Pocket Button with screen off

Sam Ruston

About this app

Your phone's volume buttons are always there, even when it's in your pocket. Pocket Button turns them into shortcuts you can use with the screen off, without unlocking or looking at your phone. Hold volume up to turn on the flashlight. Double press volume down to silence your phone. Hold volume down to record a voice memo while you walk. You choose what each button does.

Pocket Button is only triggered when the screen is off, keeping your volume buttons functioning as normal whenever you're using the phone. It's designed for scenarios where you just want to do that one quick thing and get back to your life. Rather than having to unlock your device and be distracted by a bunch of notifications and then dig around to find what you want.

ACTIONS
• Toggle the flashlight
• Set the ringer to sound, vibrate or silent, or toggle Do Not Disturb
• Play/pause, next and previous track, skip forward or back in a podcast
• Record a voice memo or type a quick note
• Dictate a message and send it to any app
• Open any app, app shortcut or search inside an app
• Start a timer, open the camera, the dialler or your assistant
• Open a menu of your favourite actions and pick one with the volume keys
• Run Tasker tasks and MacroDroid macros
• Send web requests and custom Android intents
• Control Home Assistant: lights, switches, fans, locks, scripts and more

LAUNCHPAD
A fast search screen that opens over your lock screen
• Open apps and start conversations with people you message
• Set timers and alarms ("10 min", "7am")
• Add calendar events ("dentist friday 2pm")
• Do sums and convert units and currencies
• Look up word definitions
• Play a song or podcast in your music app
• Control Home Assistant devices
• Show your favourite widgets and quick action tiles

NEWSFLASH
A short, hands-free report of what's changed since you last looked: new notifications, your next event, alarms, timers, what's playing, new memos and widget updates. Take a peek at your phone to get clued up on what's happened and then put your phone away to carry on with your day.

MEMOS
Quickly record memos with your voice or keyboard to get a thought down without having to unlock your device. Memos are kept inside the app and can be looked up later on.

PRIVACY
• No accounts, no ads, no analytics
• Memos and notifications never leave your phone
• Built-in offline mode blocks every network request from the app

WHY ACCESSIBILITY?
Pocket Button uses Android's Accessibility API only to detect volume button presses while the screen is off, turn the screen off again after an action, and run system actions you choose. It does not read, collect or share anything on your screen.

Notification access is optional. It lets the Launchpad and Newsflash show your notifications, find the people you message, and show running timers and what's playing.