Android · free · v0.10.0

Kawoosh Unlock

An Android app that dials a Stargate between your fingerprint and your home screen.

Five seconds on the first unlock of the day, under a second after that. Free, and it never connects to the internet.

idle
This browser has no WebGL2, so the gate can't run here. The app itself does not need it.

Dialling computer

What it does

Unlock your phone and the gate appears. The inner ring turns until a symbol lines up at the top, one of the orange chevrons clamps down on it, and after seven of those the wormhole opens and throws a vortex at the screen. Then you get your home screen.

The gate above is the app itself, running in your browser. Drag the sliders and dial it.

How long it takes

Five seconds for the full seven symbol dial. You only get that on the first unlock after you've been away a few hours. Every other unlock locks a single symbol and is over in under a second. Both lengths are adjustable, and a tap anywhere skips the rest.

What it can see

One thing: the name of whatever app opens after you unlock, which is how it tells a home screen from a notification you tapped. No account, no sign in, no analytics. The app has no internet permission at all. Nothing it sees can leave the phone.

Will it run on your phone

Android 13 or newer. It was built and used on a Galaxy Z Fold and hasn't been tried anywhere else. Expect rough edges.

For Stargate fans

The thirty nine symbols are the ones from the show, in the published order, with Earth's point of origin first. Thirty one real addresses are built in. Choose Abydos and it dials 27, 7, 15, 32, 12, 30.

Chevrons engage clockwise with the top one last. The two at the bottom never light. Only the top chevron moves, because that's the one that grabs the ring, and when the seventh locks the other six flare together.

Settings

KawooshHow long the vortex lasts, in seconds.
ChevronsHow many symbols lock before it fires.
ReachHow far the vortex comes at you.
ImpactThe shockwave as it gets pulled back through.
RippleHow fast the settled wormhole moves.
DestinationWhich address to dial, or a different one each time.

The app adds a few more: a buzz on each chevron, quiet hours, a battery floor, and how long the wormhole stays up before it hands over.

Get it

Free, and it stays free. There's a tip jar if you want it.

Buy me a coffee Download for Android

About 2 MB. Android 13 or newer.

It's not on the Play Store. The permission it needs is reserved for accessibility tools and an unlock animation doesn't qualify. It installs by hand instead, and Play Protect warns you once on the way past.

  1. Open that download on your phone.
  2. Play Store, your picture, Play Protect, the gear. Turn off Scan apps with Play Protect.
  3. Open the file and let your browser install it.
  4. Turn Play Protect back on.
  5. Open Kawoosh Unlock. It walks you through the two permissions it needs.
  6. If Android greys out the accessibility switch: Settings, Apps, Kawoosh Unlock, the three dots, Allow restricted settings.

Credits

Stargate belongs to Amazon MGM. This is a fan project and claims none of it. The symbols and the addresses come from rdanderson.com, which has catalogued both for years.

The gate at the top of this page runs the app's own code, shaders included. It is smaller than a phone screen, so the fine detail sits on fewer pixels.