mpv-player / mpv-player/mpv

mpv does not recieve arrow key calls through remote control PC-Android (KDE Connect & others)

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os:win
Dominant language
C
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Description

Hello. I'm new to bug-reporting, so please bear with me.
I'm trying to use my android device (Samsung Galaxy S21 FE) to remotely control an mpv instance using KDE Connect app. It does work pretty well, but the arrow keys inside the KDE Connect app on android don't function (as in they should make mpv fast forward (seek -5/5) for LEFT/RIGHT, and adjust volume (add volume -5/5) for DOWN/UP, as stated in my input.conf). But other virtual keyboard functions like "a" (cycle audio) and "s" (cycle sub) DO work. I'm using Microsoft SwiftKey to test the functionality, but I've also tried using other android keyboards (like Hacker Keyboard, if I recall correctly), and the behavior persists (as in using virtual keyboard arrow keys do not work inside mpv).
I've also tested another remote desktop app to eliminate the chance of the issue being a KDE Connect issue. So I've tried to reproduce this using RustDesk, and the behavior persisted.
I've tested this with mkv, mp4 and avi, and the issue was the same.
I've also tried launching mpv with --no-config as suggested, and the issue still persisted.

Information:
mpv version 0.35.1
Windows 10 Version 22H2 x64
shinchiro build

Reproduction steps:

  1. Install KDE Connect on android and PC (https://kdeconnect.kde.org/download.html)
  2. Open KDE Connect on both android device and PC
  3. Tap the needed PC inside the android app, then tap the "Request Pairing" button (I presume the PC and the android device should be on the same network)
  4. Click "Accept" inside the newly made notification on the PC
  5. Tap "Remote Input" on the android device (I'm translating the buttons on the go since I'm using a different language, so the button names may vary slightly, sorry)
  6. Tap the keyboard icon at the top right corner of the android device to open the virtual keyboard
  7. Change the keyboard if needed to access the keyboard with arrow key functionality (I'm using the built in SwfitKey, the arrow keys should be turned on separately in the keyboard settings)
  8. Open an mpv instance.
  9. Load a video
  10. Tap the Left, right, up or down arrow key on the virtual keyboard on the android device

Expected behavior:
UP, DOWN, LEFT and RIGHT functions should provide the input.conf stated behavior
or
the video backs/forwards by 5 seconds with LEFT/RIGHT arrow keys and backs/forwards by 60 seconds with DOWN/UP arrow keys with the default mpv behavior (without user-made input.conf file)

Actual behavior:
Nothing happens

Log file:
output.txt

Contributor guide

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reviewing the supplied output.txt and reproducing the issue with KDE Connect or RustDesk, comparing arrow-key input with working virtual-keyboard letters. Trace how mpv receives those remote key events and verify that UP, DOWN, LEFT, and RIGHT trigger the documented input.conf or default seek and volume behavior.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
android, c
Domain
desktop
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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