Android’s
Daydream feature is an “interactive screensaver mode” that can activate
automatically when your device is docked or charging, keeping your
screen on and displaying information. Daydream mode can give your device
an always-on information display.
Developers
can create their own Daydream apps and Android includes a variety of
built-in options. We’ll cover what you need to know about Daydream mode
and how you can use it to make your Android device display useful
information.
What is Daydream Mode?
When
you dock your Android phone or tablet or charge it, its screen normally
stays off. When you enable Daydream mode, the device’s screen will stay
on and display the Daydream app you choose. You can use this to display
the time, weather, quotes, photos, news, tweets, or anything else that
developers write a Daydream app for.
This
feature was added in Android 4.2. If you have an old Android device
you’re not using lying around, you could try to install a custom ROM
like Cyanogenmod on it. You can then enable Daydream mode and use it to
display information.
This
feature isn’t enabled by default. To enable it, open Android’s Settings
screen, tap Display, and tap Daydream. Tap the When to Daydream option
and select when you want to use Daydream mode.
You
can then select the Daydream app you want to use. Many Daydream apps
have settings you can configure — just tap the settings button to their
right.
Clock
Daydream
mode debuted along with Android 4.2 and the Nexus 4. To demo it, Google
showed the Nexus 4 sitting on its wireless charging orb and displaying
information. If you have a Nexus 4 and a wireless charger, you can
enable Daydream mode, place it on the charger, and it will function as a
clock. The clock uses a “night mode” setting by default to appear very
dim — perfect for glancing at the time in the middle of the night if
you want to replace your old clock radio with your phone.
The time slowly fades out and moves around the screen when you use this Clock app, preventing screen burn-in on some devices.
Photos
Google
provides Photo Frame and Photo Table Daydream apps that function as
photo slideshows. You can select albums from your Gallery and your
device will flip through the photos in those albums, essentially turning
your phone or tablet into a digital photo frame. The Photo Frame app
functions as a standard photo slideshow, displaying one photo at a time,
while Photo Table displays multiple photos at once in a smaller,
thumbnailed view.
Quotes
Daydream Quotes displays
random quotes when your device is in Daydream mode. The white-on-black
text is simple and not too distracting — it may give you something to
think about if you happen to glance at your phone while it’s in Daydream
mode.
Google provides a Google Currents app, but there’s a good chance you use Flipboard instead
of Google Currents. Luckily, Flipboard includes Daydream support so you
can have your device cycle through the latest content from Flipboard,
just in case you want another device constantly broadcasting new and
interesting content at you.
More Options
These aren’t the only options. You may also be interested in:
- Website Daydream, which displays any website on screen while in Daydream mode. It’s unclear who this would be useful to, but it’s certainly flexible.
- Weather Daydream Screensaver, which displays the weather. It’s a paid app that costs $3, so you may want to try configuring Dashclock to show the weather instead. Beautiful Widgets also includes a Daydream app that displays both the time and the weather.
- Google Currents Google Play Newsstand is the new home for all your favorites news, magazines, blogs, and more. Newsstand updates and replaces Google Currents, which is …
Daydream mode is a fairly recent feature, so there aren’t as many third-party options as there are for things like Android’s home screen widgets.
It’s also tough to design good Daydreams that display useful
information in an unobtrusive fashion without overwhelming the user —
what else is there to display in Daydream mode?
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