Trying S4 (after years of iPhones): ?s about motions and gestures

[Argelius1]

I'm new to the S4 after having iPhones since they first came out. (Decided to give Android a whirl since I wanted a bigger screen and more control).

And I correct in my analysis that most of the S4's whiz-bang advertised features to do with gestures and motions are way over-hyped? I thought they all sounded so cool until I actually tried using them.

Without belaboring that point, can you confirm that these gestures like air browse only work with a very few apps? For instance, I like to use Google Chrome, but it doesn't support gestures and only Samsung's built-in browser does? Just wanting to make sure I've got this correct. And I have get to get the screen capture gesture to ever work. Do like the "turn over to mute a call", which works consistently.

I know nobody knows for sure what Verizon/Samsung will do, but is there any consensus on if other apps will be able to make their apps "gestureable", or is this much-touted feature always going to be limited to a few designated apps?

 

[MooPenguin32]

You are correct that the gestures and motions currently only work with Samsung apps. This will most likely remain the case in the future.

 

[SpookDroid]

So far Samsung has decided that their gesture API is not going to be open YET... they did release it as a test to Flipboard, and they DO plan to release it to the public in a later stage, but so far, most of them are confined to Samsung/System apps. The "Turn to Mute" option? You'd probably lose that one too if you switched to a 3rd. party dialer app...

 

[garublador]

You are correct that the gestures and motions currently only work with Samsung apps. This will most likely remain the case in the future.

That's my guess, too.

Strangely enough, the screen capture gesture is the only one I've gotten to work consistently. You need to actually touch the screen with the side of your palm and swipe across it.

As for the flip to mute, if you download Tasker and learn to use it you can do way more stuff like that. People have even emulated the air gesture to answer the phone using the proximity sensor on older phones. For example, I have mine now where it turns on speakerphone if the phone is horizontal during a call and there isn't anything near the proximity sensor. Otherwise it turns speakerphone off.