I don’t and I wish I had known about them when they were still a thing.
What other forgotten accessory or innovation in Android history do you wish had taken off or would come back?
I don’t think this is android specific, but having the IR LED that allowed you to use your phone as a universal remote. I get that lots of TVs are getting fancier remotes that communicate in other ways, but there are still plenty of applications of the IR LED.
Xiaomi and OnePlus phones still have it
Strangely enough, the new ones brought it back. The old ones never had them.
Bull nuggets. My OnePlus 7 Pro didn’t.
and I use it for my AC on my POCO
I miss this too. Such an underrated feature of the Wii U gamepad too.
Man, I keep my old lgg3 limping along for just that reason.
Chinese phone brands love IR LEDs for some reason. I rarely use the IR on my phone but you can still get new phones with IR features.
Right?? I loved taking over the Laundromat TV!
iPhone/iOS didn’t have them built in, but there were dongles for it back in the 30pin dock connector days
Moto Mods. The original Magsafe Accessories champion.
I still have mine! In a drawer. Somewhere.
Home screen widgets are basically the same thing. The issue with these is NFC doesn’t work unless the phone is unlocked, or you rooted it to allow NFC all the time.
I dislike the hassle rooting has become. I have to weigh the benefits vs. managing my banking apps, etc.
Ah the Nexus 5. The phone that took me away from Apple, still to this day. Great phone with a shit camera.
A shit camera, but it was also the first Nexus phone with a passable camera 😵💫
That’s kinda clever, and I’m pretty sure you could still make those work with something like NFC Tools / NFC Tasks. Now I’m wondering if there’s a cheapo clone of it on Aliexpress or something.,
Looking into their FAQ that seems likely
The app shows as unsupported on the Play store? Sadly Google recently updated their minimum target requirement API version, forcing an update. Migration to a newer API version broke too many things, not practical to fix given the very limited amount of stock left. Please download the app .apk here. Please note that you may need to enable app installation from unknown sources. Alternatively you can use any of the many NFC tag automation apps on the play store.
Also answered my other big question
Will it work with my case? DIMPLE can be attached directly to your case instead of to the surface of your device. Unless the case is made out of metal, you should be fine.
I figured it would since I’ve never had a problem with NFC payment but it’s nice to have reassurance. Now I want to see what exists in 2024 for the novelty. I’m not sure what I’d use it for. Maybe a Shazam button.
Still have it and still using it! Since NFC has been a mainstay on Android for a decade now, it is still compatible with new phones.
That’s awesome. What do you use it for?
For apps and actions that I use semi-frequently, like opening payment apps or password or authenticator apps.
For people who got phones with 5 cameras and decide “this doesn’t trigger my trypophobia badly enough”
i miss the nexus
I think Moto comes with a stylus pen, they used to at least. I never really used it.
I wish Samsung wouldn’t have limited it to their ultra line.
There was also a similar product that made your headphone jack a button. Nonetheless, I don’t really think phones need more physical buttons these days.
