Microsoft is introducing a new beta app for recent Lumia smartphones that lets you perform some key actions without touching the screen.

For example you can answer a ringing phone by holding it to your ear, switch to speakerphone by placing the phone face up on a table, or mute the microphone by placing it face down on a flat surface.

gestures beta

The new Gestures Beta app uses the accelerometer and proximity sensors in supported phones to recognize where the phone is. Microsoft plans to add support for more gestures in the future, possibly letting you interact with your phone without touching it at all (something you can already do on some phones from Motorola, Samsung, and others).

The app currently supports the Lumia 535, Lumia 730, Lumia 735, and Lumia 830. There’s limited support for the Lumia 530, 630, and 635 as well.

Microsoft is also updating the Glance screen to let you view your lock screen wallpaper.

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5 replies on “Lumia gesture controls let you answer calls by picking up a phone”

  1. This reminds me of HTC’s Sense software, which has had many of these features for a while now. I remember how amazing it felt back when I first got my Tilt Pro 2 and found out it could do things like auto-lock in my pocket, mute the ringer by flipping it over, and switch to speakerphone by flipping it over during a call. That was in 2009, so about five years ago now.

    1. Did you read the Blog ? Or you are on Automatic troll patrol to bash anything WP?

      1. I think Brad wrote the headline with precisely this joke in mind. Nothing to do with bashing Windows. For what… 70 years?… people answered a telephone by picking it up and saying “Hello”. No button press necessary. No swiping. Just raise to ear and speak into microphone. In the 1980s, that intuitive use began to change with the widespread adoption of cordless telephones, until today people *expect* to have to press a button, tap something, swipe something, enter a PIN, or provide some sort of biometric verification just to answer a telephone call. So yeah, it’s a bit funny that in 2014 it’s considered a fancy new feature — and actually *is* a fancy new feature — to be able to simply pick up a ringing telephone and say “Hello”.

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