The Android system's navigation bar (gestures or buttons) has always seemed a bit clumsy, mainly because app developers have not taken full advantage of existing tools. But Google is developing a new feature that promises to eventually make your navigation bar more unified across applications.

Since Android 10 was introduced, gesture navigation systems have become the default method to switch between apps, jump to the home screen, and return between apps. However, if you want to use it, the three-button navigation bar still exists. Either way, Android app developers can use tools to make the system navigation bar transparent for a more seamless experience.

Many developers do take advantage of the available APIs to adjust the opacity or color of the system navigation bar container when it is visible in the application. But there are still many developers who haven't joined, which means you'll see a black background for many system bars. Android 14's new transparent navigation bar settings are designed to solve this problem. It's still in development and therefore can't get perfect results, but we hope Google can improve it before releasing Android 14 to the public.

Prerequisites:

• Android 14 (currently available in the Android beta version planned by Pixel).
• Google Pixel 4a (5G) or newer Pixel models.
• Unlocked Developer Mode.

When Android 14 official version is released, a transparent navigation bar may be available on more devices depending on how long the manufacturer implements it in its system and whether it is implemented. However, in its current state, it still needs improvements to work in all respects, as shown below.

Install the latest Android 14 update:

For the best experience, make sure you are running the latest Android 14 version. Navigate to Settings -> System -> System Update. If an update is available, follow the on-screen prompts to update your device.

Enable the transparent navigation bar:

Find the Transparent Navigation Bar settings on your Pixel. The easiest way is to open the Settings app and search for the Transparent Navigation Bar to jump directly to it. You can also get there manually via Settings -> System -> Developer Options -> Transparent Navigation Bar. Once there, turn on its switch.

Actual effect:

The left side of the figure below shows that the button-type system navigation bar displays a default black background without the new transparent navigation bar function enabled. The color is adjusted to be more suitable for the application UI on the right side of the picture below. In this case, the color matches the gray status bar.

The gesture-based system navigation bar works similarly, but you can see that it chooses to match the white background color behind the app's own navigation bar instead of the gray of the status bar.

In dark mode, the results are less obvious, but more in line with expectations. The gesture-based system navigation bar shown in the figure below changes from a dark black background (left) to a dark gray (right), closer to the background of the application.

Since the transparent navigation bar settings in the developer options menu are still in the testing phase, we expect better results for future updates. So, follow your app to see if you will see any changes when installing the Android 14 beta update.

Cover photos and screenshots courtesy of Tommy Palladino/Gadget Hacks

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