Cover is bringing its situation-aware lock-screen to more Android users today after its beta test launch six weeks ago. It’s now available in the Google Play store to Android 4.1 or above firmwares in the US, Canada, and Europe. Cover’s 100 new improvements include cutting down battery drain and being better at detecting if you’re in your car, at home or at work so it puts the right apps on your lock-screen.
“The big question I had personally was whether users would understand the concept of the lock-screen” Cover founder Todd Jackson tells me about what he’s learned from its thousands of beta testers since October. “Turns out they do. We were specifically focused on building a lock-screen rather than a launcher. They like the flexibility of being able to use Cover with other launchers.”
Steamrolling over a user’s existing customization was sticking point that hurt Facebook Home’s early adoption. By acting as an interaction layer that floats on top of a user’s Android homescreen, Cover has found people more willing to adapt to how it radically alters their lock-screen.
Cover can recognize when you’re at home, work, or in you car, and shows you the apps that fit that situation. The suggestions are based on crowdsourced data at first, like that people often use Dropbox at work and Netflix at home, but Cover learns what you use in these situations too and adapts its lock-screen shortcuts. Cover’s Peek feature lets you quickly look inside your apps, and its fast-app switching drop-down menu makes it a breeze to bounce back and forth between maps, messaging, or what have you.
It’s quite nice to have a clever little app like this working in your advantage every time you unlock your smartphone’s screen. But whether all people will cope with it or if it would have the ability to provide accurate needs based on the location you are, this remains to be seen.
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