Trigger: Power Button Toggle

The Power Button Toggle trigger fires when the power button is toggled (pressed) the specified number of times in quick succession. Since direct power button detection is not possible on Android, the trigger works by detecting screen on/off events as a proxy for power button presses.

Options

Number of Presses

3 - Fire when the power button is toggled 3 times
4 - Fire when the power button is toggled 4 times
5 - Fire when the power button is toggled 5 times

Examples

Example 1: Emergency SOS with 5 power button presses

Triggers

Power Button Toggle (5)

Actions

Send SMS: Emergency contact - SOS sent from [location]
Enable GPS
Force Location Update

Example 2: Toggle silent mode with 3 power button presses

Triggers

Power Button Toggle (3)

Actions

If ringer_mode = silent
  Set Ringer Mode: Normal
Else
  Set Ringer Mode: Silent
End If

How It Works

Since Android does not provide a direct way to detect power button presses, this trigger counts screen on/off events as a proxy measurement. Each press of the power button toggles the screen between on and off states, and the trigger counts these transitions.

Notes

Device compatibility may vary - some devices may not register button presses reliably
Users may need to space out individual presses with brief delays to ensure the trigger properly recognizes and registers each press
The trigger requires the screen to actually turn on and off with each press, so press timing matters
Very fast presses may be missed if the screen doesn't have time to fully transition between states
This trigger can be used even when the device is locked
The trigger listens for ACTION_SCREEN_ON and ACTION_SCREEN_OFF broadcast events

See Also