[Q] Ice Cream Sandwich - Where is the menu button - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi guys,
Does anybody knows where is the menu button in ICS... it looks it has 3 button, back, home and multitask...
I hope that the menu won't be in each app becasude that will mean no old app until huge upgrade...

They said the buttons change as you need then I'm sure a menu button will pop up if needed.
Sent from my R800x using XDA App

odst0016 said:
They said the buttons change as you need then I'm sure a menu button will pop up if needed.
Sent from my R800x using XDA App
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Yes but I saw all the videos and sometimes 3 dots appear next to the multitask button but is not clear if that is the menu button or what it does. I think they should have left multitask to the longpress home and give us a menu button always there... It will be a pain in the ass for older apps and for cooking. For now this is a fail as for the absence of smart dialing

my questions is this -> will it be able to remove the on screen buttons and use the hardware ones for older phones?

I had the ask loaded and built am ICS emulator, I'll test on one of my apps this morning and report back.
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I would hope so...that would take up some much needed screen real estate on a smaller screen.

Just tried in the emulator and I had no buttons, I will have to look into updating my app for ICS.
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So my fears are real... no menu button for third party apps... that is so wrong

Right, a have to update the apps to show the buttons.
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Endr1 said:
So my fears are real... no menu button for third party apps... that is so wrong
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Nonono, the way it works (based on my understanding and playing with the 4.0 emulator) is this:
On a device with no hardware buttons (Galaxy Nexus):
Menu button shows up if the app has a menu (makes sense)
On a device with hardware buttons (most devices):
Soft keys don't show up, multitasking comes up by long-pressing home button (confirmed in emulator)
That's how it works I believe
The soft-keys don't show up in the emulator because it's emulating a device with hardware keys
---------- Post added at 06:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:40 PM ----------
The one big UI change you could make to your apps to really take advantage of 4.0 is adding an Action Bar to your app (they demonstrated this in the Gmail app I believe).
No action would be needed to support regular menus though

What about the search button? I always use it. sigh.
And I'm guessing on older phones, they can access the multitask menu by holding down home?

Question - I installed the ICS SDK and was trying to tinker with it to make the soft buttons appear, but it's not happening. What settings do you use for an instance of the emulator to force the soft buttons to exist?

marty331 said:
Just tried in the emulator and I had no buttons, I will have to look into updating my app for ICS.
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How'd you get the emulator to show the soft buttons?

I have not figured out how to get the soft buttons to appear, the emulator still shows the hard buttons from previous versions.
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Endr1 said:
Yes but I saw all the videos and sometimes 3 dots appear next to the multitask button but is not clear if that is the menu button or what it does. I think they should have left multitask to the longpress home and give us a menu button always there... It will be a pain in the ass for older apps and for cooking. For now this is a fail as for the absence of smart dialing
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Click to collapse
How? if older apps have Menu button functionality, the Menu button will appear. Not really that hard to understand.

they should do away with the menu button. i've personally found the best apps don't utilize it or utilize it very little. the more you have to dig into menus and settings the worse it is for user experience. if i recall, the new native google apps have the equivalent menu function in the top right corner. iOS apps essentially have the settings button in the same spot too. if ICS is all about UI and user experience, we need to see some consistency. for non-native android users, the menu button is not intuitive.

long press
does the soft keys have long press ?? if yes may be long press on multi task button gives u menus

Hey guys,
I guess this question is answered with this video ...

dipito31 said:
Hey guys,
I guess this question is answered with this video ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...
And what video might that be?
Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk

substance12 said:
they should do away with the menu button. i've personally found the best apps don't utilize it or utilize it very little. the more you have to dig into menus and settings the worse it is for user experience. if i recall, the new native google apps have the equivalent menu function in the top right corner. iOS apps essentially have the settings button in the same spot too. if ICS is all about UI and user experience, we need to see some consistency. for non-native android users, the menu button is not intuitive.
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Click to collapse
Why should they do away with the menu button? Who cares if it's not intuitive for non-native Android users? Why take the menu button and all of the options that come with it away from the people who are smart enough to use it because some people aren't smart enough to use it? The people who don't know it's there wouldn't know any difference in the first place if it was done away with. The rest of us would.
Has anyone figured anything else out about this now that there are videos everywhere? I still haven't seen any evidence that the menu button exists. Google added the menu button to all of their apps, are all the other apps left out?

Related

[Q]Lack of Search Button

This isn't a too much of a big deal, but curiosity kills me. Since the SGS 2 looks like it lacks a dedicated search button, I wonder if it has a substitute?
What I appreciated on my Nexus One is the search button which is excellent to Google something on the fly and to activate Voice Search. So I'm just wondering if the SGS 2 will have something to generate a quick search or if the U.S. variants will have search buttons?
like the first galaxy S i9000 , you will be able to long press the menu button to simulate the search button
And for the voice search double pressing the home button will do the trick as seen on the vids floating the web
Search seems like the biggest waste of.a button ever. Never missed it on the i9000 at all.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
touness69 said:
like the first galaxy S i9000 , you will be able to long press the menu button to simulate the search button
And for the voice search double pressing the home button will do the trick as seen on the vids floating the web
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I never used my search-button as it is now, but if the menu-button long-press is assigned to search, how do you switch on and off the on-screen keyboard?
On other android-devices a long-press of the menu-button will activate/deactivate the on-screen keyboard.
SBS_ said:
I never used my search-button as it is now, but if the menu-button long-press is assigned to search, how do you switch on and off the on-screen keyboard?
On other android-devices a long-press of the menu-button will activate/deactivate the on-screen keyboard.
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Click to collapse
I have a Hero, never ever have I had to long press the menu button to get the keyboard up/down. It comes up when it's needed, it disappears with a press of the "hide keyboard" button or the back button!
Ayrlupine said:
I have a Hero, never ever have I had to long press the menu button to get the keyboard up/down. It comes up when it's needed, it disappears with a press of the "hide keyboard" button or the back button!
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The hide keyboard button is only on HTCs Sense keyboard no? It's certainly not there on the stock android keyboard.
I've had instances where the keyboard blocked part of the screen and if I had pressed the back button the program would've closed/gone to a previous screen and I wouldn't have been able to do what I wanted without pulling down the keyboard with a long press of the menu-button.
It might not be a big problem or something that occurs often, but it can be annoying and that's why I ask.
SBS_ said:
I never used my search-button as it is now, but if the menu-button long-press is assigned to search, how do you switch on and off the on-screen keyboard?
On other android-devices a long-press of the menu-button will activate/deactivate the on-screen keyboard.
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Click to collapse
You just hit the "Back" button to hide the keyboard
As he just explained, in certain programs (very few) pressing the "back" button to switch off the on-screen keyboard can quit the progrmam you are actually using. But samsung made a very neat trick for that since the first version of the Galaxy S i9000, just swipe down from the upper part of the keyboard to the bottom and the keyboard will disappear, no need for a specific button. I find it very intuitive personnaly, and in the same situation you can also swipe left or right in the keyboard area to switch from letters to numbers view back and forth.
That is an excellent feature. Do any other phones do this?
I don t know any other phone that do so natively, but there is some third party keyboards that copied that (just like CyanogenMod and everyone else copied the wifi, bluetooth etc toggles in the notification bar) "smart keyboard" or "better keyboard" I think.
Meh, I love the design but I love my search button; using Vlingo, I can hold the button and tell my phone to do whatever I want, much better than tgr default Google voice command app.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA Premium App
That's no big deal, you can easily fix it with a third party app.
And btw it's a matter of time for Android 2.4 Ice cream to come.. and there are rumors that it won't need buttons at all...
d3sm0nd said:
That's no big deal, you can easily fix it with a third party app.
And btw it's a matter of time for Android 2.4 Ice cream to come.. and there are rumors that it won't need buttons at all...
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Click to collapse
Doubtful... Why would I want screen real estate taken up with buttons? It works on a tablet, It would be nonsensical on a phone.
samsung hasn't actually officially confirmed if there will be a 2.4 update...
touness69 said:
I don t know any other phone that do so natively, but there is some third party keyboards that copied that (just like CyanogenMod and everyone else copied the wifi, bluetooth etc toggles in the notification bar) "smart keyboard" or "better keyboard" I think.
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They haven't confirmed that the SGS will get Gingerbread either yet I'm running XXJVK which is Android 2.3.3.

So now with Ice Cream Sandwich the menu button is useless ?

What do you think google is going to do with the menu button on the actual devices? Make it the contextual menu button or make it the multitasking button? the multitasking button would be nice imo
I can see them keeping the function for the "legacy devices"
The contectual buttons will prolly not show up on hardware button devices.
Like the people above me said, its probably gonna be contextual on new phones, and still work with "old" touch keys..
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
can be used like camera button
HotlipsH said:
The contectual buttons will prolly not show up on hardware button devices.
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That's what I'm thinking for SGS2... In the end, bottom menu does what real button does only. Nothing extraordinary...
and what about the multitasking button, an onscreen button?
Chad_Petree said:
and what about the multitasking button, an onscreen button?
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I think that the developers or carriers should hide that part of the launcher in this device. Because if you are going to use your sgs2 for at least 2 years, i will be mad seeing every time the software and hardware button at the same time
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
bigcvm said:
I think that the developers or carriers should hide that part of the launcher in this device. Because if you are going to use your sgs2 for at least 2 years, i will be mad seeing every time the software and hardware button at the same time
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
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Im sure there will be no onscreen buttons for "home" and "back" but what will happend with the "recents apps" button?
Recent apps = hold the home button, just like how it already works.
Actully there is no devices with ice cream sandwitch for smartphone so it's difficult to judge
Z4muZ said:
Actully there is no devices with ice cream sandwitch for smartphone so it's difficult to judge
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Lol you are right
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
Does the Galaxy Nexus even have a menu button? No, the menu buttons are onscreen (they differ with each app).
My guess is that the menu button on our GS II will be the multitask button.
It would be awesome if the existing hardware buttons will be like the ICS on-screen nav buttons with one difference: menu button will open multitasking tool. After all, the existing "menu" icon won't look to bad to be interpreted as "multitasking."
That's if and only if the ICS on-screen buttons are always just the three: back, home, and multitasking tool. This way, GS2's hardware buttons won't really make the device outdated. Just something that doesn't rotate landscape. No biggie. Even arguably better in some cases.
Yes but why can't we keep the menu button! I like it, It keeps the screen clean of crap do we really want to turn into the Iphone with software buttons for everything... And On screen is just stupid, Sure then can rotate and the menu button could appear in old apps when it is needed but menu is a part of android... I don't want to click a gear on the app to open the menu when the button did that fine. If Samsung / CM don't implement 4.0 in such a way that menu means menu then I will personally develop a rom that does, Multitasking should be long press of home... That is how we already view recent apps. It just works better.
epichappy said:
That is how we already view recent apps. It just works better.
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And you are sure of that, how?
It isn't even released yet, you can't really judge >.>
Any news here?

[Q] Remapping buttons to use "LONG PRESS BACK KEY OR MENU KEY"

I have the sgs2 for a few months, Im very satisfied with this phone, But there is a thing I cannot live with, THE HOME BUTTON, I dont know why? but a I dont like it at all, I prefer non physical buttons, so Ive been proving some apps to avoid it, someones like button savior, swipepad and wave launcher (This one is absolutely great).
I just wanna know: is there a way to remap LONG PRESS "BACK KEY" to go to home?, just like long press menu does to go to search!. I proved BUTTONREMAPPING but it doesnt have the "long press" options. I was searching and now I know that files on /system/usr/keylayout and /system/usr/keychars setup the keys on the phone, indeed /system/usr/keylayout/sec_touchkey.kl shows the default capacitive buttons setup, but I dont have enough knowledge to change "LONG PRESS" options on this keys.
so:
Some of you guys know about it?
It is possible or not setup LONG PRESS BACK OR MENU KEY on SGS2?
....Nobody?
diegonando22 said:
....Nobody?
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Click to collapse
just figuring out to do the same and came across your thread. will be interesting if this can be achieved, I hate the center button it is as hard as rock
bala_gamer said:
just figuring out to do the same and came across your thread. will be interesting if this can be achieved, I hate the center button it is as hard as rock
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Click to collapse
There certainly is way to achieve such a thing but i certainly dont know what the way to do so without replacing launcher and having it doing so or maybe replacing Rom. I qould love to know a way to get it done without having to go through that.
diegonando22 said:
I have the sgs2 for a few months, Im very satisfied with this phone, But there is a thing I cannot live with, THE HOME BUTTON, I dont know why? but a I dont like it at all, I prefer non physical buttons, so Ive been proving some apps to avoid it, someones like button savior, swipepad and wave launcher (This one is absolutely great).
I just wanna know: is there a way to remap LONG PRESS "BACK KEY" to go to home?, just like long press menu does to go to search!. I proved BUTTONREMAPPING but it doesnt have the "long press" options. I was searching and now I know that files on /system/usr/keylayout and /system/usr/keychars setup the keys on the phone, indeed /system/usr/keylayout/sec_touchkey.kl shows the default capacitive buttons setup, but I dont have enough knowledge to change "LONG PRESS" options on this keys.
so:
Some of you guys know about it?
It is possible or not setup LONG PRESS BACK OR MENU KEY on SGS2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will have to ask one of the modders to do it for you, try contacting one of the modders who has made "long press to kill process" it will be fairly easy for them.
Sent from my GT-P6200 using xda app-developers app
Any fix ?
I want to remape my menu to back and menu to app switch like the navbar =D
If you don't mind going custom, then cyanogenmod has this (sort of) in an option in the developer options of their roms.......you long press the back button and it kills the running processes (apps)
Sent from my rooted, de bloated, stock JB powered S2 via PhilZ kernel and XDA developers app

[Q] Saving our beloved physical home button

Is there a way you can hard-coded, let say the left capacitive button to act as a home button when you long-pressed it? especially on ICS roms that for let say you want to see the recent apps(home button long-pressed) alternatively you'll just long-press the left capacitive button = profit?
My home button is being quirky nowadays(6 months owner) and I don't want to bring it to Service Center just to repair that.. The problem is not groundbreaking(not yet) but this will save me in the future and probably others will so
It's not exactly what you want, but maybe Button Savior will do for you?
I think capacitive buttons are more likely to stop working than the physical buttons. My friend has a motorola Milestone and his back button stopped working in a month. Dont know if it is a bug
Sent from my GT-P7500 using XDA Premium
Still need to use home-button I'm in CM9 right now and the home button is really ****ed-up especially when I'm multitasking and I really love how ICS implement the task-switching/killing "Recent app"
srivas95 said:
I think capacitive buttons are more likely to stop working than the physical buttons. My friend has a motorola Milestone and his back button stopped working in a month. Dont know if it is a bug
Sent from my GT-P7500 using XDA Premium
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Click to collapse
Well that's a different phone but maybe that can apply to ours. What I mean is that sometimes my home button when I long press and then released it, it double registers the pressing so it's like you pressed again the home button
I am also looking forward for a solution to this. As I also want as much as possible not to use the home button. I quite feel that somehow it is already degrading. Showing press results that are not what I specify. Like for example clicking does 2 clicks thus entering 2 directories in CWM.
Button Savior could have been perfect if the recent apps it shows is the firmware's version. It shows its built-in recent apps instead.

[WIP][MOD] 3 Button Remap

Hey guys-
This mod (flashable in recovery) will remap your recent apps button to a menu button and remove the on-screen 3 dot menu. Most people prefer this.
Unfortunately, I haven't had time to edit your android.policy.jar yet so you won't be able to longpress anything for recent apps menu.
So basically you lose access to the recent apps menu, but this gets rid of the 3-dot on-screen menu button and makes your recent app hardware button a menu button. In the future, this limitation will be fixed.
To revert, flash the UNDO.zip
Think we could flash one from the Evo 4g LTE? Or is the .Jar file different.
jar is probably different.
Lovin this one Con, great job.
This 3 button remap is key...I'm playing around flashing different test builds and this damn mod should be factory.
I'm using Nova Launcher, which has the option to use gestures for accessing recent apps. If I install this 3 Button Remap mod, my recent apps softkey will act as a menu button, but will the gesture I've set for accessing recent apps work as designed or will it also be remapped and act as a menu button?
Pandalero said:
I'm using Nova Launcher, which has the option to use gestures for accessing recent apps. If I install this 3 Button Remap mod, my recent apps softkey will act as a menu button, but will the gesture I've set for accessing recent apps work as designed or will it also be remapped and act as a menu button?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably. It won't break recent apps. If there is something else that can trigger it, it will still work. It just disables your ability to get into it via hardware buttons.
con247 said:
Probably. It won't break recent apps. If there is something else that can trigger it, it will still work. It just disables your ability to get into it via hardware buttons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sweet, thanks. I'm gonna root and install this mod tonight... I'll post a definitive answer in case anyone else wants to know.
I forgot to include an Undo.zp
I will make that shortly.
con247 said:
Probably. It won't break recent apps. If there is something else that can trigger it, it will still work. It just disables your ability to get into it via hardware buttons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just installed the 3 button mod... all is well. In Nova Launcher, the gesture to bring up recent apps still works. But this only applies to when you're on your home screen.For viewing recent apps while you're in an app, I've set the menu button (formerly recent apps button), the open recent apps with a long press.
Love this mod.
Any chance you can create a mod like this to remap recent apps to search?
scott8357 said:
Any chance you can create a mod like this to remap recent apps to search?
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Click to collapse
I would say yes,
but don't hold me to it.
sounds very cool! thanks!
andybones said:
I would say yes,
but don't hold me to it.
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Click to collapse
was guna ask the same thing,, use the recent apps button for menu and long hold recent apps for search? would be tha bomb! ps, thanks again )
thatexan said:
was guna ask the same thing,, use the recent apps button for menu and long hold recent apps for search? would be tha bomb! ps, thanks again )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its in ukb lte rom...if you dont want to use that rom for it...you can use hans"s stock deodexed rom and pull android.policy.jar...but you need to be deodexed so either rom is necessary
Has there been any more development made on this? I really want to remap the buttons, but I don't want to lose my Recent Apps either.
Platypus222 said:
Has there been any more development made on this? I really want to remap the buttons, but I don't want to lose my Recent Apps either.
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Click to collapse
I'm using ukb lte rom. Recent apps button is now "settings". And long pressing the home button brings up "recent apps". Its perfect, I think.
Sent from my ADR6410LVW
joeyd27 said:
I'm using ukb lte rom. Recent apps button is now "settings". And long pressing the home button brings up "recent apps". Its perfect, I think.
Sent from my ADR6410LVW
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Click to collapse
I'm not really interested in flashing a new ROM right now, as I'm pretty happy with Sense as it is. Also, I'm not sure what use Settings is like that. I'd rather have the Recent Apps button do Menu.
Platypus222 said:
I'm not really interested in flashing a new ROM right now, as I'm pretty happy with Sense as it is. Also, I'm not sure what use Settings is like that. I'd rather have the Recent Apps button do Menu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
UKB is a Sense ROM and it has the recent apps button as the menu. Plus it has a bunch of other features stock does not come with.
Platypus222 said:
I'm not really interested in flashing a new ROM right now, as I'm pretty happy with Sense as it is. Also, I'm not sure what use Settings is like that. I'd rather have the Recent Apps button do Menu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
essentially the difference between ukb and stock sense is
advanced power menu (reboot recovery, hboot, hot boot)
remove htc linkify (app associations)
button remapping (back button is same, but long press home key is recent apps, and recent apps button is a menu key)
edit: and extended quick settings of course
theres a ton of other stuff but id consider those the main differences

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