[Feature] New playback mode, Lock screen dependent

[kitsumed]

I was browsing through my old live wallpaper APKs and found a new feature that could be useful for this application. It's similar to the One Shot mode, but with more options, dependent on the device lock state.

Idea

1. Phone Opened (Locked): A static image of the first frame is displayed.
2. Device Unlocked: One Shot mode behavior. The video plays and stops on the last frame.
3. Optional Feature: We could have an option to stick with the last frame until the next device unlock. See Issue: [Feature] One shot playback option #23

Here is a video as a visual example (compressed) of a video:
https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/945a75de-2fa5-4fc3-b018-2f1710e6c43f

We could even expand on this further and add more options:

1. Phone Opened (Locked): The video starts playing until a specific point and then pauses.
2. Device Unlocked: The video resumes, and follows One Shot mode behavior. It plays and stops on the last frame.
3. Optional Feature: Option to stick with the last frame until the next device unlock. See Issue: [Feature] One shot playback option #23

Here is a video as a visual example (compressed) of a video:
https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/e7caf7d5-be2d-4368-87c9-8ec9d901d135

Update

I decompiled my old live wallpaper APKs and found they used the following intents
android.intent.action.USER_PRESENT
android.intent.action.SCREEN_OFF
android.intent.action.SCREEN_ON
along with the KeyguardManager (https://developer.android.com/reference/android/app/KeyguardManager)
if this can help.

[maocide]

Hi @kitsumed,

I've been thinking about it a lot. First off, thank you again for the CI PR... that was really helpful for me!

Regarding this feature and the research you did: While the idea of lock-state dependent playback is technically interesting, I have decided not to implement it, at least for now.

The main blockers are UI Complexity and Device Fragmentation:

1. UI Constraints: To support "playing until a specific point", I would need to build a video timeline/scrubber interface in the settings. My design philosophy for this app is strictly "Set and Forget" with simple controls; I organized already many controls under advanced to keep the fragment readable. Right now users have shown appreciation for the simple way the app can be picked up and used quickly, so I feel making the UI complex in this moment might be not a good thing for many.
2. Fragmentation Risk: Relying on KeyguardManager and USER_PRESENT creates high instability risks. Manufacturers and different launchers handle the wallpaper service lifecycle very differently during the Lock-to-Home transition. Debugging that across devices might take a lot. The feature to just change status bar colors has already shown issues on specific models as in [FEATURE] Change notifications bar color #16 due to just launcher differences.

For now, I am focusing 100% on engine stability (fixes and a watchdog in v1.1.3) and, for the moment, simpler requested features (like Speed Control #21). I'll keep this issue open as a reference because the research is valuable, but I don't think to add it to the roadmap soon.

Thanks for understanding!

[kitsumed]

I fully understand the maintenance concerns. In the future, maybe you could provide a list of recommended launchers, such as https://github.com/LawnchairLauncher/lawnchair where you can guarantee that all features should work correctly. Along with a claim that you do not wish to support individual OEM launchers as it is too mutch work.

Lawnchair for example is close to the Android stock way of working. As for Samsung, they are sadly known for doing things their own way, breaking stuff.

As for the UI constrains, while this would not be very pretty, you could put a textbox where we can put the pause time in seconds, and later potentially rework it, or not.

[maocide]

Thanks again for the ideas.

I see your point about standardizing with something like Lawnchair, but there is a technical catch that makes it tricky.

Even if a user installs a standard launcher, the Lock Screen lifecycle, which this feature depends on, is actually handled by the OS SystemUI, not the launcher app. So even on Lawnchair or Nova, a Samsung or Xiaomi phone will still use its own OneUI/MIUI lock screen logic, meaning the fragmentation issues with those specific intents would persist regardless of the launcher.

As for the UI, I want to avoid "developer-style" inputs like textboxes for seconds. I feel that to do this feature right, it would need quite some changes, because the UI is already very populated. My goal right now is to keep the app polished and simple to pick up for casual users, rather than turning it into a complex tool... even if I understand might be more appreciated by the tech-savvy.

I definitely want Undead Wallpaper to be a "universal" utility that just works out of the box for everyone.

Really appreciate the help with the CI! I just need to be careful about scope and keeping the UX clean, at least for now.