It sounds like this was a change due to a phone OS update.

Originally posted by slouken:

It sounds like this was a change due to a phone OS update.

Idk last time I updated the OS was over a month ago (just a security patch).
Host client settings were not changed neither.

Btw the DS4 touchpad works as intended when running a native Android game like Where Winds Meet (mobile), instead it only works as mouse cursor inside the Steam Link app.

I would like to try downgrading the app to a previous version but can't find any official Valve repo for older versions.

Did you recently update the system software on your phone?

Samsung has apparently started reinterpreting the DualShock 4 touchpad at a mouse at a *Android OS* level -- e.g., it no longer generates game controller events for it at all -- which is something Steam Link cannot really override when the controller is connected wirelessly. So if this change coincides with you doing an update on your phone, that's probably the culprit...

Edit: whup, I had this page open too long, replies didn't show up until I clicked post. :)

FWIW, I *suspect* Samsung may still expose it as gamepad events if an app does not *explicitly* list 'I support DeX mode (and thus a mouse/keyboard)' in the Android manifest, and that might explain the difference you're seeing, but Steam Link does in fact support using the Samsung Desktop Extension (DeX) mode...

do u think this can be fixed at a Steam Link app level? or is just OS flaw?
i could try editing the manifest xml but i don't know which line i'm supposed to change

So I've now tested this -- this is just system-wide, nothing to do with whether or not something is flagged for DeX support. Even various generic gamepad tester tools in the Play store cannot see the DualShock or DualSense trackpad any longer on a Samsung S21. For me, it even shows as a mouse cursor on the main Android home screen and app lists now.

So unless WWM has some special manifest flag that Samsung is honoring, I suspect the WWM devs may actually just be treating mouse movement as trackpad touch and left mouse click as trackpad click when the game is in controller mode.

If I connect the controller via USB, however, Steam Link is able to grab control of it away from the OS and we do see the trackpad properly then. So I think this is just a thing Samsung has decided to do, unfortunately. :(

Originally posted by Packetdancer:

So unless WWM has some special manifest flag that Samsung is honoring, I suspect the WWM devs may actually just be treating mouse movement as trackpad touch and left mouse click as trackpad click when the game is in controller mode.

I just tried playing WWM with both the DS4 controller and a wireless mouse.
Only after i connected the controller it asked to switch the game to "controller" mode.
The right/left mouse clicks didn't work as trackpad buttons tho, while the controller's trackpad yes.
Btw I guess it works somewhat how you explained and it's a Samsung/Android issue... cause the controller trackpad is still acting like a cursor in game even if they hide it well. If you swipe a lot until the "hidden" cursor reaches the notification bar then you can see it at the top.

Originally posted by FLAMIN:

Btw I guess it works somewhat how you explained and it's a Samsung/Android issue... cause the controller trackpad is still acting like a cursor in game even if they hide it well. If you swipe a lot until the "hidden" cursor reaches the notification bar then you can see it at the top.

Yeah, I grabbed WWM on Android and poked at it, and so far as I can tell they're just faking the trackpad behavior using the 'mouse' input associated with that device. As you observed, swiping enough causes the mouse cursor to activate the Android notification bar.

So, sadly, it appears that Samsung's just going to expose the DualShock/DualSense touchpad as though it were a mouse, period, and anything that wants to still use it as a touchpad will need to fake it. :(

That said, I'll post this a little more obviously since I only sort of mentioned it in an aside before: if you plug the DualShock/DualSense in via USB, Steam Link will be able to grab direct control of it away from Android and will handle the touchpad as you'd expect.

Unfortunately, Bluetooth input devices are always handled by Android directly, so there's no real way to make an end-run around it for wireless connections if the OS decides to do something like this; you get what it exposes to you.