How to turn on your Android device with a hand wave gesture (no root!)

Remember when Samsung was really intent on making the Galaxy S phones "hands-free"? For the first time in history, we had the odd privilege of being able to wave at a smartphone (the Galaxy S4), and it would turn itself on so we wouldn't have to touch its pristine screen with wet, greasy, or plain nasty hands.

When it worked as advertised (say, 6 times out of 10), that feature was pretty awesome, beyond doubt. But for one reason or another, Samsung's competitors barely bothered to emulate it on their devices, and many Android phone owners missed out on this proximity sensor trickery. Luckily, accomplishing this same thing via third-party apps is perfectly possible, and you don't even have to root your smartphone or anything. It should work on every Android device that has a proximity sensor next to the front cam, which is a pretty common occurrence in this day and age.

Grab your smartphone or tablet and head to the slideshow below. You'll be amazed.