BIG BEN BONGER
BIG BEN BONGER PLUS

Android's Premier Bonging App turns your phone or tablet into Big Ben

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Check out the Demo Video below. It shows all of Big Ben Bonger's functions.



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CONFIGURATION




Settings

All settings for the Bonger can be adjusted through the Setup Menu. To get there, tap the Main Menu icon at the lower right of the screen, then tap the Gear icon -- it will either be orange or blue.

BONG:  Although mainly designed with Big Ben in mind, several other clock chimes are available. See the "Clock Bongs" Section for a full description of each.
:15 & :45:
HALF-HOUR CHIMES:
ON-THE-HOUR STRIKES:  Select how often you want this app to bong.
PENDULUM: [PLUS only]  Putting a pendulum sound with Big Ben may seem disrespectful to some, but if that's your thing, you can do it here.
VIBRATE WHEN MUTED: [PLUS only]  When you use the red Main Mute button, you have the option of having the app vibrate your device -- 1 short vibration on the quarter hours and 1 longer vibration on the hour.
QUIET TIME: [PLUS only]  This option allows you to set an interval when the app is silent. Perfect at night or when at church or in a meeting. When in Quiet Time, you will not be able to adjust clock or pendulum sounds.
DARKER MODE:  Not really a classic Dark Mode, but something similar. It's much easier on the eyes when using the app in a dark area.
THEME: [PLUS only]
     BIG BEN shows the time on the face of the Great Clock — just like you'd see in London.
     LONDON shows the time digitally if that's your preference.
TIME FORMAT: [PLUS only]  When you first run this app, it will check your device's settings and the country where your phone is registered and make an assumption whether you want the digital time in 12- or 24-hour format. If it guesses wrong, you can change it here.

Clock Bongs

The Bonger not only chimes like Big Ben, but also has several other clock sounds so you can match your bong to your mood.

BIG BEN:  He's the star of this show. Taken directly from the British Parliament's web site and specially processed for mobile devices. You'll swear you're in London.
MANTLE CLOCK:  This one has a very mechanical sound. You can hear the actual workings of the chiming mechanism. Bongs with a much smaller bell.
GRANDFATHER CLOCK:  This is a very majestic-sounding tower clock. I can picture it standing at the end of a hall.
MAGDALEN CHIMES:  Not the Westminster, but a very short tune with only 8 notes maximum. It will notify you of the time very quickly and unobtrusively.
ELECTRONIC CLOCK: [PLUS only]  This was taken from a digital clock with an inexpensive chime module. The synthetic sound doesn't even try to mimic actual chimes.
TRINITY CHIMES: [PLUS only]  A completely different tune. With an almost feminine-like feel, it sounds similar to a music box. A nice mellow way to annunciate the time.
CUCKOO CLOCK: [PLUS only]  Something more light-hearted. Sounds just like the famous bird — plus there's no clock to wind.





PROBLEMS?

⇨ THE VOLUME OF THE BONGS KEEPS CHANGING:  The loudness of Big Ben's bongs is affected by two things: 1) The bong volume you set in the app, and 2) the volume of your device. When you turn your phone's volume up and down, you are also affecting the volume of the bongs. So if your bongs do not seem to be as loud as you set them, check to see if any changes have been made to your device's volume.

⇨ I CAN'T CHANGE THE VOLUME OF THE BONGS:   Make sure you are tapping the Volume "+" and "-" Buttons, and not just holding them. Each tap will change the volume up or down by about 10%. If you simply hold in the buttons, nothing will happen.

⇨ SOMETIMES BIG BEN BONGS EARLY:  This is true — sometimes. Most mobile devices set their internal clock to a highly-accurate time standard. So you can be assured that the Bonger's bongs will occur exactly on time. The first note of the Westminster Chimes will always start exactly at :15, :30, :45 and :00.

But there is one exception. Back in 1841, when the folks in London were building the original Big Ben, the specifications for the clock stated that

"The Great Clock shall be so accurate that the first strike for each hour shall be accurate to within one second of time."

So if Big Ben is your chime of choice, the on-the-hour Westminster Chimes will start early, so that the first strike of the hour-count occurs exactly at :00 — just like the clock in London.

⇨ THE PENDULUM KEEPS TICKING DURING 'QUIET TIME':   Quick explanation of how Quiet Time works: Setting your Quiet Time to make the last bong at 10:30, means your actual Quiet Time will start at 10:31. If you are using the Pendulum sound, it will continue to run until Quiet Time actually starts — 10:31. So don't panic if the pendulum continues after your last bong; it will stop within a minute.

⇨ THE BONGER QUITS WORKING WHEN I MINIMIZE IT:   Newer devices that run Android 9 and higher are known to have issues with Big Ben. In an attempt to increase battery life, your phone may turn off the Bonger shortly after you put it in Background Mode when minimizing the app. This problem can usually be remedied in your device's Settings by disabling Battery Saving Optimization. How to do this depends on your exact device.
[NOTE:]  If you are having this problem and your device is running Android 12 or higher, be certain you are using Big Ben's latest update.

[Tap/Click here for more Detailed Suggestions]

HERE'S HOW I FIXED MY SAMSUNG A20: This process should be similar on most Android 9 and 10 devices.

  1. Go to your device's "SETTINGS" menu. It typically has an icon like this:   
  2. Select "APPS" from the Settings Menu. This will list all the apps you have installed on your device.
  3. Select either "BIG BEN BONGER" or "BIG BEN PLUS".
  4. Select "BATTERY".
  5. Select "OPTIMIZE BATTERY USAGE". Be sure Big Ben is set to "NOT Optimized". If there is an option to "Allow Background Activity", set it to "ON".
  6. Yes, I know this seems like a lot of screwing around. You can thank Mr. Google and Mr. Android for that. Neither flavor of the Bonger causes any significant impact to your battery life, so you need not be afraid to remove battery optimization from the app.

⇨ I HAVE OTHER PROBLEMS:  Almost every phone app will have a few devices on which, for some obscure reason, it does not run properly. Big Ben Bonger is no exception. Although almost everyone who has tried the Bonger has had it work perfectly, there are some phones where it just doesn't run right. If that's your phone, and if none of the above suggestions are helpful, we're sorry. Before you completely give up on the Bonger, please Email the Developer. Perhaps he can help. However, do know that if the original Big Ben Bonger app doesn't work right on your device, it is doubtful that Big Ben Bonger PLUS will perform any better. Just making you aware before you spend money.




 


BIG BEN BONGER & BIG BEN BONGER PLUS     ©  Umike Apps
Comments or suggestions always welcome:  [umikeapps@outlook.com]

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