u/hamillhair

Hi all

I posted about this a little while ago seeking testers. I am pleased to announce that my screen-locking app is now live on Google Play, entitled "Gamelock Overlay". I made it for The Tower specifically (though it obviously works with anything).

What it does:

• Switches the screen off: saves power, helps prevent the phone from overheating (thus protecting the battery), prevents screen burn-in from long runs.
• Locks the phone: You can leave the game running, but have your actual phone locked. So, if someone nicks it while you're in the middle of a run, the rest of your data is protected long enough for you to report it stolen and brick it.

Monetisation:

Monetisation is simple. I strongly dislike ads and subscriptions so this app has neither. Download is free, you get a 14-day full-featured trial period, and then if you like it, it is a small one-off purchase to keep it. That is all.

I'm happy to field any questions.

EDIT: To clarify because someone asked, it doesn't actually switch the screen off but adds a black overlay. For OLED screens (which is almost all phones these days), this is functionally the same thing and is how every other screen dimming app works, but for older IPS screens it isn't. They will still benefit, but to a lesser extent because the backlight is still on.

EDIT 2: Also, to be specific, when I say it locks the phone I mean it uses biometrics. It doesn't just block accidental touches (though it does that too).

Sidenote: Mods, I checked the subreddit rules and I don't think this post is in breach of them, but please let me know if it is.

Hi everyone. Not a game, but a gaming utility app that is closely related and I think relevant to people on here.

I'm into a game called The Tower, an idle-but-not-really-idle game that requires your phone to be open and unlocked for hours at a time. I gather that there are quite a few games that do this.

I was lucky because I started with an Asus phone, that had a handy gaming app called Game Genie that could dim the screen while runs were going on, which was very useful. Unfortunately, for reasons that should be obvious to everyone familiar with these types of games, the battery died and I replaced it with a Pixel. No more screen dimming. I checked out the various dimming apps that people recommend and discovered that all of them had some combination of poor implementation, core features locked behind paywalls, gimmicky automation, either no or poor security and expensive and complicated monetisation.

Hence, I decided to create my own. I have called it Gamelock (see video for how it works, using The Tower as an example game). It solves all the problems that I have had. Features are as follows:

• Doesn't touch the game: Doesn't affect the TOS. The Tower can continue to run at full speed below the app. The app just protects your phone. It doesn't touch The Tower at all.
• Full screen dimming: Can set brightness to zero, which on AMOLED screens is equivalent to switching it off. This saves power, helps protect your battery and prevents screen burn-in.
• Full security: When the lock is active, everything is shut behind biometrics. The game can keep running, but if someone steals your phone they can't access anything on it.
• No automation gimmicks: At first glance, this might sound like a bad thing - no automated pocket detection, and no automated game detection. However, what these apps don't tell you is that these features require the app to be active (and therefore draining battery) continuously. No automation means that my app is slightly more manual. However, it also means that it genuinely saves power. It is only active when you are actually using it.
• Honest monetisation: Or, at least, it will have when it's released. I have a moral objection to ads, subscriptions, paywalls and everything else. The way this will work is simple. A 14-day full-featured free trial, then pay once and keep it forever.

In order to get it onto the Play Store so everyone can use it, I need to complete a closed beta test. Hence, I am looking for about 30 or so volunteers to take part. If you would like to participate and try it out, please DM me your Google Play account email address so I can add you to the list. I will then DM you the link that will take you to a custom play store page where you can download it. Everything goes through Google Play, so you can be assured there is no funny business.

In return, anyone who takes part will get a free lifetime license, so you can keep the app without paying anything.

AI disclosure

Generative AI (Claude) was used for writing and debugging code in Android studio.