Android’s greatest tool has always been its customization. While it takes years for iOS to offer the slightest change in the way its ecosystem looks, Android has always left the imaginations of manufacturers and users alike.
And that goes through many things. Of course, you can customize the desktop as you see fit, including the ability to place widgets on it, and Android 7.0 even lets you change the size of items displayed on the screen.
But did you know that you can go much further and completely replace the functions that depend on your physical switches? If you’ve ever dreamed of seeing new uses for your voice, home and other keys, this tutorial is for you.
Prerequisites
Previously, such manipulations required root. Indeed, access to the modification of these elements was possible only by modifying the system. You no longer need to be root, thanks to new accessibility options.
However, you will only need to download an app compatible with Android version 4.3 and above. In 2016, when the vast majority of phones are still under Kit Kat and Lollipop, this prerequisite isn’t too inconvenient, but as long as your phone is less than 3/4 years old, you might think it’s compatible.
Download Button Mapper App
To be able to redefine the shortcuts associated with your phone’s physical keys, you will need the Button Mapper application developed by flar2. He is an active member of the XDA Developers forum.
Don’t worry: unlike many XDA apps this app is available on the Play Store! To download it, simply go here:
Consider Button Mapper as Accessibility Manager
As we explained above, changing these parameters is only possible thanks to new accessibility options. Also, Button Mapper will ask you to accept it as an accessibility service.
When launching the application, you will receive a small notification at the bottom of your screen with the “Go” button. Click on it and you will come to the accessibility settings screen. Press “Button Mapper”.
When you enable Button Mapper, the system will ask you to set a password for the accessibility options. This is completely normal. Once activated, you can return to the app.
Configure your buttons in Button Mapper
You’ve now unlocked features that can directly redefine the usefulness of your buttons. The app automatically detects the buttons it can reassign and displays them at the top of the interface. In this case, only the volume buttons can be changed.
For example, keep in mind that on a phone with capacitive keys and a Home button like a Samsung they will be listed.
You can now press the key that interests you and customize up to 3 actions: single press, double press and long press. You will be able to define a specific action for each of these 3 states.
You can select an action to be defined by pressing one of the states. The basic operations of the phone are listed here and it allows you to, for example, convert your volume keys to brightness keys. But that’s not all.
You also have the option to set them up to launch a particular app. Moreover, if some applications support shortcuts, they will be displayed in the “Shortcuts” list, allowing for example to start a WhatsApp discussion or quickly call a contact.