How to Skip Songs on Android with Volume Buttons When Screen Is Off.
The volume button on your Android is mainly used to adjust the volume level when playing audio or video, but you can also use it to skip songs. While there is no shortage of apps to remap volume buttons when the screen is on, if you want to do the same when the screen is off, you’ll need root access. Until recently I came across this XDA article and it looks like there is a backdoor in Android 8.0 Oreo. Apps can use “volume long press action” to trigger an event when screen is OFF, even without Root access. This way you can easily change tracks while your phone is in your pocket. Let’s see how it works.
Skip songs on Android using the volume buttons
First you need to download the Next Track app from the Play Store. Alternatively, you can also download the open source Skip Track app from GitHub. The only difference between the apps is the user interface, and I would say that Next Track’s user interface is much more intuitive. It also has a lot more customization if you upgrade to the pro version. These methods work for the current version of Android P.
1. After you have downloaded the app to your phone, we need to run the ADB command to grant permission to the app. To do this, we need to enable USB debugging. First, you must enable developer options first. To do this, go to Phone Settings.
2. Now we need to activate the developer options. To do this, go to the “About phone” section.
3. Under About Phone, tap Build Number 5 times to enable developer options. You will receive a tooltip that says “You are now a developer.”
4. Now that you have developer options enabled. You can access it in the System Settings section. Go to the “System” options just above the “About phone” section.
5. In the “System Settings” section, you will not see the developer settings, as they are hidden under the “Advanced Settings” section. Click on it and it will activate the options.
Read: How to Change Key Features in Windows 10/8/7
6. Once you get the expanded list of additional parameters. Look at the bottom of the list, you will find “Developer options”. Click on it to go to the developer options menu.
7. In developer options go to debug options and enable USB debugging.
8. After enabling USB debugging, connect your phone to your PC via USB. Open a command prompt in Windows and navigate to the ADB folder. Once logged in, check if ADB can connect to your mobile device by running the following command. adb devices
9. After connecting the device, we can grant the application the required permission via ADB. Now, if you’ve downloaded the app from GitHub, run the following command to grant permission. adb shell pm grant com . cilenco . skiptrack android . resolution . SET_VOLUME_KEY_LONG_PRESS_LISTENER
If you downloaded the app from the Play Store, the package name is different. To do this, we need to run the following command
adb shell pm grant com.flar2.volumeskip android.permission.SET_VOLUME_KEY_LONG_PRESS_LISTENER
10. Upon successful execution of the command, the application will receive permission to remap your key. In the Skip Track app, you have a default configuration that displays a long press on the volume button to skip a track. There isn’t much to do in the app’s user interface.
Whereas with Next Track you have the option to display actions by long press, single press or double press of the volume keys. By default, you will have one press of the volume down key assigned to skip to the next track. You can change it as you like. You can even set some other tasks like mute, stop music or previous track with just one tap. However, these features are paid. You need to upgrade to the premium version, which costs a one-time payment of $ 2.17.
Note. This feature only works when the phone is locked. When the screen is on, the buttons work like normal volume keys.
Packaging
I would recommend the Next Track app over Skip Track as it is more intuitive for the layman. It also gives you additional features and settings that are paid but deserve an upgrade. If you, like me, are an avid music listener, you can try the premium version as well.
In case of problems, let me know in the comments below.
Also Read: 4 Ways To Reassign Power Or Any Hardware Buttons On Android Smartphones