How To Hide the Opera Mini 7.1 Virtual Keypad On Samsung, LG and Other Touchscreen Phones

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Dennis Bournique

When the Java ME version of the Opera Mini Browser is running on many touch screen phones, an unnecessary virtual keypad appears at the bottom of the screen (image above left). The keypad wastes space, looks ugly and isn't needed with touch aware apps like Opera Mini. The keypad is not part of Opera Mini. It's something your phone adds because it doesn't recognize that Opera Mini is optimized for touch

Here are several ways to get rid of the virtual keypad so your Opera Mini looks like the right hand image above.

I. By using the phone's menu

Some phones have a menu option for getting rid of the keypad. I've only seen it on Samsungs but it may be an option on other brands as well.

Open the folder or menu where you launch Opera Mini. On my Samsung Wave it's called "Games and more".
Look for and tap a button named "Options", "Menu" or something similar or has an icon that looks like a menu, stack of papers or three dots. On the Wave it's the middle button with the three dots in the left hand screenshot below.
In the Options menu (image below, center) look for and tap a button labeled "Use virtual keypad"
On the next screen tap the check mark next to Opera Mini (image below, right) to remove it and then tap the Save button. Now launch Opera Mini and the virtual keypad should be gone

If your phone doesn't have a menu option to remove the keypad continue reading to see if Opera Mini has a fix for your phone.

II. By using an official version of Mini customized for your phone to remove the virtual keypad.

If Opera recognizes and officially supports your phone it should deliver a modified version of Opera Mini that contains code telling your phone to remove the keypad. Opera can only recognize your phone if you download Mini from m.opera.com using the phone's built in browser. If you download Opera Mini from an unofficial source or downloaded it with your PC and copied to the phone using Bluetooth or a cable you have a generic version that's not optimised for your phone.

If you download Mini from m.opera.com with your phone's built-in browser and you still get the virtual keypad, let Opera know so they can fix it in a future release. File a bug report at mini.bugs.opera.com. Also visit m.opera.com/detect with your phone's built-in browser and fill in the form listing the phone make and model.

If you still have the virtual keypad after downloading from m.opera.com with your phone browser and you don't want to wait for Opera to get around to fixing it, which can take months, it's fairly easy to fix it yourself. Read on for instructions.

III. By modifying the Opera Mini jad file to remove the virtual keypad

You will need a PC, some patience and the ability to follow directions in order to modify Opera Mini. If you lack any of those or want someone else to do the work, skip to the end of this post for a link to an already modified version of Opera Mini.

Obtain an official copy of the Opera Mini jad file. You can download the unsigned versions of Opera Mini directlty to your PC from www.opera.com/mobile/download/versions/

The trouble with unsigned apps is that on most phones you will get annoying pop-up messages asking you to allow Opera Mini to connect. On some phones you only get one pop-up when you first start Opera Mini but on others you get pop-ups every time you click a link which makes Opera Mini almost unusable. A few phones won't allow unsigned apps to connect at all.

There are many ways to download signed versions of Opera Mini to your PC but the easiest is to use the Opera Desktop browser which is available for Windows, Mac OSx and Linux. Download and install it from www.opera.com/browser/ Then:

Launch the Opera PC browser
Go to m.opera.com using the Opera PC browser
Click "Other Download Options"
Click "Select Code-Signing Certificate" under "Options for Opera Mini 6.5:" (or under "Options for Opera Mini 4.4:" if you prefer that version)
Click "All Certificates" (works on most phones. If it doesn't on yours try repeating this process with one of the other signed options)
Click "Download Opera Mini 6.5" and save the file (named mini.jad) somewhere you can find it later
Open the downloaded mini.jad with a text editor or Windows Wordpad
Scroll to the bottom of the file and paste in the following lines:

MIDlet-Touch-Support: true
UseNativeTextButtons: hide
ReverseSoftkeys: hide
UseNativeCommands: hide
Navi-Key-Hidden: true
Nokia-MIDlet-On-Screen-Keypad: no
MIDlet-ScreenMode: ROTATE
MIDlet-Landscape-Support: true
LGE-MIDlet-Width: 240
LGE-MIDlet-Height: 400
LGE-MIDlet-On-Screen-Keypad: no
LGE-MIDlet-Display-Mode: both

Upload the file to Dropbox.com or another file sharing service that is easy to use in your phone browser. Click here to get a free 2GB Dropbox account (by using this referral link I get an extra 250 MB of storage in my Dropbox which I thank you for).

Visit Dropbox with your phone browser and click the modified mini.jad link to download it on your phone.

If that didn't work or you don't have a PC or are just in a hurry, here's a link to my modified version of the signed (All Certificates) version of the Opera Mini 6.5 ,jad file:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4637247/mini.jad or http://is.gd/mini65

Updated 7-Jun-2012: Here's a modified version of the new Opera Mini 7.0:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4637247/mini7.jad or http://is.gd/mini7

Updated 20-Sept-2012: If you get out of memory errors installing Opera Mini 7, here's the smaller but less capable Opera Mini 4.4.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4637247/mini44.jad or http://is.gd/mini44

Updated 26-Nov-2012: Here's a modified version of the new Opera Mini 7.1:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4637247/mini71.jad or http://is.gd/mini71

Click any of the above links in your phone browser to install Opera Mini 4.4 or 7.1 with the virtual keypad disabled.

This entry was posted in Opera Mini Tips and Tricks and tagged Java ME, LG, Samsung, touchscreen, Virtual Keypad. Bookmark the permalink.

130 Responses to How To Hide the Opera Mini 7.1 Virtual Keypad On Samsung, LG and Other Touchscreen Phones

Matt M says:

April 12, 2013 at 1:56 pm

I have a question agian. what do you think the top 3 versions that have the littlest amount of lag and have opera keyboard?
thanks!!!

Reply
- Dennis Bournique says:
  
  April 12, 2013 at 2:36 pm
  
  On fast hardware all versions of Opera Mini are free from lag. On slow hardware the older and lighter versions like 4.2 and 3.1 are the snappiest.
  
  Opera Mini 5 and latter have the Opera touch keyboard option.
Matt M says:

April 10, 2013 at 12:52 pm

I have a question, Iv been Looking around for for a weather app for Java J2ME and cant seem to find any that seem trustable or are in the .JAD format. So i wanted to know what you think the best Weather app for Java J2ME is (In .JAD format!!)
Thanks!!!

Reply
- Dennis Bournique says:
  
  April 10, 2013 at 2:48 pm
  
  Have you tried these: http://boostapps.com/tag/weather/
Mike says:

March 19, 2013 at 7:34 pm

Dennis, Do you know if purchasing apps from the Opera store is secure?

Reply
- Dennis Bournique says:
  
  March 19, 2013 at 8:22 pm
  
  It should be. Opera is a reputable company, the form where you enter credit card information is on a secure (https) page and I never heard of anyone having any problems.
Mike says:

March 19, 2013 at 7:30 pm

Thanks Dennis. Your code was a life-saver. The cursor at the bottom of my screen took up one-third of the display. Thanks again.

Reply
Awesome! says:

March 18, 2013 at 3:39 pm

Thanks a bunch! Really improved browsing experience on my Tracfone LG 840g, I can type in portrait mode now!!!

Reply
harpreet chouhan says:

March 17, 2013 at 1:34 am

plese help me sir to hide the virtual keypad of opera mini in c3312

Reply
- Dennis Bournique says:
  
  March 17, 2013 at 12:26 pm
  
  The virtual keyboard will be hidden if you use the links in the post to install Opera Mini 4.4 or 7.1.
Tyler says:

March 16, 2013 at 6:26 pm

Thank you, Dennis, for your efforts. Makes life a little easier for the average user. I've found Opera to be slightly better than the default web browser and UC 8.9 on my LG 840G Tracfone. If UC cleans up landscape mode and QWERTY for my phone, I'd use it as it seems to have a slightly cleaner interface (and, perhaps, it's more responsive on my phone). But the QWERTY alone on Opera makes it my default for now.

Reply
Lance says:

March 16, 2013 at 12:58 pm

Thanks Dennis, this worked and helped a lot. Just got the Tracfone LG840G. Perfect for my needs. I would like to mess about developing my own java apps for this phone. Can you point me to resources on the web for that?

Thanks again for the generosity of you time.

Cheers,

L.

Reply
- Dennis Bournique says:
  
  March 16, 2013 at 1:37 pm
  
  Here are a couple of Java ME tutorials to get you started:
  http://today.java.net/pub/a/today/2005/02/09/j2me1.html
  http://netbeans.org/kb/docs/javame/quickstart.html
Matt M says:

March 12, 2013 at 4:50 pm

Ummmmm, jamal, why are you coping stuff that iv posted all ready?

Reply
- Dennis Bournique says:
  
  March 12, 2013 at 5:12 pm
  
  I thought that comment looked familiar :)
Matt M says:

March 2, 2013 at 6:25 am

Umm... do you know of any apps for java that let you take screenshots are, because iv been looking and cant find any. Thank!!!!

Reply
- Dennis Bournique says:
  
  March 2, 2013 at 7:49 am
  
  No, and a general purpose screen shot utility for non-smartphones isn't possible because Java ME doesn't give apps the low level hardware access required.
  
  I've heard of some Java apps that have been modified to make screenshots of their own screens but I haven't tried any of them.
  
  You can also run a java app in an emulator like Microemulator on a PC and use an image capture program to make a screenshot.
Matt M says:

February 26, 2013 at 4:42 pm

Thanks a bunch man, i worked.

You are so much help!!!!!

Reply
- Dennis Bournique says:
  
  February 26, 2013 at 5:08 pm
  
  Cool
Matt M says:

February 26, 2013 at 1:26 pm

I have tryed that many times, but that does nothing except get rid of the menu bar at the bottom, But im talking about the status bar at the top with the time and battery level. But i know there is a way to do it because i have downloaded many apps that remove the status bar when they are runing, i just dont know the MIDlet code or whatever, i have tryed Fullscreen: true and some others, but have had no success. If you dont know thats fine, just asking, iv tried to google it with no results, but think i can find it by looking at an app without status bars Midlet codes, thanks anyway.Im sorry iv been posting so many comments, hope its not annoying you. Im just need some help, and your advice is awesome.

Reply
- Dennis Bournique says:
  
  February 26, 2013 at 2:44 pm
  
  Try adding:
  
  LGE-MIDlet-Indicator: HIDE
  
  to the ,jad file.
  More info here: https://sites.google.com/site/lgarenasoftware/tips-tricks
  and here: http://developer.lge.com/resource/mobile/RetrieveJvDocGuideContent.dev?resourceId=RS00000057
Matt M says:

February 25, 2013 at 1:59 pm

Hi, i got my pc back and wanted to know how to remove the status bar on opera mini 4.4?
Is there some kind of code to enter when editing the jad file, Thanks!!

Reply
- Dennis Bournique says:
  
  February 25, 2013 at 2:37 pm
  
  You you can't get rid of the status by editing the jad file, but there's a much easier way. In Opera Mini's settings menu select "Fullscreen mode" and press "Save" and both the top and bottom bars will be gone.
Matt. M says:

February 23, 2013 at 5:16 am

i understand sir,i was just asking you because i dont have any time. and if i did i dont have a pc. but if you cant do it i will just hope that my pc gets fixed.
well thanks for replying

Reply
Matt. M says:

February 22, 2013 at 6:40 pm

if the link does not work thank copy and paste it to your url box and remove all spaces. if it still does not work, than try googleing "opera mini next for java". sorry about that.

Reply
Matt. M says:

February 22, 2013 at 6:25 pm

I am suggesting that opera
mini Next be modifed for
touch, because i have
noticed that it runs alot
smother on phones such as
the lg 800g and lg 840g,
making it more easy to use
the app.
Here is the download link
for opera mini Next that
should be modified for
touch: http://m.opera.com/
dl/3L2N4S2-
I*dKgXf4v*MAbNPlDw8Cb3
BlcmEtbmV4dC5wbmc=/
mini.jar?
vid=0xac372db67f989926 .
Thanks!!!!

Reply
- Dennis Bournique says:
  
  February 22, 2013 at 8:59 pm
  
  I wrote this post to demonstrate the technique and show others how easy it is to do by just editing a text file.
  
  I have thousands of readers and there are tens of thousands of Java ME apps. If I started taking requests it would quickly become a full-time unpaid job.
  
  Also, on my phones I don't see any performance differences between Opera Min and Opera Mini next but if you do you it's easy enough to make the modifications yourself.
Beachcomber says:

February 8, 2013 at 5:05 pm

Thank you soo much Dennis! It works perfectly for my LG 840G.

Matt, did you try the second link that Dennis posted?

http://is.gd/mini71

The dropbox link gave me an "invalid descriptor" message, too - but this link worked like a charm :)

Reply
Matt. M says:

February 6, 2013 at 3:16 pm

Ok never mind, i just had to go to the share page to get it to download.

IT WORKED!!
Thanks so much for your help, and for making this awesome blog, your a life saver.

Thanks

Reply
- Dennis Bournique says:
  
  February 6, 2013 at 3:18 pm
  
  Awesome. Glad you got it working.
Matt. M says:

February 6, 2013 at 3:12 pm

Ok, well i change the MIDlet URL and put it on my dropbox, get on my phone and click download, and my phone tells me "FORBIDDEN". AAAAAH, this is crazy.

so is there anything i can do now??

file to update jad
https://www.dropbox.com/s/r8jom7yx005m7fq/Wattpad.jad

just in case you need to look at it again, lol.
Thanks

Reply
Matt. M says:

February 5, 2013 at 4:21 pm

Ok, thanks for trying to help, i really appreciate your help.
Thanks!!

Reply
- Dennis Bournique says:
  
  February 5, 2013 at 8:59 pm
  
  I found the problem. There's is an error in Wattpad's .jad file. The MIDlet-Jar-URL field is a relative path rather than an absolute path and that won't work if the jad and jar are on different servers.
  
  To fix it change the first line of your .jad file from:
  MIDlet-Jar-URL: Wattpad.jar
  to:
  MIDlet-Jar-URL: http://m.wattpad.com/Wattpad.jar
  
  Then re-upload it to your Dropbox and it should work.
Matt. M says:

February 5, 2013 at 4:14 pm

https://www.dropbox.com/s/r8jom7yx005m7fq/Wattpad.jad

Here is the link that i got.

Reply
- Dennis Bournique says:
  
  February 5, 2013 at 4:16 pm
  
  Thanks, I've downloaded it and will take a look when I have the time
Matt. M says:

February 5, 2013 at 3:42 pm

Well i dont have a pulic folder i my dropbox, do i just make one? and i also tryed to copy it to my phones sd card, but when i try to install it, it says invaled descripter.

Reply
- Dennis Bournique says:
  
  February 5, 2013 at 4:03 pm
  
  I forgot that new Dropbox accounts don't get a public folder any more. Instead on the Dropbox Web site:
  1. Click on the file row to the right of the file's name to select it and Press Share link from the blue bar across the top of the page.
  2. Once the link is created, a preview window appears. Click "Get Link"
  3. Copy the link from your browser's address field and paste it into a comment