#
Android devices
Android devices come with a wide range of haptic capabilities. Unfortunately, manufacturers rarely define which options are available on a specific model. You can however check the capability within the Hapticlabs Player App. The specific level and available capabilities are defined by the used actuator type as well as the software features of the smartphone manufacturer.
- Level 3 (High capability)
- Your device supports advanced haptic feedback with fully customizable intensity and frequency levels.
- Level 2 (Medium capability)
- Your device has moderate haptic capabilities, allowing for customizable intensity levels but lacking the option to adjust frequency.
- Level 1 (Low capability)
- Your device offers basic haptic feedback, providing simple on-off vibrations without customizable intensity or frequency levels.
- Level 0 (No capability)
- No haptic hardware is included in the device
#
Actuator
Depending on the model and manufacturer, different actuator types are used ranging from ERM to LRA or Voice Coil actuators. In contrary to the Hapticlabs Devkit, the available featureset is not defined by the type of actuator, but the smartphone model.
#
Playback
To experience and evaluate haptics on any Android device, download and install the Hapticlabs player App from the Playstore. It allows live playback of tracks you created in Hapticlabs Studio and also features a selection of presets.
- Download and open the Hapticlabs mobile app from the Play Store.
- Turn on Bluetooth on your computer and Android device.
- In Hapticlabs Studio, click "Select Output Device" and choose your Android device from the list.
- Wait for the connection to establish.
- Create or select a track and press play to feel the haptics on your mobile device in real-time.
The connected Android device will report its haptic capability levels to Hapticlabs Studio. In the actuator selection menu, you can select lower haptic capability levels to simulate the experience on different devices. Note that it's not possible to simulate higher capability levels than the connected device supports.
#
Deployment
Please see the Android export section for information on how to export haptic signals and deploy them on Android devices.
#
Unique features
The following features are only available with selected mobile devices and not the DevKit.
#
Audio playback
Android devices offer the possibility to play audio and haptic synchronised, essential for a great user experience. You can add audio blocks to any track and reference a .WAV audio file. Large audio files are compressed to reduce transmission time, however the original and uncompressed file is used when exporting a track.
Depending on the device capabilities, the synchronization between audio and haptic playback might vary:
Level 3: For devices with high haptic capabilities, audio and haptic playback can be synchronized with high precision because they are internally handled as one signal.
Level 2 / 1: For devices with medium or low haptic capabilities, the synchronization might be limited because the haptic feedback and the audio playback are internally triggered separately.
To align haptic and audio events, you can make use of a stereo tracks inside Hapticlabs Studio. Create two separate tracks, one containing the audio file and a second containing the haptic events.
#
Combine tracks
You can create advanced haptic experiences by combining two tracks using stereo tracks in Hapticlabs Studio.
To do so, create a new stereo-track and select two existing single-tracks as reference. These tracks can include any block type such as vibration, pulse, or audio. This feature allows you to play eg. pulses and vibrations simultaneously or cross-fade between existing patterns. Please note that this feature creates the best results on devices with high haptic capabilities.