Information redacted by Android Beta Feedback.

Why hasn't this more stars? I have this in Beta right now and it's so annoying!

The issue is not reproducible on our internal development build (which is ahead of the public release). Please test it on the final public release and let us know if you are still having issues.

@comment#2 Can you still reproduce the issue? I haven't tried it yet. I don't have my phone currently. I'll try again tomorrow. But in the meantime, please do try yourself to replicate the issue on Beta 2 :=)

I cannot reproduce anymore on  S2B2.211203.006

@comment#7 Awesome, so it's probably fixed! :)

Google, you can close this now, I think :=)

My Samsung does not have the pill wasted space.  This is a no brainer to have the option to remove.  I know how to use gestures and should have the option to disable the pill.

Agree

Agreed

+1

+1

+1

+1

I want it too. It would make Android much butter. So Google do it or give us an option. Thanks in advance

I can get behind this

Yes plz

As is, I think the gesture pill is not implemented very well. In almost every app it has a solid background instead of floating above the content (as with iOS). I agree that it should be able to be either removed, hidden, or somehow better integrated. I hope this is an area of focus going forward considering gesture navigation has been around since at least Android 9 and still seems kind of half-baked. Not trying to be rude, just really hoping for improvement.

agree

+1

I used an app to remove navigation buttons for a while and unfortunately it doesn't work anymore.  Most of the appeal of gestures was it removed the need for buttons.  Removing the navigation bar from the lock screen, home screen,etc would be a great option for us gesture users.

Please add this feature. Please please please!

Please add this. Another option is that would be nice would be invisible and it pops up when you tap there.

Being unable to force immersive mode in Android 11 is a big disappointment. And the bar at the bottom of the screen is such a waste of space to begin with.

Why isn't this an option yet

Please!

It's either gestures or bars. That tiny bar at the bottom of the screen is in no way useful and it may cause burn in to the amoled screen of my Pixel 5. Please remove it.

Sorry, I forgot to add that it occasionally shows up in my AOD, which is definitely a bug

So? Still no news after six monts?

Still no updates on this?

Any updates on this ?

The bar is distracting while watching YouTube videos in landscape, and it blocks the minimize button.

Any progress on this?

Please make navbar removable again... Android was always this customizable OS... Dont fuck this up

Need option to hide navigation bar by default and then if you swipe up it opens like LG had in the G7. Then I can use pie control. The way you have it now I can't use pie control properly because you are forcing me to use the Google gestures which are terrible. Pie control is way better than your gestures. Your updates have screwed everything up what the hell why would you do that.

Get the feature back to permanently remove the navigation bar.. tbh this annoying..

The whole pixel phone design is crushed by that annoying navigation pill. You have to remove it, it is completely useless.

If you have Android 12, you can finally hide it without root!

https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/remove-navbar-gesture-pill-and-more-for-non-rooted-pixel-6-pro.4357937/

The solution is a bit cumbersome though.

This. And the status bar while you're at it.

This! Please, it's wasted space and a burn-in waiting to happen.

The method for hiding it got broken by the January update.

Sigh.

Yes, please!

Yes please!

Agree

This needs to happen please, Google. This request is not going away, please listen to your customers.

+1

Please, remove this pill, it's waste of space.

Woah. Did this feature request just get accepted? Will this be implemented in Android 12?

@50 Being "Accepted" doesn't mean they work on it.
Also Android 12 is out for quite some time, and 12.1 too.
Now Android 13 is in the works.

Has this been accepted?

+1

How is this not a thing in Android 12? People buy Android devices over IOS devices because of customisability, and yet this has still been ignored, and the gesture pill is terribly optimised for third party software.

Come on Google Devs. If you're scared of the corporate backlash and want to keep it as part of A12's identity, then at least provide this as a dev option.

I have rooted my phone just to remove this thing.
Problem is banking apps start to detetct root.

I see no reason to have a white line on a black wallpaper on an oled screen. It's just annoying. Please add option to remove.

This is a joke. Why can't we have the option when other OEMs implement this natively?
Not only that, but Google has been closing all the loops we've had to get rid of this stupid meant to destroy amoled screens thingie.

Remove it.

I'm returning the device I bought just because of the inability to hide it. Seriously. What a joke.

"[...]but Google has been closing all the loops we've had to get rid of this[...]"

As long as you're fine with rooting/using adb, there are ways to get rid of it.

as others have stated, this is completely ridiculous that my pixel 6 phone cannot be customized. what is going on? Google please somebody reach out and tell us why we can't do this this and while we're at it just off the topic of customization. it simply the fact that you're forcing it on us. bad move Google bad move

Updated to A13 and the bar is......bigger. Does Google just bury its head in the sand?

Even Chrome (Google's OWN BROSWER) hasn't been properly developed with the gestures bar in mind, and is displaying a solid coloured block at the bottom of the screen. It looks terrible.

Google devs - I don't want to worry about this wretched bar burning into my phone display, just because you want the interface to look more like IOS. Most of the 3rd party vendors are offering to hide the bar in their Android overlay, why can't you do it?

@61 I agree, except about Chrome, because it's tricky there.
Chrome can't know what content will be at the bottom (websites content). It could be an important content at the bottom, so it can't have a transparency there.
And as gestures navigation pill works the same as the 3-buttons navigation bar, they need to decide the decision for both, together:
So it's either having no navigation bar at all (like a game, that you need to show it all the time), or show it forever.
It would be annoying to keep showing it for common operations such as going back.

What you could say is that the current API is not enough even for Chrome.
Google needs to add more options for developers and users for this.
There is a difference between 3-buttons navigation and gesture navigation. I know it will make things more complex, but because of them working the same, it ruins the experience of both methods, for each and its own cases.
For users, there aren't even the same sets of user-features for each of them (example is one-handed mode that's not available for 3-buttons navigation).
As for developers, developers don't even have an official API to check which of them is used, and the height of the navigation bar...

Yeah just updated to A13. This became worse. It's like they are trolling us.
White bare, lost screen space.. and I think they messed with the swipe up to..
It's becoming ridiculous.. It's not what I expect from google and pixel.

If removing this feature is not in the plan, you can at least put in a shrink option. It looks so bad in the Chrome app, you should at least make it compatible.

I agree. You SHOULD be able to remove the pill. I am fully aware that you can remove it using 3rd party lauchers, using root/adb mods etc but thats not the point!!! I love using the standard pixel launcher and would like to keep it that way. I am using the most lightweight launcher i can find which i believe is launchair to get as close to standard pixel experience as possible. but its still a 3rd party app running all the time.

The pill is not progress and moving forward if you cannot have the ability to remove it.

fix is needed.

The bar serves no function, it's an eyesore, and it leads to screen burn-in. There should be an option to disable it without interfering with gesture capability.

Please let us disable this useless bar.

Every major OEM lets the users hide it, except Google. Come on Google, don't be THAT kid on the playground...

Please add this feature. I would like the ability to permanently hide the gesture pill.

I can't believe they made the gesture bar larger and not have the option to hide it on Android 13. What were they thinking?

agree

#62 - If it's so difficult, why has Apple been able to manage context behind the bar and intelligently auto hiding it? This doesn't have to be a binary option of Google deciding whether or not to keep the gesture bar; 3rd party A12/13 distros have managed giving the option to hide it, including OxygenOS and OneUI. This is just stubbornness and laziness on Android devs' part.

@73 What I wrote was about Chrome. Chrome can have content at the bottom. It shouldn't be overlayed by any bar, making it unreadable or impossible to reach.
I think on web browsers that have bars at the bottom (for buttons like back&forward), this is solved already.
Chrome doesn't have anything of its own at the bottom.

I don't know what is the UI on Apple's devices, but I'm pretty sure Apple never had a navigation bar (with back, home, and recent keys on it), so they don't need to handle both types together.
And checking out screenshots of Safari, I can see that it's not like Chrome on Android, as it has buttons at the bottom.

And back to talking in general:
As I said, before handling this, Google needs to separate the 2 types somehow, but sadly this seems too late because the API is out there for a very long time, since the beginning of gestures on Android.
So if Google will separate the 2 types, developers will need to handle multiple states for the navigation bar, both combined and separate. It's a mess that Google should have fixed from the time that gestures were official.

+1

Please let us hide this bar, it's the only thing I don't like about this version of Android. It make's some apps look atrocious in landscape with a massive bar at the bottom.

Please let users remove the navbar. I've spent a total of 5 hours I think to unlock the bootloader, root, make the gpay work and all of this is only to remove the navbar. And it's completely unfixable on A13, so I'm holding from security updates because of this issue. Dear Google, please improve the user experience with the implementation of this simple feature.

Android 13 made it much worse. I won't buy any Pixel anymore without an option to hide that useless bar.

+1

Oh, my goodness. The gesture pill drives me crazy. HATE IT. Please provide the option to hide it. Plus, it will reduce screen burn.

Google developers have only removed features and made their software worse. Google translate can't even splitscreen anymore. It's ridiculous, they might as well not do anything. At least then things wouldn't continue to get worse

Please have the option to modify this gesture nav to make it smaller or auto hide

What is the ETA for this?

+1
If for some reason it has to be there, at least have the option to change the color.

For 2 years, google can't fix it?!

you used to be able to use a pretty simple ADB command to alter being able to see it or not.

i would love this feature implementation!

yes please add this feature (especially on pixel phones)

Upvoting this, please allow us to remove this.

Upvoting this, please allow us to remove this.

Interesting that Google was able to block the ADB workaround to get rid of the "utterly pointless pill bar". No one wants it, have it enabled by default so grandma doesn't get confused, but allow EVERYONE else to get rid of it. This feature is a no brainer. How is no one at Google infuriated by this "pointless white bar", it's the equivalent to a decade ago when phones had physical buttons on the bottom of the screen. Be the hero that everyone needs and put the pill bar out of its misery!

It's October 2022 and still waiting for nevigation bar and goggle search bar on home screen to be removed 🥲🥲🥲 very well done Google, keep it up on not giving what user needs!

It's been changed!!!
Gilbertleegrim84@gmail.com 

How was it changed?  Where do you see this?

2years for a 15min work and we're still awaiting the feature

Google STOP forcing us to root in order to remove the gesture bar hint

"Google can if they want to, get rid of the gesture navigation bar altogether by just removing the gesture navigation bar without affceting the touch area for swiping up, because there are four separated dimensions regarding the gesture navigation bar: the navigation bar height, touch area height, and the "pill" height and wide.

Custom ROMs that have the feature to hide the "navigation bar hint" do this using simple tricks: a dynamic RRO if activated will change the the navigation bar height value to zero and lines of code that detect that setting that will activate that RRO and skip the rendering of the gesture pill, by default the touch area for gesture navigation is "pass through", so no need to worry about the bottom part of the screen, it still works, and all apps will automatically render to the bottom of the screen."

+1

The pixel 5 and 4a5g with Android 11 had two "indicators" in both of the bottom corners, to activate the google Assistant with a swipe gesture! After a few days, the two indicators weren't no longer displayed, because after a few days, the user "learnt" where he had to swipe to open the Google Assistant. This feature should also be implemented for the gesture bar (at least as an option).

For me personally, it would be enough if every app would have the gesture bar Implemented correctly, and there wouldn't be a big black bar on the bottom!

Please google just give users the option to hide or not hide the pill. Forcing the users to have the pill there is very apple move .... Even Samsung can just run without the pill smoothly

Just bought my first Pixel.
I can't believe there is no option to hide the gesture pill.

It's funny with all those launchers out there, and google still don't know what users want. Besides gesture bar, also look at that unmovable search bar, it's a joke.

Purchased a Pixel 7pro. Returning it due to the inability to remove the gesture pill/shaded area Pixel should not be the only android phone without the option to hide/disable the "reminder". On top of already having larger bezels then most if not all competitor phones the pill and associated area effectively doubles the bottom bezel. With all the work put into this phone I expected better...jokes on me.

My S10 could hide it. My P7P cannot, please change that asap.

That is one of the few detail left that makes me consider rooting the phone again after many years. All other inconveniences have been adressed and/or been toned down to a tolerable amount. It's incredible that such a simple option (that probably takes very little time to implement) is still present after all this time.

This is a disgrace. These companies should stop tryinng to force their vision onto costumers and respect and pledge to change features that are more of an annoyance to many than actually a feature.
If freedom of choice has left Android, I see no point in not moving to iOS

Please let us remove/hide the gesture pill/reminder. Thanks

Just bought the pixel 7 pro and will be returning it due to the wasted space at the bottom that essentially doubles the bezel, how on earth is this not optional!?

Yeah, probably the worst thing about the P7P. I upgraded from a Pixel 4 XL and loved how it hid itself unless I pulled it up. Can't play any games due to it being on the bottom of the screen constantly swiping the game away.

This is the biggest pet peeve about my new pixel 7. Since I got the new phone and realized I couldn't hide it, I hated it every second.

What the last user said this is extremely embarrassing coming from a company that his entire marketing campaign and choices they make and device design XYZ that such a basic in my personal opinion atrocity to fashion and disgraceful to its user base that we can't do anything within the UI to remove that white bar when even on competitors products such as galaxy devices they are fully capable of doing, but the pixels are supposed to be the pure Android experience with the most customizability with the new material UI and XYZ

I own a Pixel 7 and this is a truly needed feature. It's so pointless to have the bar taking up space. Let us remove it please!

This is utter bone-headedness from the Pixel team. That pill/bar is utterly unnecessary, ugly and eats up screen real estate for no good reason at all. Why isn't there an option to hide it? What's the reasoning behind not allowing an option?

+1

+1

Please implement something like this.

There absolutely should be an option to hide this ugly, useless bar. On my previous Android phone, I removed it on day 1 and never looked back. I can't believe I can't do the same thing on a Pixel. I hate it so much.

I'm stunned to find I cannot remove this bar. Please add this option!

Returning my Pixel 7P because I can't stand that hideous nav pill.

Please add this feature.

I really like the new pixel but that bar must be gone soon

Please please please add the option

Just bought a pixel 7, was not aware i could not hide it. i hate how it makes my apps look and feel. been using gestures for years now, dont need a constant reminder!

Remove the pill bar, it's awful.

It's fine to leave the bar as a default, but please at least allow the option to remove it. Or make the bar transparent and not take up space.

Please let us get rid of this visual abomination

+1

+1

I'm embarrassed for the design team that decide that not only must you always see the gesture bar, but that it also adds a black bar to the bottom of any app with a text field. It makes apps look non-native on a PIXEL of all phones! I'm genuinely baffled by this choice.

Anyone that has used gesture navigation for more than a day will have developed the muscle memory to never need to see the pill again, so please add the ability to hide it.

Just switched to a P7P from a OnePlus 7T Pro, and this is the one feature that is making me regret it. I can only imagine how much it cost to design this stuff. I'm sure Google have their reasons, but holy moly- this really missed the mark.

Just switched from the s22 ultra to pixel 7 pro. I've had plenty of android phones before this as well, and the first thing I do is remove the navigation pill. To not be able to hide this is just ridiculous. Please give us the option.

I'd really like this, too. That bar is such an eyesore when you've got a clean, organized home screen.

Please add this, the gesture bar is very silly to show all the time.

just got a pixel 7 pro, and the first thing I wanted to do is to remove this bar, surprised I can't.

I thought it would be great to have a clean android, but turns out it lacks so many simple things

Let us hide the gesture bar - the bar is so annoying

+1 Seems pretty simple to add this option.

Please give us the option to hide it. It gives Android a janky look. App Devs will do nothing about it. I hate having to root my phone just to hide it. Google doesn't even optimize its own apps to blend it in the app.

Please add ability to hide or better yet disable it. Pie navigation is better.

This is going to burn in my OLED screen. Let me hide it google

Pardon the ignorance but since this issue has been accepted does that mean Google is actually going to push an update or not because this has been submitted years ago and Google seemingly is the only manufacturer without the code to hide the home bar

Please add it Google

Stupid and stubborn google developers. Consumers have been asking this puny feature to be added for a long time now. What the heck are they thinking? They must be using Iphones so they don't care what the Android users needs. They must all be karens.

I mean technically aren't we being the Karen's

It would be nice to have the option to hide the nav bar pill.

I want this, have had a OnePlus phone for years that hid the gesture bar. This should be a standard setting.

want to hide it +1

Along with simply hiding it, can you please make it so that we can force a transparent background? Rather than obscuring content with a grey or black bar at the bottom, make it transparent so it fits in better. Samsung's One UI has accomplished this at the system level. Something like this on Pixel Android would be amazing. Thanks! +1

Sad that the move from a 5 year old OnePlus device to a pixel 7 felt like a downgrade in simple quality of life things like this :( It would be great to see this become customizable, so +1 to this request!

Hiding the gesture navigation bar is an option on many popular Android phones like Samsung's and OnePlus' for good reason: for anyone comfortable with gestures, the bar is a useless visual element taking up space at all times while never serving a functional purpose. It seems Google was quite inspired by Apple with this one. Not only did they take the gesture bar design from Apple, but it looks like Apple's classic lack of user customization rubbed off on them as well. Despite the decision to make the bar permanent having been made years back, despite getting constant complaints about it from the community ever since, and despite other manufacturers having mitigated the issue by giving users the option themselves, Google still has not addressed the problem. It certainly feels like a step back, and it's unfortunate that years later you have no other option but to root if you want to make the most of your screen space but have the misfortune of being on a Pixel.

How about you guys actually wake up and listen to users?

After years of using gesture navigation, we understand how it works. Please stop holding our hands with the icon at the bottom of the screen.

Please, fix this.

How is this not an option yet, even on my 3 year old OnePlus 7t you can hide it

+1

Please for the love of GOD and GOOGLE let us hide the gesture bar entirely the pill and the entire bar
And also the NOTIFICATION STATUS BAR TOO I WOULD BUY 1000000000000000X pixels phones

Please add this, it would be great to not have a pill taking up screen space when it's not needed.

How on earth has this not been implemented yet? Please for the love of God

Can you just implement this already? Keep all the crap from your feature drops and do this.

If this isn't happening soon, I won't ever buy a pixel device again

Please implement this, it would be so easy.

Absolutely atrocious this is still not implemented while nearly all other phones can do it. Probably the first and only time I'll ever buy a Pixel.

Please implement this.

It would be nice if you could add the option to hide the pill and let us customize the gestures. Or even be able to disable the default Navbar/pill in the settings menu.

Add it already.
How difficult can it be for you?

I was using gestures navigation on a Xiaomi device, then Samsung device always gestutes but no gesture bar, please... How hard is to you Google to make it disappear? If I want the bar I can buy an apple phone instead.

Status?

Dear devs, please implement this feature. The only way to get rid of it is to root the device. Just add an option to make it invisible, it shouldn't be very hard.
Thank you

+1

Please fix this, thanks

+1

This useless navigation pill thing is begging for a screen burn-in, WTF Google seriously.. it's a feature and it's meant to stay? what an absolute effing disgrace

Please implement this feature. I don't like seeing it.

+1

What's the status on this?

+1

I'm new to Pixel 7 pro Smartphone and can't believe there is no way in customizing for this bar to hide. Please fix this quick, no one needs this annoying bar. Screenspace decreases in landscape mode significantly.