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Kea Essential Remapper has received a major update for Nothing and CMF phone users. Version 1.1.0 brings several new features, including Power Button remapping, Lock Screen Overlay support, new actions, improved screen recording, and better compatibility.
Following the 1.1.0 release, Kea also received a smaller version 1.1.1 update with improvements to overlay placement, performance, and stability.
Kea 1.1.0: What’s New?
Version 1.1.0 adds several new features to make Kea more useful for Nothing and CMF phones.
Power Button Remapping
One of the biggest additions is support for the Power Button.
The Power Button now has its own independent mapping, allowing users to assign different actions to the Power Button and hardware keys.
For example, users can assign the Essential Key to open the flashlight while using a long press of the Power Button to open the Calculator.
This gives users more options to customize their phone’s physical buttons.
Lock Screen Overlay
Kea 1.1.0 also adds Lock Screen Overlay support.
The overlay allows users to see Kea’s visual feedback even when the phone is locked.
Users can also adjust the placement of the overlay to match the position of the button they are using.
New Actions
The update adds four new actions:
- Set a Timer
- Copy
- Paste
- Calculator
For example, users can assign Copy to a single press and Paste to a double press of the Essential Key.
The Set a Timer action can directly open the Google Clock app and take users to the timer screen.
Better Screen Recording
Kea’s screen recording feature has also received improvements.
The update fixes audio permission issues and adds support for recording device audio and microphone audio.
Users can also configure screen recording settings such as resolution and frame rate.
Adjustable Glow Effect
Kea now allows users to control the intensity of the overlay’s glow effect.
The glow can be adjusted based on the user’s preference, and the feature can also be enabled or disabled.
Improved Setup Experience
The setup process has been cleaned up in version 1.1.0.
Unnecessary options have been removed from the setup screen, leaving only the required system handlers. Detailed instructions have also been added to help users disable the Essential Key’s default action.
Kea also improves theme handling, including better support for light and dark modes during the setup process.
Compatibility Fixes
Version 1.1.0 also includes compatibility improvements for the CMF Phone 2 Pro and Nothing Phone (3a) Lite.
These fixes address issues that some users faced while setting up and using the Essential Key.
Performance Improvements
The update also includes UI improvements, smoother animations, and performance optimizations.
Kea has also been updated to target API level 37 (Android 17) for Google Play compliance.
Kea 1.1.1: Follow-Up Update
After releasing version 1.1.0, Kea received another update, version 1.1.1, focused mainly on improving the experience and fixing issues found after the initial release.
Independent Overlay Placement
Version 1.1.1 adds Independent Placement for the visual overlay.
Users can now position and fine-tune the on-screen overlay separately for Hardware Keys and the Power Button.
This is particularly useful when the two buttons are located in different areas of the phone.
Performance and Stability Improvements
The latest update also improves performance and stability.
Kea has refined its stock handler discovery for the CMF Phone 2 Pro and Nothing Phone (3a) Lite. The update also includes general fixes for Nothing OS.
These changes should make the setup and button-remapping experience more reliable on supported devices.
