4.2
13.8K reviews
1M+
Downloads
Content rating
Everyone
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About this app

WaveUp wakes up your phone—switches the screen on—when you wave over the proximity sensor.

I built this app because I got tired of pressing the power button just to check the time (a surprisingly frequent habit). Inspired by the great Gravity Screen On/Off. I looked for an open-source alternative and just couldn’t find one. So I made it myself!
Checkout the code: https://gitlab.com/juanitobananas/wave-up
A possibly more more up-to-date README: https://gitlab.com/juanitobananas/wave-up/#waveup

Features

Wave mode: Turns the screen on when you wave over the proximity sensor.
Pocket mode: Turns the screen on when you pull your phone out of a pocket or bag.

Both are enabled by default but can be turned off in settings.

Screen lock: cover the sensor for a second (or your chosen time) and the phone locks. Off by default, but easy to enable.

Wait, what's a proximity sensor?
It’s that invisible little thing near your phone’s earpiece that turns off the screen when you’re on a call.

Known Issues
Some phones keep the CPU running while listening to the proximity sensor and this drains battery (blame your phone, not me). Most phones don’t, so battery use is minimal.

Accessibility Services

Purpose: Used to lock the screen on Android 9+
Privacy: Used only for this, no data collected
Scope: Doesn’t spy, just locks

Permissions (yep, quite a few)

WAKE_LOCK – turn on the screen
RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED – auto-start on boot
READ_PHONE_STATE – pause during calls
BLUETOOTH / CONNECT – avoid pausing when on a Bluetooth call
IGNORE_BATTERY_OPTIMIZATIONS etc. – stay alive in the background
FORCE_LOCK – lock device (Android 8 and below)
ACCESSIBILITY_SERVICE – lock device (Android 9+)
DELETE_PACKAGES – let the app uninstall itself if needed

Uninstalling (Android 8 and older)
WaveUp uses Device Admin permissions, so it won’t uninstall the usual way. Use the 'Uninstall WaveUp' button in the app to remove it properly.

Fun fact

This is my first Android app and my first open-source contribution! I'd love your feedback or help—especially if you're into translations or just enjoy tinkering.
Open source rocks!

Translations

Help translate WaveUp! Even the English version could use improvements.
https://www.transifex.com/juanitobananas/waveup/
https://www.transifex.com/juanitobananas/libcommon/

Acknowledgments
Thanks to all who contributed: https://gitlab.com/juanitobananas/wave-up/#acknowledgments
Updated on
Apr 5, 2025

Data safety

Safety starts with understanding how developers collect and share your data. Data privacy and security practices may vary based on your use, region, and age. The developer provided this information and may update it over time.
No data shared with third parties
Learn more about how developers declare sharing
No data collected
Learn more about how developers declare collection

Ratings and reviews

4.2
13.7K reviews
A Google user
May 20, 2019
Thank you! I didn't want another app requiring me to watch ads just to regain the wave to check screen functionality I had on my Moto X-Pure on my Pixel 2XL. Lock setting does not seem to work ( vibrates but does not shut off) however that my be due to something else running on the phone and was not my primary reason for wanting the app. Update - followed instruction to enable in Pie under accessability options and the lock function now works perfectly THANK YOU!
9 people found this review helpful
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juanitobananas
May 20, 2019
There has been a big change for Android 9 and it now uses Accessibility Services so you'll need to re-enable the lock option and allow WaveUp to register as Accessibility Service. Alternatively, you could go to Android's Settings - Accessibility Services and activate WaveUp from there. Would you mind trying that? Thanks!
Derek Rowe
November 18, 2023
I'm using the fairphone 5, and very annoyed that they didn't build in a pocket mode to disable touch input when the proximity sensor is covered. This app's lock screen function works well for me. I left the wave mode off, pocket mode didn't work, vibrate before locking didn't work, changing the delay before locking did work, and I didn't test excluded apps. I'm so grateful to have the screen lock functionality working! It will make my phone so much less annoying!
21 people found this review helpful
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A Google user
September 27, 2019
I love this app! I use its functionality nearly every time I touch my phone. As others have mentioned, the app has been unstable lately (September 2019). In recent months, about the same time that my Verizon Samsung Note8 upgraded to Android P, the app began to stop intermittently. UPDATE 2019-09-27: After a security update/reboot, I saw that the accessibilty service permission was not set. I set it, and the app is working normally.
44 people found this review helpful
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What’s new

New in 3.2.22
★ Add themed icon for Android 13+

New in 3.2.21
★ Update Portuguese (Brazil)
★ Upgrade a bunch of deps

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New in 3.2.17
★ Remove 'Excluded apps' option from Google Play store versions. F-Droid ones remain fully functional. I'm sorry, but Google doesn't allow WaveUp to read list of installed apps, which is necessary for this.

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