Moto X (1st gen): How does Drive mode work in Motorola Assist?

SandmanATHF

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I had always figured Assists drive mode worked by recognizing a constant speed above some limit, but apparently that is not the case.

I sat down in my car the other day, turned it on and waited for a roommate to come out and join me. I placed my phone in the cupholder as usual and waited. Maybe 15-30 seconds later, I look at my phone and it is in driving mode!

What triggers driving mode? Does my phone sense the vibrations from the car? Recognize the angle it sits at every time I'm in the car? The radio was on, did it recognize that( could it differentiate from TV)?

This simply blew me away when this happened. I haven't tried to recreate the circumstances again.

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Ry

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Re: Motorola Assist, How does Drive mode work?

Motorola Magic. :)
 

steveg2112

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Re: Motorola Assist, How does Drive mode work?

Assist also uses connection to Bluetooth devices to help determine if you're driving. So if your car has built in Bluetooth and your phone connects that will initiate driving mode even before you start to move. Check your settings in Assist to see if any Bluetooth devices associated with Driving mode.
 

SandmanATHF

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Re: Motorola Assist, How does Drive mode work?

My car was made before Bluetooth was a big thing, so that is not how it does it. Does assist remember where I last parked my car, and when I get back in that location, put on drive mode?

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ScottMGS

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Re: Motorola Assist, How does Drive mode work?

My car was made before Bluetooth was a big thing, so that is not how it does it. Does assist remember where I last parked my car, and when I get back in that location, put on drive mode?

Could be. Google Now is starting to be able to do that.
 

limitbreak09

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Re: Motorola Assist, How does Drive mode work?

How about the radio frequency of the car?


Idk just a wild guess

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UncleMike

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Re: Motorola Assist, How does Drive mode work?

Motorola Magic. :)

+1. Whatever they're doing, it works very well for me. Aside from outward methods like connecting to bluetooth devices, I doubt they would disclose how it works internally, so it might as well be magic.
 

cordoni

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When no blue tooth is present, it is using the acelorometer in the phone.

Generally how it works is if you are traveling over 30mph, it assumes you are driving.

Test it out when riding in the wife or gf's car while they drive to prove speed activates. Or if you take subway or train.

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shaytoon21

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Re: Motorola Assist, How does Drive mode work?

driving mode has nothing to do with bluetooth, its just an option available to those who utilize bt.

driving mode turns on for me EVERY single time i sit inside ANY car even if im a passenger. majoirty of times it turns on before the car even moves.
 

ShoelerDroid

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Re: Motorola Assist, How does Drive mode work?

Driving mode and Motorola Assist don't use bluetooth as any primary means to determine driving. It uses Android activity detection, announced I believe during the KitKat roll-out but which is a part of the Google Play Services API.

It uses the gyroscope, proximity sensor, GPS and coarse location (WiFi, etc) to determine a rate of travel and if it's above some threshold and the phone isn't bobbing up and down (bike, walk, run) etc then it says you're driving. There was a cool youtube that they did as a demo in I/O last year of it of a guy on a bike (it detected that) that then started walking on a treadmill (changed) and then did something else that it detected - all with his phone in his pocket.
 

Ccota08

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Re: Motorola Assist, How does Drive mode work?

driving mode has nothing to do with bluetooth, its just an option available to those who utilize bt.

driving mode turns on for me EVERY single time i sit inside ANY car even if im a passenger. majoirty of times it turns on before the car even moves.

2014-05-05 00.37.56.png
 

ShoelerDroid

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Re: Motorola Assist, How does Drive mode work?

Yes - it uses that as a secondary means. Driving mode does NOT require bluetooth. In fact, turn bluetooth off, drive normally and you'll find driving mode figures it out after a few seconds of movement.
 

Ccota08

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Re: Motorola Assist, How does Drive mode work?

Yes - it uses that as a secondary means. Driving mode does NOT require bluetooth. In fact, turn bluetooth off, drive normally and you'll find driving mode figures it out after a few seconds of movement.

I'm aware of that. I was replying to the other guy who said driving mode has nothing to do with bluetooth, which is simply incorrect.
 

doesitmatteratall

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Re: Motorola Assist, How does Drive mode work?

I was in flight few days back. Turned off my location, mobile data, and started airplane mode. still it was able to start Driving mode. I turned off it, that i m not driving. and within few minutes, again it started the Driving mode.
 

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