Nokia updates Super Sensitive Touch display on Lumia Windows Phones

By Daniel Rubino
last updated

Nokia appears to enjoy tinkering with their Windows Phone 8 customizations, so it seems from the near constant stream of minor System updates that they’ve been delivering lately. We’re okay with that too as it shows they’re looking to make things work their best.

Such is the case with the update to version 1.1.2.4 of Display + Touch, the switch for toggling the Lumia 810/820/822 and 920’s Super Sensitive Touch display. When enabled, the Lumia’s display becomes extra sensitive to physical contact, allowing users the ability to manipulate their device while wearing thin gloves--a first in mobile technology.

What this update changes or fixes is of course unknown as no change log is presented, though presumably something is now “better” than before.

If you haven’t received the update notification via your Store Tile, sit tight as you will in due time. Since there is no hardlink to the update, we cannot provide you a download option. Have an theory on changes? Want to share with others? Hop into our forum discussion. Thanks, Skynetz, for the tip

Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central, head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been here covering Microsoft since 2007 when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, Microsoft Surface, laptops, next-gen computing, and for some reason, watches. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics and ran the projectors at movie theaters, which has done absolutely nothing for his career.

99 Comments
  • Nokia updates are most welcomed
  • Plus 1000.. Got mine about an hour ago on AT&T New York
  • Let the accidental pocket dialing begin if the screen is that sensitive.
  • Nokia already explained how they handled this.  There is no problem with pocket dialing.
  •   Love my job, since I've been bringing in $5600… I sit at home, music playing while I work in front of my new iMac that I got now that I'm making it online(Click on menu Home) https://goo.gl/OKrYO
  • The system is more clever than that, never happened to me. There was document form Nokia when this terch was announced. 
     
    And like you can see above, you can turn the feature off, it it happened to you (that ot doesn't).
  • Isn't the point of the lock screen technically to prevent pocket dialing?
  • Yep, exactly.
  • I have had mine since launch weekend, not a single pocket dial, or any issues with random touches.  Just because Apple didn't do it t it first doesn't mean its a bad feature.
  • They use it in combination with the proximity sensor to tell if its in a pocket.
  • I got mine already!
  • I hope this resolves issues with my 920 proximity detector going on the fritz Monday. I couldn't access the phone during calls. Had to blow the dust out of it before I could hang up the phone.
  • There is definitley a problem with the proximity sensor. I've hung up the phone multiple times while having it up to my ear just as I would on my 900 with no problems.
  • My wife had this exact issue, but only when she called TMobile to clear up some things. Figured it was an AT&T bug. Hope this fixes it.
  • Does your front camera have dust in it? I think that the top of the L920 isn't properly sealed. My front camera started to collect dust last week and a couple days ago my proximity sensor was acting up, too. I sucked air from the earpiece and the headphone jack and that fixed the proximity sensor but there's still a lot of dust in the camera. I believe this may become a larger issue as time goes on as I've had this phone for less than a month (launch day).
    At least the actual screen doesn't get dust behind it, but that's because the LCD is bonded to the glass so it's not possible. This was a huge issue on many of my older phones.
  • That's interesting. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who's been dealing with this issue. I'd like to know if this can be remedied by a patch or by a simple cleaning. I do however try to make an effort to keep the screen clean so I can't confirm the cause. Hopefully I don't need to deal with a replacement. I really do love my Lumia.
  • Do we know if the Lumia 620 features the sensitive screen tech?
  • I doubt it.
  • No it doesn't. In saying that, I have managed to use mine with mountain biking gloves on...
  • Why doesn't Microsoft force all developers to log the update changes ?
  • I would love to see that
  • For the same reason I hate logging update changes.  They do nothing for the customer.  Half the time they are unrelated to anything the customer knows about, the other half is customers complaining that the particular issue they reported is not addressed.  Change logs should be for internal use really, I just highlight any major changes or fixes in press release format.
  • Interesting developer perspective. Thanks for sharing, Mike.
  • I get that, but telling us NOTHING isn't good either.  Tell me why I should update this. What am I installing?  Thats my user perspective.
  • Ya, but that prospective frustrates us.  Why WOULDNT you want to update it?  Its an app....not Win Server 2012.  If the update does contain something that the user would consider adverse (like maybe an imposed limit on photo size or something).  Why would we want to tell you lol!?  Lets say that 95% of my customers never even come close to that limit, but the other 5% are the problem customers.  If I tell everyone the limit is there, they get turned off by the app, even tho the limit would probably-most likely-maybe never hit them.  So now our userbase drops and we get complaints from people who have no idea why they are complaining.  Change logs are fine for techies, like us on this site.  But my girlfriend shouldnt be trying to digest a change log and making a download decision on it.  (completely made up scenario that is relevant to what i work on)
  • I read change logs and decide whether it's worth updating based on whether there is something I need/like in the list. Mostly because the number of times an update has broken an app I now tend to leave well-enough alone. A good recent example is Rowi, after the update it began crashing on startup, had to reinstall it to fix it and it now crashes and freezes when it never used to. What did the update add? Nothing that I can tell.
  • I actually agree with this. ESPECIALLY with mobile apps that you can't "roll back" to old versions, far too often an app changes and either loses stability/performance. Personally, I'm a very technical person, so I'm just curious to know what changed.
     
    You say it's annoying that we whine about something not being fixed, but I insist that you should be prioritizing the fixes your customers want based on the feedback. If you're consistently refusing to fix what they report as a problem, users are going to assume that you're not supporting them and will abandon your app.
     
    Posting a change log gives people talking points too. "Sweet! They fixed that bug! They added the best feature EVER! They're really listening to user feedback!"
  • Usually if an update screws things up that bad for a large number of users, it will get addressed by the developers asap. Working for tech based customer service for a few years now has taught me that you tell your users/customers as little as possible... The more info they think they know the more they complain and act like like idiots about something that would have never affected them... Therefore stop worrying about it, and just hit the update button users lol
  • Usually, perhaps, buy not always. Look at the Facebook app. Its borderline unusable in many ways. The only reason I'd say it still sees downloads is because they are all bad.
  • yeah but they could tell you what the update does IE: stability improvements and it could STILL break the app, so your point isn't completely valid.
     
  • So if you don't trust the developers why even get the software in the first place? Are they really so malicious that they would purposefully release a bad update you don't want?
  • Actually, they are a great way to show that you appreciate user feedback. Updates that don't do anything to the customer don't really have a point. If there are known problems, it's a great way to show that they have been fixed.
  • I hate app updates with no details and am less likely to apply that update if it doesn't include them. If I see what the update fixes I might get it even if I never experienced the update.
    As a developer, you need to know what to include in there. Some developers confuse their internal change logs with the release notes they should make public. those are two different things. you should always include some note about the reason for the update.
    Unfortunatley even Microsoft themselves don't include release notes for a lot of their WP/Win8 app updates
  • THIS is the right answer (speaking as a developer).
     
    Screen what you put in the change log, but at least give the users some idea of what it addresses and highlight the changes that WILL be important to them.
  • Agreed, I've never had customers complain when I put "Bug Fixes" and they seem to appreciate when I list new features.
  • Face it, in the modern world, updates are a communication touchpoint or opportunity with your customers, and lack of substance is a "fail." Successful devs should use the opportunity to highlight new features, bugs fixed, etc. and otherwise show you care. Few devs have the luxury to be as opaque as Nokia...there's just too much competition out there.
  • I wish they did have version history available with notes for each version so we could see all the releases. The notes would be optional for the developers. Other than that, I live on the edge and would like all updates to apply automatically. Too much work to keep up and I can't stand the number count on the store tile.
  • Yesterday my pants were a little tighter I was hitting all kinds of shit so make sure you turn screen off before goes in pocket
  • Through thin gloves??? I unlocked my lock screen through four layers of fleece!
  • That's good to know---I've heard that some wearing thicker gloves had less luck. Guess YMMV.
  • YMMV?
  • Your Mileage May Vary.
  • Your mileage may vary
  • Oh. Thanks.
  • I was able to interact with my phone using heavy Ski Gloves.  It seems almost that the screen takes a second to kick in to high sensitivity mode though before it starts working reliably.  Once it does it works perfectly.
  • I have the same experience wearing leather gloves: it takes a couple seconds for the screen to realize it should kick into high-sensitivity mode, but once it does, it works great. I wonder if the update will reduce that initial lag time?
  • It needs pressure. Even bare finger without appropriate pressure won't move your screen. But with thickest gloves and right pressure from finger tip, it works!
  • My understanding of capacitive touch screens is that pressure doesn't even enter in to the equation in that respect. The fact you are touching the screen is completing an electrical circuit of sorts that allows the screen matrix to position where you are touching it. Jamming your finger on the screen any harder doesn't make a hot of difference. The old resistive screens used to be somewhat like that but not capacitive screens.
  • I guess pressing harder reduce the proximity of the finger to the touch sensor.
  • You're partly correct - pressure has nothing to do with it.  Beyond that there are a lot of variables in determining capacitance.  How dry is your skin?  How good an insulator is between your skin and the screen?  How dry is the air?  Those kinds of things.  In the winter, my skin can get so dry that I can drag my finger across the screen and it won't register a thing sometimes.  I literally have had times I've had to lick my finger to get it to work.  Lotion my hands up and it works fine, though. 
    As far as wearing gloves, this past weekend, I was working in my kitchen, wearing leather work gloves.  I took a picture of my hand in the glove, posted it on facebook, and typed the caption under the picture "This is the leather work glove I'm wearing while working in my kitchen - AND while typing this message on my Nokia Lumia 822.  Try THAT with your iPhone!"
  • Yeah, I didn't have gloves handy, but I had a Columbia fleece jacket, which was lined.  No problem sliding up the lock screen through the sleeve (two layers - plus the two layers of the thin nylon stuff), so I folded the sleeve over to try that.  Four layers of fleece, and it took two tries, but it slid up.
  • Leather gloves don't work well. Fabric ones seem to work no matter what the thickness is. Living in Norway, and experiecing 12 below zero (Celsius) - that's SHITASS COLD to you Americans, I have a very wide array of winter handwear to sample this with... :P
  • I use my phone in winter with my army-issue leather gloves, and even with my ski gloves (though it is harder to be precise then ;)
     
    Laurent
  • "What this update changes or fixes is of course unknown as no change log is presented, though presumably something is now “better” than before."
     
    What, like Adobe Reader got better when they downgraded everyone to the earlier version?  The little guys give their users changelogs with useful info when they ask their users to update.  The big guys either don't ask (shove it down your throat) or don't tell (end result is the same).  Please continue to call out this bad behavior.  Users deserve better.
  • Well, for app updates I agree. For these system updates, for all we know they changed a 1 to 0 somewhere or made some minor technical change. If features were added, that's one thing but not sure if it's some rare, isolated alteration.
  • Got mine too in southern ct!
  • I got mine in Bridgeport about an hour or so ago...
  • Hopefully it's less sensative than before.  My phone started to cry when I didn't notice the new case for it.  Lets just say we didn't speak to each other till the next morning.
  • Lol
  • You are an unfeeling brute! You Sir, are a cad!!
  • My Lumia 920 doesn't show any update prompts on the Windows Store. If I know there's an update for an app, I can go directly to that Store page and install it no problem, but I have to check the Store page for each and every update, and if there's no Store page, I can't get the update.
    Anyone know what's wrong? I'm willing to reset the phone, but only as a last resort and only if I know it's going to work.
  • Just wait for it to pop up in your store
  • I too am having this problem....
    No updates are appearing on my "Store" and have to manually search to force updates!
    I still haven't received the other "Nokia" system updates yet.....
  • Ditto for me too.  Was hoping rebooting it would help, but after many tries, still no updates showing on the store tile.  Really dont want to do another hard reset.
  • This is normal. Sometimes it MAY take up to 2 days to show any updates.
  • There are updates that are weeks old (such as the previous Nokia Extras app updates) for which I have received no notification.
  • I too didn't get the first 3 udates but today i got everything and even update for at least 6 apps on my phone. I think you could try leaving wifi on at night when you go to bed and your phone in the charger so that it doesn't die on you. I think you would get the update this way.
  • Thin gloves? I can use it through my winter coat sleeve.
  • I didn't know the 820 and the variants had SST.
  • All 8xx wp8s do..
  • Amazingly enough; seconds after receiving/reading this article this update was sitting in the store waiting for me! Thank you Nokia. And thank you WPCentral for the continued work to improve my phone and the community!
  • Is it me, or does it appear as the colors are less "washed out" on the brightest setting?
  • That'd be nice. The colors do look very washed out on brightest. Especially after using the OLED on the 900.
  • That's just the difference of the screens. I think the 900's screen is better than the 920's at least contrast and color wise.
  • Just got my update. AT&T Washington DC.
  • Anyone else anticipating Lumia 920 for Verizon yet?
  • Doesn't fix the screen going dark during calls
  • It's supposed to do that
  • As a developer, although it has its downsides, a change log should always be included with an update. Yes, users will complain about their one issue not getting addressed and users may have no clue what was fixed, but its shows a commitment to improving the application. It also demonstrates more openness about what is prioritized with the development. If you have no plans to address a particular issue in a particular release, just be upfront about it so user expectations are managed.
  • I got the updated, went and tried with my gloves, much better. Before I had to press really hard with my gloves, now it is more like normal touch screen.
  • Now it does work properly but drains too much battery (2% in 2 minutes)
  • Mine started to die faster as well. Turned off high sensitivity hopefully that'll fix it
  • When will they update the camera software? My 920 shoots worse than my old Focus for anything other than night shots.
  • make sure the lens is clean. it can really make a big difference.
  • Does anyone have a creaky sound on the headphone jack area? My cyan does not but my white 920 does.
  • Yes. My black lumia 920 does make that sound when I squeeze the case. I can see the plastic move juste a little between the screen and the plastic. I can also see dust in my front facing camera.
  • Known issue: I have the same problems
  • When you change the accessibility options to allow for zooming across the entire OS the Lumia 920 had some weird jumping motions when trying to scroll. It was a cool feature but the jumping drove me crazy so I disabled it. I would be this is one of the fixes.
  • Man, I don't see a notification for an update on my marketplace icon. Can't find it manually in the store. Wife has same problems. Contacted Nokia via twitter. They recommended turning phone off then on hasn't worked. Any suggestions?
  • Try leaving wifi on and your phone in standby for some hours. I didn't get any updates also but i left my wifi on overnight and viola i got updates for even 3. party apps on my phone. It was just a coincidence but it worked for me.
  • No problem :)
  • So... I'm a first time poster here, and I felt I needed to comment. I was 'giddy' for the update on my 822 (just got it actually). I have to say that not knowing what's in these updates makes it trying... I was hoping somehow this might be tied to resolving the sd card and syncing issues (BTW I've read and tried all the solutions). Anyway... here's hoping w/n the 14 day return window it gets resolved. Seriously... 'cause I love the phone otherwise.
  • Why no change logs? Not a fan of these phantom updates.
  • @SOMEnameltried - It may not be resolved within 14 days, but if it's a real bug, Nokia have proven they will fix it within a reasonable timeframe.
  • @dogfish54
    Thanks for making me feel better about the bugs. I suppose I'm not that familar with Nokia, and being in software dev myself, I know that these have a chance of being a "lesser" bugs to tackle. Still...  here's to hoping :)
  • My 822's super sensitive touch now actually works.
  • I tried out the phone with my winter leather gloves...damn, it worked smooth as butter. That's a feature I wasn't expecting, but now I really feel a need for it :)  + the winter is damn cold here in Norway at the moment. 
  • Better battery life so far and doesn't take as long for the screen to activate before allowing input from gloves
  • Hey! Still no update.