The Stop button (and pause behavior)
A single tap stops every toy, every source, every running session. Pinned to the sidebar so you can find it without thinking.
ToyControl has a big STOP button pinned at the bottom of the sidebar. One tap freezes every running source, stops every connected toy, and brings the session to zero immediately. No matter what is playing, the Stop button kills it.
It is a small feature, but it is the most important safety control in the app.
What it does
When you click Stop:
- Every active source pauses (Script Player, Patterns, Game Link, Connect to VR, Remote Control room).
- Every connected toy receives an immediate zero-intensity command.
- The per-device clocks freeze in place.
- The UI shows a clear "Stopped" indicator.
The toy stops within a few hundred milliseconds. The bluetooth round-trip is the only delay.
What it does not do
- It does not disconnect the toy. Your pairing stays. You can resume immediately.
- It does not lose your place in a script. Scrub back to where you were if you want to continue.
- It does not end a Remote Control room or kick out participants. The room stays open; the toy just stops.
- It does not log anyone out.
Where it is
The Stop button is at the bottom of the left sidebar. Always visible, always reachable. Large enough to hit without aiming.
We chose this position because:
- You can find it without thinking. Bottom of sidebar = stop.
- It does not move based on which source is active.
- It does not collapse with the sidebar; even minimised, the button remains visible.
When to use it
Use Stop when:
- Someone walks in. Don't fumble with a slider; one tap and the toy goes silent.
- The toy starts doing something unexpected. Stop first, debug after.
- You want a hard pause that you have to consciously resume from. Different from auto-pausing a video.
- A Remote Control session is uncomfortable. Stop ends your participation; you keep your room open if you want to keep chatting.
- You want it to stop. No reason needed.
Pause vs Stop
There are two pause-like buttons in ToyControl. Worth knowing the difference.
| Stop (sidebar) | Pause (device bar) | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Bottom of left sidebar | Bottom of screen (device bar) |
| What it stops | Every source, every toy | Same |
| State after | Frozen, you resume manually | Frozen, you resume manually |
| Visual indicator | Stopped state in main area | Pause button visible in bar |
In practice both do the same thing. We keep two buttons because users want both: a small Pause they can hit without thinking when they want to take a breath, and a big STOP they can hit reflexively when they want to end now.
Resuming after Stop
To resume:
- Click the source-specific play button (e.g., the play button on the Script Player, or Play / Send preset on the Patterns card).
- The toy starts again from the current state.
Stop does not lose your position in a script or pattern. The clock resumes from where you froze it.
In Remote Control rooms
For the receiver in a room:
- Hitting Stop on your end stops your toy and pauses everything even if the controller is still sliding. The controller's slider keeps moving; ToyControl ignores it until you resume.
- The room stays open. The controller can see your status.
- To resume, hit Stop again to unfreeze, then either let the controller continue or take control yourself.
For the controller in a room:
- Hitting Stop on your end stops the receiver's toy (same as the receiver hitting it). Useful if you realize you sent the wrong command.
- The room stays open.
Hardware
Some users have asked about a hardware Stop button (a USB device, a wireless remote). We do not ship one. The on-screen button is the canonical Stop. If you want a hardware shortcut, most operating systems let you map a keyboard shortcut to a browser action; some users wire up a Stream Deck button.
For most users, the on-screen Stop is enough.
A note on safety
The Stop button is part of why we feel comfortable shipping powerful control features. The receiver in a Remote Control room can always end the session. A user using a script can always stop mid-scene. A user in a long pattern session can always cut it short.
Knowing the Stop button is there makes the rest of the experience safer.