Fed up with the usual keyboard shortcuts? Android 16 might allow you to remap them.

      Tushar Mehta / Digital Trends

      In the midst of discussions about making the Android operating system a serious competitor to ChromeOS, Google is developing a feature for Android 16 that will allow users to remap keyboard shortcuts. This, of course, hinges on how well the OS manages physical keyboards—something it currently does quite effectively. Android has a range of shortcuts for navigating its interface, but it does not officially permit remapping them.

      While there are numerous apps available for this purpose, they are constrained by the limitations of the Android Accessibility API. At present, the only reliable way to remap keys is through root access. The positive news is that native keyboard customization might be forthcoming, as some code snippets have been discovered in the Android 16 Beta 1 release.

      Although Android Authority found this code, they were unable to activate it. This functionality would allow users to assign shortcuts to key combinations that aren't already assigned to another shortcut.

      Joe Maring / Digital Trends

      Regrettably, Google has not commented on the code, leaving us uncertain about its public release timeline. There's a possibility that it may not be released at all; Google frequently includes in-development code in its Android beta releases that could be removed before the official launch.

      However, if the code is indicative of a new feature, the most probable release time would coincide with the official launch of Android 16. We anticipate that the complete version of Android 16 will be available in the second quarter of 2025, likely around June.

      Patrick Hearn writes about smart home technology, including Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, smart light bulbs, and more. If it's a…

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