Sometimes you just need to fire up the Android camera to quickly capture a moment, or turn on the flashlight as soon as possible. In situations like these, it's best to interact with the device's hardware buttons since unlocking and launching apps the traditional way usually takes longer compared to simply pressing the device's hardware buttons.
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While some developers provide the ability to customize additional functionality for hardware buttons, such as long pressing the back button to close apps or the volume button to change music or turn on the flashlight, most devices lack this feature. Previously, rooting your phone was the only way to get these features on your device. But now, thanks to the amazing developer Aaron Segert, you can now get this feature on your Android device running Android Lollipop or later without the need for root access.
Moving the "Power" button to the "Volume" button on Android - Technoset
In our previous article, we looked at software methods for blocking/reassigning the power key to the volume rockers. But applications are inconvenient, they drain the battery, and they take up memory. There is an alternative - reassign the power key in the operating system itself!
How to turn on a switched off Android phone without applications?
Let us remind you that using standard applications you cannot turn on a switched off phone. We need to get into the inside of the operating system using the Root Browser to change the assignment of keys in a special file (although this still needs to be done with the phone turned on).
If the phone is dead and there is no way to turn it on at least once, then “start” the phone using these instructions
How to remap the lock button to the volume button
First of all, before starting all the manipulations, you should get root rights on the phone - otherwise everything described below will not work. How to do this is described in this manual. The second step is to install the file manager
Total Commander . It can be downloaded from both 4dpa and Google Play. You can use alternative options, like Root Browser
For the program to work correctly, root access is required.
Go to Total Commander and select the root of the file system. Then go to system
Then in usr and finally the keylayout
Select the Generic.kl and open it through the “Open with”
Select Totalcmd-Editor
Now you need to change the values of some lines in the file. Specifically, the value of the line Key 116 (Power Wake) needs to be inserted into the line Key 115 (the current value is most likely Volume_UP ). To be clear, your file now looks like this:
Edit it so that it looks like this (you can use copy/paste operations):
Thus, we assigned key 115 (volume rocker up to the power (wake) key).
Alternative method
This can also be done through the mtk-kpd file, which is located in the same keylayout directory. There, by analogy above, you need to reassign the meaning of the keys by editing the file as necessary. Look at what lines 114 and 116 (other values and lines may differ depending on the phone model - we don’t take them into account and don’t change anything)
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Frinky Music Controller
Frinky Music Controller is another handy app that will make your Android smartphone buttons a little more useful. It's designed to control your music player and can set the volume keys to do things like rewind music, pause playback, or change tracks.
The application only works when the screen is turned off (this limitation is not present in the Pro version). Frinky Music Controller does not require root and supports over 200 players, including Google Play Music and SoundCloud.
appbox fallback https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=frinky.volumeKeys.music.controller&hl=ru&gl=ru
More functions of volume buttons on Android
Did you know that the volume buttons on your smartphone, in addition to their basic functions, can perform many different actions? Let's try to understand most of these possibilities.
The content of the article:
Photo and video shooting
The software of most modern smartphones supports photography mode by pressing the volume keys of the device. If your gadget does not provide this function, you can use any other third-party program, for example QuickClick.
The program also works in video mode.
Flashlight
Using the program described above, you can control the flashlight using the volume keys. By the way: for Android 5.0 and higher, this function is supported directly in the operating system.
Launching applications
Another function that a smartphone can perform by pressing the volume buttons is launching third-party applications. To configure, select the appropriate menu item in QuickClick.
Music player
The QuickClick program allows you to launch your favorite player without unlocking your smartphone, but immediately when you press the volume button. Agree - very convenient!
Emergency calls
Our life is always full of surprises, and sometimes, when you find yourself in an emergency situation, it may happen that there is simply no time to unlock your phone and search for the rescue number in your contacts. In this case, there is a way out: use QuickClick to set a phone number to be dialed by pressing the volume button. The number can be any from your contact list.
Unlocking the device
If your smartphone’s lock button suddenly stops working, and you can’t afford to go to the service center right now, you can take advantage of the opportunity to set the smartphone to unlock using the volume buttons. The Volume Unlock program will help us here.
Safety
Using the Oops! Applock can prevent strangers from running programs on your smartphone. This utility locks the device, and to unlock it you will need to press the volume buttons in a certain sequence (by default, “Up” three times).
Scrolling web pages
When surfing the Internet using UC browser, you can scroll through open pages using the volume buttons.
It is possible to use this feature for Chrome as well. To do this, you will need Root rights and the Xposed module installed, in which Chrome support should be activated in the additional XUpDown section.
Taking screenshots
This function, after the standard volume increase/decrease, is in second place in popularity. To take a screenshot, the combination “Volume Down” + “Off” is usually used (depending on the smartphone model, the combination may be different).
Instead of an afterword
How do you use the volume buttons on your smartphone?
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Trainer Stopwatch
Trainer Stopwatch is a stopwatch and timer app. It will be especially useful for sports fans, because you can control it without even taking your smartphone out of your pocket - useful, for example, while jogging.
The program works like this: press the volume up key to start or stop the timer, and press the volume down key to start the second round. If you press the volume up, all timers will stop. The button on the headphones can also be used to start and stop the countdown.
appbox fallback https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cz.hilgertl.jackbuttonstopwatch&hl=ru&gl=ru
Volume buttons don't work on phone
With the intense rhythm of life, strength leaves not only the person. Active and careless use of a smartphone can sooner or later result in hardware failure. Without sound, any device for transmitting speech or playing audio and video files becomes practically useless. Often, even on the most reliable mobile devices, a special “rocker” breaks down, thanks to which it is possible to decrease and increase the phone volume. When the volume buttons on your phone do not work, first connect a headset to your smartphone and make sure that the sound passes through the headphones.
Reasons for failure of volume buttons
On a mobile device, the sound may disappear at any time. A smartphone can become “silent” due to a faulty cable or microcircuit. But the first place in this list is occupied by the volume buttons on the body of the device. Their breakdown causes a lot of inconvenience. It’s convenient and practical to use the “rocker” to adjust the optimal sound level. Despite the fact that many headsets allow you to increase and decrease the sound, this mechanism on the “body” of the device has not lost its relevance. If the volume buttons on your phone do not work, remember what could have given rise to the unpleasant situation. The phone may have been dropped or liquid was spilled on it.
Main causes of failure:
- moisture has penetrated inside the device, and as a result, the buttons work intermittently or become stuck;
- Dirt and dust penetrated under the “rocker”, as a result of which it began to jam and sink;
- Hitting a smartphone on a hard surface can completely or partially disable the volume buttons.
There is always the possibility of a software malfunction. It mainly occurs after installing third-party software. A conflict between applications in the Android and iOS systems provokes unstable operation of the OS. Somewhat less common are cases where the volume buttons on the phone do not work due to a virus. Almost all software problems can be resolved by flashing the smartphone.
The volume buttons on the phone do not work: what to do?
If you encounter a problem where the volume buttons do not work, contact the Mobilap Repair service center. We will repair any phone model and eliminate any type of fault. To do this, just come to us with your faulty device. We are located in the center of Moscow - getting to us will not be difficult.
If you don’t have free time, our courier will arrive anywhere in the city within 45 minutes and pick up your phone for repair. We accept payment after successful completion of the task. When the volume buttons on the phone do not work, a detailed inspection of the device is necessary. Basically, the problem goes away after replacing the buttons themselves or the cable. We will complete all the work within one hour. For consultation and appointment, call the phone number indicated on the website or come in person to the address: Moscow, st. Pyatnitskaya, 82/34с1
Conclusion
Here's how you can use the Button Mapper app to remap Android hardware keys without root access. Now I understand the fact that for most of the features you will need to buy the pro version, but it is cheap compared to the options that the app provides. Also, looking into the history of ES File Explorer and App2SD apps, which were once free, I have to say that paying for features helps keep the developer going.
ALSO SEE: Control music playback using hardware buttons on Android
How to reset an Android smartphone to factory settings
Difficulty level: for beginners. The Android mobile operating system can be not only a convenient tool for performing everyday tasks using a smartphone, but also a very capricious burden with freezes, errors and problems. One of the drastic and sure-fire ways to solve problems with a “tired” system is to completely reset your Android smartphone to factory settings. The need for this event may also arise if it is necessary to sell the device on the secondary market.
So, you have finally decided that it’s time to reset the settings to factory settings, because when you bought the smartphone, it was “flying”, and now there are noticeable delays when opening menu items or launching applications. There are several ways to perform a reset.
Important! Before you perform a master reset, make sure that you have saved all the data stored in the smartphone’s memory: photos, contacts, SMS messages, notes. A factory reset will completely erase the information stored in the device's memory.
How to reset settings on Android to factory settings. All the ways and why you need it
Read how to reset Android to factory settings (Hard Reset). Detailed and simple instructions and methods for smartphones Samsung, Sony, LG, Xiaomi, Huawei and others.
Sometimes the smartphone starts to slow down ungodly. Or some error that occurs from time to time may creep into the operation of the operating system. In these and other cases, the user begins to wonder: “How to reset settings on Android to factory settings?” This is done in several ways, which will be discussed in this article.
What is meant by factory settings? These are the operating system parameters that were included in the smartphone or tablet when it was created. Or when you first launch a new version of the operating system - it all depends on the specific case. Most often, a device with such settings works without any complaints. Therefore, it makes sense to return to factory settings if the system begins to irritate with its behavior.
What is an auto clicker?
An automatic clicker is a program or macro that can be used to automate clicking. These tools can be run on command and generate inputs that have been specifically pre-specified or taken from the program's current settings.
By type, autoclickers can be simple or complex. The simplest clicker simulates the physical clicks of mouse buttons. Typically, it can be paired with any currently running computer program that involves using a mouse, like a program that simulates a mouse click.
More complex automatic clickers can also perform the same general functions. However, most often they are created to work with specific programs. Such clickers can write and read data entered into memory. With their help, the user has the opportunity to automate most (or all) of the mouse functions, as well as simulate any data input from the keyboard.
Automatic clickers that are written to order can be considered more advanced. Their scope of application is narrower than that of conventional programs of this type. They can do much more, for example, they can respond to conditioned reactions, very much simulating the keystrokes of a mouse or keyboard by a real person.
Adding a layout with a different language
To add a layout for another language other than English(US), you must first create a kcm file with the layout of this language, then add our rules to it. You can download the finished file for your language from here. We take keyboard_layout_russian.kcm, put it in app/src/main/res/raw/ and, accordingly, add another layout to app/src/main/res/xml/keyboard_layouts.xml:
Don't forget to add keyboard_layout_ru_label to app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml. Now we can add our rules, as in the example with the English layout, but with a slight change. The Russian layout already has a rule for '3', so you just need to change it rather than add a new one:
key 3 { label: '3' base: '3' shift: '\u2116' ralt: '#' ctrl+shift: fallback SYSRQ }
The status of the project after this customization can be viewed in the Vendor_17ef_Product_6048 branch.
