Tactile Clock

Tactile Clock is an open-source Android application in the Time & Calculators category. It provides the current time through vibration when the display is locked, using a double-click of the device’s power button as the trigger. This gives users a way to check the time without turning on or looking at the screen.

The app encodes each time digit as short and long vibrations. A short vibration represents 1, while a long vibration represents 5, and combinations represent the other digits. Zero is represented by two long vibrations, and leading zeros in the hour and minute fields are omitted. Short, medium, and long gaps separate vibrations within a digit, digits in the same time field, and the hours from the minutes. The power-button gesture may require deliberate timing because a double-click that is too fast can be recognized as a single click.

Tactile Clock can vibrate the current time automatically every set number of minutes or every hour. It can also play the Greenwich Time Signal at the start of each hour and can be triggered through Tasker. When the display is on, the app lets the user choose between a warning vibration and having the time vibrated as well. The app starts automatically after the system reboots.

For distribution, MirrorNest mirrors the official Android build directly on its own storage. The mirrored build is scanned for malware before it is published. This places Tactile Clock alongside other Android utilities in the catalog while retaining its open-source license and its focus on time access through tactile output. Users should use an Android device with a power button that can register the required double-click gesture.