The mobile screen is the main element, without it we cannot perform any other functions and therefore when the automatic brightness does not work properly due to errors with the light sensor we are faced with a difficult decision. This problem may be very difficult to solve or too simple, since we do not have any Android options at our disposal that allow us to reset it quickly.
Most users have had it happen to us at some point, the brightness of our mobile phone does what it wanted , going down or up when it didn't match. This small sensor, which is usually located at the top of mobile screens, is not perfect and is subject to errors, which in some cases are due to our usage, and in others, a bug that we can do little about.
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- Check for updates Simply by restarting your mobile phone, you can solve this problem.
Light sensor in a smartphone - what is it and how does it work?
We talk about the operation of a simple but very useful technology that is found in almost all phones.
A modern smartphone is a real computer. It is equipped with many useful functions and various sensors that have wide functionality. In some cases, a familiar pocket gadget can easily replace a computer.
At the moment, there are several basic sensors that can be found even in budget gadgets. One of them is the Camera Light Sensor. The dimmer cannot be called one of the main sensors, but its presence helps the smartphone save energy. This technology is needed to automatically adjust the screen brightness. The sensor is located above the display near the earpiece - unless you look closely, it is almost invisible.
At first glance, it may seem that a Light Sensor is not needed, because the brightness can be adjusted independently. In fact, the sensor plays an important role. Imagine a situation where you need to see what time it is at night. We activate the display, and it almost literally “hurts” the eyes with its light.
Another example: you went outside on a bright sunny day, a message arrived, and the screen brightness was reduced to minimum. With these settings, even in the shadows it will be difficult to see not only notifications, but also to adjust the brightness. If the gadget is equipped with the above-mentioned sensor (Camera Light Sensor), the screen brightness increases to a comfortable level in automatic mode.
Modern flagship smartphones and tablets can be equipped with a more advanced version - an RGB sensor. It is capable of not only automatically changing brightness, but also capturing the intensity of primary colors (red, green and blue). This allows you to better adjust the picture on the display and also adjust the balance for photos. Some phones equipped with a light sensor can measure the level of ultraviolet radiation. With its help, you can determine the suitable time of day for tanning.
If you are unhappy with the light sensor or simply do not need its functions, you can disable the sensor. This is very easy to do - lower the curtain with quick settings and uncheck “Auto brightness”. You can also turn off brightness control in Android settings.
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Samsung and user surveillance
Spyware has been included in the firmware of gadgets from the South Korean vendor for quite some time. For example, in March 2022, the antivirus company Check Point detected it in almost four dozen smartphones from various manufacturers, including Samsung. malicious components installed before sale. They identified applications that displayed unwanted advertising, and in at least one case, a mobile ransomware. All analyzed devices were used by employees of two large IT corporations. Among the 38 mysteriously infected devices are two ASUS smartphones, 10 Samsung smartphones, two Lenovo, LG, two Oppo, two Xiaomi, Vivo and ZTE models.
Many smartphones with integrated spyware are also sold in Russia. As CNews reported in November 2022, 146 different vulnerabilities were identified in smartphones from 26 large and small manufacturers, including Russian BQ and Dexp. The list also included Samsung products – mobile phones J5, J6, J7, J7 Neo, J7 Duo and J7 Pro.
In all cases, as with Qihoo 360 software, the malware was built directly into the device’s firmware. It is not possible for the user to remove them independently.
Camera Light Sensor on Samsung is eating up battery: what is it, how to turn it off?
Owners of Samsung smartphones very often complain about rapid battery drain. The reason is that a large number of applications are running in the background. The battery charge is also greatly affected by the operation of the Camera Light Sensor program. What is this, why does it drain the battery and how to turn it off on Samsung models?
Camera Light Sensor on Samsung phones is a light sensor designed to automatically adjust the brightness of a mobile device.
This utility can actively use the smartphone's charge. The reason is that the software auto-brightness function is always in operating mode when the phone is turned on. Consequently, it consumes additional battery resources.
On Samsung mobile devices, the light sensor is located above the screen on the left side.
To disable Camera Light Sensor on a Samsung phone, you need to do the following:
- Open the “Settings” section.
- Activate the “Screen” item.
- Select the “Adaptive Brightness” item by moving the corresponding slider next to the indicated inscription.
Modern flagship models are usually equipped with an advanced version of the light sensor - an RGB sensor. This utility allows you to automatically not only adjust the brightness level on your phone, but also capture the intensity of primary colors (blue, red, green).
If you are unhappy with the operation of the Camera Light Sensor, especially because it eats up the battery, then disable the sensor through the phone settings. But remember, disabling adaptive screen brightness may negatively affect the use of the sensor. The automatically set maximum brightness will hurt your eyes, especially at night.
Always On Display
Some smartphones equipped with AMOLED screens have an Always On Display (AOD) feature that allows the display to always remain on. This function first appeared in smartphones from Samsung and LG, and is now being actively implemented in Chinese flagships. AOD allows the screen to continuously display the date, time and other information in a low-power mode.
This function became feasible due to the fact that much less energy is spent on backlighting pixels in AMOLED screens than in conventional LCD matrices. However, if the Always On Display is always on, the battery spends from 5 to 20% of energy during the day. To reduce this drain, try setting a schedule to turn on AOD, or turn it off completely if you need to save battery power.
Functional
The job of the light sensor is to analyze the ambient light and take the necessary actions. What does the light sensor provide:
Automatic brightness adjustment according to the environment . When using a smartphone, you can enable automatic brightness adjustment. This is done from the quick access panel or from the settings menu.
By activating this function, the user allows the smartphone to change the screen brightness in accordance with the lighting level. The device should respond immediately when automatic tuning is turned on. In bright light the screen becomes brighter, in the dark it fades. Changing the intensity of the display allows you to save energy when necessary and comfortably use the device in the dark.
The main problems encountered in the operation of the light sensor are long response times and poor light estimation. You can configure the sensor using special applications. This can be done through the Proximity Sensor Calibration . The program allows you to configure the device's proximity and light sensor. The application must be installed and launched. After starting work, the user is given instructions at each stage.
The second stage involves taking sensor readings in a darkened state.
The third step takes readings from the free sensor.
After this, you are prompted to start calibration.
The results must be saved and the device rebooted.
The procedure will correct the situation if the screen does not go off when approaching your ear during a conversation or the sensor’s operation causes complaints. But only on condition that the sensor responds to user actions. If there is no reaction, then you need to contact the service center.
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Trojan Android app bypasses Google Bouncer checks
ESET analysts have discovered an interesting method of covert attack on Android users, which contains an interesting feature. In the Google Play app store, we were able to detect several applications that masqueraded as legitimate, but in fact contained another application with malicious functions. This built-in application was called systemdata
or
resourcea
.
This second application is secretly dropped into the device's memory from the first, but asks the user for permission to install. It is presented as a tool for managing device settings "Manage Settings". Once installed, the application runs as a service in the background.
ESET antivirus products detect applications that contain this additional application as Android/TrojanDropper.Mapin
. According to our data, India accounts for the largest number of Android devices infected with this malware.
The malware is a backdoor that gains control of the device and includes it in a botnet. The backdoor uses a special internal timer to delay execution of its payload. In this way, authors can fool various automatic file analysis systems, which may classify a file as suspicious due to its behavior. In some cases, the backdoor may wait three days before activating the payload. Most likely, this measure allows authors to bypass the verification mechanisms of the Google Bouncer file analysis tool, which Google uses to check applications downloaded to Play.
After activating the payload, the Trojan requests administrator rights in the system and begins to interact with its C&C server. Android/Mapin contains various functions, such as displaying various notifications to the user, downloading, installing and running other applications, and retrieving the user's personal information on the device. At the same time, its main function is to display fullscreen advertising on the infected device.
Malicious apps were posted on the Google Play app store in late 2013 and 2014. The app names varied, including "Hill climb racing the game", "Plants vs zombies 2", "Subway suffers", "Traffic Racer" , “Temple Run 2 Zombies”, “Super Hero Adventure” developed by TopGame24h, TopGameHit and SHSH. The exact download dates for the apps were November 24-30, 2013 and November 22, 2014. According to statistics from the MIXRANK resource, the Plants vs zombies 2 app was downloaded more than 10 thousand times before it was removed from the store. At the same time, the applications "System optimizer", "Zombie Tsunami", "tom cat talk", "Super Hero adventure", "Classic brick game", as well as the aforementioned Google Play applications with malicious capabilities, were uploaded to alternative stores Android applications by the same authors. The same backdoor was found bundled with other applications that were uploaded to the store by developer PRStudio (not to be confused with prStudio) in alternative app stores with links to Google Play. This developer uploaded at least five other Trojan applications to alternative app stores: “Candy crush” or “Jewel crush”, “Racing rivals”, “Super maria journey”, “Zombie killer highway”, “Plants vs Zombies”. These apps are still available for download from these stores. The listed applications have been downloaded hundreds of times by users.
Rice. Malicious application icons.
Rice. A malicious application that has received quite a lot of positive ratings.
Rice. Another app that has received positive reviews.
There are various options for malware execution after a user has downloaded an illegitimate application. One option assumes that the victim will be asked to run a file with malware 24 years after the first execution of the downloaded application. This method is less suspicious for the user, who believes that the startup request came from the OS. Another method involves issuing an instant request to the user. Both options are designed to trigger after a change in the network connection; for this, the malicious program registers a so-called. broadcast receiver in the manifest.
Rice. Registration so-called broadcast receiver.
After changing the connection, the user will be prompted to install a “system application”. The malicious application itself dropped onto the device may be called “Google Play Update” or “Manage Settings”.
Rice. The malicious application disguises itself as a system application.
If the user chooses to cancel the installation, the malware will display a request every time the network connection is changed. It can be assumed that the average user will be confident in the seriousness of the notification displayed and at some point will likely click the install button just to get rid of it. After launching, the Trojan runs as a service with its registered broadcast receiver, waiting for the connection to change.
When such a change occurs, the Trojan will attempt to register itself with the Google Cloud Messages (GCM) service in order to subsequently receive messages. After this, Android/Mapin will try to register the infected device on the attackers' server, sending there information such as username, Google account, IMEI, registration identifier (ID) and the name of its application package.
Rice. The process of registering a device on the attackers’ server.
In order to exclude the possibility of being removed from the system, the Trojan requires the user to activate the device administrator mode.
Rice. Prompts the user to activate device administrator mode.
The Trojan will notify the remote server that the device administrator mode has been successfully activated. Once this operation occurs, the malware will show the user advertisements in full-screen (interstitial) mode. Such advertising (interstitial ad) will be displayed to the user again every time the connection is changed. Development of this type of advertising is possible using the legitimate AdMob SDK.
Higher price - more functions!
This simple formula is known to all gadget owners. If you want to get maximum capabilities, buy a more expensive smart device, which will have more components - a gyroscope, NFC, accelerometer, etc. But if we talk about the light sensor, then it is present in almost any phone, even at a budget level.
The sensor is not something extraordinary in terms of manufacturability. However, it is capable of fulfilling an important role.
What is it needed for?
With its help, the screen brightness is adjusted automatically. That is, the user does not need to go into the parameters every time and independently select the optimal value.
Depending on the time of day and lighting, you will receive a soft image that will not strain your eyes. This is extremely useful when you decide to scroll through your Facebook feed (or any other social network) before going to bed. In complete darkness, the backlight would simply eat away at the eyes, and in the morning you would feel tension. But the presence of the device in question, integrated into the phone, has a beneficial effect on vision.
And on a sunny day, the brightness of the backlight, on the contrary, will become maximum so that you can clearly distinguish the elements on the display. Well, here a lot depends on the quality of the matrix (LED | OLED | IPS).
Which built-in (system) Android applications can be removed
Removing Android system applications using SystemApp Remover
FAQ on removing built-in applications
2. Q: What programs can be removed? A: Each user must decide for himself which system applications he does not need, then you need to see whether there may be consequences from deleting applications you do not need, if there are no consequences, then you can safely delete these applications. And if there are consequences, for example, some programs have dependencies, then you need to think about deleting them or not, for example, you don’t need Google maps and you will never use system and third-party programs that use Google maps data, then you can safely delete these maps .
4. Q: Is it possible to delete standard Google applications; will this affect the operation of the device? A: Applications (Maps, Gmail, Gtalk, etc.) are possible. Services are undesirable, since if deleted, all Google services and applications will stop working, and permanent errors may appear on the device.
5. Q: Is it possible to remove standard Google applications (Navigation, Addresses, Street View) separately from the Maps application? A: Street View (Street.apk) is possible, but the others are not, since they are part of the Maps application (Maps.apk).
8. Q: I removed the standard keyboard, after which SWYPE does not work. What to do? A: Make SWYPE system. Video instructions for installing Russian Swype:
10. Q: I can’t delete some Google applications; deleted them from the system / app , but they still work. A: Perhaps these applications are located in the data / app and you need to delete them from there as well.
How to change permissions: 1. Long tap on the apk of the application; 2. Click Permissions
Reboot the device. Once downloaded, this application should appear. Note: To install some applications (for example, Google Play Market), you need to upload the apk and change permissions not only in system / app , but also in data / app .
12. Q: Is it possible to remove the stock launcher? A: It is possible, but only if you have a stable third-party launcher, which it is advisable to make a system application. But please note that not all standard widgets can work on a third-party launcher.
Where is the light sensor located?
In most cases, it is located next to other sensors on top of the front panel of the device. Sometimes it is visually noticeable (if the body color is light), but in the case of a black color, it can blend into the background.
Manufacturers often place the module at the bottom, in one of the buttons (menu, home, return). This is exactly the case on my Xiaomi Redmi Note 4.
To check, just cover one of the indicated places with your palm near the light source. In this case, the brightness level should decrease.
It works due to a photosensitive element that measures the degree of illumination, then software algorithms carry out the actions specified in the firmware.
How to turn on the sensor?
On Android devices, simply open the notification shade by pulling the top edge. Then we activate the corresponding option. The icon may differ in appearance for different models and versions of Android.
If you don’t find such a button, then you should open the screen settings and in the “Brightness” section use the “Auto-adjust” switch:
The shutdown is performed in the same way.
Useful content:
If it doesn't work?
There may be several reasons for the defect:
- Mechanical damage to the device as a result of falling, impacts (attempts to open beer bottles and hammering nails);
- Unsuccessful installation of a custom (unofficial) version of the software. This is fraught with various negative consequences - a non-working WiFi module, a significant increase in temperature in games, etc. It is better to use exclusively licensed software from the developers of your phone;
- Use of a cover, bumper, protective glass that covers the sensor hole. This happens all the time, especially with those who order cheap accessories from Chinese online stores.
So we figured out what a light sensor in a phone is. I hope the article answered your questions.
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Samsung's reaction
Samsung responded almost immediately to the post on Reddit. Its representatives confirmed the presence of Qihoo 360 software as part of Device Care.
At the same time, Samsung did not comment on the fact that due to the presence of code belonging to Qihoo 360 in Device Care, the application regularly communicates with Chinese servers.
At the time of publication of the material, it was not known to whom exactly Qihoo 360 software could send information from user devices. However, in 2014, the company's top manager stated that Qihoo 360 would transfer any data to the Chinese government upon first request. In 2022, the company announced its plans for even closer cooperation with the Chinese authorities in terms of sending it accumulated information.
