Built in buttons

[robertjamesc]

Just bought a new phone and there are three builtin buttons: Back, Home and Recent (a square). Do you use Recent very often? I rarely do.

Do all current Android phones have the same three builtin buttons?

My previous phone was from 2012 and it had Back, Home, Menu and Search. Menu was good and I used it all the time - you could press Menu and then reach Settings, and you could use it while running apps. One place where it helped was with the camera. Now that there's no Menu button, if I'm using the camera, I have to swipe right to see the options. Maybe the Android designers wanted to be more like Apple, which only ever has one hard button.

Sometimes the Back button turns into a Down arrow when using the keyboard, so you can hide the keyboard.

I used to use the Search button often, but they thought it's so easy to go to Google and/or use the URL bar to type a search item, so they got rid of it, but I used it.

I could also press and hold the Back button to see the browser history, but not now.

 

[B. Diddy]

Which phone? By built-in, do you mean they're capacitative hardware buttons, as opposed to onscreen buttons?

Recent Apps has been part of Android for a long time. For me, it's quite useful to switch easily between apps that I've recently opened. Switching this way makes it more likely that the apps will stay cached in the background, and therefore be on the same page when you switch back to it. If you Back out of an app, or tap Home, it's more likely that the app might be closed from RAM by the system, such that if you try switching back to it, you have to start the app up again.

 

[ManiacJoe]

You can go to the Settings > Display > Home Buttons
to change the options.

I find the "recent" button quite handy.
I have five buttons on the bottom.
I moved the "back" button to the center so that it is easier to reach with both thumbs.

 

[hallux]

You can go to the Settings > Display > Home Buttons
to change the options.

I find the "recent" button quite handy.
I have five buttons on the bottom.
I moved the "back" button to the center so that it is easier to reach with both thumbs.

This is device-specific. For example, my Nexus 6P does not have this option but I understand LG and/or HTC DO have this option.

 

[robertjamesc]

You can go to the Settings > Display > Home Buttons
to change the options.

My settings don't have that at all. It's a Moto E.

I don't actually want to change those, though it would be nice to have a Search button.
I doubt there's a way to add a menu button again.

 

[LanceAllan]

If you go into settings >accessibility >dexterity and interaction >assistant menu will give you additional functions

Sent from my Adamantium™ S7 edge

 

[hallux]

If you go into settings >accessibility >dexterity and interaction >assistant menu will give you additional functions

Sent from my Adamantium™ S7 edge

Again, this feature is something added by the manufacturer. My Nexus 6P doesn't have a "Dexterity and interaction" item in the accessibility menu. The OP doesn't say what device they have so it can't be assumed they will have the same menus as you do.

 

[B. Diddy]

I doubt there's a way to add a menu button again.

Try Power Toggles. You can add a toggle bar in the notification panel with a whole host of various toggles or app shortcuts. I always install this on my devices, and put frequently used toggles and shortcuts there, like for Settings and the Play Store. Since the toggle bar is in the notification panel, it's always accessible from any app. It's free, and ad-free, and is in general a very well-respected app.