Depending on the Android phone that you use, you may either use a navigation bar at the bottom of the screen or swipe gestures to navigate.
Google Pixel devices, for instance, use swipe gestures by default. Most, if not all, Android devices let you switch between the two options. If you prefer one over the other, you may make the change in the settings.
Good to know: the navigation bar takes up permanent space on the screen. This is the main reason why manufacturers such as Google or Apple have switched to gesture-based navigations.
Not all Android users may know that they can switch between the two options. This guide helps those users.
How to switch the navigation bar option on Android
Note: the path to the preference may differ slightly depending on the Android device. Try searching for the option if you cannot find it on your device.
Here is what you need to do:
- Open the Settings on the Android device.
- Switch to Display.
- Find Navigation bar on the page that opens.
- Switch between Buttons and Swipe gestures on the page to change the method. Tip: you may change the order of buttons under “more options”.
The change takes effect immediately. You can repeat the steps to switch back to the previous method.
Closing Words
I dislike swiping to navigate with a passion. My wife had this on here Google Pixel device and it never really worked reliable enough. While the navigation bar takes away space for other content, I have to say that I prefer it. My wife is also a lot happier now after I changed the option to buttons again in the preferences.
But maybe it is the other way for you. Maybe you prefer swiping because of the extra bit of space on the screen you get.
Which method of navigation do you prefer on your mobile devices? Buttons or swipe gestures? Feel free to leave a comment down below.
I have never liked gestures; I like buttons because they are a clear way to navigate. Another thing I turn off entirely is vibration. It is so rare that I’d be in a circumstance where I’d be forced to use it that it has in fact been years since I’ve done so. Vibration, gestures and ads are a few of the things that I believe do not belong on phones. Another thing that is highly annoying came with the Pixel 5 phone I got. I got the phone because I like small phones, but it has the Google search bar on the screen which takes up real estate for the apps I want to easily access. Never would I do a search from a screen, as that is something to do on a browser, and Google has become so annnoying of late that I even avoid their search at all. I also discovered their Discover feed on another phone, and am not disabling it but haven’t decided whether it has any value.