Download home back menu buttons. How to enable on-screen buttons if the physical ones no longer work

If we talk about possible reasons why the touch buttons on an Android phone stopped working, the failure is more often on the physical side than the software side. If there are reasons from the first list, most likely you will have to take 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 getting into the area between the screen and the film or under the housing. Contacts are oxidized. After exposure to moisture, action must be taken immediately.
  • Sudden temperature changes. Return the device to room temperature. Sensor performance may improve.
  • Punching the screen. There are no scratches or cracks. The damage is noticeable when pressed - then glare is visible in the damaged parts of the sensor.
  • Replacing the screen with an unsuitable model.
  • Serious contamination. Wipe away dirt, dust, moisture, and fingerprints with special wet wipes from an electronics store or a microfiber cloth.
  • Poorly applied film. In places where air accumulates under the film, parts of the screen will stop working. Remove the film and, if possible, replace it with a new one.

Software reasons:

  1. The OS is overloaded with applications or some of them are not working correctly.
  2. Changes device settings.
  3. Touchscreen problems are possible if the screen does not recognize touch correctly or poorly. Screen calibration will help here (you can actually do it at home).
  4. Inappropriate or unstable firmware version.

Why doesn't part of the sensor work on Android? Most likely, the contact has come loose or oxidized.

For 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 the Play Market. On Xiaomi, Meizu or Digma, after long pressing the on/off button (20 seconds or longer), the phone will reboot or turn off. For Samsung and Sony, press the Power/Lock, Volume Up, and Volume Down buttons simultaneously. Hold for 7-10 seconds. If that doesn't work, try again, but hold down these three keys longer. If your smartphone is from other manufacturers and has a built-in battery, perhaps the above methods will help. Otherwise, you will have to wait until the battery is completely discharged or take the device to a service center, where they will also sort out problems with the screen. It also happens that a reboot is needed just to get 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 with the firmware version. To solve this, update the Android version and, if that doesn’t help, reset the settings. How to do this is in paragraphs 2 and 4 of the instructions in the next paragraph of the article. Why don't touch buttons work on an Android phone? Sometimes the problem is the film. If everything was fine before, try removing it. Sometimes it’s even a matter of new protective glass, which can also be detached yourself. Users say that the bottom touch buttons, which stopped working after calibrating the screen (3rd step of the following instructions), became sensitive again.

Common repair options

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

  • Reboot your device. Perhaps it was under heavy software load or a minor error occurred. Maybe the application just froze, but the sensor is working?
  • Update the 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 settings to factory defaults. Save all important data to a memory card, computer or similar storage device. Click “Settings” – “Memory” – “Reset to factory settings” – “Reset settings” – “Erase everything”. If necessary, confirm your choice. Wait a few minutes and the reboot will happen automatically
  • What to do if the screen is glitchy? If it works but is slow, just clean the phone as a whole. Remove unnecessary files and applications and the cache (Settings - Applications - any application from the list - Clear cache). To remove other junk and clean up RAM, use CCleaner, Cleaner Master or another application.

How to fix your device

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

  1. Calibrate your screen. Depending on the manufacturer, there may be a built-in utility for this, or you may 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” – “Display” – “Screen calibration”. If desired, you can calibrate the screen through the engineering menu. It is used by developers to test and change system components. We do not recommend this method as it can cause problems and takes longer than other methods. A third-party screen calibration application from the Play Market can improve the display's response. For example, Touchscreen Calibration or SGS Touchscreen Booster (you can set parameters manually in it).
  2. The bottom touch buttons on an Android phone do not work, what should I do? You can install an application to create soft buttons with the same functions, but in a different location. We recommend Back Button - it does not require root rights.
  3. Contact the service center. There they will more accurately determine the cause and repair the device.

Problems with hardware often turn out to be much more complex and expensive than problems with software. It’s very disappointing if the screen falls off, but, as a rule, I can easily replace it. But the buttons can be a lot more fiddly. If you find yourself in a similar situation (click on Home, Back or Menu does not lead to any consequences), then the application will come to the rescue. After installing it, you will receive a panel consisting of 4 buttons: Home, Back, Menu And Resize. Make a note of what you need root access on the device.

After installing the application and launching it for the first time, you will receive a panel with buttons that will be located in the center of the screen. Its location can be changed; you can also adjust the size of the buttons, the distance between them and the transparency of the panel itself.

For button Home you can customize its behavior when pressed for a long time: either it will launch Google Now, or work as a button Power. Besides Floating Soft Keys allows you to change button icons. If you want to choose a vertical panel layout, then to do this you simply need to uncheck the box next to the horizontal layout option in the menu. There you can also activate the application to turn on when loading.

He behaves very smartly. If the panel overlaps any buttons or options of a running application, it automatically changes its location on the screen, but there is one drawback. After the application that caused the panel to change its position is closed, the panel itself will not be able to return to its old location. This will have to be done manually.

It would be nice if the developers upgraded the existing buttons with more functions and added volume control to them. But for now these are just dreams. If you are interested in such a practical thing as, and are already planning to download the application, then you

Everything always breaks unexpectedly. Dropping a phone on a tiled floor is an unfortunate accident; drowning it in a bathtub is a banality that occurs more often than it seems at first. Statistics of calls to service centers contain many complaints about accidents from the “it fell and broke” series, 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, this is the sudden inability of the physical back, home and menu buttons. If this problem happened to your phone, but you still don’t have money for repairs, don’t worry. There is a relatively simple solution to this common problem. Now we will teach you how to enable on-screen buttons on your smartphone if the physical ones no longer work.

For everything to work, you need to get Root rights. Administrator access to the depths of system files is sometimes difficult to obtain. But with the advent of apps that get the access you need 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 you need to do while the program is being installed is to enable “USB Debugging” in the phone settings, “Security” section. That's all. By clicking the big Root button in the interface Kingo Root, activate administrator rights.

Step two looks a little more difficult. You will need to download the Root Explorer program from Google Play (or a few... 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 doesn’t matter. There is an ellipsis in the upper corner of the program - tap on it to open a submenu. In the program settings, check the “Show hidden files” option. The loss will be discovered immediately.

In the left corner Root Explorer There is one more item we need - r/w. Tap it once and confirm your choice. This action activates the ability to edit system files. Now touch build.prop and keep 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 have 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 will be possible to hide the virtual ones back by replacing the line qemu.hw.mainkeys=0 with qemu.hw.mainkeys=1 and rebooting the device again.

A lightweight utility that greatly simplifies working with the device.


Introduction:

Which button does each user use most often per day? This is either the Home button or the Back button. The application under the name was created in order to expand the functionality of the Back button by linking to it the ability to control gestures, which will automate some other system functions. It is worth understanding that the usual Back button will remain in the same place, and the application adds its own, which, at the same time, will not take up much space.



Functional:


You don't need Root permission to use the app, but instead you need to enable the service for the app in the Accessibility section. The functionality of the application turned out to be quite simple, but the fact that it works and at the same time does not interfere with the usual work with the device already deserves some praise. On the main screen there are 3 types of actions that you can perform with the button: hold, swipe up and swipe down. For each action, you can choose one of 5 actions:
1. No action.
2. Home
3. Recently launched applications
4. Notifications
5. Hide the button
Gestures are performed as follows: place your finger on a button, and then swipe up or down, and a border of a certain color will appear on the button itself. Naturally, if you simply click on the button, it will work exactly the same as the system Back button.


Results:


In the settings you can turn off the application, as well as remove notifications that allow you to hide or show the button. Let's summarize: it is quite capable of making using the device much easier and more convenient, especially if you get used to such actions. Enjoy!

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