Mouse pointer visibility options for pen tablet/mouse users

Develop Mobile & Tablets platform
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I’m using a pen tablet on Krita android(I prefer drawing on a pen tablet on any device) and currently it doesn’t hide the mouse pointer unlike apps like Clip Studio Paint android and HiPaint. Unfortunately, apps trying to hide the mouse pointer seems to be glitchy in all android devices at the moment. The mouse pointer will be hidden most of the time but will also flicker in and out and can be distracting. Having the mouse pointer visible all the time seems to be better than having it flicker in and out a lot.

If in the future, Krita android is able to hide the mouse pointer like in the full desktop version, I hope there will be the option to permanently show it too, in case that it gets buggy like mentioned above.

Though I don’t think this will get any interest in development since most people prefer drawing directly on the display for portable devices. :sweat_smile:

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There is setting for it in Settings → General → Cursor (“Brush Cursor Icon” is the mouse pointer, and “Brush Outline Shape” is what you by default get instead of the mouse pointer when drawing).

Also it’s weird that you say “seem to be glitchy on all Android devices” because I’ve never seen any flickering of the cursor on my Samsung Galaxy S9 Tab.

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What Tiar is saying, is correct. I have the cursor set to non visible an showing the brush outline. I can also set the cursor to other modes, but they don’t show up in screenshots. But it is there and it does not flicker.

Screenshot_20250910_210844
Screenshot_20250910_2108441288×1592 404 KB

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I apologize, it slipped my mind you can change the cursor on Krita. Someone lent me his android tablet and was testing things out with my pen tablet(Huion Inspiroy Frego M) for just a few hours. With CSP and HiPaint, I have experienced flickering cursor issues with different android devices(several phones and a tablet) so I assumed it’s an inherent android problem, though I’ve yet to try a device that were made with dedicated stylus, like the Samsung tablets.

I unfortunately cannot install Krita on my phones as they’re incompatible. I will have to see someone with an android tablet and see if it’s just a software or hardware issue. I will update at a later time. :saluting_face:

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I went to the mall and brought my Huion Inspiroy Frego M with me. I went to different stores trying different android tablet using the pen tablet I brought with Krita, though I didn’t really get to try Krita for Samsung tablets because they didn’t let me download the app, but I used CSP instead.

I don’t know if it’s just my pentab specifically, a bluetooth issue, or just an android issue, but basically if the app makes the default android pointer change or disappear, there’s a high likelihood that the default mouse pointer will flicker in a short instant. It only happens when I’m using the pentab to draw, not when I’m using a dedicated stylus to draw directly on the screen, like the Samsung S Pen or the Xiaomi Focus pen, etc.

Here’s a video demo of the mouse pointer flicker using my phone: https://files.catbox.moe/a64qzk.mp4
Krita isn’t compatible with my phone so I’m using CSP in that video, but it’s the same behavior in pretty much all the devices I’ve tried in different apps.

It’s not gonna be too much of an issue with Krita since I can just set the default mouse pointer to be always there and not be distracting.

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I contacted Huion about it and this is what they have to say:

We have checked with our technician, this is caused by the software. Due to the properties of the drawing software, this function will be affected.

Does this qualify as a bug so I can formally report it?

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If it is true that their technician proved it, then you should report it. Perhaps you ask them for their technician’s report, to add it to your bug report.

I already was writing on the below and only added a few things because of your new reply, so I find your answer about Huion’s reaction interesting:

To be honest, since this behavior occurs in every app you use with your pen tablet on an Android device (at least if I understood you correctly), it makes me think to be a problem with your pen tablet or with Android. Krita, most likely, has nothing to do with it (okay, maybe the Krita developers know a solution to your problem, but so far you are the only one who has reported this). If it only occurs in Krita, then it may be the bug Huion points to without saying, but if it occurs with other apps too, I don’t believe they asked a technician on this, or didn’t you tell them about it happening in other apps too?

So there are two options you should check first: Huion and Google. With Huion, you’ll need to be lucky that the help desk employee handling your request has good technical knowledge, then you can expect good support. If you’re unlucky, you’ll get a smooth-talking help desk employee whose main goal will be to locate the problem outside of Huion’s responsibility, i.e., with you and your hardware that is not from Huion. Customer dismissed, problem solved—that will be their motto. I have experience with both types, and you need extreme patience and perseverance if you get the slick help desk employee. You have to keep asking them until they transfer you to the technical department or a supervisor notices that the help desk employee cannot solve your problem within a certain number of messages.

However, if you can rule out Huion, you should ask Google to fix their joke called Android, which they sell as an operating system to hardware manufacturers who are too lazy to install a working operating system on their hardware, or to fix the joke they get because it’s cheap for them to use it in the condition they get it…

But that could take years (so you can only hope that the Krita developers do you a favor).

I’m sorry, but I don’t envy your situation.

Neither path is likely to be fun, but these recipients should be the natural recipients of a request like yours.

Michelist

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Yeah, I mentioned to Huion that it’s happening to different apps. I really don’t suspect it’s a Krita issue like you said, though I’m still hoping Huion could do some kind of fix or something, idk. Thanks for the suggestions on how to go through with this. I contacted Huion again and asked for a direct report from their technician. In any case, it’s a minor issue with a bearable work around. I’m thankful that Krita is highly customizable even for the android version.