This is an experimental technology
Check the Browser compatibility table carefully before using this in production.
The proximity events are a handy way to know when a user is close to a device. These events make it possible to react to such a change, for example by shutting down the screen of a smartphone when the user is having a phone call with the device close to their ear.
Note: Obviously, the API requires the device to have a proximity sensor, which are mostly available only on mobile devices. Devices without such a sensor may support those events but will never fire them.
Proximity Events
When the device proximity sensor detects a change between the device and an object, it notifies the browser of that change. When the browser gets such a notification, it fires a DeviceProximityEvent
for any change, and a UserProximityEvent
event in the case of a more rough change.
This event can be captured at the window
object level by using the addEventListener
method (using the deviceproximity
or userproximity
event name) or by attaching an event handler to the window.ondeviceproximity
or window.onuserproximity
properties.
Once captured, the event object gives access to different kinds of information:
- The
DeviceProximityEvent
event provides an exact match for the distance between the device and the object through itsvalue
property. It also provides the closest and farthest distance the device is able to detect something through itsmin
andmax
properties. - The
UserProximityEvent
event provides a rough approximation of the distance, expressed through a boolean. TheUserProximityEvent.near
property istrue
if the object is close orfalse
if the object is far.
Example
window.addEventListener('userproximity', function(event) { if (event.near) { // let's power off the screen navigator.mozPower.screenEnabled = false; } else { // Otherwise, let's power on the screen navigator.mozPower.screenEnabled = true; } });
Specifications
Specification | Status | Comment |
---|---|---|
Proximity Sensor The definition of 'Proximity Events' in that specification. |
Working Draft | Initial specification |
Browser compatibility
DeviceProximityEvent
Desktop | Mobile | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DeviceProximityEvent | Chrome No support No | Edge No support No | Firefox
Full support
62
| IE No support No | Opera No support No | Safari No support No | WebView Android No support No | Chrome Android No support No | Firefox Android
Full support
62
| Opera Android No support No | Safari iOS No support No | Samsung Internet Android No support No |
max | Chrome No support No | Edge No support No | Firefox
Full support
62
| IE No support No | Opera No support No | Safari No support No | WebView Android No support No | Chrome Android No support No | Firefox Android
Full support
62
| Opera Android No support No | Safari iOS No support No | Samsung Internet Android No support No |
min | Chrome No support No | Edge No support No | Firefox
Full support
62
| IE No support No | Opera No support No | Safari No support No | WebView Android No support No | Chrome Android No support No | Firefox Android
Full support
62
| Opera Android No support No | Safari iOS No support No | Samsung Internet Android No support No |
value | Chrome No support No | Edge No support No | Firefox
Full support
62
| IE No support No | Opera No support No | Safari No support No | WebView Android No support No | Chrome Android No support No | Firefox Android
Full support
62
| Opera Android No support No | Safari iOS No support No | Samsung Internet Android No support No |
Legend
- Full support
- Full support
- No support
- No support
- Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future.
- Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future.
- Non-standard. Expect poor cross-browser support.
- Non-standard. Expect poor cross-browser support.
- See implementation notes.
- See implementation notes.
- User must explicitly enable this feature.
- User must explicitly enable this feature.
UserProximityEvent
Desktop | Mobile | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UserProximityEvent | Chrome No support No | Edge No support No | Firefox
Full support
62
| IE No support No | Opera No support No | Safari No support No | WebView Android No support No | Chrome Android No support No | Firefox Android
Full support
62
| Opera Android No support No | Safari iOS No support No | Samsung Internet Android No support No |
near | Chrome No support No | Edge No support No | Firefox
Full support
62
| IE No support No | Opera No support No | Safari No support No | WebView Android No support No | Chrome Android No support No | Firefox Android
Full support
62
| Opera Android No support No | Safari iOS No support No | Samsung Internet Android No support No |
Legend
- Full support
- Full support
- No support
- No support
- Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future.
- Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future.
- Non-standard. Expect poor cross-browser support.
- Non-standard. Expect poor cross-browser support.
- See implementation notes.
- See implementation notes.
- User must explicitly enable this feature.
- User must explicitly enable this feature.