Application control method and apparatus

Abstract

This application discloses an application control method and apparatus, belonging to the field of communication technology. An embodiment of the method includes: when a first application is running in the background, receiving a first input from a user; responding to the first input, displaying an input method interface; receiving a second input from the user; responding to the second input, generating a control command for the first application, and sending the control command to the first application.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, specifically to application control methods and devices. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing demand for multitasking on mobile devices, users often need to maintain full-screen operation of one application while interacting with another running in the background. For example, a user might want to control a game running in the background while chatting or taking notes.

[0003] In existing technologies, if a user needs to control an application running in the background, such as a game, the application must be switched to the foreground and the user can control it through the display interface. This method is complicated, resulting in low efficiency of multitasking and requires interrupting the current foreground task, which affects the smoothness of multitasking. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide an application control method and apparatus that can improve the efficiency and smoothness of multitasking.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide an application control method, the method comprising: receiving a first input from a user when a first application is running in the background; displaying an input method interface in response to the first input; receiving a second input from the user; generating a control command for the first application in response to the second input, and sending the control command to the first application.

[0006] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide an application control device, which includes: a first receiving unit, configured to receive a first input from a user when a first application is running in the background; a display unit, configured to display an input method interface in response to the first input; a second receiving unit, configured to receive a second input from the user; and a generating unit, configured to generate a control command for the first application in response to the second input, and send the control command to the first application.

[0007] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide an electronic device including a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores programs or instructions executable on the processor, and the programs or instructions, when executed by the processor, implement the steps of the method described in the first aspect.

[0008] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored, and when executed by a processor, the computer program implements the steps of the method described in the first aspect above.

[0009] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a chip, the chip including a processor and a communication interface, the communication interface being coupled to the processor, the processor being used to run programs or instructions to implement the method described in the first aspect.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product stored in a storage medium, which is executed by at least one processor to implement the method described in the first aspect.

[0011] In this embodiment, when the first application is running in the background, it receives the user's first input; in response to the first input, it displays the input method interface; upon receiving the user's second input, it generates a control command for the first application and sends the control command to the first application. Through this method, the user can directly control the background application by manipulating the input method interface without switching applications or interrupting foreground tasks, simplifying the multitasking interaction process and thus improving the efficiency and smoothness of multitasking. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the application control method provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an application scenario of the application control method provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an application scenario of the application control method provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the application control device provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electronic device provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of an electronic device suitable for implementing the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0013] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0014] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in this application's specification are used to distinguish similar objects and not to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such terms can be used interchangeably where appropriate so that embodiments of this application can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first," "second," etc., are generally of the same class, without limiting the number of objects; for example, a first object can be one or more. Furthermore, in the specification, "and / or" indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects have an "or" relationship.

[0015] The application control method and apparatus provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, through specific embodiments and application scenarios.

[0016] Please refer to Figure 1 This document illustrates one of the flowcharts of the application control method provided in this application embodiment. The application control method provided in this application embodiment can be applied to electronic devices. These electronic devices may be smartphones, tablets, laptops, wearable devices, etc.

[0017] The application control method provided in this application embodiment includes the following steps: Step 101: When the first application is running in the background, receive the user's first input.

[0018] In this embodiment, the first application refers to an application (APP) that has been launched in the operating system and is running in the background. Background running is an execution state of an application. In this state, the application process is still active, but its main user interface is no longer displayed on the top layer of the device screen and cannot directly receive user interaction input through the graphical interface.

[0019] The first input can be used to launch the input method application, thereby triggering the display of the input method interface. The first input can be touch input, voice command, a specific gesture input by the user, or other feasible input methods; the specific method can be determined according to actual usage needs, and this application embodiment does not limit it. The specific gesture in this application embodiment can be any one of the following: single-click gesture, swipe gesture, drag gesture, pressure recognition gesture, long-press gesture, area change gesture, double-press gesture, and double-tap gesture. The click input in this application embodiment can be single-click input, double-click input, or any number of clicks, and can also be long-press input or short-press input.

[0020] As an example, the first application is a game application, such as a card game application. During the game, if the user needs to send an instant messaging message, they can launch a second application with instant messaging capabilities, such as a social networking application, through gestures or voice commands. At this time, the second application's interface can be displayed in full screen, while the first application runs in the background. When the user clicks on an input box control in the second application's interface, the electronic device's input method application is launched. After detecting this action, the electronic device determines that it has received the user's first input.

[0021] Step 102: In response to the first input, display the input method interface.

[0022] In this embodiment, the input method interface is a graphical user interface provided by the input method application, which can receive user input such as touch and swipe. The input method application can convert this input into text characters or specific commands. The aforementioned input method application can be the input method application that comes with the electronic device's operating system, or it can be a third-party input method application.

[0023] In this embodiment, the input method interface can be displayed in response to the first input. The display position and size of the input method interface conform to the default settings of the electronic device or user-defined settings, and do not affect the display of the core functions of the foreground application interface.

[0024] Continuing with the example above, see [link to example]. Figure 2 After the chat interface of a social application is displayed in full screen, if the user clicks on the input box control in the chat interface, an input method interface, as shown in label 201, will be displayed in a partial area of ​​the chat interface. The input method interface may include the core keyboard area such as letter keys, number keys, and symbol keys required for regular text input, as well as an input content preview area, where the user can directly input text.

[0025] Step 103: Receive the user's second input.

[0026] In this embodiment, the second input can be used to trigger the generation of control commands. The second input can be touch input, voice command, a specific gesture input by the user, or other feasible inputs. The specific input can be determined according to actual usage needs, and this embodiment does not limit it.

[0027] In practice, after the input method interface is displayed, user actions, such as key clicks and swipe gestures, can be detected. When the user's action matches the control rules of the first application, it is determined that the second input from the user has been received. These control rules can be pre-configured in the electronic device and associated with the first application.

[0028] Continuing the example above, the user inputs a sequence of keys on the keyboard in the input method interface according to the card-playing rules of a card game. For example, after pressing the characters A, A, A, 2, 2 in sequence, the user clicks the send button. The electronic device detects that this key sequence matches the control rules of the card game and thus determines that it has received the user's second input.

[0029] Step 104: In response to the second input, generate control instructions for the first application and send the control instructions to the first application.

[0030] In this embodiment, the control command is a structured, formatted data or message that can be recognized by the first application and execute corresponding operations. Its format is adapted to the command receiving protocol of the first application, and can drive the first application to complete specific operations.

[0031] Specifically, after receiving the second input, the electronic device can parse the control intent corresponding to the second input according to the pre-stored control rules of the first application, such as the card-playing rules of a card game, and generate control instructions that conform to the instruction format requirements of the first application. Subsequently, the generated control instructions are sent to the first application running in the background through the inter-process communication (IPC) interface of the electronic device's operating system, so that the first application can receive the instructions in real time.

[0032] Continuing the example above, after the user types the characters A, A, A, 2, 2 in sequence and presses the send button on the keyboard, the electronic device can parse the string "AAA22" to determine that it corresponds to the "three-of-a-kind with two extra cards" rule in a card game. This allows the device to determine that the user's intention is to control the card game application running in the background. At this point, a control command can be generated to instruct the user to play "three-of-a-kind with two extra cards (AAA22)". Subsequently, the electronic device can send this control command to the card game application running in the background via the system application communication interface.

[0033] The method provided in the above embodiments of this application, when the first application is running in the background, receives a first input from the user; in response to the first input, displays an input method interface; and upon receiving a second input from the user, generates a control command for the first application and sends the control command to the first application. Through this method, users can directly control background applications by manipulating the input method interface without switching applications or interrupting foreground tasks, simplifying the multitasking interaction process and thus improving the efficiency and smoothness of multitasking.

[0034] In some optional embodiments, after step 101 is performed, the following steps may also be performed: Step S11: In response to the first input, display the task status information of the first application.

[0035] Task status information is used to characterize the status of tasks running in the first application. Its content has direct reference value for user decisions or operations. In practice, after receiving the user's initial input, a task status information query request can be sent to the first application through a preset interface. The first application responds to the request and returns the current task status information. This task status information can be overlaid on the current interface according to preset display rules and styles, allowing users to view it intuitively when using the foreground application. The display rules and styles of the task status information can be set as needed; for example, it can be displayed in a floating window format, which may include, but is not limited to, images and text.

[0036] The first application can include, but is not limited to, game applications. For game applications, the task status information can be game status information, including but not limited to user-controllable elements, game progress, player behavior, etc. Game status information allows users to keep track of game progress even when the game application is running in the background, thus providing a basis for user decision-making.

[0037] As an example, see Figure 2 Game applications include card games. Task status information, as shown in reference 202, may include the user's cards, other players' avatars, and the number of cards remaining for other players. When another player plays a card, the game status information may also include the card played. It should be noted that other players' played cards can also be output via voice; this is not specifically limited here.

[0038] It should be noted that the "first application" mentioned above, besides game applications, can also include other types of applications. The game applications mentioned above are not limited to card games; they can also include board games, word puzzle games, turn-based strategy games, etc. For board games, their task status information may include, but is not limited to, the current game state. For word puzzle games, their task status information may include, but is not limited to, the text information to be guessed or hints. For turn-based strategy games, etc., their task status information may include, but is not limited to, the action options or skill status available in the current turn. These will not be listed exhaustively here.

[0039] Step S12: If the target conditions are met, stop displaying the task status information.

[0040] The target condition can be a scenario or event that triggers the stopping of the display of task status information, and can be set as needed. For example, it may include, but is not limited to, the completion of a task processed in the first application. While displaying the task status information of the first application, the electronic device continuously monitors the running status of the first application and whether the preset target condition has been met.

[0041] As an example, in the case of a game application as the first application, the target condition may include, but is not limited to, game over. When a game session terminates, such as when a winner has been decided, a task is completed, or time runs out, and the user indicates they will not continue playing, the game can be considered over. In practice, when a game session terminates, the first application can trigger a game over notification. After the electronic device detects this notification, it can display a control asking the user whether to continue to the next game. If the user does not confirm within a set time, it can be determined that the user has indicated they will not continue playing. At this point, the game can be considered over, and the floating window displaying task status information such as the user's cards, other game participants' avatars, and the remaining card count of other participants can be automatically closed.

[0042] Understandably, in existing technologies, when a user switches an application to the background, obtaining its task progress information requires frequent switching between the foreground and background applications, which is cumbersome and interrupts the use of the current application. In this embodiment, when the user launches the input method application, the task status information of the background application is automatically and synchronously displayed. The user can intuitively grasp the progress of the task in the background application without switching applications, solving the problem of inconvenience in obtaining the task progress of the background application and ensuring the continuity of the user's multitasking operations.

[0043] It is also understandable that if the task status information continues to be displayed after the first application completes its task, it will occupy the interface space of the foreground application, causing visual interference and affecting the user's normal operation of the foreground application. In this embodiment, by setting a target condition, the display of invalid task status information is automatically stopped after the task is completed, avoiding interface redundancy, optimizing the user interface environment of the foreground application, and helping to improve the user's focus and the cleanliness of the interface interaction.

[0044] In some optional embodiments, the input method interface includes a first keyboard. The first keyboard refers to the standard keyboard provided by default in the input method interface for implementing regular text input functions. Its key layout includes letter keys, number keys, symbol keys, and text input auxiliary function keys, such as Enter, Delete, and switching input methods. It is adaptable to text input scenarios such as social application chat and note-taking. The first keyboard can be used for text input. Text input refers to the user inputting characters such as text, numbers, and symbols through the first keyboard to achieve functions such as information transmission and recording, such as replying to messages in social applications or recording content in note-taking applications. Based on this, the operation of generating control instructions for the first application in response to the second input in step 104 above may further include the following steps: In step S21, in response to the second input, the first keyboard is switched to the second keyboard, which is used to control the first application.

[0045] Here, the second input can be used to trigger keyboard switching. The second keyboard is a customized keyboard provided by the input method interface specifically for controlling the first application running in the background. Its key layout is adapted to the core control requirements of the first application. Unlike the first keyboard used for regular text input, the second keyboard is the core interactive carrier for controlling the first application running in the background.

[0046] As an example, the first application is a game application. The input method interface can include controls for keyboard switching; see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 3 The "Game" control is shown as number 301. When the user clicks this "Game" control, a second input can be completed. At this time, the electronic device responds immediately, hiding the original first keyboard and displaying the second keyboard. If the first application is a card game application, the second keyboard used to control it can be seen as shown as number 302. The second keyboard reduces the symbol keys and auxiliary function keys related to text input, retains the letter keys and number keys corresponding to the cards, and adds card game-specific keys such as "King" and "Queen".

[0047] Step S22: Receive the user's third input on the second keyboard.

[0048] The third input can be used to trigger the generation of control commands for the first application. The third input can be touch input, voice command, a specific gesture input by the user, or other feasible inputs, which can be determined according to actual usage needs, and is not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0049] In practice, the third input can be an interactive operation performed by the user on the second keyboard to express their control intention. This may include, but is not limited to, clicking or typing on the keys of the second keyboard, and the input result is directly related to the control logic of the first application. After the second keyboard is displayed, the user's operation behavior on the second keyboard can be detected in real time to capture the user's clicks, consecutive clicks, and other operations on the keys of the second keyboard. Regardless of whether the content entered by the user fully conforms to the control rules of the first application, such as whether it is a valid card combination, the user's key operation can be recorded as a complete input behavior and determined as the receipt of the user's third input.

[0050] Continuing the example above, after viewing the task status information of the first application displayed in the floating window, the user decides to play the three-of-a-kind card "AAA22". This can be achieved by pressing the letter "A" three times and the number "2" twice on the second keypad, forming a continuous keystroke. The electronic device captures this action in real time. After the user clicks the "send" button, it is determined that the user's third input has been received.

[0051] Step S23: In response to the third input, determine the first key sequence and generate control instructions based on the first key sequence.

[0052] The first key sequence is used to indicate the keys and their order that the user triggers on the second keyboard. It can be represented by specific character combinations, such as letter combinations, number combinations, or mixed combinations of letters and numbers.

[0053] Upon receiving the user's third input, the user's continuous keystrokes can be converted into an ordered combination of characters, which constitutes the first keystroke sequence. Subsequently, according to the pre-stored control rules of the first application, the first keystroke sequence can be parsed into an instruction format recognizable by the first application, generating corresponding control instructions to ensure that the control instructions are consistent with the instruction receiving protocol of the first application.

[0054] Continuing the example above, the electronic device can determine the first key sequence as "AAA22" based on the user's actions of clicking "A" three times and "2" twice. Then, based on the pre-configured card game rules, it can parse this key sequence into a control instruction to "play a three-of-a-kind with two extra cards (AAA22)," completing the instruction generation process. This control instruction may include necessary information such as the card combination identifier and the user's identity identifier.

[0055] It should be noted that if the first key sequence does not conform to the control rules of the first application, the operation of generating control commands may not be executed. In this case, the user can switch keyboards again to temporarily exit the control mode of the first application and enter text input mode. After the text input is completed, the user can switch keyboards again by touching the aforementioned controls to enter the control mode of the first application.

[0056] By providing a second keyboard in the input method interface and introducing a mechanism to distinguish and switch between the first and second keyboards, two different input modes can be implemented within the same input method interface. This fundamentally avoids the ambiguity and conflict that may arise from two input operations with different purposes on a single keyboard, greatly improving the intuitiveness, accuracy, and efficiency of controlling background applications.

[0057] In some optional embodiments, the second keyboard includes keys corresponding to interactive elements in the first application. Based on this, the first key sequence can be mapped to a corresponding interactive element sequence based on the correspondence between the keys on the second keyboard and the interactive elements in the first application. Then, control commands are generated based on this interactive element sequence.

[0058] Interactive elements refer to objects in the user interface of the first application that can be manipulated by the user. For example, if the first application is a game application, then interactive elements can be the core objects that the game controls can target, including but not limited to manipulable items, skill buttons, or cards.

[0059] For example, see poker game applications. Figure 3 Its interactive elements can include numbers 2 to 10, letters A, J, Q, K, and Joker cards. The second keyboard can be configured with keys corresponding to each interactive element. The mapping rules between keys and interactive elements can be embedded in the input method application of the electronic device and automatically loaded and activated when the second keyboard is started.

[0060] After the user presses the letter "A" three times and the number "2" twice on the second keypad, and then presses the "Send" button, the electronic device can determine the first key sequence as "AAA22" based on the user's actions of pressing "A" three times and "2" twice, and map it to the corresponding interactive element sequence, namely "Card A-Card A-Card A-Card 2-Card 2". Then, based on the pre-configured card game rules, the key sequence can be parsed into a control command indicating "play a three-of-a-kind with two extra cards (AAA22)", completing the command generation process.

[0061] By establishing a correspondence between the keys of the second keyboard and the interactive elements of the first application, the second keyboard can be specifically adapted to the first application. Users do not need to memorize complex operation logic; they can directly express their control intentions by pressing the keys, further improving the intuitiveness, accuracy, and efficiency of controlling the background application.

[0062] In some optional embodiments, the input method interface includes a first keyboard. The first keyboard refers to the standard keyboard provided by default in the input method interface for implementing regular text input functions. Its key layout includes letter keys, number keys, symbol keys, and text input auxiliary function keys, such as Enter, Delete, and switching input methods. It is adaptable to text input scenarios such as social application chat and note-taking. The first keyboard can be used for text input. Text input refers to the user inputting characters such as text, numbers, and symbols through the first keyboard to achieve functions such as information transmission and recording, such as replying to messages in social applications or recording content in note-taking applications. Based on this, the operation of generating control instructions for the first application in response to the second input in step 104 above may further include the following steps: Step S31: In response to the second input, determine the second key sequence.

[0063] The second key sequence is used to indicate the keys and their order triggered by the user on the first keyboard. It can be represented as an ordered combination of characters, such as letter combinations, number combinations, or mixed combinations of letters and numbers. For example, character sequences like "AAA22" and "223346". In practice, after displaying the input method interface, the electronic device detects the user's key operations on the input method interface in real time, captures the type and order of the keys clicked by the user, and integrates them into an ordered combination of characters, i.e., the second key sequence.

[0064] For example, while chatting through a chat interface, a user needs to simultaneously reply to messages and control the card-playing function of a card game application running in the background. If the user presses the letter "A" three times and the number "2" twice on the first keypad, the second key sequence will be "AAA22"; if the user presses the number keys "2", "2", "3", "3", "4", and "6" in sequence, the second key sequence will be "223346".

[0065] Step S32: If the second key sequence matches the control rules of the first application, generate control instructions based on the second key sequence.

[0066] Step S33: If the second key sequence does not match the control rules of the first application, output the text corresponding to the second key sequence.

[0067] Specifically, after determining the second key sequence, the pre-stored control rules of the first application can be invoked to verify the second key sequence.

[0068] Continuing with the example above, we can determine whether the second key sequence conforms to the card game application's playing rules. If the second key sequence conforms to any of the card game application's control rules, for example, the second key sequence "AAA22" conforms to the "three-of-a-kind with two extra cards" playing rule, or the second key sequence "2233" conforms to the "pairs" playing rule, then it can be determined that the second key sequence matches the card game application's playing rules, and control commands can be generated based on the second key sequence. It should be noted that the implementation method of generating control commands based on the second key sequence is basically the same as the implementation method of generating control commands based on the first key sequence, and will not be repeated here.

[0069] If the second key sequence does not conform to the various control rules of the first application, for example, if the second key sequence "223346" does not conform to the various card playing rules of the card game application, then the text input function can be executed first, the second key sequence can be parsed into text, and output to the input area of ​​the foreground application.

[0070] By using the primary keyboard as a unified interaction platform for text input and background application control, users can initiate input operations without switching keyboards, achieving interface integration between text input and background application control and ensuring the continuity of multitasking. A rule-matching mechanism automatically distinguishes user intent, generating control commands only when they conform to the primary application's control rules, and executing text input only when they do not. This achieves compatibility between text input and background application control, improving the accuracy and convenience of operation.

[0071] It should be noted that the application control method provided in this application embodiment can be executed by an application control device. This application embodiment uses an application control device executing the application control method as an example to illustrate the application control device provided in this application embodiment.

[0072] like Figure 4 As shown, the application control device 400 in this embodiment includes: a first receiving unit 401, used to receive a first input from a user when the first application is running in the background; a display unit 402, used to display an input method interface in response to the first input; a second receiving unit 403, used to receive a second input from the user; and a generation unit 404, used to generate a control command for the first application in response to the second input, and send the control command to the first application.

[0073] In some optional implementations of this embodiment, the device further includes a display unit, configured to: display task status information of the first application in response to the first input; and stop displaying the task status information when a target condition is met; wherein the first application includes a game application, the task status information includes game status information, and the target condition includes game end.

[0074] In some optional implementations of this embodiment, the input method interface includes a first keyboard for text input; the generation unit 404 is further configured to: switch the first keyboard to a second keyboard in response to the second input, the second keyboard being used to control the first application; receive a third input from the user to the second keyboard; and in response to the third input, determine a first key sequence and generate the control command based on the first key sequence, the first key sequence being used to indicate the keys and their order triggered by the user on the second keyboard.

[0075] In some optional implementations of this embodiment, the second keyboard includes keys corresponding to interactive elements in the first application; the generation unit 404 is further configured to: map the first key sequence to a corresponding interactive element sequence based on the correspondence between the keys in the second keyboard and the interactive elements in the first application; and generate the control command based on the interactive element sequence.

[0076] In some optional implementations of this embodiment, the input method interface includes a first keyboard for text input; the generation unit 404 is further configured to: in response to the second input, determine a second key sequence, the second key sequence indicating the keys and their order triggered by the user on the first keyboard; generate the control command based on the second key sequence if the second key sequence matches the control rules of the first application; and output the text corresponding to the second key sequence if the second key sequence does not match the control rules of the first application.

[0077] The apparatus provided in the above embodiments of this application receives a first input from a user when the first application is running in the background; in response to the first input, it displays an input method interface; and upon receiving a second input from the user, it generates a control command for the first application and sends the control command to the first application. In this way, users can directly control background applications through the input method interface without switching applications or interrupting foreground tasks, simplifying the multitasking interaction process and thus improving the efficiency and smoothness of multitasking.

[0078] The application control device in this application embodiment can be an electronic device or a component within an electronic device, such as an integrated circuit or a chip. The electronic device can be a terminal or other devices besides a terminal. For example, the electronic device can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, PDA, in-vehicle electronic device, mobile internet device (MID), augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) device, robot, wearable device, ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), netbook, or personal digital assistant (PDA), etc. It can also be a server, network attached storage (NAS), personal computer (PC), television (TV), ATM, or self-service machine, etc. This application embodiment does not specifically limit the device.

[0079] The application control device in this application embodiment can be a device with an operating system. This operating system can be Android, iOS, or other possible operating systems; this application embodiment does not specifically limit the specific operating system.

[0080] The application control device provided in this application embodiment can achieve... Figure 1 The various processes implemented in the method implementation examples will not be described again here to avoid repetition.

[0081] Optionally, such as Figure 5 As shown, this application embodiment also provides an electronic device 500, including a processor 501 and a memory 502. The memory 502 stores a program or instructions that can run on the processor 501. When the program or instructions are executed by the processor 501, they implement the various steps of the above-described application control method embodiment and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, they will not be described again here.

[0082] It should be noted that the electronic devices in the embodiments of this application include the aforementioned mobile electronic devices and non-mobile electronic devices.

[0083] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the hardware structure of an electronic device to implement an embodiment of this application. The electronic device 600 includes, but is not limited to, components such as: radio frequency unit 601, network module 602, audio output unit 603, input unit 604, sensor 605, display unit 606, user input unit 607, interface unit 608, memory 609, and processor 610.

[0084] Those skilled in the art will understand that the electronic device 600 may also include a power supply (such as a battery) for supplying power to various components. The power supply may be logically connected to the processor 610 through a power management system, thereby enabling functions such as managing charging, discharging, and power consumption through the power management system. Figure 6 The electronic device structure shown does not constitute a limitation on the electronic device. The electronic device may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements, which will not be elaborated here. The processor 610 is configured to, when the first application is running in the background, receive a first input from a user through the user input unit 607; in response to the first input, display an input method interface through the display unit 606; receive a second input from the user to the input method interface through the user input unit 607; in response to the second input, generate a control command for the first application, and send the control command to the first application.

[0085] In this way, users can control background applications directly through the input method interface without switching applications or interrupting foreground tasks, simplifying the multitasking interaction process and thus improving the efficiency and smoothness of multitasking.

[0086] In some optional implementations of this embodiment, the processor 610 is further configured to respond to the first input by displaying the task status information of the first application through the display unit 606; and to control the display unit 606 to stop displaying the task status information when a target condition is met; wherein the first application includes a game application, the task status information includes game status information, and the target condition includes game end.

[0087] In some optional implementations of this embodiment, the input method interface includes a first keyboard for text input; the processor 610 is further configured to switch the first keyboard to a second keyboard in response to the second input, the second keyboard being used to control the first application; receive a third input from the user to the second keyboard via the user input unit 607; and in response to the third input, determine a first key sequence and generate the control command based on the first key sequence, the first key sequence being used to indicate the keys and their order triggered by the user on the second keyboard.

[0088] In some optional implementations of this embodiment, the second keyboard includes keys corresponding to interactive elements in the first application; the processor 610 is further configured to map the first key sequence to a corresponding interactive element sequence based on the correspondence between the keys in the second keyboard and the interactive elements in the first application; and generate the control command based on the interactive element sequence.

[0089] In some optional implementations of this embodiment, the input method interface includes a first keyboard for text input; the processor 610 is further configured to respond to the second input, determine a second key sequence, the second key sequence being used to indicate the keys and their order triggered by the user on the first keyboard; generate the control command based on the second key sequence if the second key sequence matches the control rules of the first application; and output the text corresponding to the second key sequence if the second key sequence does not match the control rules of the first application.

[0090] It should be understood that, in this embodiment, the input unit 604 may include a graphics processing unit (GPU) 6041 and a microphone 6042. The GPU 6041 processes image data of still images or videos obtained by an image capture device (such as a camera) in video capture mode or image capture mode. The display unit 606 may include a display panel 6061, which may be configured in the form of a liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode, or the like. The user input unit 607 includes at least one of a touch panel 6071 and other input devices 6072. The touch panel 6071 is also called a touch screen. The touch panel 6071 may include a touch detection device and a touch controller. Other input devices 6072 may include, but are not limited to, physical keyboards, function keys (such as volume control buttons, power buttons, etc.), trackballs, mice, and joysticks, which will not be described in detail here.

[0091] The memory 609 can be used to store software programs and various data. The memory 609 may primarily include a first storage area for storing programs or instructions and a second storage area for storing data. The first storage area may store the operating system, application programs or instructions required for at least one function (such as sound playback, image playback, etc.). Furthermore, the memory 609 may include volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or both. The non-volatile memory may be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct memory bus RAM (DRRAM). The memory 609 in this embodiment includes, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0092] Processor 610 may include one or more processing units; optionally, processor 610 integrates an application processor and a modem processor, wherein the application processor mainly handles operations involving the operating system, user interface, and applications, and the modem processor mainly handles wireless communication signals, such as a baseband processor. It is understood that the aforementioned modem processor may also not be integrated into processor 610.

[0093] This application also provides a readable storage medium storing a program or instructions. When the program or instructions are executed by a processor, they implement the various processes of the above-described application control method embodiments and achieve the same technical effects. To avoid repetition, they will not be described again here.

[0094] The processor is the processor in the electronic device described in the above embodiments. The readable storage medium includes computer-readable storage media, such as computer read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0095] This application embodiment also provides a chip, which includes a processor and a communication interface. The communication interface is coupled to the processor. The processor is used to run programs or instructions to implement the various processes of the above application control method embodiments and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0096] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of this application may also be referred to as a system-on-a-chip, system chip, chip system, or system-on-a-chip, etc.

[0097] This application provides a computer program product, which is stored in a storage medium and executed by at least one processor to implement the various processes of the application control method embodiments described above, and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0098] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Furthermore, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatuses in the embodiments of this application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0099] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms. Of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a computer software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) and includes several instructions to cause a terminal (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of this application.

[0100] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these forms are within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. An application control method, characterized in that, The method includes: When the first application is running in the background, it receives the user's first input; In response to the first input, the input method interface is displayed; Receive the user's second input; In response to the second input, a control command for the first application is generated and the control command is sent to the first application.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, After receiving the user's first input, the method further includes: In response to the first input, display the task status information of the first application; If the target conditions are met, stop displaying the task status information; The first application includes game applications, the task status information includes game status information, and the target condition includes game end.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The input method interface includes a first keyboard for text input; the step of generating control commands for the first application in response to the second input includes: In response to the second input, the first keyboard is switched to the second keyboard, which is used to control the first application; Receive third input from the user on the second keyboard; In response to the third input, a first key sequence is determined, and the control command is generated based on the first key sequence, wherein the first key sequence is used to indicate the keys and their order triggered by the user on the second keyboard.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second keyboard includes keys corresponding to interactive elements in the first application; The step of generating the control command based on the first key sequence includes: Based on the correspondence between the keys in the second keyboard and the interactive elements in the first application, the first key sequence is mapped to the corresponding interactive element sequence. The control instructions are generated based on the sequence of interactive elements.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The input method interface includes a first keyboard for text input; the step of generating control commands for the first application in response to the second input includes: In response to the second input, a second key sequence is determined, the second key sequence being used to indicate the keys and their order triggered by the user on the first keyboard; If the second key sequence matches the control rules of the first application, the control command is generated based on the second key sequence; If the second key sequence does not match the control rules of the first application, output the text corresponding to the second key sequence.

6. An application control device, characterized in that, The device includes: The first receiving unit is used to receive the user's first input when the first application is running in the background; The display unit is used to display the input method interface in response to the first input; The second receiving unit is used to receive the second input; A generation unit is configured to generate a control command for the first application in response to the second input, and send the control command to the first application.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The device further includes a display unit for: In response to the first input, display the task status information of the first application; If the target conditions are met, stop displaying the task status information; The first application includes game applications, the task status information includes game status information, and the target condition includes game end.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The input method interface includes a first keyboard for text input; the generation unit is further configured to: In response to the second input, the first keyboard is switched to the second keyboard, which is used to control the first application; Receive third input from the user on the second keyboard; In response to the third input, a first key sequence is determined, and the control command is generated based on the first key sequence, wherein the first key sequence is used to indicate the keys and their order triggered by the user on the second keyboard.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, The second keyboard includes keys corresponding to interactive elements in the first application; the generation unit is further configured to: Based on the correspondence between the keys in the second keyboard and the interactive elements in the first application, the first key sequence is mapped to the corresponding interactive element sequence. The control instructions are generated based on the sequence of interactive elements.

10. The apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The input method interface includes a first keyboard for text input; the generation unit is further configured to: In response to the second input, a second key sequence is determined, the second key sequence being used to indicate the keys and their order triggered by the user on the first keyboard; If the second key sequence matches the control rules of the first application, the control command is generated based on the second key sequence; If the second key sequence does not match the control rules of the first application, output the text corresponding to the second key sequence.

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