite app is ignored by all Task Killer and Anti-virus apps. Screen Suite does not work with App protector apps!
4. How do I change my lockscreen contact info?
   You can configure the owner and emergency info from the Screen Suite preferences. To access preferences:
   • Launch the Screen Suite application panel. You can do this from the phone's program list or from your notification bar
   • Hit your phone menu key to display the Screen Suite menu
   • Select the preferences icon
   • Look for the "Lockscreen" preferences and select "Alternate contact entry"
   • On the next screen, enter your contact info. Your entries are saved as you enter.
   • Repeat the process for your emergency contact info, selecting "Emergency contact entry" on the preferences screen

   The information you entered will be displayed the next time the lockscreen comes up.

5. I would rather not have the iPhone unlock slider. How do I change it?
   Access the Screen Suite preferences as described above and select the "Lockscreen Slider" preference. Pick and choose the slider style you like.
6. How do I removed the widgets on the lock screen?
   Access the Screen Suite preferences as described above and the enable or disable the following settings as desired:
   • Alternate contact info
   • Emergency contact info
   • Clock
   • Battery

   The control associated with each lock screen widget will be removed accordingly

7. How do I lock my screen during a call?
   You can configure your screen to lock automatically during calls in the Screen Suite preferences:
   MENU key -> Preferences -> Auto-lock during calls

   If you would rather lock only during a call, select the "System default" lock option or the "disable lockscreen" option and the Screen Suite lock will only come up during calls.

8. How do I restore my phone's default lockscreen?
   Change the lockscreen mode to "System default".  Auto-lock on call continues to work if configured.
9. How do I access Screen Suite Preferences?
   Hit phone menu key while on Screen Suite panel to reveal application menu
10. I am stuck on the lockscreen.  Help!
    Click the four corners of your screen in clockwise direction starting from the top left corner to reveal the escape menu.  Select the options in order and then hit your HOME button.

Known Issues

1. Screen Suite is not overriding my default lockscreen.  I have to unlock twice
   
   This is usually an issue with third party apps such as Task-killer and anti-virus apps.  These apps obstruct the Screen Suite operation by killing Screen Suite services that ensure proper lock screen operation.  Place Screen Suite on the exclude or ignore lists of these apps.
2. HOME key not locked (Android 1.6 only!  See Screen Suite 2.0 release notes below)
   
   This has been fixed in Screen Suite version 3.0 and above
3. Phone notification bar gets stuck
   This is an issue with pre-Android 2.0 phones, that is Android 1.5 and 1.6, excluding phones running the HTC Sense UI (like the HTC Hero). Screen Suite makes use of certain Android utilities to implement the lockscreen. Unfortunately, the older Android platforms get in a "frozen" state when displaying the notification bar. This has been fixed in Android 2.0 and above.
   The only workaround that is available at this time is to Hit your phone HOME key when the notification bar gets stuck

Version History

• Fixed more stability issues, in preparation to add more lockscreen features

• Fixed nasty but causing force closes when widgets on lockscreen are disabled in settings.  Special thanks to Christopher W. for this.

• Fixed lag on screen on.
• Fixed issue with rotating background affecting device performance
• Now resetting lock screen widgets after showing caller id

• Added stay awake auto modes.
• Added preference to display caller id on lock screen
• Fixed black screen with rotating background.  Custom background was not always ready to read from SD card.  Implemented some caching to ensure background update always takes place after read from SD card is complete.

• Fixed transparent background during call.  See through background can now be configured for autolock on call regardless of the lockscreen mode selected.
• Performance optimizations.  Fixed issue resulting in performance degradation on some devices.

• Added License check button.  Android engineers are discontinuing their copy protection services, so Screen Suite had to be migrated to their new licensing service.  Turns out this is a pain for several customers running into "Application not licensed" messages.  Added "verify" button to allow customers to initiate the license check if the initial check fails.
• Fixed call settings.  "Auto-lock on call" and "Keep lock while ringing" settings back to expected operation
• Lockscreen widget now restored to original state after displaying caller id.
• Restored flashlight utility

• Reverted lockscreen operation.  Turns out that many users will have the previous lock screen operation.  So we reverted to previous unlock behavior.
• Restored "Lock on demand" functionality with "Lock Now" button.
• Restored status bar shortcut.
• Added lockscreen "escape menu".  Touch four corners of lockscreen in clockwise order starting from the top left to reveal menu.

• New UI to support more modes and customizations.
• Rotating lockscreen backgrounds.  See a different background whenever you turn on your phone screen!
• Lock screen disable.  Disable your phone lockscreen entirely, and get to business as soon as you turn your phone screen on.  No extra swipe required.  Button presses are protected while screen is off.
• True HOME button override.  As long as the Screen Suite HOME control is selected as your default home app, HOME button presses stay on the lockscreen.
• More reliable stay awake mode.  Extra measures added to ensure task killers don't stop the stay awake service.
• Discontinued support for pre-Android 2.1 devices
• Other optimizations and bug fixes

• Added legacy mode setting  Turns out that many users will have the previous lock screen operation, so we added this setting.
• Fixed "hide status bar" with Legacy mode issue.  Now the status bar is correctly hidden when in legacy mode.

• Fixed HOME button on Android 2.0 and above!  HOME button no longer unlocks the phone screen.  Default lockscreen is displayed instead.  Prevents inadvertent screen touches.  This is not compatible with the transparent background.
• Lock screen now works with System secure pattern lock in Android 2.0 and above.  Show your contact info on top of your secure lock without allowing access to your phone.
• Buttons disabled on lockscreen.  Screen no longer wakes up on button pushes.
• Localized to German.  Special thanks to Jonas S. for this.
• Other optimizations and bug fixes
• *** Please remember to update your ratings ***  We'll also like to hear any feedback you have

• Added show status bar setting to allow disabling status bar on lockscreen.
• Added disable unlock popup setting to disable "lockscreen interrupted" popup on lockscreen
• Screen suite now half the install size
• Enabled media controls on lock screen for bluetooth headsets.
• Updated to Froyo (Android 2.2 SDK). Fixed contact card widget bugs
• Performance optimizations.
• Added Roadster Bot lock slider.
• Fixed auto relock on call for handsets with proximity sensors. Lock screen was not automatically relocking while on call for users that had the "secure unlock" configured, or disabled the "override phone lock". This should be working now.
• Changed slider preferences format. As a result, slider preferences are reset to iPhone-style and will have to be reconfigured to Android Bot. A one-time hassle that will be avoided in the future.
• Introduced AstroBot lock slider. Fully customizable slider avatar and vehicle/scene. See "Lockscreen slider" preference above
• Fixed a couple of remote instances that could lead to a force close
• More responsive slider. Now much easier to unlock
• Memory utilization and performance enhancements
• Added battery indicator to lock screen
• Improved lockscreen performance and stability
• Added VOLUME keys preference that allows VOLUME keys to be enabled on lockscreen
• Added lock screen widget preferences to hide remove unwanted widgets (i.e. Contact info, Clock, and Battery
• Added date and time to lock screen.
• Disabling "Auto-lock during call" now prevents lock screen from coming up during the duration of a call, even when the screen shuts off
• Beefed up lock operation to completely override phone lock screen. Lockscreen now self corrects when Android OS goes wayward
• Removed status bar notification completely when "Status bar shortcut" is disabled. Notification is only shown on "Stay Awake/Screen on" operation since that does not have a user interface
• Localized to Spanish.
• Reverted "Auto-lock during call" changes that resulted in lock screen getting disabled after Motorola Droid proximity sensor turns screen back on.
• Fixed "Keep lock while ringing" disabled operation. More aggressive lock screen logic was pushing lock screen back to the front when this preference was disabled.
• VOLUME keys completely disabled on lockscreen. No more beeping
• Fixed double unlock issue. On some phones, the phone default lock screen and the Screen Suite lock screen were displayed at the same time, requiring a double unlock to access the screen.
• Disabled VOLUME keys in lock screen while phone is "idle". VOLUME keys still work during calls, with the lock screen displayed
• Improved user-interface responsiveness in general
• Added new preference to auto-lock Screen Suite during calls. This locks your screen when you answer an incoming call or dial a number.
• Added "Toggle Secure Unlock Pattern" button.
• Now respecting phone secure unlock pattern. Screen suite lock no longer overrides the pattern lock screen. Screen unlock pattern is displayed when the phone screen is left unattended for a while.
• Added preference to remove Screen Suite lock screen while the phone is ringing. This allows the caller ID to be displayed while ringing as opposed to just flashing for half a second.
• Screen Suite menu is now displayed by default. Requiring the menu key to display the menu was a bit confusing.
• Initial release