Help thread!

[sds100]

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[proggaliu]

Is there a guide for "send intent"?
I think it could be a very powerful action to automate android actions.
For example I would like to be able to apply a profile in AFWall+ programatically, instead of my current solution which is a number of "screen tap" actions.

[sds100]

Hi, there is! See https://docs.keymapper.club/user-guide/actions/#intent-230

[txanetxarra]

Hello sds100,

First of all, thank you for developing KeyMapper.

I have a question regarding the use of intents to activate functions on other APPs.

I'm using KeyMapper to map an external USB button to start the recording of a GPS track on the Oruxmaps app. To test, I'm using the last free version of Oruxmaps 7.4.25 (https://www.oruxmaps.com/vers2/OruxMaps7.4.25.apk).

Oruxmaps includes specific intents for starting, stopping, resuming the recording of the GPS position.

As per the documentation on Oruxmaps, one scample intent would be (https://www.oruxmaps.com/oruxmapsmanual_en.pdf):

• Stop recording:
com.oruxmaps.INTENT_STOP_RECORD

I've got the button working, as I receive the "on screen message"

The problem I have is that I get no response from the Oruxmaps app, but I don't know if I'm using the KeyMapper in the right way.

Should I also install Shizuku for doing this? Is it necessary to install tasker / automate for doing this?

I assume that this should be really easy, as the Oruxmaps is already prepared for receiving intets calls, but I haven't been able to make it work.

Attached the screenshots of the configuration I'm using for the KeyMapper APP.

Any help would be appreciated.

For all your help, thank you in advace and again thank you for developing such a useful APP,

[txanetxarra]

Hi sds100,

Thank you so much for your answer:

I've set the package to "OruxMaps" as per your suggestion, but the result is the same.

Regarding the tests with Tasker / Automate, to be honest, I'm not familiar to these apps. I've tried installing Automate but I haven't been able to figure out how to send the intent from there.

Attached the images including the rest of the configuration for the action.

For all your help, thank you again.

[sds100]

Ah, I mean set the package to the package name of Oruxmaps not the app name. I'm not sure what that is 😄

[txanetxarra]

🤦‍♂️ Well, now is clear that I don't even understand the terminology 🤣.

Ok, How can I now the name of the package inside Oruxmaps? The manual https://www.oruxmaps.com/oruxmapsmanual.pdf) has a couple coding examples, but I don't see anything like a "library" or "package".

Again. thank you for help.

Best regards.

[sds100]

It seems like the package name is com.oruxmaps. Put that in the "package" field and see if it works.

[txanetxarra]

Hello again sds100 !

It works ! The problem was indeed in specifying the right package in the action setup.

I've asked the developer of Oruxmaps and he told me that the intent was supposed to work without specifying any package, but in case needed, the right package would be:

com.orux.oruxmaps

So, I tried with this package and: It works !

Your hint was the key!

Thank you so much.

Tonight I'll test again with my external bluetooth button. Now the successful trial is with a physical button on the phone. I guess it should not be any difference between using an external button and a local physical one to launch the intent, but let's see.

In case it's useful for the community, attached the screenshots of my working setup to launch an intent to be received by Oruxmaps.

[txanetxarra]

Hello sds100,

I have a question regarding the use of KeyMapper when the display of the phone is off.

I'm configuring KeyMapper to launch the start / stop of the GPS position recording for open water swimming. The GPS App I'm using is Oruxmaps.

I usually use Oruxmaps with the screen off. So it is working as expected with the screen off.

As shown in the post above, I've managed to launch the start/stop GPS recording actions on Oruxmaps.

So far, so good.

The problem arises when I put the display off.

I know that the bluetooth button is connecting with my phone, as every time I press the button I hear a sound. So, the button is connecting well to the phone.

But, when the display is off, KeyMapper does not execute the actions as expected.

If I power on the display, even with the display still locked, KeyMapper comes back to life. When I set the display to off again, KeyMapper is again ignoring the bluetooth button, and the actions are not launched.

My question is:

Is there any special setting for making KeyMapper to work when the screen is off?

For all your help, thank you in advance.

Best regards.

Txane.

[sds100]

Hi, there is currently an option if you're rooted but this is very janky and may not work. Unfortunately Android doesn't allow apps to detect key events when the screen is off so there isn't anything we can really do :/

[txanetxarra]

Hi sds100,

Thank you so much for your answer. Ok, understood, so sad Android behaves like that.

Do you see any possibility to catch other events like, for example, a new Bluetooth or WiFi connection? In this way I could launch an action to wake up the screen.

Again, thank you in advance.

Best regards.

[sds100]

Yeah, this is possible I think but would be out of scope of Key Kapper because it isn't related to key-mapping. You can look into Tasker or Automate though.

[txanetxarra]

Hello,

Thank you so much for your answer.

Best regards. 👍

[txanetxarra]

Hello again sds100,

I've finally managed to power on the screen of my phone without touching any physical key / display on the phone.

In this way I'm able to use KeyMapper for my application. KeyMapper is great, as it allows the use of a single key to trigger three different actions according to the single press, double press and long press configuration. In this way, with a single selfie button, I can send three different intents to the target App.

Again, thank you for the hints, your help and also for KeyMapper.

In case It's useful for the community, I detail the implementation of the solution below to overcome the "Screen Off" limitation:

The Screen Off Problem:

In order to guarantee that the target app (In this case Oruxmaps) will appropriately receive the intent, the target app must be the App with the scope of the operating system, in other words, it must be the App on the screen of the phone at the time that the intent is to be received.

Nevertheless, when the screen is off, if the objective is to launch any action on the target App through the Bluetooth keyboard /joystick /button, a problem arises in KeyMapper, (and any similar App,) as Android doesn’t allow to detect key events in this scenario.

One option to allow KeyMapper to work correctly, (departing from a screen off situation,) would be to provoke, somehow, the change on the screen from the off to the on state through the use of the Bluettooth keyboard/joystick/button. To achieve this, one option is to use an Android’s automation App. There are various options, among which can be highlighted: Tasker (Paid App), Llamalab Automate, and Automagic (non maintained but still downloadable).

In this case, Automagic has been used power on the screen by catching the Bluetooth connection event of the Bluetooth keyboard/button with the phone. It’s important to note that, as it happens with Oruxmaps, automation Apps also need to be in the foreground to appropriately catch the triggering events for the desired actions when the screen is off.

The working sequence used to power on the screen, send the intent to the target App using KeyMapper to latter power down again the screen is:

   •	Launch the target App.
   •	Launch KeyMapper so the key mappings become active.
   •	Launch Automagic.
   •	The Flow programmed in Automagic follows the next sequence:
          	Automagic waits for the Bluetooth keyboard/joystick/button connection with the cell phone.
          	Once the connection has been stablished, Automagic sends the “Screen On” command.  The screen will be on for X seconds.
          	Once the screen is on, Automagic calls the target App to the foreground, and then KeyMapper is ready for sending the intent when the corresponding external Bluetooth key is pressed.
          	After a X sec defined waiting time (matching the screen on time), Automagic calls itself to theforeground.
          	The screen goes to off.
          	Then, Automagic stays in the foreground, with the screen off, waiting the Bluetooth connection event to happen.

The Flow used in Automagic, has the following structure:

[black4nothing]

Is there a way to make the action tap screen to a click like a mouse.
Im using it on samsung dex and I need to press a button for a keyboar and make a mouse clicked on certain or specific location.

[rmnsmlk]

I set (in keymapper) volume down button (on Pixel 8a) to launch camera, works fine. But when I want to do screenshot, power + volume down, it also launches camera and also does a screenshot. Is it possible to add some constraint, so in case power + volume down, it will do screenshot only and not launch camera?

[Gaius315]

I've been using Key Mapper for quite a while now, having replaced Button Mapper with it a few years ago. I'm currently running version 3.1.1 on Android 9, and I use it in conjunction with Tasker so I was excited to see implementation of toggling individual keymaps via intent would finally be possible. But after installing 4.0.0, I was extremely disappointed that my key event keymaps no longer work, and best I can tell, even upgrading to PRO will not bring back my lost functionality. Currently, Shizuku on Android 9 works fine for my purposes. Is this method not supported in 4.0.0+? And am I correct in assuming that purchasing PRO won't make a difference? I get the feeling that this "is a feature and not a bug," which is incredibly disappointing.

[jambl3r]

Hello! Allow me to explain what has happened.

In version 4.0 we are introducing a lot of new functionality that would normally require Shizuku. However, we recognised that Shizuku is not very user friendly to set up and not something we have much control over. We want Key Mapper to be miles ahead in terms of user experience and Shizuku would only hold us back over time. (No disrespect to Shizuku, its a fabulous tool and works great to provide root-like functionality for many projects like ours).

So we have devised our own "Shizuku clone" which is built into the app. Internally we call it the "system bridge". It is a direct replacement for the Shizuku features in Key Mapper 3, plus it allows for screen-off remapping of any button, including the power button, mouse buttons, and has the capability to be expanded to joysticks and other complex gaming things in future.

PRO mode is the frontend for the system bridge, and like the system bridge it is free and open source. We will soon be renaming PRO mode to System Bridge so that it is less confusing. To get PRO mode working you can either use our own set up tool or bootstrap with Shizuku, and its all explained in the Key Mapper settings.

We have a bug right now that for people migrating from 3.x to the 4.0 beta, we are not using the existing Shizuku permission to bootstrap PRO mode. We will fix that and then your situation will no longer happen.

To get your key maps working again today, you just need to follow the steps in the Key Mapper settings to start PRO mode with Shizuku. Sorry that it hasn't been a bump-free transition, we are working hard to improve the 3.0 to 4.0 transition because there are a LOT of moving parts.

[leb-glitch]

Hello,

I just wanted to ask a quick question. I just installed KeyMapper and am not sure about giving it "full device access" ? does it require it, or did I misinterpret something during the first install/setup?

Thanks!

[jambl3r]

Hi! I'm not sure which feature you are trying to enable, but many Key Mapper features do require privileged access to work. This is because Android isn't really set up for the kind of activities that Key Mapper is built to do and so it requires a lot of special permissions.

At a minimum you will need to enable the accessibility service, which *in theory* COULD read your screen and send it over to us so that we can steal all of your personal information. However there are a number of mechanisms that I hope can convince you that that will never happen:

1. The core functionality of the app is open source, so everybody can scrutinise the code to make sure it is safe.
2. There have been 0 reports of any malicious activity related to Key Mapper in its 7 year history.
3. The app is on the Google Play store, which means after every update Google scans it carefully for any malware.

It is for this reason that we do not advise you download Key Mapper from any source that is not our repository or the Google Play store.

If you are using an official build of the app, it is completely safe :)

[leb-glitch]

Actually, I wasn't questioning the safety of the app, I do trust it (I installed the github release through Obtainium)! I have only installed it, I have not tried to use it yet. My question was more to be sure I had set it up properly, before starting to use it.

I think my confusion came from the "restricted settings" guide here : https://docs.keymapper.club/user-guide/restricted-settings/
I didn't have that box from point 4 available on my device, so I allowed full device access to the app, and I was not sure I was right to do so. But from what I understand from your reply, I suppose I did it correctly?

For what it's worth, I use dumbroid OS (lineageOS port for a phone with physical keypad)

Thanks :)

[jambl3r]

The app is set up to be very clear if there is a permission that is not granted that is required, so don't worry too much about it.
If on the home screen everything is green, you are all good :)

PS, take the website with a grain of salt, it's not exactly up to date 😅 The app's UI aims to be sufficient for all but the most extreme power-user features.

[leb-glitch]

thanks! got it setup properly and enabled expert mode. however, I am not sure keymapper actually can do what I would like it to do... can you enlighten me?

my phone reboots after a 10 seconds press of the power button. I would like to get rid of that behaviour, because it restarts many while in my pocket... I would like to either lengthen the time the button needs to be pressed, or replace that trigger with a 2-key combination. but for now, I am mainly trying to prevent the power button long press from rebooting the phone. I added the long press gesture and "do nothing" as action. I set it up to repeat the "do nothing" action until the button is released... that seems to work at OS level, in that the power button long press doesn't open the menu it used to open before... but it still reboots after a 10 seconds hold.

is what I am trying to achieve possible, or am I just being disregarded by the hardware?

thanks :)

[jambl3r]

My guess is that it is a hardware thing. Plenty of devices implement a hardware reset so that even if your device is frozen you can still reboot it.

[Gaius315]

Oh, ok, thank you for taking the time to explain. I get what you're saying about Shizuku, a built-in clone is definitely the better idea. I'll have to double check when I get time, but if I remember correctly, my issue was that the new mode requires Android 11+, but my current setup via Key Mapper 3.2.1 with Shizuku works fully on Android 9. Unless maybe I'm missing something…

…

On Sunday, December 7, 2025, Jack Ambler ***@***.***> wrote: Hello! Allow me to explain what has happened. In version 4.0 we are introducing a lot of new functionality that would normally require Shizuku. However, we recognised that Shizuku is not very user friendly to set up and not something we have much control over. We want Key Mapper to be miles ahead in terms of user experience and Shizuku would only hold us back over time. (No disrespect to Shizuku, its a fabulous tool and works great to provide root-like functionality for many projects like ours). So we have devised our own "Shizuku clone" which is built into the app. Internally we call it the "system bridge". It is a direct replacement for the Shizuku features in Key Mapper 3, plus it allows for screen-off remapping of any button, including the power button, mouse buttons, and has the capability to be expanded to joysticks and other complex gaming things in future. PRO mode is the frontend for the system bridge, and like the system bridge it is *free and open source*. We are taking suggestions for a better name and we understand the confusion 😆. To get PRO mode working you can either use our own set up tool or bootstrap with Shizuku, and its all explained in the Key Mapper settings. We have a bug right now that for people migrating from 3.x to the 4.0 beta, we are not using the existing Shizuku permission to bootstrap PRO mode. We will fix that and then your situation will no longer happen. To get your key maps working again today, you just need to follow the steps in the Key Mapper settings to start PRO mode with Shizuku. Sorry that it hasn't been a bump-free transition, we are working hard to improve the 3.0 to 4.0 transition because there are a LOT of moving parts. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#1012 (reply in thread)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/B3EU2XBDJXGTTIXY3PBJGQL4ARVNFAVCNFSM6AAAAACGFJT7P6VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTKMJYHAZDEMI> . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: ***@***.*** com>