To find what made a Galaxy phone vibrate or turn its screen on, install Samsung’s Nice Catch module through Good Lock, enable the relevant history category, and then wait for or reproduce the event. Logging generally starts only after you switch it on, so an event that already happened may not appear.
What Nice Catch records
Nice Catch is a diagnostic logger within Samsung’s Good Lock app. Depending on the phone and software build, it can show which app or system component was associated with events such as vibrations, screen activation, sound-mode changes, brief pop-ups, and settings changes. Samsung lists categories including Vibration, Ringer mode, Call mode, Toast popup, Ads screens, Screen on, Settings change, and Media volume mute in its Good Lock overview.
It is not a complete Android event recorder, battery monitor, or automatic repair tool. A log entry is a lead to investigate, not conclusive proof of the underlying cause; an empty log does not prove that no event occurred.
Before you start
- You need a compatible Galaxy phone or tablet with access to Galaxy Store, Good Lock, and the Nice Catch module.
- Good Lock features and available categories vary by device, region, and software version. Samsung notes this variation in its Good Lock support information.
- Enable the relevant Nice Catch history switch before testing. You cannot reliably reconstruct an earlier event.
- The process uses menus only; it does not require a computer, root access, developer options, or ADB commands.
Install Good Lock and Nice Catch
- Open Galaxy Store and search for Good Lock. Install Samsung’s app. You can also check the Good Lock Galaxy Store listing.
- Open Good Lock and tap Life up at the bottom.
- Find Nice Catch, tap its install control, and wait for installation to finish.
- Open Nice Catch. If the module has a main on/off switch, enable it, then enable the specific history category you need.
These are the installation and activation steps described in Samsung community guidance. Use the Galaxy Store and Good Lock rather than downloading an unverified Nice Catch APK.
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Choose the history category for the symptom
| What happened | Category to enable |
|---|---|
| Unexpected haptic vibration | Vibration history |
| The display turned on | Screen wake-up history, Screen wake history, or Screen on, depending on the build |
| A sound played without an obvious notification | Sound history, if available |
| A brief on-screen message appeared | Toast history or Toast popup, if available |
| An intrusive ad or overlay appeared | Ads screens or Detect commercials, if available |
| The phone’s sound mode changed | Ringer mode history |
| A setting changed unexpectedly | Settings change history |
Not every build has every category, and names can differ. Samsung’s overview calls the display-related category Screen on, while other Nice Catch guidance uses Screen wake-up history.
View vibration history
- Open Nice Catch and confirm the main module switch is on.
- Turn on Vibration history.
- Wait for the unwanted vibration or reproduce it in a controlled way.
- Return to Nice Catch and tap Vibration history.
- Check the newest entries. Note the time and any listed app or system component.
Samsung community instructions say to check the history after the vibration occurs. The same guidance reports seven-day retention for vibration records, but treat that as version-dependent behavior rather than a permanent guarantee; check the log soon after an event. Samsung community guidance
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View screen-wake history
- Open Nice Catch, enable the module, and switch on the display-related category. Depending on the build, it may be labeled Screen wake-up history, Screen wake history, or Screen on.
- Lock the phone and wait for the screen to turn on, or reproduce the behavior safely.
- Unlock the phone, return to Nice Catch, and open the relevant history page.
- Compare the newest event’s time with when the display lit up.
A screen-on entry may point to a gesture or system feature rather than an app. For gesture-related causes, Samsung’s support page identifies the path Settings → Advanced features → Motions and gestures and notes that options vary by model and software version: Galaxy motion and gesture settings.
Use the log to narrow down the cause
- Write down the time when the vibration or screen wake happens.
- Check the matching Nice Catch history and compare timestamps. A close match is more useful than an unrelated entry, and a pattern repeated across multiple events is more persuasive than one isolated record.
- If the entry names an app, compare it with notification history and what the phone was doing at that moment.
- If it names a Samsung service or generic system component, consider what was happening at the same time: charging, NFC use, a connected accessory, a notification, a gesture, or a foldable opening or closing.
- Change or disable one likely trigger, then wait for or reproduce the event again. Changing one thing at a time makes the result easier to interpret.
An app can request a vibration or generate a background event without showing an obvious banner. A system component may be the pathway that recorded or delivered the event, rather than the original cause. Do not treat an app’s appearance in the log alone as evidence that it is malicious.
If Nice Catch shows no entries
- Check that both the main Nice Catch switch and the specific history category are on.
- Reproduce the event after enabling logging; a past event may not be recorded.
- Open the category that matches the symptom. A display wake will not necessarily appear in Vibration history, for example.
- Check the log soon after the event because records may be limited or rotated.
- Update Good Lock and Nice Catch through Galaxy Store if updates are offered, then restart the phone and test again.
- If a category or Nice Catch itself is missing, check device, region, and One UI compatibility. The module may be unavailable, use different wording, be outdated, or have failed to install.
An empty history can also mean the event was outside the module’s logging scope. Older Nice Catch guidance cautions that some touch-feedback vibrations, such as feedback from tapping or typing, may not appear like app-requested vibration events: Samsung community guidance on Nice Catch scope.
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What to check after identifying a likely source
If the entry names a third-party app
- Compare the time with Android or Samsung notification history, if enabled.
- Open Settings → Notifications → App notifications and review the app’s notification categories; disable only the categories you do not need.
- Update the app. If the behavior continues, check whether it has accessibility, overlay, background, or device-admin privileges that are relevant to what it does.
- Test in Safe Mode if necessary. If the event stops there, a downloaded app becomes more likely, though Safe Mode does not identify the exact app by itself.
- Uninstall the app if you do not need it or have other reasons to distrust it.
If a Samsung system component appears
- Review Settings → Modes and Routines for automations tied to a time, place, connection, or activity.
- For wake events, inspect Settings → Advanced features → Motions and gestures, including Lift to wake and Double tap to turn on screen where available.
- If the timing matches an NFC reader or card, charging, Bluetooth, a wearable, wallet use, or biometric action, temporarily change one related setting and test again. NFC has been identified as a possible source in an individual Samsung community troubleshooting case, not as a universal explanation: Samsung community example involving a Galaxy Z Fold 5.
- For a phone waking in a pocket, also consider accidental touches, case or screen-protector fit, proximity behavior, notifications, and foldable cover-screen or hinge-related behavior.
When another diagnostic is more useful
- Notification history: Check this when a dismissed, silent, or minimized notification seems likely. It complements Nice Catch but does not replace its vibration or screen-event logging.
- Motions and gestures: Use the settings path above to directly switch off or test supported wake gestures.
- Modes and Routines: Review this when the event follows a predictable context or automation.
- Safe Mode: Use it to test whether downloaded software is involved; it narrows the possibilities but does not name the cause.
- Samsung Members diagnostics: Consider this if symptoms suggest a hardware problem with the vibration motor, buttons, proximity sensor, display, or charging connection.
Always On Display is not necessarily the same as a full screen wake, and charging or accessory events can create several closely timed logs. Nice Catch helps correlate events; it does not create a full forensic record of everything the phone did.
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