Function keys on santoni

[adaminator]

Hi,

What is the way to use these keys (on android: back, desktop and open application tray) ? I have available only volumme and power keys.

Best regards.

[Keneda]

@adaminator
Most of touch keys are not used on most device.

On my device the only touch key is used to open app launcher + drawer and it is very usefull.
But that's because it was designed like that by Canonical that it works, and it stayed.

There is work somewhere by @Flohack to use those unused keys.

EDIT : here it is

[flohack]

Hi,

Ubuntu Touch was designed to be purely used by swipe gestures. So those keys are not foreseen in the fundamental work done by Canonical. We also do not want to waste screen space on models that do not have physical keys (probably 90% of todays devices).

We might put some life into physical keys with some specific functions, but the main navigation will remain keyless.

[Keneda]

@flohack
I think he talks only about touch(s) key(s) under the screen, not adding virtual key wasting screen space (and indeed that would not be good).

[flohack]

@keneda yeah but what can we do with the touch keys if they are not on all devices, idk if I like a UX that depends so much on the hardware.

[Keneda]

@flohack
Basic one that can be used it calling the app drawer for device like mine that only have one key, and as i told, it's very usefull, i only use this key to open drawer, i never call it in any other way (orange button on the bottom of launcher or by swiping).

I love the swiping basis of uTouch, but that key is just better to do this.

For devices that has the three keys that @adaminator talks about, wich are "back, desktop and open application tray" why not to simply make them :

back : back in menu anywhere in os (settings) or apps, like the back button on screen (top left often)
desktop : open the app "folio" (not sure how to call this, but the same as when you swipe from right edge of the screen, to see all running apps to switch between them or close one/all of them)
open application tray : open app drawer (like on MX4)

What do you think about that ?

Important thing is to not change the native behavior of uTouch so it stays gesture based, and stay usable on any device, with or without under screen keys, but having a device with unusable keys is kind of a waste ^^

[adaminator]

@keneda yeah, exactly i thougt about touch keys under cover of the phone. I understand that ubuntu touch works on gestures but i think that this would be grate idea to create some shortcuts to some applications/functions. A lot of phones have additional keys on cover for example mi 9 (to google services).