Synergy-core: Client application for Android (without being rooted/hacked)

[nbolton]

Imported issue:

• Author: Issue Importer
• Date: 2010-06-10 00:00:00
• Legacy ID: 542

Related programs: Share KM (Android app)

What is the problem you wish to solve?
Control the Android interface via input-device on network-connected host

What is your new feature idea?
Port or build of the Synergy client (synergyc) for the Android OS

Is there already a less convenient way?
No; not that I'm aware of

How useful would the feature be to others?
Extremely.
Will vastly improve Android's appeal & versatility.

It would be extremely valuable to be able to control the Android mobile from HID's; definitely keyboard, mouse would be nice.
Taking hands off keyboad & mouse (which may already be controlling numerous systems), to "fiddle" with mobile device or Android MID disrupts productivity flow/pace.
Entering values, such as strong passwords on small mobiles with compound keyboard is also overly time-consuming, that could be done quickly & easily with a standard keyboard.

Since Android is also POSIX-based (Linux kernel derivative), it would seem "simple" to rebuild the source the the new architecture, but unfortunately this is beyond my own skill-set.

[NOTE: this may be a possible duplicate of an existing thread @ "https://code.google.com/p/synergy-plus/issues/detail?id=57":https://code.google.com/p/synergy-plus/issues/detail?id=57 ]

[nbolton]

• Date: 2010-06-10 00:00:00

-Missing comment-

[nbolton]

• Author: nick.bolton.uk (Google user)
• Date: 2010-06-10 00:00:00

We'll accept this feature request on the condition that only the client will be ported; i.e. so that you can control your Android phone from your PC (to bypass the need for the touch screen). See also issue #google:3 .

[nbolton]

• Author: RandonSS (Google user)
• Date: 2010-06-14 00:00:00

Yes please. I'd love to control my iPad from my pc mouse and kb.

[nbolton]

• Author: wiesener (Google user)
• Date: 2010-06-25 00:00:00

Controlling the mobile from regular keyboard/mouse would be awesome, especially for typing out text messages on the phone and for debugging applications during development.

[nbolton]

• Author: [email protected] (Google user)
• Date: 2010-08-11 00:00:00

You may want to look at "http://code.google.com/p/androidscreencast/":http://code.google.com/p/androidscreencast/ for code inspiration, this currently uses a vnc-style connection through the ADB USB Debugging feature. This would perhaps be similar in execution for Synergy+

Also, it should be noted that official android devices do not (afaik) have support for cursor driven devices, however, phones rooted with CyanogenMod 6.0 do (proved by bluetooth mouse support).

[nbolton]

• Author: John Hughes
• Date: 2010-10-12 17:42:03

I just wanted to bump this, this would be an awesome addition. I use synergy daily and to be able to include my android phone into the mix would be a truely welcome feature.

[nbolton]

• Author: Shaun Patterson
• Date: 2010-10-20 16:29:50

I've been working on a Java port of the client for a few weeks now. I've set up a sourceforge project -- I'll upload the code later today when I get home. Anyone is welcome to join.

My plan was to create a Java client that'll work with Windows/Linux and then implement the Android specific features. The code is pretty rough right now but I basically have a Java client semi-working right now. Mouse movements work and basic keystrokes work. Anyone's welcome to join and the design is relatively new so... go screw around, change the design.

If anyone has Android experience that would be very helpful -- I don't even own an Android phone yet.

[[https://sourceforge.net/projects/synergyandroid/]]

[nbolton]

• Author: Shaun Patterson
• Date: 2010-10-27 02:10:16

I've made some progress on this and I'm about ready to test with a real device. I think to inject keystrokes and mouse movements I'm going to need access to /dev/input/uinput and I think the only way to achieve this is with the Cyanogen mod.

However, I do not currently have an Android phone and I can't seem to get Cyanogen 6 working on the emulator. I've looked and looked online but I can't really find anything. Can anyone help me out here? If I can't get it to work I guess my only other option is to buy a real phone. Does anyone have an old G1 lying around collecting dust that they would like to sell to me?

[nbolton]

• Author: John Hughes
• Date: 2010-10-27 17:57:08

I am not sure this helps, but if you have an apk, I would be willing to test it.

Thanks again for the work, synergy on my android would be huge!

Cheers

[nbolton]

• Author: Travis Harris
• Date: 2010-10-28 20:02:29

I too would be glad to do any testing for you as well. I have an Evo4G running on 2.2

[nbolton]

• Author: Shaun Patterson
• Date: 2010-10-29 18:46:22

Cool thanks. I'll keep you guys in mind for testing. I recently acquired a G1 phone for cheap so I'm back to work. I have a single keystroke working on the client now. I'll be trying out the mouse pointer later tonight.

On that note, I've searched and searched but it seems the only option for an Android client is using a mod that exposes /dev/uinput (I'm using the Cyanogen Mod). I wish it didn't come down to that...

[nbolton]

• Author: John Hughes
• Date: 2010-10-29 19:00:53

I don't mind having to run a ROM, in fact since I got my G1, and now my N1, its pretty much been ROM'd 95%% of the time. As far as I understand it, even if you want to use a bluetooth kb you need HID, which just isn't exposed in stock Android.

Thanks for the work and please let me(us? =)) know when you have an apk we can test!

[nbolton]

• Author: Shaun Patterson
• Date: 2010-11-02 00:07:06

Okay I need some help testing. I've put an apk up at https://sourceforge.net/projects/synergyandroid/. I damn near gave up on this... I'm running a crappy G1 with Cyanogen 6.1 and apparently it really doesn't have enough RAM to run background apps. It took me forever to figure out some background process was killing my app because of low memory parameters. So if you're running a G1 have a look at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=5442369#post5442369.

Anyway, only space a-z, numbers, and enter are working. Let me know if it crashes when you backgroud the app. That's what was happening to me but now I'm convinced it's my G1's small RAM size.

[nbolton]

• Author: John Hughes
• Date: 2010-11-02 01:48:05

for me its ok, been running modded ROMS from near day one. Would be great if
not needed, but not an issue for me.

John H

On Fri, Oct 29, 2010 at 1:46 PM, The Synergy Project <
[email protected]> wrote:

Issue #redmine:572 has been updated by Shaun Patterson.

Cool thanks. I'll keep you guys in mind for testing. I recently acquired a
G1 phone for cheap so I'm back to work. I have a single keystroke working on
the client now. I'll be trying out the mouse pointer later tonight.

On that note, I've searched and searched but it seems the only option for
an Android client is using a mod that exposes /dev/uinput (I'm using the
Cyanogen Mod). I wish it didn't come down to that...

---

Feature #572: Client application for Androidhttp://synergy-foss.org/pm/issues/572

• Author: Issue Importer
• Status: Accepted
• Priority: Low
• Assigned to:
• Category:
• Target version: 1.8.0
• Legacy ID: gc-533
• Found in: 1.3.5
• Platform:

Google user: freakalad

What is the problem you wish to solve?
Control the Android interface via input-device on network-connected host

What is your new feature idea?
Port or build of the Synergy client (synergyc) for the Android OS

Is there already a less convenient way?
No; not that I'm aware of

How useful would the feature be to others?
Extremely.
Will vastly improve Android's appeal & versatility.

It would be extremely valuable to be able to control the Android mobile
from HID's; definitely keyboard, mouse would be nice.
Taking hands off keyboad & mouse (which may already be controlling numerous
systems), to "fiddle" with mobile device or Android MID disrupts
productivity flow/pace.
Entering values, such as strong passwords on small mobiles with compound
keyboard is also overly time-consuming, that could be done quickly & easily
with a standard keyboard.

Since Android is also POSIX-based (Linux kernel derivative), it would seem
"simple" to rebuild the source the the new architecture, but unfortunately
this is beyond my own skill-set.

[NOTE: this may be a possible duplicate of an existing thread @

https://code.google.com/p/synergy-plus/issues/detail?id=57 ]

To change your notification preferences, visit:
http://www.synergy-foss.org/pm/my/account

[nbolton]

• Author: Travis Harris
• Date: 2010-11-02 15:40:25

Okay, for me the client says "Connected" but the server never finds the client. My server is a 64 bit computer running 1.3.4.

[nbolton]

• Author: Shaun Patterson
• Date: 2010-11-02 17:19:30

Yeah it always says Connected -- for now. Make sure you set up a client name on your server with the same name as the client name you filled in on the screen. Also make sure you can ping the server. If that doesn't work and you have the android sdk. Run "adb logcat" run synergy and try to connect. Maybe something is crashing

[nbolton]

• Author: Travis Harris
• Date: 2010-11-02 17:37:09

It pings just fine. I'll try to get the log info tonight.

[nbolton]

• Author: Shaun Patterson
• Date: 2010-11-02 23:01:11

Sorry I made a stupid mistake and hardcoded my Server's ip address into the connect function. I've uploaded a new version that should work...

[nbolton]

• Author: John Hughes
• Date: 2010-11-03 00:09:51

Just tested, mouse didn't "seem" to work, keyboard did though...except my space bar worked as a backspace.

Excellent progress though!

[nbolton]

• Author: Travis Harris
• Date: 2010-11-03 00:20:36

It does work for me, but you can't actually see the mouse. I also had the space acting as a backspace, and In order to get the mouse and keyboard to work again on my server, I had to power down my phone.

[nbolton]

• Author: Travis Harris
• Date: 2010-11-03 13:36:18

Okay, I was able to test it on my beta server today and it did not hold my keyboard and mouse hostage, so that is much better. Also, it seems ANY non alphanumeric key is treated like a backspace (even things like shift)

Very well done. This has me very excited. Right now having a third "computer" in my lineup at work is pretty cool even if it does not work perfectly.

[nbolton]

• Author: Shaun Patterson
• Date: 2010-11-03 17:25:57

Interesting. The mouse is probably held hostage because I hardcoded the screen to my G1s size. Strange that alpha keys don't work you guys -- they seem to be working for me. I'll take a look into this tonight. One more thing - how was the mouse "speed"? On my G1 it's very sluggish but I don't think I can really do anything about that. Hopefully it's much faster on a more modern phone

[nbolton]

• Author: Travis Harris
• Date: 2010-11-03 17:42:08

Alpha keys are working just fine. Anything NOT alpha numeric acts as a backspace. This includes function keys (like shift, tab etc) and even includes number pad keys.

The mouse seems to be fast, but I can't actually see it. I can only see any effects it is causing on the screen. It would be nice if there was a cursor of some sort we could see. Also click/click drag do not seem to work either.

Thanks again for doing this. If I can be of any further assistance, please let me know.

[nbolton]

• Author: Shaun Patterson
• Date: 2010-11-08 23:58:48

New version for testing available on Sourceforge. Mouse movements should work a bit better this time. Space key now works.

[nbolton]

• Author: Travis Harris
• Date: 2010-11-09 16:42:37

Once again, great progress! I am glad the space now works. The mouse seems to be about the same as it was before.

quite a number of times while I was typing, it acted like a key got stuck, and repeated it a dozen or so times

I'm looking forward to the next iteration.

[nbolton]

• Author: Michael Leighty
• Date: 2011-03-22 18:43:43

Hi Guys - been using synergy for years. Absolutely sware by it. I'm glad to see there is a move to add the Android OS to the list of clients. I have my HTC Evo docked during the work day right next to all my other screens and have often wished I could just roll the mouse over to the droid and use it and the keyboard to text, answer the phone etc. Seems like a natural. I would love to help so if you need more testers I'm in.

[nbolton]

• Author: daniel guevara
• Date: 2011-05-03 22:57:57

Guys this all sounds great and can't wait for the completed product.
There's been better phones out now with more ram and processing power (AKA Motorola Atrix)
I have it rooted and with the HDMI webtop modification which turns it into a computer.
Would be willing to test any beta or similar client as it would run great with the monitor/webtop.

Let me know if anyone wants to test the client on an Atrix. :)

[nbolton]

• Author: Jamie Pate
• Date: 2012-07-03 22:22:35

Hey, has there been any progress on this? any word on whether the device needs to be rooted?

[nbolton]

• Author: Danny King
• Date: 2012-09-17 15:45:43

+1 for this! I would find this a wonderful addition.

[nbolton]

• Author: Camilo Martinez
• Date: 2012-09-20 14:09:49

Please this will be a sweet add on...

[nbolton]

• Author: James Cassidy
• Date: 2012-10-19 01:28:16

Slatted for release in 1.4.11? AWESOME!!! I know everyone in my office here is looking forward to this feature!

[nbolton]

• Author: Ben Johns
• Date: 2012-10-19 15:26:17

OH my gosh, this would be sick nasty awesome! How can I get updated when this is released???!!

[nbolton]

• Author: Gregory Baker
• Date: 2012-11-09 15:47:47

Another +1. I almost always have an Asus Transformer Prime sitting next to my laptop. It already has mouse and keyboard support though it's 'transformer' dock and it will be a killer to be able to use Synergy to unify yet another device.

Keep up the awesome work!

[nbolton]

• Author: Bradley Bertrim
• Date: 2012-11-12 18:07:11

I would love for a native android synergy client. I use Synergy everyday at work between my Ubuntu desktop development machine, my windows laptop. I would love to be able to just mouse over to my Nexus 7 (or soon Note 2) to text/im/change music.

As a developer myself I totally understand the limitations of the system though. Perhaps this would require cooperation between Google and Synergy to accomplish as I can't see an easy way of it working without root access.

[nbolton]

• Author: Ahmer Khan
• Date: 2012-11-12 18:29:14

I'd love to have this as well. I use my Ubuntu desktop with a Macbook air and would like to share my keyboard/mouse on an Android tablet mounted next to the monitor.
I have a gazillion ebooks on different types of readers (kindle, google play etc) and would like to work on projects while referencing docs on the tablet. Using a mouse/keyboard to scroll up/down will be very convenient.

[nbolton]

• Author: Ethan S.
• Date: 2012-11-15 15:30:15

This would definitely be a killer app. I wonder if it would be possible to add Synergy as an input method like the Android Keyboard/Swype/Swiftkey in order to get access to all the forms of input on the system. This would inform the user that the data "could" be logged, but would allow for them to turn it on/off as an input method at will, and without seeing the screen someone trying to "take over" remotely wouldn't get far.

[nbolton]

• Author: Martin List-Petersen
• Date: 2012-11-19 09:34:50

I'd welcome this port. There are tons of appliances on Android basis, that would benefit from this, like for example tablets.

Another example is the Motorola Droid 4 with a Lapdock or in Webdock mode connected to a HD Dock. In both cases, there is already a mouse cursor displayed and they are used like a normal desktop or laptop.

[nbolton]

• Author: dator professor
• Date: 2012-11-22 22:40:37

Me to wish the project to be full-filled for Android, it will take long time for me to learn how to compile linux soft for android. Is there anybody out whos reading. I am using to mices.

[nbolton]

• Author: Lawrence Leung
• Date: 2012-11-28 18:39:48

How's this coming along? I'd be willing to help build this if necessary.

[nbolton]

• Author: Kobi Gurkan
• Date: 2012-11-29 10:32:21

Willing to assist as well, I've been developing for Android for quite a while now - can we start as a community developing this?

[nbolton]

• Author: MapKick Software
• Date: 2012-12-11 23:42:58

Nick said earlier "We'll accept this feature request on the condition that only the client will be ported; i.e. so that you can control your Android phone from your PC (to bypass the need for the touch screen)."

If this project for Android is pursued, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND the developers include support for Google TV. This makes perfect sense, because if the Synergy for Android app is purely client only, touch input within the app can be limited (if not removed altogether), just as Nick suggested.

To allow this to work with Google TV, simply edit the Android Manifest. See here: https://developers.google.com/tv/android/docs/gtv_android

The ability to control my TV (as well as my tablet) from my existing keyboard and mouse would be incredible.

Keep up the good work guys!

[nbolton]

• Author: Brian Duncan
• Date: 2012-12-31 20:56:41

Donated just to vote for this feature.

[nbolton]

• Author: Shaun Patterson
• Date: 2013-01-21 05:44:20

For what its worth I have an Android client up on Sourceforge. It was a quick hack and Ive lost interest. Maybe someone would like to continue where i left off. The main problem with Android is that your phone needs to be rooted... Not a huge deal but a barrier nonetheless to some.

[nbolton]

• Author: clark a
• Date: 2013-02-01 23:34:41

specifically casting vote for Google TV support.

p.s. if I were stranded on desert island, synergy would be the only app I would bring.

[nbolton]

• Author: Matt R
• Date: 2013-02-07 20:23:31

I would absolutely love to see this move forward as well. donated just to voice my support, too.

[nbolton]

• Author: Stuart Bentley
• Date: 2013-02-14 00:36:03

The alpha on Sourceforge seems to be running well enough - I just installed it on my rooted Galaxy Nexus running the "Shiny" (almost completely unaltered from stock) 4.2.1 ROM and it works, albeit with some bugs (the cursor frequently "hits the edge" in the middle of the screen). I'd gauge it as complete enough to include in the main project tree.

[nbolton]

• Author: Huy Chau
• Date: 2013-03-02 04:33:40

there are so many free apps that do this for you...

[nbolton]

• Author: Dom Holmes
• Date: 2013-03-02 12:09:00

So is it looking likely that we'll see at least keyboard input on non rooted, stock Android devices? Does the current code work on non rooted devices? It's not clear reading through the comments.

[nbolton]

• Author: Anony Mous
• Date: 2013-03-12 21:26:49

@Huy - there are some apps that do _similar_ functions, but none (AFAIK) that are:
1) Open Source
2) Support Multiple OS's
3) Small overhead
If you know of any, I'd be interested to know for reference.

@Dom - it may be possible to do it on non-rooted devices, but I think it might be tricky to hook into low-level device functions without root, or some other escalated privilege (maybe developer mode?)

[nbolton]

• Author: Bradley Bertrim
• Date: 2013-04-09 17:45:58

I just gave the latest alpha from sourceforge a try and its working okay so far. The application has force closed twice but started back up without issue and the cursor is a little choppy (which may be caused by my wifi at work as I've had a similar experience on my laptop). But besides that it works well.

I cant seem to find a way to send a stack trace or any debug info on the force closes or I would.

I'm using a Galaxy Note 2 with a build of Paranoid Android (t0lte).

By the way thanks for the effort on this project, it is very much appreciated! And having this work on Android as well as Linux and Windows, I have one of each device in front of me, is fantastic!

[nbolton]

• Author: Ethan S.
• Date: 2013-04-10 15:28:36

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.liveov.skm&hl=en

Hopefully Synergy can get as polished as this app and works over as many options (wifi/BT/USB).

[nbolton]

• Author: Andrew Collett
• Date: 2013-07-23 10:33:40

Hello, is there still going to be work on this project? I noticed a different issue number is now being "done" whilst this has been left, anything causing that? Or is it just that the other ones worth working on first? Just curious:-)

[nbolton]

• Author: Zenobius Jiricek
• Date: 2013-10-29 01:09:13

@andrew

I'd say that it's a more complicated than the other issues. It is after all creating a client for a platform the team has yet to tackle.

[nbolton]

• Author: Christoph Blank
• Date: 2013-10-30 07:46:10

This feature would be awesome in the future!

[nbolton]

• Author: Gary Eckhardt
• Date: 2013-11-22 22:18:37

Please please please port this over to Android and Google TV! It would make life SO much easier if your phone is just as important of a computer as your other computers for work!

[nbolton]

• Author: Bryan Wallbridge
• Date: 2013-12-07 12:01:30

Don't know if the bluetooth link in windows 8, that enables remote control of an android tablet could help here. Currently it is next to useless, as you have to actively switch between devices - but it should mean there is support for it buried in there somewhere.

[nbolton]

• Author: Bradley Bertrim
• Date: 2014-01-11 04:50:49

I was checking back to see the status on this feature and noticed that it isn't even on the road map even though it has been at, or near, the top of the request list since the premium feature request was instituted. I can't really speak for others but this is the only feature I've been waiting for. I would probably be willing to donate more but I don't really feel that a feature request system that routinely overlooks one of the top requested features is worth supporting. I'm not trying to be harsh, just objective and constructive. Being a software developer myself I know things aren't so cut and dry as that, however, from a user's perspective, especially one that has been craving this feature for over a year, I do feel a little disenfranchised.

So is there any word on this?

[nbolton]

• Author: Edouard Maza
• Date: 2014-01-21 09:37:41

Can't agree more with Bradly. Actually there's quite a number of other features that I'm waiting for too (windows XP fix, to be able to use latest version / The ability to use both client and server mouse and keyboard).

But I agree, I know it's a small team, but some updates would be good, once in a while. I wouldn't mind paying a second time if I had a better idea of what's going on.

[nbolton]

• Author: Michael Rodger
• Date: 2014-01-31 07:08:17

I believe it's time for a status update. Like Bradley said, things usually aren't so cut and dry, but from a user perspective it's been too quiet.
In theory, there's a team of people working on this project 9-5, Monday to Friday. Not necessarily only on software development, but one would think that something would have happened by now. I don't feel the need to add a vote to this, given that it has gathered $4050 and hasn't received any attention (as far as the public can see)

[nbolton]

• Author: Mark Holtzhausen
• Date: 2014-03-03 15:07:31

Still no comment guys? This is rather bad.

[nbolton]

• Author: Scott McGee
• Date: 2014-03-04 01:00:04

Just loaded the Alpha on my Note3. My Note is rooted, but otherwise unaltered. It works great so far! Setup was extremely easy. This is, for me, a game changer! I keep my phone docked next to my computer so now I can seamlessly access it too from my keyboard and mouse, just as I do with my Linux server, etc. Just used it to send my wife a text message. Wonderful!

[nbolton]

• Date: 2014-03-04 08:16:36

I'm trying to decide what to do here, and I need your help guys.

Given that there is an Android client available from our downloads page (and considering that it was written outside our project), I have some options:

1. Return the "votes" back to the people, as the wheel has already been invented
2. Adopt the Android client project into ours, and declare this issue as "Fixed"
3. Rename this issue to "Android support without needing to root the device"
4. Rename this issue to "Android support via the Bluetooth HID emulation"
5. A mixture of the above
6. Something entirely different

[nbolton]

• Author: Victor Hora
• Date: 2014-03-10 14:56:00

I think that something between these two would fine:

1. Rename this issue to "Android support without needing to root the device"
2. Rename this issue to "Android support via the Bluetooth HID emulation"

The Android client is good, but still needs some "polishing"... I think that the support without root would be very good.

[nbolton]

• Author: Bradley Bertrim
• Date: 2014-03-12 18:28:47

I don't think you can consider the synergyandroid client a solution since it is very buggy and crashes consistently every few minutes. It also crashes several of my apps when I have them in the foreground and mouse over to my device. In addition to it no longer being actively developed; it was not developed by, and is not supported by, the Synergy team. This means it wont get any new features, bugs will be left unresolved, and any changes to the Synergy network protocol will break it.

If there is an unwillingness to write a version that requires root (and I can understand this stance especially if there is an intent to create an app that doesn't require root) then the issue should be renamed as I'm sure everyone here will still want to support the issue/feature/app.

However, if the intent is to not create a native Android app supported and maintained by the Synergy team then the votes should be returned.

[nbolton]

• Author: Michael Rodger
• Date: 2014-03-22 10:45:20

The application already exists, but it is barebones and unstable (and labeled as alpha software accordingly)
It is licensed under GPL, why not obtain the sources and put the Synergy team to work on actually making it usable? Then at least someone would be doing something and this issue wouldn't be stagnating. Thus, option 2 is good provided that the application is actively developed and not simply claimed.

[nbolton]

• Author: Bart Hutto
• Date: 2014-03-28 03:12:53

I've tried to use the Synergy Android Client outside this project, and it is extremely buggy and constantly crashes.

Option 1 - NO. This current Android Client is a far cry from being "invented". Way too buggy, and because it's so frustrating to use, I'd just prefer to buy another laptop and put Synergy on it. But I have these two Android tablets sitting right here on my desk... My preference is to use them with Synergy.
Option 2 - No and kinda yes. I think you should grab the source, make it useful, and ACTIVELY DEVELOP the Android client. I vote "no" for declaring the issue as "Fixed". Far from it. This would just show that the synergy-foss team is lazy, and you'd have an outcry for everyone wanting or waiting for a solid Android Client.
Option 3 - NO.
Option 4 - NO.
Option 5 - NO.
Option 6 - YES. I would agree with Michael Rodger in that "option 2 is good, _PROVIDED THAT_ the application is actively developed and not simply claimed." So grab the source, make it better and actively work on it. With so many Android devices dominating the market, creating a workable Android client would provide a big win for Synergy adoption everywhere.

In all actuality, the current Android Client outside your project is so bad of a client that it actually took me away from Synergy and towards the "Share Keyboard & Mouse" app. I don't think you'd want people to do that -- continuing to look for an Android solution -- particularly when you have at least 50%% of the solution handed to you, just waiting for you to adopt, make stable, and fully support.

[nbolton]

• Author: Don Bliss
• Date: 2014-04-01 21:53:21

Take the app on, and improve it making useable... it's pretty bad right now.

I'm with Bart, due to this issue, I have started using the share keyboard & Mouse app. It's very convenient to use my droid as a second screen while trying to get some work done while traveling, and hope that Synergy finds a fix to this issue.

[nbolton]

• Author: Michael Rodger
• Date: 2014-04-05 09:45:46

I think the general consensus on this issue is pretty clear. Why are none of the issues marked as "Doing"? This does not inspire much confidence. And if you are working on something, then show that to the community which is supporting you.

[nbolton]

• Author: Don Bliss
• Date: 2014-04-10 11:02:49

Nick, any update on this? I'll donate more money to the project, but I need progress to be made on this issue. This is pretty much my main/only use for synergy. I love the synergy software, and hope to get back to it once I can use it again.

[nbolton]

• Author: Michael Rodger
• Date: 2014-04-16 08:05:05

*bump*

[nbolton]

• Author: Thorbjrn Hellehaven
• Date: 2014-04-23 19:30:09

Rename this issue to "Android support without needing to root the device"

[nbolton]

• Author: sinan midillili
• Date: 2014-06-23 12:31:49

Should the app be made I would gladly pay for it (assuming its <5$) and it could/would be a good source of revenue for the synergy-project team as well. Though considering piracy If I were you I wouldnt really rely on the income from the app(should it be created).

[nbolton]

• Author: Nicholas Wech
• Date: 2014-06-24 20:39:27

Adopt the third party app and rename this issue to "Move Android app to Beta." Right now "the wheel" is more like a square on an axle; it's hardly better than a sled. With a little work, the Synergy team can improve the existing hack into a usable product. If you want to sponsor a community effort, I'll certainly join. I'm a Java Enterprise dev, with a history of web dev. I've already donated my money to the project, and I'd be excited and proud to donate my talents.

[nbolton]

• Author: Andrew Jennings
• Date: 2014-07-05 11:23:09

The third party apk is severely lacking support. I would love to see the synergy community work to get this incorporated into an even better synergy product. Myself I am little help with the dev work though I would be happy to test on the myriad of android devices I have.

[nbolton]

• Author: Ryan Staatz
• Date: 2014-08-05 18:20:10

On my rooted Nexus 5 the most recent Synergy Android app works pretty well with my MacBook Pro (once configured and connected), but the biggest issue for me is actually copy and paste. Every time I copy and paste on my mac, it disconnects from my Android phone. I understand how much better the Synergy app would be without root, but for me, if this copy/paste issue was fixed, I would be able to use the Android app on a much more regular basis. Nick, are there any plans to work on the Android project at all? I notice that it's been awhile since any work has been done on the Android project and wonder if the Synergy team has decided to just focus their energy on the three (3) main desktop clients instead.

If some of the folks in the this thread who are fairly familiar with Android development wanted to start working on the Synergy project in GitHub, I'd be happy to test or add feedback on PRs. I've created a fork of this project on my GitHub account here in case the owner, GitHub user yolanother, is no longer maintaining the base repository. Haven't started looking at it yet myself, but I will likely do so sometime this week. I'm not a real developer, but I'm pretty familiar with Git and GitHub, and have written a couple of rudimentary Android apps. If anyone wants to submit a PR to my fork, I'd be happy to review, test, and provide feedback. Conversely, I'd be happy to test a branch on your own fork if you PM me.

[nbolton]

• Author: stefan thorpe
• Date: 2014-09-27 04:11:53

Share Km is reporting that it has expired and needs an update. Consquently I can do anything at all as both choices exit the app. How do I fix this?

[rygwdn]

I've been doing some work on the synergy android app on my fork. So far I've:

• Switched it to the new android build system (gradle)
• Separated it into an app and a service (https://github.com/rygwdn/synergyandroid/issues/1)
• Fixed the most frequent crash (issue with clipboard events) (https://github.com/rygwdn/synergyandroid/commit/3965eec1b34f898b2f9a719088b5855a42b0bba4)
• Fixed most of the mouse issues I found (gets stuck much less, etc.) (https://github.com/rygwdn/synergyandroid/issues/5)
• Fixed ability to send Home key (https://github.com/rygwdn/synergyandroid/issues/6)
• Fixed ability to send symbol keys (https://github.com/rygwdn/synergyandroid/issues/11)
• Added server -> client clipboard sync (https://github.com/rygwdn/synergyandroid/issues/2)
• Lots of misc cleanup

I've started looking into making it work without root, but Android doesn't have a mechanism for allowing apps to provide hardware keyboard/mouse drivers (unless you have root access). From what I've found it looks like the only options are to:

1. only support non-root over USB (This is what Share KM seems to do - I'm not sure how yet)
2. only support keyboard events (implement an android IME/Keyboard)

[chetbox]

For mouse support without root is it possible to do the following?

• Draw a cursor by overlaying a custom dialog on the screen using something like StandOut
• Simulate a mouse click using UIAutomator

I'm pretty sure the former is possible (this is how Facebook chat heads works) but I'm not so sure about the latter.

Not proper mouse emulation but could do the job.

[chetbox]

Have looked into this further and it seems it is not possible to inject mouse events without root. (UIAutomator/Espresso/etc. use Instrumentation to inject key events but this is only possible inside the application unless the INJECT_EVENTS system permission is used.)

An InputMethodService also cannot send mouse events.

Stupid security.

[chetbox]

An alternative way of clicking without root is by inspecting the view hierarchy using an AccessibilityService. Unfortunately you cannot click at a location, but you can fetch the location on screen of each view and you can send a click event to a particular view.

I've thrown together an example here: https://github.com/chetbox/android-mouse-cursor (The important bit is here.)

It includes a script to send "mouse events" over UDP and demonstrates that the concept broadly works, but there are some severe limitations so unfortunately it's not a workable solution for everyday use.

[chozabu]

@chetbox interesting stuff! Can we use ADB to send touch inputs? https://github.com/chetbox/android-mouse-cursor/issues/1

[chetbox]

From chetbox/android-mouse-cursor#1:

You could, but I don't believe your app will be able to call out to the shell to invoke input because it does not have appropriate permissions. (INJECT_EVENTS is a system permission.) When running adb shell from your computer you have higher privileges than a running app.

One avenue that may be worth exploring is using adb shell to connect to adbd on the device over TCP on localhost. It would require USB debugging and is probably a huge security hole, but might achieve what we want.

[benjymous]

Full mouse and keyboard simulation over ADB is definitely possible - he's another synergy-like app that works on Android 4.1+

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.floriandraschbacher.deskdock.free

[mikemol]

I'm currently using Airdroid to use my Linux setup's keyboard and mouse with my phone, but having to switch to a different browser tab, rather than move my cursor to where my phone rests on my desk, is a pain.

Airdroid uses ADB to get the necessary privileges going with the phone. Please, please get this going. I'd love for this to be relatively seamless.

[Pozzoooo]

Is it under development?

[Rukenshia]

having Android support would be awesome. I'm using a company device, so no rooting or custom ROM allowed. This is holding me back from using synergy right now.

[hgghyxo]

+1 on this. Really awaited function.

[pfsmorigo]

+1. Any update?

[pcaro]

+1 Updates?

[danehep]

I was navigating looking for exactly the same as requested here. I wonder if this feature will be available some day...

[atrauzzi]

Would love to see this happen!

[Pozzoooo]

Just bought it hoping that this feature come sometime in the future :)

[jvschiavo]

Suggestion: rename issue to "Platform Request: Android + Chrome OS client support (no root)"

I think the name makes it clearer to everyone searching for it and bring focus to the issue.

But there is no need to close #3363 since a Chrome OS specific app could exist (specially with server support, that would be awesome)

(And just to be clear, with "+ Chrome OS" I mean just to make sure it works on the platform too through Play Store)

Edit: if you agree with me please change both names for consistency. :)

[uda]

+1 Any news?

[chikilinder]

hay una opcion de NON-ROOT para tener control remoto
se instala del programa de PC al android pero cuando se reinicia el equipo perder la conexión y la contrafigura hay alguna otra manera de no perder la configuración sin ser ROOT