How to Add Replay Audio to an AnkiDroid Remote Layout

To add Replay Audio to an AnkiDroid remote layout, pair MODI in Switch Mode, open AnkiDroid’s Set Key Binds screen, choose the Replay Audio action, and press the MODI button you want to use for that command. This only helps on cards that actually contain playable audio. MODI supplies the controller input; AnkiDroid decides which study action that input triggers after you bind it in the app.

For a full first-time pairing path, use the complete MODI setup tutorial before changing individual controls. This article focuses on the replay-audio part of an Android layout, not every MODI setup option. MODI is an independent Bluetooth accessory and is not made, endorsed, or certified by AnkiDroid, Anki, Google, or any related app maker. Treat the remote, Android Bluetooth settings, and AnkiDroid controls as separate pieces that need to agree.

Check the Card

Replay Audio is useful only when the review card has audio available to replay. Some language decks include spoken prompts, sentence recordings, pronunciation files, or other media; other decks may be text-only. If a card has no audio, assigning a remote button to replay cannot create audio or change the deck’s content. Before troubleshooting the remote, confirm that the same card can replay audio from AnkiDroid’s on-screen controls.

A quick check prevents a misleading setup loop. Open a card that you know contains audio, play or replay it manually in AnkiDroid, then test the remote binding on that exact card. If manual replay fails too, the issue is with the note, media file, deck sync, or AnkiDroid playback state rather than with MODI. Once manual replay works, the remote test becomes much easier to interpret.

Use Switch Mode

For the standard MODI mobile setup on Android, use Switch Mode. Switch Mode exposes gamepad-style inputs that AnkiDroid can receive and bind through its Controls settings. This is different from the desktop Keyboard Mode workflow, where MODI sends preset keyboard inputs for common review actions. On Android, the practical goal is not to install a desktop add-on; it is to make AnkiDroid recognize the controller input and assign it to Replay Audio.

If MODI was previously paired in another mode or with another device, start by forgetting saved MODI or Anki remote entries in Android Bluetooth settings. Then pair again in the desired mode. To enter Switch Mode, open Bluetooth settings, hold Y + Home for one second, and select the MODI connection. After a successful Switch Mode connection, the center LED becomes solid blue. Pressing Home later wakes and reconnects in the last-used mode.

Bind Replay

After MODI is connected in Switch Mode, open AnkiDroid and go to Settings, then Controls, then Set Key Binds. Find the Replay Audio action in the available commands. Select it, then press the MODI button you want to reserve for replay. Choose a button that is easy to distinguish from your answer buttons, because accidental replay can interrupt your review rhythm even when the binding itself is working correctly.

AnkiDroid controls the final action list and binding behavior inside the app. MODI contributes the button press, but it does not rewrite AnkiDroid’s interface or guarantee that every command appears in every context. If you are also assigning Again, Hard, Good, Easy, or Undo, set Replay Audio deliberately rather than leaving it as whatever button remains. A clear layout is easier to test when a card has both answer choices and media playback.

Mind Labels

One Android-specific detail can make the binding screen look confusing. Due to a third-party display mapping issue, X-Y-B-A inputs can appear as Y-X-A-B in the AnkiDroid menu. This is a visual label mismatch, not necessarily a failed connection. The command assigned to the pressed input can still function normally, so focus on the resulting behavior during review rather than relying only on the letter shown in the menu.

When setting Replay Audio, press the physical button you intend to use and note which label AnkiDroid displays. If the visible letter is unexpected, do not keep rebinding randomly. Finish the assignment, return to a known audio card, and test whether that physical button replays the sound. If it works, the layout is usable despite the label mismatch. If it does not, clear or change that specific binding and test again.

Test It

Testing should use one known audio card and one simple expectation: pressing the chosen MODI button should replay the card’s audio while you are on the review screen. Start with MODI awake and connected, the card visible in AnkiDroid, and no uncertainty about whether the media file plays manually. Press the assigned button once. If the audio replays, the binding is doing its job and you can continue building the rest of the layout.

If nothing happens, test in layers. First, press the same physical button in Set Key Binds and confirm AnkiDroid detects an input. Next, verify that Replay Audio is assigned to that input rather than another action. Then return to the same audio card and try again. Avoid changing several settings at once, because that makes it harder to know whether the cause was pairing, the selected action, the physical button, or the card itself.

Fallbacks

If MODI connects but remains unresponsive after a fresh pairing, restart the Android device and try again. Bluetooth state and saved pairings can affect input behavior, so forgetting the saved remote entry and repairing in Switch Mode is the preferred starting point when changing modes or devices. Also check battery state; the low-battery signal is a quickly flashing red LED. Do not infer a battery percentage from LED patterns that are not defined in the manual.

If Replay Audio still will not work, keep the fallback narrow. Confirm manual replay inside AnkiDroid, confirm the selected card includes audio, re-enter Set Key Binds, and assign Replay Audio to a different physical button. If other AnkiDroid actions respond but replay does not, the issue may be the card or app action context. If no actions respond, return to Bluetooth pairing, Switch Mode, and device restart before assuming the remote layout is wrong.