There are plenty of lock screen replacement apps out there on the market, and Qualcomm has decided to enter the fray. What they have come out with the Snapdragon Glance (currently in beta testing), which is a lock screen information app that displays things such as missed calls, text messages, and app notifications right there on the lock screen. There are two caveats to having this app… first, your device needs to be running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean or higher. Next, your device needs to have the Snapdragon BatteryGuru app installed and running, as that is how Glance gets all the information it needs. Keep in mind, BatteryGuru only requires that your OS be Android 4.0 or above, so just because you have BatteryGuru installed does not mean that you will be able to use Glance. BatteryGuru is a battery monitor app that focuses on learning how you use your phone individually, and can lead to improved battery life.
Back to Glance. The app can show you your next upcoming calendar event without ever having to unlock your device. It will also, through BatteryGuru’s learning, be able to suggest what contacts to call or apps to open. Should you not want this information to be displayed, you can easily bypass it all but simply pressing the back button. Regardless of all the features that this adds, the biggest issue is privacy. With all your notifications available right on the lock screen, should you show someone your phone all that information will be readily available to them right there. The question for the normal phone user is then: Am I alright with people seeing all my notifications? If the answer to that is a yes, then this app should not pose a problem to you and your sense of privacy. If you answered no, then maybe you should consider a different lock screen replacement. All in all, this app is more of a convenience tool than anything, not really affecting what we do. It looks like it could be quite useful, but that’s just my opinion. What do you think? Will you be trying this out? Let us know that and any other thoughts down below!
Get Snapdragon BatteryGuru here. Get Snapdragon Glance here!