Get Active Notifications like Moto X on other Android Smartphone
# Enhancing Your Android Experience: A Deep Dive into Active Notifications with AC Display
## Introduction
Hello, this is Ranji, and I wanted to share something exciting with you today. If you've been following my content, you know that I’ve been experimenting with the Moto X smartphone and its unique feature called **Active Notification**. This feature allows you to preview notifications directly on your device’s screen without unlocking it—a pretty cool functionality!
But here’s the best part: this kind of feature isn’t limited to the Moto X. With a few third-party apps, you can enable similar functionality on almost any Android device. Over the past three weeks, I’ve tested several apps for this purpose and found some excellent solutions. Today, I’ll walk you through my findings and demonstrate how you can achieve this on your own device.
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## The Apps That Make It Possible
I tested three main third-party apps to replicate the Active Notification feature:
1. **Dynamic Notifications**
2. **Active Notify**
3. **AC Display**
Out of these, I’ve settled on using **AC Display**, and that’s what I’ll focus on in this article. This app is minimalistic and does the job without overwhelming you with features.
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## How It Works: A Step-by-Step Guide
Let’s dive into how AC Display works and how you can set it up on your device.
### Step 1: Downloading and Installing AC Display
AC Display is a free app available on the [Android Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.alephsecurity.acdisplay). Here’s what you need to do:
1. Open the Play Store on your Android device.
2. Search for “**AC Display**” and install it from the official store.
Once installed, launch the app and follow these steps:
### Step 2: Enabling Notifications in Settings
To make AC Display work with notifications, you need to enable it in your phone’s settings.
1. Go to **Settings > Apps > [AC Display] > Notifications**.
2. Enable notification access for AC Display.
This allows the app to monitor incoming notifications and display them on your screen without unlocking your device.
### Step 3: Customizing Notification Settings
You can tweak the settings to suit your preferences. Here’s how:
1. Open the **AC Display** app.
2. Navigate to the **Settings** menu.
- Adjust the notification timeout (I’ve set mine to 15 seconds).
- Customize other options like screen brightness and display effects.
These adjustments ensure that the notifications appear only when you want them to.
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## A Glimpse into How It Performs
Let’s see how AC Display works in action. I’ll simulate receiving a notification while my phone is in standby mode:
- The notification appears on the screen as soon as it arrives.
- You can tap on it to view more details or unlock directly to the app.
Here’s a demonstration:
1. **Receiving a Notification**:
- My device is in standby mode, and I receive a message.
- The notification pops up on the screen without any interaction required.
2. **Tapping to View**:
- I tap on the notification to read it fully.
3. **Unlocking Directly to the App**:
- From the notification preview, I can choose to unlock directly to the app (e.g., Messages or WhatsApp).
This functionality is incredibly handy for certain use cases, but there are a few limitations.
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## The Pros and Cons of AC Display
### Benefits
- **Convenience**: You don’t need to unlock your phone to view notifications.
- **Power Efficiency**: Works seamlessly on Super AMOLED screens, which consume less power when displaying notifications.
- **Compatibility**: The app works well across devices like the Galaxy S5 and Nexus 5.
### Limitations
- **Not Ideal for Pockets**: If you keep your phone in your pocket, this feature might not be useful since the notification appears briefly before disappearing.
- **Lack of Moto X-Level Functionality**: Unlike the Moto X, AC Display doesn’t support features like notifications when picking up the phone.
Despite these limitations, I find AC Display particularly useful for my office setup, where I keep my phone on my desk. It allows me to read notifications without constantly unlocking the device.
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## Final Thoughts
In conclusion, if you’re looking for a way to enhance your Android experience with active notifications, **AC Display** is an excellent choice. It’s free, easy to set up, and works across various devices. While it doesn’t match the advanced features of Moto X, it gets the job done effectively in most scenarios.
Thank you for watching this video. If you found it helpful, don’t forget to give it a thumbs-up and subscribe to my channel for more tech tips and Android hacks. I’ll see you in the next video!
This is Ranji signing off. Stay tuned for more exciting content!