Home screen menu opens when doing `cordova run android`

[GitToTheHub]

Bug Report

Problem

When doing a cordova run android, the menu from the home screen will appear before the app is starting.
This menu would normally appear when the user would do a long press on the home screen. It seems like the cli is doing a long press on the home screen before launching the app:

I observe this problem since over 1 year. This will happen on any Android version.

Is this maybe already fixed in corodva-android 14.0.0?

What is expected to happen?

The app should start without opening the home screen menu.

What does actually happen?

The home screen menu is opened before the app starts.

Information

Command or Code

cordova run android

Environment, Platform, Device

• MacBookPro 13" 2019
• ZSH
• Android Emulator

Version information

• macOS 15.2
• cordova-android 13.0.0
• cordova 12.0.0 (cordova-lib@12.0.2)
• Android SDK Command-line Tools: 17.0
• Android Emulator 35.3.11
• Android SDK Platform-Tools: 35.0.2

Checklist

• I searched for existing GitHub issues
• I updated all Cordova tooling to most recent version
• I included all the necessary information above

[erisu]

I am not sure if it is necessary to fix this behavior. It is only visible when using the cordova run command, and I don’t think it causes any issues. It doesn't exist in production.

I investigated where this behavior originates and found this line of code.

I couldn't find any associated ticket or PR that explains the reasoning behind adding this code, other than the comment suggesting it is for the purpose of "unlocking the device." Perhaps, when the emulator or device idles, the screen powers off, preventing the app from launching, so it needed a long press first?

Maybe this code could be removed, but I am unsure what edge case it was meant to support.

It also appears that the original code was added on June 19, 2013.

[GitToTheHub]

Cool you tracked it down and I was sure that the CLI is doing here something. I googled for input keyevent 82 and found a entry on the XDA forums: https://xdaforums.com/t/unlock-your-screen-via-adb-send-the-menu-keycode.971768/

Some described, that it is possible to unlock the phone via an adb shell command and explained the background:

I flashed a kernel and rebooted and when the phone was fully booted I could not unlock the lock screen!
Had disabled the slider and had the menu key set to unlock (cm7). Unfortunately the kernel must have had a bug or something and all my soft buttons were not working.

He changed to unlock the device with the software menu button instead and disabled the slide to unlock gesture. After rebooting the device his software menu button was not working and he was doing it programmatically to unlock it.

After reading it more precisely I saw he referenced an entry on google groups: https://groups.google.com/g/android-platform/c/jVbq3gzjI2M?pli=1

One asked:

Hi, Does anybody know how to unlock the phone with adb shell, in emulator by touching menu key it

I think he wanted to ask how to unlock a real phone. In the emulator it worked by touching the menu key but on the real device not.
In the XDA entry they are talking also about real phones: Nexus One, Nexus 5, Samsung S6.
So it's about real phones.

Today it does not exist a menu button on the device. This is long ago.

I think this can be removed.

[breautek]

I do know that sometimes cordova run command hangs on install and it appears it's because it got stuck on that menu. (Normally the menu gets dismissed almost immediately and the app gets launched, but sometimes the menu stays open and nothing happens)

It happens very rarely and when it does happen I just cancel and retry the cordova run command, so it's not like a critical issue but if it is something that is completely obsolete now and we don't need to hit the menu key, it will likely solve that minor issue.