What is the name of the button at the bottom of the tablet. Tale of the Three Buttons

Many are familiar with the situation when you buy new smartphone, and the physical power button does not have a photographing function, just as there is no separate key for this, but on the previous device it was and it helped out a lot. At first glance, a trifle, but the hands themselves are drawn to the mechanics, not the sensor, and at the most inopportune moment.

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Come to the rescue special programs, allowing you to completely reprogram the physical keys of the gadget and assign any action to them. This is especially helpful if the power button is broken or you want to rewind tracks like on an mp3 player, but the built-in one cannot do this ... Do you need root rights for this? Will there be glitches? How does it even work? Today I will try to answer the questions posed.

To begin with, I will introduce the test subjects. The first application is called: "Key Remapping", at least in Russian Google Play. It can work with both physical and touch manipulators, but for some actions it requires root rights. The second participant will be Button Mapper, which can do the same, but does not require root rights at all, which is already interesting.

The test equipment was:

Tablet DEXP Ursus 8EV2 3G (Android 4.4.2, MT8382 processor, 4 x Cortex-A7 1.3 GHz, Mali-400 MP2 video core, 1 GB RAM, 4000 mAh battery, 3G module, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n );
Smartphone Homtom HT3 Pro (Android 5.1 Lollipop, MT6735P processor, 4 x Cortex-A53 1.0 GHz, 64-bit, Mali-T720 video core, 2 GB RAM, 3000 mAh battery, 4G module, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/ n).

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Overview of the Keymapper app

The program has not been updated for a long time, but perhaps this is not necessary, since it can do everything that can be done with physical keys: assign any action, launch certain applications, disable buttons, and even prescribe key combinations to access special functions.

"Key Remapping" works only with Android 4.3 or higher, is distributed shareware and includes a translated interface into Russian. Thus, we get a kind of standard for such programs, which we will rely on in the future. Or maybe we won’t, because this is only a first impression.

Do not forget that the firmware of the device plays an important role, especially if it is modified, so you do not need to treat the program as a panacea.

If we talk about the possible reasons why the touch buttons on the android phone stopped working, the failure is more often from the physical side than from the software side. If there are reasons from the first list, you will most likely have to carry the device to a service center.

Physical reasons:

A strong blow to a tablet or smartphone, a fall from a height.
Prolonged exposure to moisture. Particularly serious damage occurs due to water entering the area between the screen and the film or under the case. Contacts are oxidized. After exposure to moisture, you need to act immediately.
Sharp temperature changes. Return the device to a room at room temperature. Sensor performance may improve.

Screen punching. There are no scratches or cracks. The breakage is noticeable when pressed - then you can see the glare in the damaged parts of the sensor.
Replacing the screen with the wrong model.
Serious pollution. Wipe off dirt, dust, moisture, fingerprints with special wet wipes from an electronics store or a microfiber cloth.
Bad film. In places where air accumulates under the film, parts of the screen will stop working. Remove the film, if possible, replace with a new one.

Software reasons:

The OS is overloaded with applications or some of them do not work correctly.
Change device settings.
Touchscreen problems are possible if the screen does not recognize touch correctly or poorly. Screen calibration will help here (really done at home).
Inappropriate or unstable firmware version.

Why doesn't part of the sensor work on android? Most likely, the contact has departed or oxidized.

On a phone with a removable battery, remove the cover and remove the battery. Insert it back and turn on the device using the mechanical button.
If the sensor does not work partially, but not completely, and you can download the application, install Rebooter from Play market. On Xiaomi, Meizu or Digma, after long pressing the on/off button (20 seconds or longer), the phone will restart or turn off. For Samsung and Sony, press the Power/Lock, Volume Up, and Volume Down buttons at the same time. Hold for 7-10 seconds. If it doesn't help, try again, but keep these three keys pressed for longer. If your smartphone is from other manufacturers and has a built-in battery, the above methods may help. Otherwise, you will have to wait for the battery to completely discharge or carry the device to a service center, where at the same time they will deal with problems with the screen. It also happens that a reboot is needed only for the display to respond again. What to do if the sensor on Android does not work after locking the screen?

Most often the problem is in the firmware version. To solve it, update the version of Android and, if it does not help, reset the settings. How to do this is in paragraphs 2 and 4 of the instructions of the next paragraph of the article. Why are the touch buttons not working on an android phone? Sometimes the film is the problem. If everything was fine before it, try to remove it. Sometimes it's even a new protective glass, which can also be detached on its own. Users say that the bottom touch buttons, which stopped working after calibrating the screen (3rd step of the next instruction), became sensitive again.

Common repair options

These steps will help in many cases of malfunctioning of a phone or tablet running the Android OS due to software, so you can apply these tips when in doubt about the correct operation of the system.

Reboot your device. It may have been under heavy program load or a minor bug has occurred. Maybe the application just hung, but the sensor works?

Update firmware. To do this, go to the following items: "Settings" - "About device" - "System updates" - "Check now". More often than not, the problem is solved.
Reset the settings to factory settings. Save all important data to a memory card, computer or similar media. Click "Settings" - "Memory" - "Reset to factory settings" - "Reset settings" - "Erase everything". Confirm your choice if necessary. Wait a few minutes and the reboot will automatically

What to do if the screen is buggy? If it works but slowly, just clean the phone as a whole. Delete unnecessary files and applications and cache ("Settings" - "Applications" - any application from the list - "Clear cache"). Use CCleaner, Cleaner Master, or another application to remove other junk and clean up RAM.

How to fix the device

It is unlikely that you can fix the phone yourself. You will succeed when the cause of the fault is in the software. In this case, read the methods below.

Calibrate the screen. Depending on the manufacturer, there may be a built-in utility for this, or you will have to download the application yourself. There are several ways. For HTC models: "Settings" - "Language and Keyboard" - "HTC Sense Input". On other smartphones: "Settings" - "Display" - "Screen" - "Screen calibration". Optionally, you can calibrate the screen through the engineering menu. It is used by developers to test and modify system components. We do not recommend this method as it can cause problems and take longer than other methods. A third-party screen calibration app from the Play Market will be able to improve the display's response. For example, Touchscreen Calibration or SGS Touchscreen Booster (you can set parameters manually in it).
The bottom touch buttons do not work on an android phone, what should I do? You can install an application to create soft buttons with the same functions, but in a different place. We recommend Back Button - it does not require root rights.

Contact the service center. They will more accurately determine the cause and repair the device.

Everything always breaks unexpectedly. Dropping a phone on a tiled floor is an unfortunate accident; drowning it in a bathtub is a commonplace that is more common than it seems at first. Contact statistics for service centres contains many complaints about accidents from the series "it fell and broke" even more often than drownings. At the same time, you should not expect that the very first fall will take away the touch substrate or even the screen itself - in most cases, the consequences of unfortunate accidents do not look so destructive. Among other things, it is a sudden inoperability physical buttons"back, home and menu". If this trouble happened to your phone, and there is no money for repairs yet - do not worry. There is a relatively simple solution to this common problem. Now we will teach you how to enable the on-screen buttons on your smartphone if the physical ones no longer work.

For everything to work out, you need to get Root rights. Administrator access to the depths of system files is sometimes difficult to get. But with the advent of applications that get the necessary access for you, you no longer need to read multi-page instructions. Just install the Kingo Root program on your computer and connect your phone. The only thing that needs to be done while the program is being installed is in the phone settings, the "security" section, enable "USB Debugging". That's all. By pressing the big Root button in the interface Kingo Root, activate administrator rights.

Step two looks a little more complicated. You will need to download the Root Explorer program from Google Play (or a little ... alternative sources). Install it on your smartphone. Run this application, find the System directory, and in it - build.prop. If such a file is not visible in the system directory, it does not matter. In the upper corner of the program there is an ellipsis - tap on it to open a submenu. In the program settings, check the "Show hidden files" item. The loss will show up immediately.

In the left corner root explorer there is one more item we need - r / w. Touch it once and confirm your choice. This action activates the ability to edit system files. Now touch build.prop and hold your finger on it. The top menu will change and from the drop-down list (in the same ellipsis) you will find the sub-item “open in a text editor”.

Scroll to the very bottom of the open file - all these long lists of settings are not needed yet. At the very bottom, add the line qemu.hw.mainkeys=0. Save the file and restart your phone.

Done, three on-screen buttons appeared at the very bottom of the screen - similar to what you can see on the screen of any tablet. And after repairing the physical buttons, it’s quite possible to hide the virtual ones back by replacing the line qemu.hw.mainkeys=0 with qemu.hw.mainkeys=1 and restarting the device again.

Physical / capacitive or on-screen buttons - which is better? There are different opinions on this issue, but it is from different angles. And there is still a demand for phones with both physical and touch buttons. Even since Google made it clear that the Android OS was only for on-screen buttons, manufacturers like Samsung and even HTC continue to equip their devices with physical buttons.

However, other manufacturers, including LG, Sony and Motorola, almost completely follow the approach of Google, limiting themselves to soft buttons in their devices. The advantages and disadvantages of physical and software buttons were discussed by Edgar Cervantes in the Android Authority article "Physical vs. on-screen buttons - what's your pick?".

Moreover, even Priv is a phone with full keyboard— has on-screen navigation buttons. However, the question of which buttons are better and, most importantly, why, remains relevant. Alas, this question is one of those for which there is no single answer.

A bit of history

In 2011, Google released the Galaxy Nexus and the then-new Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. Subsequently, the new Nexus began to be accompanied by the next version of Android. Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich was intended for both tablets and smartphones, which was a big step forward for operating system.

Other changes to the operating system include soft buttons. It was the device of the future, and it changed the idea of what a modern smartphone should look like. Users know this, but many of them still love the physical buttons.

Physical/capacitive buttons

Let's start with a story about the shortcomings of physical buttons. First of all, novice users will have to put in more effort to learn how to use them, especially when it comes to mechanical buttons that require pressing rather than touching. This, of course, is not difficult, but many users are accustomed to the fact that even less effort can be applied.

The second point concerns reliability. Physical buttons are additional elements that can break. And we should not forget that these buttons are permanent design elements of the device. They will forever remain where the device manufacturer placed them. They will not move anywhere and will not be updated.

But there are physical buttons and certain advantages. Many novice users would prefer to feel real buttons under their fingers and feel tactile feedback, which is not to be expected from touch buttons. Some things - like accessing the camera - can be done without even unlocking the phone, especially when the device has a dedicated camera button.

And, very importantly, physical buttons allow you to increase the usable screen space. Phones are getting bigger, their screens keep getting better, but many users still prefer to keep some of the display space free of on-screen buttons.

In addition, it should be noted that some of the physical buttons of modern phones also have fingerprint scanners, which is another reason to keep them in modern devices. Examples of such a design solution include the well-known HTC 10 phones - a new flagship phone in a familiar look , for which , and samsung galaxy S7.

Screen buttons

Some users like soft buttons and others don't. In this regard, everything is exactly the same as with physical buttons. And there are a number of reasons not to like them, which every user who transitions from a phone with physical/capacitive buttons will remember.

As noted above, these on-screen buttons take away valuable phone screen real estate. Since they are hidden when playing games, viewing photos and videos, using the phone feels “less natural” to the user.

But there are also reasons why users like on-screen buttons. They open up a lot of customization and customization options for the user interface, as the soft button can be added to or removed from the phone screen. Did the developer not add a menu button? No problem. Does the user prefer the left button or the right button to go back? And it's possible. A lot is possible with soft buttons, if the software allows it, of course.

In addition to a richer software experience, the removal of physical buttons also improves the hardware performance of the phone. Free space can be used, for example, for a more capacious battery. Or the manufacturer can make the frame around the screen narrower.

On-screen buttons give manufacturers the opportunity to equip a smaller phone with a larger screen.

Undoubtedly, each of the users has their own reasons for preferring physical or on-screen buttons. What, in your opinion, should be the navigation buttons of a modern smartphone?