r/Android • u/Electrical_Lemon_179 • 3d ago
People who don't hide the navigation bar on Android, why ?
Hiding the white/black navigation bar makes u have more space for apps and games.
Some people even use the old navigation bar style which has the back and home buttons
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u/virtualmartyr 14h ago
I prefer the nav bar over gestures. Having the universal buttons is something they'd have to pry from my cold, dead hands
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u/obefiend 13h ago
Old habit. I've been using navbar for over a decade. I got used to how easy it is to use compared to gestures. Physical back button is super ergonomic. Easier to launch Circle to Search as well with a big home button
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u/virtualmartyr 13h ago
Exactly! Been using android since the s4 mini came out and I don't really like gestures. I have big hands and the nav bar is more ergonomic for me
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u/tadhgmac 7h ago
Seriously, I know where to press each time. I have room for 30 apps on the home screen and 10 of those are folders with 6-10 apps in each. How many more apps do I need to have 1-2 clicks away?
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u/jonassalen 16h ago
I hate gestures.
Some apps and websites also do use gestures and I've never found them to work together in a userfriendly way.
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u/fakemessiah 14h ago
Same. I absolutely hate gestures. I will always use the 3 button, non hidden bar.
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u/GenesisProTech Pixel 7 Pro 13h ago
It's funny I've used them for so long that if I have to use my wife's iPhone I struggle so much because they have no consistent option
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u/M_W_C 10h ago
That is the reason I will not own an Apple phone; navigation is unusable and inconsistent.
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u/GenesisProTech Pixel 7 Pro 7h ago
If they gave me system level gestures that would be all id need to give them a proper try
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u/TheLegendOfZero 7h ago edited 1h ago
I still use the nav bar and can't get used to gestures, but I do like them on my iPad.
I feel like the entire Android experience was designed with a back button in mind. You press a button, you go back.
Gestures on Android feel like a cop out to me. When you pan around a photo, it moves. When you pull down from the top, a notification drawer comes down.
With gestures, I highly doubt if you designed a system from scratch that's how the UI would be implemented. There's basically zero visual cues, you might swipe back 5 times but 5 different UI animations could happen.
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u/nathderbyshire Pixel 10 Obsidian 2h ago
There are visuals though, you get a back arrow that shows where you're going back and increasingly predictive back to show you where you will land after.
The main issue they have is interacting with hamburger menus which Google has flip flopped back and forth on removing but decided not too. All they need to do though is cut gestures from the top of the screen so bottom half can be swiping and top half leaves the edges blank for things like drawers, but they won't give us vertical customisation to do that for some reason.
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u/GenesisProTech Pixel 7 Pro 6h ago
Calling it a cop out is weird where it just works and has the same behavior on everything unlike IOS where it's app/system dependant.
Maybe I've just used it for too long to understand your issue but when I swipe back I know exactly where it's taking me back to and it's not 1 of 5 random things.
Also I'm pretty sure all android phones still come with a nav bar at the bottom that you can then hide if you don't wish it to be there anymore.→ More replies (3)•
u/nathderbyshire Pixel 10 Obsidian 2h ago
That's specific to apple there's no universal back option. Android isn't perfect by far but it's still leagues ahead of apple simply for that alone
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u/GenesisProTech Pixel 7 Pro 1h ago
Yeah it's an odd design choice to me but they make a bunch of decisions that are odd to me.
I'm certainly not opposed to trying one someday if they ever change it•
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u/Global-Fruit-3022 13h ago
Using gesture since 2022 I guess, I can't use 3 button anymore. I know it's not as polished as iPhone one but still it's much better than 3 buttons
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u/cease32ill 12h ago
What do you mean by polished? Pixel's back navigation is very consistent. Here's just one example but you'll see a lot of discussion on this on the web https://youtube.com/shorts/EWcRNfl1D9U?is=wXeYYr005zSwxHHz It has added a lot of polish in the recent releases too!
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u/awkward_pause_ OP5T 1d ago
3 things
1) When I tried them they were being introduced, there was no mechanism where I could switch 2 apps very fast using gestures. You can simply and quickly double tap the recent apps and it just switches between the current and last used app.
2) Frankly it seemed unreliable or rather slower than buttons although now they have improved.
3) Force of habit - that's how I've been using the phone from the beginning and a bit of less space for apps don't create any issues for me.
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u/UselessDood 13h ago
makes you have more space for apps and games
Aside from the fact that any good game will enable the fullscreen mode which automatically hides the navbar?
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u/PandaLiang OnePlus 10T 16h ago
I still use the three-button nav bar because:
It's fast. I don't need to hold my press to bring up anything.
I don't need to worry about how gesture control interfere with apps or websites navigation.
It is generally consistent across phone brands, while that may not be the case for gesture.
There is enough vertical real estate on a phone screen, so a nav bar doesn't bother me.
Only downside is accidentally hitting the nav buttons while typing sometimes.
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u/asfletch XZ1 Compact->Pixel5->Xiaomi 15 16h ago
Mostly agree, but whenever I use someone else's Samsung I wonder why they have the back button on the right. I don't think there's a single other Android brand that does that by default....
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u/kuldan5853 Pixel 9 Pro XL 14h ago
That's how samsung did their physical buttons way back then and they keep it because it is their standard.
Since they're software now you can switch them to the "standard" layout too - that has been implemented about 10 years ago.
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u/Dislike24 15h ago
Samsung always had it on the right for back even with S7 or older with physical buttons. Atleast with S8 and newer you can it move it to the left too
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u/asten77 11h ago
For me it's harder to bend and reach the near button than it is to tap the far one.
As long as I have the option, I'm happy.
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u/asfletch XZ1 Compact->Pixel5->Xiaomi 15 4h ago
Me too. Maybe others have shorter thumbs or something.... At least we can choose.
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u/Eddie-Plum Huawei P20 Pro and Huawei M5 Pro 15h ago
I've got a HONOR phone and I have the back button on the right because it's the one I use most and is closest to my right thumb, meaning it's quicker to access there and I don't have to stretch my thumb to the left of the screen. I don't understand why this isn't the default for all phones.
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u/PandaLiang OnePlus 10T 12h ago
Yeah. I do the same with OnePlus for the same reason. (Never used Samsung.)
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u/mangelito Honor Magic 5 Pro 12h ago
Many brands give you the option now. On Honor I can customize it with also other options.
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u/ChironXII 5h ago
Because it is ergonomically correct. Yes if you are a feebleminded simpleton it "makes more sense" for the "back" function to be at the left because we associate left with antecedence. But for right handed people it is far more usable the other way. Left handed people are why it should be an option you can choose.
No I am not entirely serious and yes I am exaggerating for effect because the idea that I shouldn't be allowed to choose is infuriating
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u/ronakg Pixel 10 Pro XL 10h ago
What do you mean by "hold my press to bring up anything"?
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u/PandaLiang OnePlus 10T 9h ago
On my current phone, to bring up the list of active apps, I need to swipe up from the bottom edge and hold it briefly.
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u/Voided_Chex 1d ago
When you actually try to use that bottom row for gaming, every touch brings up the navbar overlay. Best it stay there.
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u/Rude_Influence 1d ago
Drives me crazy when apps hide it. I play Pokemon Go, and doing a curve ball sometimes brings it up, running my throw.
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u/Willeth Pixel 6 Pro 15h ago
Some people even use the old navigation bar style which has the back and home buttons
Yeah. I'm 40. Get off my lawn.
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u/skeezyk 13h ago
I'm 39 and have been using gestures since they became a thing. My 38 year old technologically inept girlfriend uses the buttons and has no clue how to navigate my phone when she grabs mine for something, and I default to the gestures when trying to navigate hers and wonder for a second why it's not working.
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u/1369ic 11h ago
I'm in my late 60s and switched to gestures when I got a Pixel earlier this year. My apps don't need the space, but I like as little visual clutter as possible, and in the end, you've got to move your finger either way.
You should get off my lawn. It's lumpy as hell. You could turn an ankle.
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u/derekschroer Samsung Galaxy S10+, Verizon 8h ago
I'm 43 and went all in with gestures when they were added, I hate the navigation buttons
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u/darkkid_ 9h ago
I can't live without the 3 buttons
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u/darkkid_ 9h ago
And the worst part is that the developers don't take us into account and create apps with poorly designed UIs, leaving unusable functions hidden beneath the buttons.
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u/glassArmShattering 7h ago
It goes both ways. For example, in Gmail (arguably the most important Google app) you swipe from the right side to access all of the menus, which is the exact same as the back gesture. Buttons forever.
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u/fthrswtch Pixel 9a and Fitbit Air 4h ago
Which is why I dislike Android gestures as they break app gestures
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u/ProfSnipe Black 8h ago
Once you move over to gestures i can guarantee that going back to buttons will feel slow and clunky. You should try, it will also give you more screen space.
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u/Aurelink Pixel 10 Pro 15h ago
Why not? It doesn't bother me the slightest.
I come from a time where phone screens were even tinier than the size of Gboard's keyboard.
What am I gonna do with that extra 0.5% screen estate anyway ?
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u/LeeRoyZX88 1d ago
Tried using the gesture navigations for about 2 weeks and just found them to not be responsive and reliable enough
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u/OzarkBeard 10h ago
Hate it, too. I frequently have to jump between two particular apps back & forth a lot. With 3-button navigation, I can just double-tap the Recents button to quickly jump between these two apps. To try and do it with gestures is slow and frustrating.
I'm grateful that Google gives us the option to use either navigation method. With apple, it's their way or the highway.
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u/ChironXII 5h ago edited 5h ago
Dude they made the double tap to swap apps so slow in oneui9 it's driving me insane. Everything else is a lot faster actually but this is abominable for no reason. You can't even fix it without changing the global animation scale because it's not classified as a transition
E: you made me look into this and actually I discovered they moved the ancient custom gestures feature into one handed operation plus in good lock. You can make a screen swipe zone that does previous app directly along the bottom. You can even control screen rotation from there which has been bugging me since they made the stupid popup button
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u/El_Burrito_Grande 11h ago
About a year ago I decided to try to get used to it. I'm still using it but it actually does suck. The process of going "back" can be a nightmare. Maybe time to switch back.
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u/andreasels 16h ago
Tried using gestures and it just felt inferior in every way compared to separate buttons.
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u/Seller-Ree 17h ago
Because apps having side-swipe gestures for functionality (even first party ones like gmail, swipe from left = inboxes) that are basically incompatible and infuriating to use with side swiping = go back.
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u/Dislike24 15h ago
Side swipe gestures in apps still work with home nav gestures. Just hold for a split second on the left or right side in Gmail or Reddit and they both appear and can swipe normally
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u/Seller-Ree 11h ago
That is annoying as fuck and slow and clunky. Why would I want to constantly be thinking about needing to do it slowly. No thanks. Instead google should have announced that all apps must eliminate swiping from the side by a certain date.
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u/jr061898 Samsung S25 Ultra 5h ago
It's an easy question to answer.
I just don't like gestures. I do like buttons, because buttons are consistent and effective, I always know where they are, and it is faster to click a button than to use a gesture.
As long as I live, my personal phone will never use gesture navigation.
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u/SquatAngry 14h ago
If an Android phone could have the physical navigation buttons back, I'd take it.
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u/ValhirFirstThunder 10h ago
Reliability. I tried switching to gestures multiple times and I'll mess up too often. I'll swipe on an insta post and hit back instead and now I can't get back to that post. 3 button nav makes all scrolling error prone for me. I do like the LOOK of gesture nav, but reliability is better with 3 button. Also I like that tapping on the multitask button twice does a switch to recents
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u/ByWillAlone 13h ago edited 13h ago
A single tap is infinitely superior to a multi-process complex gesture.
I'm already viewing content that requires some vertical scrolling regardless of screen height, so how much benefit are you getting from 15 extra pixels of display height anyway?
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u/ImaginaryArea4463 12h ago
I always have the 3 button interface. It's much more user friendly and fool proof imo.
Gestures are inferior. And who needs more phone real estate in 2026??
There's no missing a button when compared to a gesture that often isn't wide or deep enough on the first go.
Or the situation where you don't know if what you wanted did not work because everything is frozen or was it the actual gesture that you performed wrong?
3 button FTW
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u/Lava_Lamp_Glob 15h ago
I tried the gesture thing many times and could never grab an understanding of it. Why fix something that's not broken. Navbar forever
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u/gettingassy 12h ago
My wife hides hers, and her buttons are flipped. Whenever I use her phone I'm always opening the app-switcher when I try to go back, etc. Such a pain
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u/utsuriga 16h ago
Because I'm using Niagara as my launcher on a Xiaomi 13T, and HyperOS doesn't allow gesture navigation unless you use the stock Xiaomi launcher.
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u/gummo89 16h ago
I believe you just compared an extremely minimal launcher and an original one for the phone.
Are we sure it's not possible without that single launcher option? Have you tried others?
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u/asfletch XZ1 Compact->Pixel5->Xiaomi 15 16h ago
Nah it's a fairly well known Xiaomi limitation. They also don't exclude the keyboard area, so when you try to swipe-type certain words you activate the back gesture.
Xiaomi makes really good hardware, but its software is quirky....
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u/gummo89 15h ago
I see. I looked into it a little further and, if you wish to use gestures, there may technically be an option for you..
I saw one person saying they actually use Niagara launcher with gestures successfully, just entering 2 ADB shell commands after each restart. This can be done via USB or:
Termux is said to be able to run such shell commands without root. Worth a try and I figure you can easily locate these 2 pages if you're interested!
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u/utsuriga 13h ago
Ah, thanks, but I'm fine with the buttons. And in case an app hides them, Xiaomi fortunately has a very handy little accessibility feature (Quick ball) that allows me to navigate anyway.
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u/utsuriga 13h ago
It's not just Xiaomi, mind, Chinese OEMs in general really really don't want you to use third-party anything, including launchers. I suppose it's mostly an attempt to lock users into their ecosystem to be able to show users ads, and to promote their non-phone businesses available through their own apps. Which is pretty bleh, but at least in the EU I'm safe from ads, and unfortunately in my country Xiaomi is the only real value-for-money option.
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u/horsenbuggy 17h ago
Gestures are so stupid. I hover my finger over the phone a lot while I'm reading or trying to decide what i want to do. I hate it when the phone reads that as intent. No, if I meant to make an action, I would have touched the damn phone.
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u/cease32ill 12h ago
I've never heard of hovering being read as intent. What phone reads hovering your finger as intent??
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u/mikedufty pixel 8 and 4a, Galaxy Active 3, BYD android auto, lg p690 11h ago
Because phones are long and skinny now, so there is plenty of room for navigation buttons. Tried gestures for a few months to get used to them once, but buttons were way nicer when I went back.
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u/cosaboladh 9h ago
I recently switched from gesture input back to the navigation bar. I kept having trouble editing text. If I needed to place the cursor close to the edge of the screen, I'd trigger a "back" input. It was driving me nuts.
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u/zidace 7h ago
Long press space bar next time you need to place a cursor. Also, try Fleksy keyboard.
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u/cosaboladh 7h ago
Long pressing the spacebar brings up the keyboard layout menu. I use 4. I think you're probably referring to switching to Text Edit Mode, which is not great.
Now we're adding extra taps. Once to enter text edit mode. Then several taps to use buttons to move the cursor, in stead of just tapping and/or dragging it where I need it. This is a massive step backwards in a touchscreen UI. Then yet another tap to switch back from edit mode. This is a Rube Goldberg solution to a simple problem.
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u/zidace 7h ago
It's not a mode I'm referring to. I guess your keyboard doesn't support it? Most of the good ones do. Try Fleksy, I also tried it on the Samsung keyboard and the Google keyboard. Both work great for moving your cursor around when you long press the space bar.
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u/shorty6049 4h ago
I think you're just missing an important detail here is all. You have to move your thumb forward or backward when long-pressing it, otherwise nothing happens (or maybe on some keyboards the layout options appear)
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u/zidace 3h ago
It's not a layout option. MOST keyboards have cursor control when you long press the space bar. The fact that you still don't know what I'm talking about means your keyboard doesn't support it and you have not tried any of the three keyboards I mentioned that do. Nbd. I was just providing a very common solution to not being able to select a cursor location with ease.
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u/LaunchGap 7h ago
I just switched back too after years of gestures. I felt like gestures weren't working well with my current setup.
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u/SegataSanshiro Pixel 9 7h ago
I will never use gesture navigation.
If phone makers want me to use the full screen they gotta bump up the bezel size and give me real navigation buttons again.
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u/misterright1999 11h ago
I've been using gestures for years, tried to use the navigation buttons again, and... it's allot better honestly.
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u/LiziPancake 11h ago
Mine hides contextually. Usually I have instant access to my buttons which are reliable and consistent, and when watching videos or playing a game they are one swipe away. In apps, I already have a large quantity of screen and have my text display set to the minimum size so I don't need the extra 3 centimeters of space to see with. I just generally find gesture navigation unreliable. Too easy to accidentally use it, especially when doom scrolling at night and dropping your phone on your face.
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u/Fractal-Infinity Samsung S25U One UI 10h ago
Because it's easier to tap than to swipe. Sometimes I use swipe from left edge or right to go back, but for switching apps and go to the home screen, I prefer the buttons.
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u/One_Control4296 7h ago
I prefer navbar over gestures. Why do all this ninja stuff if i can just perform same actions on a single tap.
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u/Good-Marionberry-570 7h ago
Already tried using gestures and I didn't like it, the buttons are far better.
We don't need 100% of the screen space for content all the time, I only want to hide it when needed, and the majority of games already hides the navigation bar anyway.
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u/pockypimp Gray 6h ago
Gestures don't always work, good app UI hides the nav bar properly and lets you access it when you need to. Bad app UI just sticks the bar above the app.
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u/Safari-West 6h ago
I have my navigation bar permanently displayed. Convenience is my reason. I like having a obvious physical buttons. It's like in a car. I don't want my climate or audio controls hidden in a screen I have to click around to access. Let me just quickly reach what I got to do and move on.
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u/-Fateless- I miss Android 4.4 5h ago
Because the gestures that are built into Android are hot ass. I used to use FNG back when you could remove the navigation bar through xposed, but Google removed the overscan feature, and FNG has been abandoned, so I can't do that anymore. At least my ROM allows me to make the navigation bar transparent.
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u/weirdo4909 5h ago
Thanks for asking this question. I had no idea this was even possible. It's gone forever for me.
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u/MysteriousBeef6395 Poco F7 Pro, HOS3 17h ago
makes the touch target for the gesture smaller, didnt work properly with my case
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u/artistro08 13h ago
I switched back to navigation just now and personally I think it's better. I'm surprised I waited this long
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u/HomegrownTerps 15h ago
Because gestures never beat buttons in daily use.
I got used to them years ago but still sometimes fail while doing some of them and it's super annoying.
This also forces some people to have to deliberately think what they have to do and how to execute it. It adds cognitive load to some people.
Then there is simply the fact that people get used to things and hate change.
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u/Jmac8716 9h ago
Because it's significantly more efficient to navigate the device with the navigation bar than with swipe gestures
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u/ph33randloathing Google Pixel - Quite Black 15h ago
Because gestures are inaccurate, inconsistent trash.
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u/obeytheturtles 1d ago
The same reason I eat shrimp with the shells on. Because I clinically insane and cannot be trusted.
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u/El_Burrito_Grande 11h ago
I exclusively eat the tails and feed the rest to my skink. I'm very normal.
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u/Sharktistic 11h ago
I'm a creature of habit and will always have my nav bar/buttons on screen.
My phone is huge, losing 5% of the bottom of the screen really isn't a big deal to me.
Along the same vein, kinda... OP: why don't you use your phones autocorrect to speak like someone with a basic grasp of the English language instead of using words like 'ur' and 'cuz'.
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u/Dragonsalaya 16h ago
It's faster to just touch the buttons, instead of having to swipe, hold and whatever else.
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u/dingo_xd 12h ago
Xiaomi doesn't let me remove it. I'm in a love hate relationship with that company. Just like with Google
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u/MyWorkAccount9000 12h ago
Because nav bar being there is easier/faster(for me). I already have a massive screen, I've never once thought I needed the extra quarter inch
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u/Registeredfor Note 4 (RIP) > LG V20 > Note 9 11h ago
Because I switch between two keyboards. Swiftkey sucks ass for physical keyboards, stock Samsung sucks for software typing, and the keyboard button lets me switch.
Because I'm used to long pressing the home button to pull up Gemini
Because I don't need the extra space on the screen.
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u/RunnerLuke357 Moto G Stylus '26 11h ago
I just want my 2 button navigation back. Part of the reason I did custom ROMs back in the day was because stock didn't have 2 button nav, now nothing has 2 button nav.
I use 3 button because gestures for back and home SUCK, the gestures for app switching are genuinely better than the button but that's the only gesture I prefer.
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u/Tazzimus Xiaomi 12T Pro 10h ago
Because my phones screen is nearly 7 inches, plenty big enough for whatever app I'm using.
And I'm old, I like having buttons.
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u/Multitrak Device, Software !! 10h ago
One of the many reasons I've always used Androids, Back, Home, and Recents floating on the bottom. So easy and fast. When I have to use an iPhone I feel like throwing it at a wall.
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u/redkeyboard Galaxy Z TriFold 10h ago
Our phones are so freaking tall nowadays I don't need the space for apps
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u/SonOfHendo 10h ago
Phones are typically using a very tall aspect ratio these days, so unless you're multitasking the extra space isn't of much use.
I use side swipe in gestures for Back, but also have the standard 3-button navigation bar visible. I don't how any other configuration is anywhere near as quick and easy.
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u/fynjy1111 9h ago
Circle to search.
As for button lovers, they're either elders or those who got used to buttons. I switched to gestures only in 2024 after the one update that broke compatibility with YouTube PiP when opening last apps
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u/FantasticJelly8224 8h ago
I'm minimal. I have always used 4 folders where all the apps are. It doesn't bother me, since I keep my apps grouped together. If I ever need to, I can disable it.
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u/sillieidiot 7h ago
Some people just like it how it is. Some don't even customize their phone, it's just a phone.
I use custom gestures with the Edge Gestures app. Because I swap phone a lot between different manufacturers, it just made it easier that I just install that app on each Android device and use that, rather than learning new gestures for every phone. It pisses me off when I'm using a phone that doesn't have it lol
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u/firedrakes 7h ago
Will face log in for me on new phone finale works.... Prev 2 never work. And yeah hidden sucks bar to.
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u/MaikeruGo Samsung Galaxy S8+ 6h ago
On my device it doesn't hide it so much as have you use gestures. It's faster (tapping back a few times versus gesturing it) and more consistent having buttons on the bottom full time.
The way gestures work on my device is that I have to touch the right starting area and continue the gesture until it activates. This isn't a problem with the gesture for "back", but it can be inconsistent for bringing up the "multitasker/overview" as it requires waiting at end of the gesture for it activate. Do it too fast or gesture a bit too far and you'll hit "Home". This issue with consistency becomes even more of a problem when using gloves or when cold.
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u/TwinSong 6h ago
You mean using the gesture UI? I found that difficult to remember and I preferred just having something I can see to interact with. I kinda miss having more physical buttons really.
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u/ChironXII 5h ago
Because I navigate my device quickly by muscle memory and I want predictable and reliable behavior without having to wait for an animation or screw around with an awkward gesture without knowing if it's going to get it or not.
And you have no right to force hide it as a developer just because you don't understand that.
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u/partylikeaninjastar AT&T Samsung Galaxy S10e, Android 10, Dec. Security Patch 5h ago
More space sing needed for apps and games because your eyes are focused on the center of the screen, not the status or navigation bars. The extra screen space is completely irrelevant.
The navigation bar is also quicker and more accurate than gestures.
That said, I use gestures because they are more customizable than the static navigation bar. Since I no longer root my phones to install roms, I don't have the ability to customize the navigation bar like I used to, but Samsung lets you "natively" customize gestures with an extra app.
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u/explodingbunny S23 android 16 3h ago
I want it there for ease of use and im mad when apps think i need it removed
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u/WilhelmPrice Samsung A54 2h ago
Some apps have some horizontal scrolling gestures near the bottom of the screen. So when I try to swipe it ends up triggering the navigation gestures. It annoyed me so much that I never bothered to switch back to hiding the navigation bar.
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u/edward_the_white 11m ago
I use the old navigation bar style that has the back and home buttons. It's fantastic, and I have no desire to get rid of it. The extra ¼inch of screen for games and apps isn't worth giving up the navigation bar for.
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u/iamlevel5 Pixel 6 Pro 14h ago
I'll do you one better, I hide the nav bar AND the status bar. No icon burn in and the extra real estate made enough of a difference that I keep it on a hardware button toggle.
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u/nanny07 OG Pixel | Nexus 7 2013 WiFi 14h ago
Switching between apps is just faster with double tap on the button instead of sweep up the left/right.
In some app gesture like swipe left to right have already a function (ex reddit open the old hamburger menu) and its difficult to male the one you choose.
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u/Content_Godzilla OnePlus 3, OxygenOS 14h ago
Because it's easier and faster. I don't need the bottom 1/4" of my screen.
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u/SenBenOnlar 14h ago
Some apps don't adjust well when you hide the gesture pill and, as a result, UI elements end up almost touching the bottom bezel. It looks ugly.
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u/surbringer 13h ago
I am using the old style nav bar on my Samsung. You can even customise it with Good Lock.
Yes, you will lose some screen space, but on out giant modern phones, it's not really an issue and doing multiple back command is faster that way.
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u/JAWheat411 Black 13h ago
I forced myself to use swipe gestures a few years ago. And I can't go back now.
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u/mangelito Honor Magic 5 Pro 12h ago
Because my phone doesn't play nice with 3rd party launchers with gesture navigation. I use edge gestures app instead then for back swipes.
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u/Reamed 1d ago
Not an option for me on Pixel
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u/Ghryphen 15h ago
It's an option on Pixel, it's called Navigation Mode in settings.
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u/Reamed 7h ago
That lets you switch between gesture and button navigation, but I don't see an option to actually hide the pill for gesture navigation.
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u/pickledplumber 11h ago
Because if I wanted an iPhone I would buy an iPhone. I don't care about having more space.
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u/FauxReal 5h ago
I don't even remember a navigation bar being a thing. None of the Android phones I've had in the last 7 years had one. Which would be 3 Pixels and a Samsung S25.
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u/Rude_Influence 1d ago
Because I prefer it.