Ambient Display vs. Pulse Notification

[kyoo]

Which one are you using and why?

More importantly, which one uses less battery? I have to imagine unless you're getting pinged a lot, ambient display will use less just because once you get a notification, pulse will keep blinking until you check it.

I've been using pulse notifications almost ALL my android life but recently considering switching to ambient display, if it uses less battery as I've heard. It also helps that I just recently figured out how to use it - if the phones lying down, if I pick up the phone and quickly move it into a vertical position, it lights up. I remember turning it off on my OPO because I couldn't figure out how it worked and it would keep coming on and off as it bounced along in my passenger seat.

The only thing it doesn't provide is notification after the fact - which, I probably don't need given how often I check my phone. Thinking it will also save by letting me check my phone without turning the screen all the way on - one thing pulse doesn't do, obviously. I think whether or not I keep it will depend on how sensitive it is coming on. Once it's in ambient display, touching the screen will pull screen all the way on, which can be problematic. Also will just be annoying if it keeps coming on by itself. It's kind of slow also.

 

[kappadappa]

I use the LED myself. Ambient display is too hit or miss as far as turning on when moving the phone. Easier to just press the power button. Plus - and this was the big reason - when the phone was in the pocket of loose fitting pants and doing an activity like assembling Ikea furniture the emergency dialer got activated several times.

I LOVED Active Display on my previous Motorola Droid Maxx, but Ambient Display isn't implemented in the same way. As you mentioned, any touch on the screen turns on the entire screen with Ambient Display, and that can lead to accidental presses too easily.

So, LED pulse for me.

 

[Titan206]

I use both at the same time. Battery hit should be negligible, so why not use both?

 

[N4Newbie]

I use both at the same time. Battery hit should be negligible, so why not use both?

Agreed.

 

[y2whisper]

I use both. not sure why I keep contemplating turning of ambient display just cause I get annoyed when it keeps coming on even though the device is just laying on my desk.

 

[archermoo]

I use both. And I've got a pebble watch.

 

[Go0gle]

I hated ambient display, even if i just bumped my desk it would turn on, but I love notification lights, so I just use the light. The 6P's notification light also looks a lot more "crisp" and professional than the one on the previous Nexus phones.

 

[sangs]

With the pulse light, what's the battery hit if it's blinking all night long while I sleep?

 

[Go0gle]

With the pulse light, what's the battery hit if it's blinking all night long while I sleep?

As far as I can tell, zero. I also think it stops pulsing or greatly increases the interval between pulses after a while (Maybe someone else can confirm but it seemed that way to me). A tiny LED like that should use almost zero power regardless - not to worry.

 

[tech_head]

I use both.
I don't see any real battery impact one way or the other.

 

[sstephen17]

I too disabled ambient display because it was so hit and miss. Even when it was enabled, I didn't notice any battery drain.

 

[kyoo]

OP here - I've been using ambient display and it definitely is hit or miss - but I kind of like it otherwise. I also do believe it uses less battery than pulse. I would regularly see the phone drop 1% with pulse by morning. phone now literally stays at 100% after the switch. I sleep from about 11-12 to 7, and I know I pretty much get an email or msg as soon as I start sleeping every night, so pulse is going for the majority of that time.

I don't know ambient display's frequency when it's in doze, but anyway it truly uses hardly any battery since most of the screen is off, which is also why I'm willing to live with it turning on once in a while when it gets jossled around.

1 tip - to check the phone, I leave it in horizontal position, and quickly jerk it up to vertical position, which works every time. like I said, indirect battery usage difference - with pulse, I wake the screen to see what the notification is. with AD, I just activate AD and see all my notifications

 

[N4Newbie]

OP here - I've been using ambient display and it definitely is hit or miss - but I kind of like it otherwise. I also do believe it uses less battery than pulse. I would regularly see the phone drop 1% with pulse by morning.
...

Ummm... Does that 1% really matter much in the overall scheme of things?

 

[Saturn1217]

I also use both. Ambient display is great for telling me exactly what message I am getting when the phone is sitting within reach while I work (aka important email or spam). The notification led makes sure I don't miss anything if I happen not to be looking at my phone when the notification came in.

I also have an app installed to turn on my phone when it is lying on a table using the proximity sensor. So far my battery life is still impressive so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[syspry]

I was using both but I ended up just going with ambient display alone. My reasoning is that the odds of me needing a constantly pulsing LED to tell me I had a notification was superfluous considering that if it's been that long since I checked for notifications, the phone will have been in my pocket on vibrate or do not disturb anyway and I'm going to see it when I pick it up, pull it out, or power on the screen regardless. AD has been working as intended for me to let me know if I get a notification when my phone is within reach but the screen is off, or when I'm not in the room but happen to pick up my phone or pull it out of my pocket so that's all I really need. I guess a couple of people are saying that's not happening for them, but it is for me.

 

[Lepa79]

Have both on. Life is short, enjoy your phone to its fullest. Lets stop the silliness

 

[Li Le1]

I've got a pebble watch.

 

[jdot104]

I don't notice any battery drop with ambient display on, but I still think I'm gonna disable it after about a month with the phone. It doesn't really work unless I stand the phone fully upright. That's kind of annoying because if I pick my phone up when I'm getting out of the car or something, the screen always turns on (which makes stuff start vibrating) if I happen to have my thumb on the screen. The LED is good enough.