Third-party app proximity sensor access limitations

Mobile
1

I’m developing an application that requires reliable proximity detection to blank the screen when a user covers their phone. This functionality works perfectly on older devices but faces significant limitations on newer phones.

The Problem:

  • Old devices (e.g., older Galaxy models): Standard Sensor.TYPE_PROXIMITY works from several centimeters away

  • Galaxy S25 Ultra: Same sensor only triggers with direct physical contact/touch

  • Samsung Phone app: Works perfectly with proper proximity detection from distance

What I’ve Discovered:

Using adb shell dumpsys sensorservice, I found the S25 Ultra has multiple proximity-related sensors:

(0x5f656172) Palm Proximity Sensor version 2 (android.sensor.proximity)
(0x000005b5) STK33F11 Proximity Strm (com.samsung.sensor.proximity_iris)
(0x0000061a) STK33F11 Proximity Proximity Sensor Wakeup (com.samsung.sensor.physical_proximity)
(0x0000062e) call_gesture (com.samsung.sensor.call_gesture)

Key observation: The sensors that likely provide proper distance-based proximity detection require com.samsung.permission.SSENSOR - a system-level permission not available to third-party apps.

Questions:

  1. Is there a way for third-party apps to access the same proximity functionality that the Samsung Phone app uses?

  2. Are there plans to provide an API or alternative method for legitimate use cases like accessibility apps, caller apps, or educational tools?

  3. What is Samsung’s recommended approach for apps that need reliable proximity detection on modern Galaxy devices?

2

Hello

Create support request to the developer support channel 1:1 support.