Genymobile
Arabic typing not working through scrcpy input (English works)
Description
I'm trying to type in Arabic using scrcpy, but the input only appears in English on the Android device. I switched the keyboard language on my PC to Arabic and typed, but on the phone, only English characters appear. I tested with different keyboards and Android devices, but I got the same result. Arabic input doesn’t appear at all, or gets replaced with English letters. I tried the command --keyboard=uhid and it still doesn't work.
Steps to reproduce
- Start scrcpy normally (I use USB)
- Switch PC keyboard to Arabic (e.g., Windows + Space)
- Focus a text field on the Android device (e.g., WhatsApp or a browser)
- Start typing Arabic
Expected behavior
Arabic text should appear correctly on the Android device.
Actual behavior
Only English characters appear, even when the Arabic keyboard is active.
System details
- OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
- scrcpy version: 3.2
- Android version: Android 12
- Device model: Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
- Keyboard used: Built-in laptop keyboard (with Arabic layout enabled on Windows)
Additional context
Not sure if Arabic is supposed to be supported, but I couldn't find any clear mention of this in the documentation. If it's not supported, consider this a feature request.
Thanks for this great tool!
I tried the command --keyboard=uhid and it still doesn't work.
On the first time, you must select the keyboard layout for UHID. Read: https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy/blob/master/doc/keyboard.md#physical-keyboard-simulation
Thanks again for helping me set up Arabic input with UHID!
One remaining issue: when I enable multiple keyboard layouts (e.g. English and Arabic), scrcpy seems to always use the first layout, ignoring any switches (Shift+Space) I make.
This happens even though the PC keyboard layout changes. Android maintains the first layout only, suggesting the physical HID keyboard isn't re-initialized on layout switch.
Happy to help test any solution. Thanks for the awesome tool! :)
The same issue here, Scrcpy is using the first layout only, ignoring any windows switches
Once you enabled UHID, you must configure the layout on the Android device: https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy/blob/master/doc/keyboard.md#physical-keyboard-simulation