The Navigation Bar Taking Up Valuable Real Estate?

[Bartone]

Why not put it on the big useless bottom bezel? Now is a nav bar above it is taking up precious space, anyone else annoyed by this? Way to fix it?

 

[Andrew Martonik]

This is one of the oldest (and feeblest) arguments in the world of Android. And it will never end.

Yes, the software navigation bar "takes up" space on the screen. It also has flexibility in terms of being hidden for full-screen apps, which it does automatically. And it can adapt to other situations, like when you pull up the keyboard and the back button can change into a "down" button. Or when you rotate the phone and the keys can rotate as well. And you can get visual feedback on the buttons as well, as we see with tapping the back/recents buttons or long-pressing on the home button.

Google clearly wants to use on-screen navigation (it's done it since the Galaxy Nexus), and most other phone manufacturers lean that way as well. If you can't stand the idea that oh my god I'm losing so much space on the screen then you can buy one of the phones that offer capacitive hardware nav buttons. There's no way to "fix" this design choice. You get what you get.

 

[Golfdriver97]

I personally can't stand the always on capacitive buttons on the Note 5. No matter how I hold it, I mistakenly press either the back or recent keys. I understand people have a preference one way or another, but the on screen keys don't take up that much real estate. Even more so now that most developers have integrated the auto hide in their apps.

 

[qfnol31]

Years ago I thought I would hate on screen buttons. I then started using them and can't go back.

 

[Richard Servello]

I personally can't stand the always on capacitive buttons on the Note 5. No matter how I hold it, I mistakenly press either the back or recent keys. I understand people have a preference one way or another, but the on screen keys don't take up that much real estate. Even more so now that most developers have integrated the auto hide in their apps.

I hate them too. A second strip screen like the lg would be really cool down there tho. Could be nav buttons and clock when sleeping, etc.

 

[Bartone]

How can you hide it on the Pixel?

 

[Jeremy8000]

How can you hide it on the Pixel?

https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...s/details?id=com.gmd.immersive&token=1BTVLy9e will let you hide both the navigation and notification bars in apps.