Bluetooth device button remapping

[jim-watts]

Add support for remapping Bluetooth headset (or surface pen) button remapping.

What is the expected behaviour of the proposed feature? What is the scenario this would be used?

For example, Surface buds have a swipe gesture that can only be used to change PowerPoint slide, but it would be beyond great if you could change that to mute/unmute the Mic.

Maybe PowerToys could just remap the Bluetooth function to send configurable hotkeys instead which would allow you to use Bluetooth gestures to control anything.

If you'd like to see this feature implemented, add a 👍 reaction to this post.

[Jay-o-Way]

I'm not a developer, so I'm not sure, but I wonder if this is possible. Sometimes, special keys on the keyboard will actually trigger a combination shortcut. For example: some keyboards have a special Office key that (in the background) launches Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Win.

Do you have these Surface Earbuds? If you do, could you try to open Keyboard Manager, open "Remap a shortcut" and then press Type and then make the swipe gesture on your earbuds? What I am hoping for is that, somehow, there is a "hidden" combination that is interpreted by the OS or PowerPoint, so that you could remap it to something else. And do you have the Surface Audio app installed?

I do have a Surface Pen and the button on the top equals Win (left)+F20.

[arjunbalgovind]

@Jay-o-Way I suspect the button on the Surface Pen might be more than just F20 (maybe Win+something else+F20). You can try pressing it on the Type button in Remap Shortcuts rather than Remap key, since the Type button on Remap key will only show the last key event while the Type button on Remap Shortcuts shows the whole key combination. Windows uses such combinations for many "gesture" style operations, which is why remapping Win key could be problematic cause it breaks all of them.

[Jay-o-Way]

@arjunbalgovind Oops, you are correct. I made the screenshot myself using the Surface Pen, but I must have opened "Remap Key" instead of "Remap shortcut". Just checked it again and it is Win (left)+F20.

[Jay-o-Way]

By the way, did you know that the Windows Settings have many options for the button of the Surface Pen? You can assign almost any app to open with this button - single click, double click, press & hold.

[crutkas]

Targeting a single device is typically possible, "Bluetooth device" is a nest of unknowns and will be nearly impossible to get correct and consistent. Far too many one-offs.

@jim-watts if you have more details on this statement, would love to read up more but right now, i don't think this is possible based on my limited experience programming against these types of devices:

Maybe PowerToys could just remap the Bluetooth function to send configurable hotkeys instead which would allow you to use Bluetooth gestures to control anything.

[jim-watts]

Targeting a single device is typically possible, "Bluetooth device" is a nest of unknowns and will be nearly impossible to get correct and consistent. Far too many one-offs.

@jim-watts if you have more details on this statement, would love to read up more but right now, i don't think this is possible based on my limited experience programming against these types of devices:

Maybe PowerToys could just remap the Bluetooth function to send configurable hotkeys instead which would allow you to use Bluetooth gestures to control anything.

Sorry, was meant as suggestion - e.g. it would be great if bluetooth button presses (headset tap, double tap, swipe etc, or pen button press or hold) could be configured to send hotkeys instead. Then, in combination with the PowerToys Keyboard Manager you could make a bluetooth device do anything!

Basically, i just want my Surface Buds (or Samsung Buds, or Apple airpods) be able to do something, On a phone, all can be configured to do lots of stuff (volume up/down, next/previous, launch assistant, change powerpoint slide etc). On Windows, NOTHING!

[Jay-o-Way]

@jim-watts Did you try the things that I suggested?

[silviuk]

Being able to capture Bluetooth "play/pause" shouldn't be difficult, especially given that most media apps including Photos and Groove Music always receive it. Being able to re-assign "play/pause" into "microphone mute" would be an amazing feature that I know many people would love, especially during the age of work-from-home-all-day-in-Zoom/Teams-calls.

[twinko]

Being able to capture Bluetooth "play/pause" shouldn't be difficult, especially given that most media apps including Photos and Groove Music always receive it. Being able to re-assign "play/pause" into "microphone mute" would be an amazing feature that I know many people would love, especially during the age of work-from-home-all-day-in-Zoom/Teams-calls.

This would be awesome!