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Phones Google Pixel 2 / Google Pixel 2 XL
- Thread starter kkh786
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
mjschabow
macrumors 603
Aneres11
macrumors 601
Just been playing about with ADB and the navigation bar on the bottom of the Pixel 2.
I really feel like that bar eats into screen 'real estate' and wondered if it could be hidden like it can on other Android devices.
It can't, but can be with an app and ADB.
So i've just done it.
Works really nicely, but not perfect.
Here's Instagram before and after activating it:
And the home screen shifts the buttons completely too:
Not sure if i'll keep it this way. It also lets you remove the nav bar at the top too but I prefer that being there.
Annoying as it should be built into the OS to do this.
I really feel like that bar eats into screen 'real estate' and wondered if it could be hidden like it can on other Android devices.
It can't, but can be with an app and ADB.
So i've just done it.
Works really nicely, but not perfect.
Here's Instagram before and after activating it:
And the home screen shifts the buttons completely too:
Not sure if i'll keep it this way. It also lets you remove the nav bar at the top too but I prefer that being there.
Annoying as it should be built into the OS to do this.
noobinator
macrumors 604
Just been playing about with ADB and the navigation bar on the bottom of the Pixel 2.
I really feel like that bar eats into screen 'real estate' and wondered if it could be hidden like it can on other Android devices.
It can't, but can be with an app and ADB.
So i've just done it.
Works really nicely, but not perfect.
Here's Instagram before and after activating it:
And the home screen shifts the buttons completely too:
Not sure if i'll keep it this way. It also lets you remove the nav bar at the top too but I prefer that being there.
Annoying as it should be built into the OS to do this.
Very nice! How do you do this? How do you get the nav bar to appear when you need it?
Aneres11
macrumors 601
I followed this:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-2/help/hide-navigation-bar-buttons-immersive-t3694678
The nav bar appears by nudging (swiping) up from the bottom to bring them back onto the screen. Same for the notification bar at the top - nudge down from the top and it appears.
The only negative is it disables the active edge squeeze thing? It still works when the phone is locked, and on the lock screen itself. But once it's unlocked the edges will not squeeze.
I think I'm gonna switch back to having the buttons. It works great in some apps, but things like Instagram it's a bit finnicky. For example, watching Instagram stories - when I want to go back from them, I need to swipe up to bring the nav bar up to hit back. But swiping up on stories brings up the keyboard to be able to reply to them... which is not ideal.
Still, pretty good you can do it.
You can also change the style of buttons - they can be moved closer together etc, or you can change them to look like the newer Samsung devices nav buttons.
I tried SuperShieldz for Pixel 2 from Amazon dotcom. They are full screen with black bezels on the glass. I found it adhered immediately on the first try with no bubbles. I’ve since tried their clear tempered glass on my 8 Plus and that went on great, too. No edge bubbles like I’ve been suffering with. But for the iPhone the glass is cut a bit too skinny in order to be case friendly. I would rather it be a couple of mm thicker to the left and right. It barely covers the active part of the display.
On the Pixel 2 the fit is great. Feels good and works well. This company seems to have the best adhesive. My biggest complaint with tempered glass, and I have a few brands, is that the edges won’t stick all the way around.
OmG 😱😱😱😱The Curse of Hello Kitty is real!!!!😱😱😱
I mean I just finally recommended the screen protector after having it for weeks and what happens a couple of hours later? Hello Kitty wrecks my screen protector.
I was so sure poor Snowball was trashed. It was the freakiest of freak accidents. I was crouching down wiping down the baseboards in a spare bedroom the little ones in the family sometimes use. There is a Hello Kitty night light in there. I had the Pixel 2 in my back pocket inside its new fabric case. I was wearing my AKG Bluetooth headphones and listening to music and I stood up.
The whiskers from the HK night light somehow smashed the part of my phone that was sticking up from my pocket. The thing is the screen was facing my butt so I’m not sure how the protector got shattered.
At first I didn’t realize there had been any damage. But later when I took the phone out of my pocket I saw it. I don’t usually carry phones in my back pocket anymore but I kind of had to since I was doing a lot of bending and crouching and the phone would dig into my leg in my front pocket.
Here’s the photo to prove the curse is real.
We need a curse breaker!
I mean I just finally recommended the screen protector after having it for weeks and what happens a couple of hours later? Hello Kitty wrecks my screen protector.
I was so sure poor Snowball was trashed. It was the freakiest of freak accidents. I was crouching down wiping down the baseboards in a spare bedroom the little ones in the family sometimes use. There is a Hello Kitty night light in there. I had the Pixel 2 in my back pocket inside its new fabric case. I was wearing my AKG Bluetooth headphones and listening to music and I stood up.
The whiskers from the HK night light somehow smashed the part of my phone that was sticking up from my pocket. The thing is the screen was facing my butt so I’m not sure how the protector got shattered.
At first I didn’t realize there had been any damage. But later when I took the phone out of my pocket I saw it. I don’t usually carry phones in my back pocket anymore but I kind of had to since I was doing a lot of bending and crouching and the phone would dig into my leg in my front pocket.
Here’s the photo to prove the curse is real.
We need a curse breaker!
Ralfi
macrumors 601
That & the Airpods are too good to let go….at this point in time. But I like how the competition keeps getting better.
Wildo6882
macrumors 6502a
The way everything works together so well is a strong pull. If you want a phone, a tablet, a watch, and TV, there's nothing like it. I wish Android/Google had the same type of set up.
Cryates
macrumors 68040
It appears, at least to me, that's where Google wants to be in the future. They just have to pull it all together. With better QC, better services (rich messaging), etc I think they have the ability to compete, but for now Apple will own the all-in-one space.
Aneres11
macrumors 601
Yeah agreed with the above few posts. It’s odd to me that Google haven’t got a handle on a messaging app that is made default amongst Android users. I know we’ve said it many times before.
Don’t know if it’s a simple thing to do with other manufacturers devices running Android? But I have no clue about these type of things.
I think if they sorted that out they’d be halfway there.
Don’t know if it’s a simple thing to do with other manufacturers devices running Android? But I have no clue about these type of things.
I think if they sorted that out they’d be halfway there.
Slightly unrelated and not really adding anything to the discussion...
But aint they pretty... 😀
This almost makes me want to buy a Pixelbook! But I want to use the full Photoshop, which counts this out.
sold my OnePlus 5T (White Sandstone), loved everything about it, except for the camera.
Found a really great deal on a brand new Google Pixel 2 (Black, non XL)
Arriving tomorrow! 🙂
Found a really great deal on a brand new Google Pixel 2 (Black, non XL)
Arriving tomorrow! 🙂
Last edited:
mjschabow
macrumors 603
Yeah I saw a blue one going for $515 on swappa. Just wish it didn’t have those bezels. Feels a bit like a step back.
It’s weird how my time with the S8+ and the iPhone Xmas me miss and appreciate bezels. I am really loving the white bezels on my 8 Plus. I think Apple sacrificed too much in getting rid of its front facing fingerprint sensor/home button. They had to re-engineer the entire phone into an expensive alternative universe of massively expensive Face ID technology and a notch. I just want to scream that there are rumors some Android manufacturers are considering emulating this path. Ugh.
Aneres11
macrumors 601
It's funny, because I was updating my mum's iPhone 7 yesterday for her and found the bezel to actually be quite nice (the bottom one anyway).
The keyboard didn't just kind of hang there like it does on the X as it goes all the way to the bottom of the screen so certainly looks a bit neater. It's a bit strange that there's the virtual grey bezel that Apple have manufactured for the X.
It also ruins the GBoard for iPhone for me too, as I like to have a black or even coloured keyboard, but that grey bar below it never disappears so it doesn't look great.
I'd consider an 8 in silver to go alongside an Android device full time if Apple bothered to make the same effort with the smaller device as they do with the Plus for a change...
That is such a frustration for me too. All of what you posted. The gray thingy. The lack of effort on the smaller devices. The smaller iPhones are still a good size in which to implement choice features. Im going to be generous and assume they do not because they want to preserve the smaller battery on an LCD device.
I use Airpods with Android devices all the time.
Cryates
macrumors 68040
AirPods actually work great with my Pixel and Pixelbook. A little bit of functionality is lost, but that's to be expected. As for true wireless earbuds, AirPods might the best option on the market right now for android devices.
Wildo6882
macrumors 6502a
Anyone using a smartwatch with their Pixel 2/2XL? I'm trying to find something that works well, isn't TOO expensive, and will get updates. I just want something that will alert me of calls, texts, and calendar appointments. I'm even looking at the Misfit/Fossil Hybrid watches. Anyone have any recommendations?
Michael Goff
Suspended
Wildo6882
macrumors 6502a
This is true. But I'm meaning things straight from Google. You can get the phone and Chromebook from them. But I want a Pixel Watch and Pixel TV.
Michael Goff
Suspended
Same here. But the watch is being held back by Qualcomm not making a new wearable chip in years.
Wildo6882
macrumors 6502a
Right, but I think Google really has to go all in on everything for it to make sense for a lot of people. I prefer Google over Apple, but having to buy a watch from Fossil, a phone from Google, a Chromebook from Samsung, and Android TV from Nvidia is kind of a pain in the butt.