Our author Nils slowly becomes at his wits' end when he gets into trouble with his neighbors. But thanks to Google, there may be a new light at the end of the tunnel. (Illustration: Stock.adobe.com – Backup_studio)
It has now been nearly nine months since I first told you about the alarm problems with my neighbors.
The crux of the problem is cell phone vibration early in the morning in the apartment above us.
Talking to neighbors hasn't helped so far. But Google may be getting involved in the hack with a new mobile feature for Android 15.
What is the advantage of a cell phone?
We are talking about the so-called Adaptive vibration
which colleague Linh has already informed you about.
It uses sensors to detect the surroundings of the cell phone and adjusts the vibration intensity accordingly.
- Cell phone on one Soft base Like a sofa, the vibration is automatically set to a fairly strong level.
- On the other hand, if it is on one Hard surface Like a bedside table, the function reduces the vibration force.
Maybe a blessing for me: adaptive vibration expected for Android 15. (Image: googlewatchblog.de)
When will the Android feature come and to whom?
Adaptive Vibration is already part of the current Beta 2 build of Android 15. It could therefore appear with the release of the final version expected in Q3 2024.
So far, the beta feature has only appeared for Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 8 Pro owners. However, it is still quite possible that Adaptive Vibration will appear with Android 15 for all suitable mobile phones equipped with the required sensors.
This feature can be very useful in different scenarios, such as quiet environments like a library.
It can also help us finally stop waking up so early because of our neighbors' cell phone vibrating. But what exactly is happening?
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An alarm clock that wakes up the wrong people
Our neighbor's son lives in the room above our bedroom. He uses his cell phone to wake him up, with the ringtone and vibration on.
His alarm doesn't always go off at the same time, but it tends to go off very early. For example, at 5 am.
I know this well because it has rudely woken me and my wife from our sleep countless times at this and similar times.
The reason is not the ringtone, but the vibration. Because it transmits to us very loudly through the furniture and the wall.
But do you know who this alarm clock is that doesn't wake you up? Exactly, our neighbors. Neither the son, nor the parents, nor his sister.
The most annoying thing about this is that the alarm vibrates not only for a few minutes, but sometimes for half an hour at a time or even longer.
Yes, you read that correctly. For half an hour each time.
In such cases, it only performs a wake-up function for us. But why would you set an alarm like that if it only wakes up the neighbors?
Questions often come to nothing
There has yet to be a satisfactory answer to the above question from our neighbors, although we have asked it several times.
I didn't talk to them again about it at lunchtime until last Saturday, after I rang their doorbell again early in the morning to stop the annoying shaking again.
The first reaction was that nothing would shake. But I certainly don't wake up at 5 a.m. several times a week to ring my neighbors' doorbell just for fun.
Self-help is possible to a limited extent
There are different ways to block annoying noise, but in our case they only help to a limited extent.
Earplugs are an obvious way to quickly solve the problem yourself. But the whole matter has several points:
- We have two young children, so we didn't want to be sound isolated from our surroundings all night.
- Neither I nor my wife like to sleep with earplugs because we find them uncomfortable.
- Low frequency vibration noise is only partially blocked by earplugs.
Another option is custom solutions from audiologists that only block low frequencies. But the Android Adaptive Vibration feature can also come in handy.
Recommended steps for problems with neighbors
It is always recommended to seek a friendly conversation between neighbors as a first step. If multiple parties are affected, unlike in my case, it can add extra weight if different residents comment on it. But there should not be one or two front formations These are against us
-The climate is coming.
If there is no improvement at all, it is also possible to contact the property management. If there are clear violations of the night rest policy (which is not nationally regulated), the police may also be called if necessary. However, you should only take such actions if there is no other option and frequent friendly but firm conversations do not help.
What then?
A good neighborhood is important to us. That's why we will continue to talk to our neighbors for the time being.
I know it hasn't helped yet. But at the end of my last conversation with them, they at least mentioned taking new actions on their own initiative, which again gives me some hope.
This includes the possibility of purchasing a new device, such as a daytime alarm, as our colleague Alana has already tested. I would also offer to turn off the vibration in my neighbor's alarm myself if lack of knowledge is the issue.
And who knows – maybe soon a new compromise will be found through adaptive vibration that will solve our problems. In the end, neither my neighbors nor I want to keep ringing their doorbell early in the morning.
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