How to use Advanced Interactions on the BlackBerry Priv

Although the Priv is, for the most part, a stock Android experience, BlackBerry did bring some of their own special functions over to the device in various ways. One set of features in particular that was brought over from BlackBerry 10 is the Advanced Interactions. Using Advanced Interactions, Priv owners do such things as flip their device over to mute incoming calls, save battery life by placing the device face down on a flat surface and have the screen stay on longer when you hold it in your hand. Enabling and disabling Advanced Interactions is all fairly simple. Here is how you can do that and some brief explanations of which each option does.

Accessing Advanced Interactions

In order to access the Advanced Interactions settings, you first need to be on the home screen of your Priv. From there, tap on the launcher menu so you can see all installed apps listed. Then, go to Settings, scroll down until you find Advanced Interactions and tap on that. Once inside, you should see all three of the Advanced Interactions listed. You can enable and disable as you see fit by tapping on the switches to the right.

Advanced Interactions Options

Flip to mute

Flip to Mute

If this feature is turned on when you receive a call, and it isn't a convenient time to respond, you can turn your device face down on a flat surface to silence the ringtone or vibration. You still receive a notification of the missed call. To turn this feature on or off, tap the Flip to mute switch.

Flip to save power

Flip to Save Power

If this feature is turned on, when you place your device face down on a flat surface, your device goes into sleep mode to extend battery life. You still receive notifications for incoming calls, messages, and alarms. To turn this feature on or off, tap the Flip to save power switch.

Hold to stay awake

Hold to Stay Awake

If this feature is turned on, the screen stays on longer when you hold your device in your hand. To turn this feature on or off, tap the Hold to stay awake switch.

Personally speaking, the only advanced interaction I like to use is the flip to mute but it's nice to have that choice, and if you're moving from a BlackBerry 10 device into a Priv, it's great to see those options there especially if you've used them previously.

PS: Looking for the lift to wake option? It's already built into Android so there was no reason for BlackBerry to list it under Advanced Interactions. You can access lift to wake by going to Settings and then Display.

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