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Google’s Redesigning Android N’s Home and Navigation Buttons AGAIN
Android N is coming and Google’s got some subtle changes to its design on the way
12:21, 27 Jun 2016
The Android N release date is getting closer and closer. Already launched officially at Google I/O 2016, Android N has been through several beta testing phases ahead of its official release which is expected to be sometime in Q3 2016.
We know A LOT about Android N already. But there are a few new things coming in the final build that no one has seen so far. One of these will concern some cosmetic changes to Android’s navigation buttons.
“According to a reliable source,” reports Android Police, “Google’s newest Nexuses may be getting a navbar do-over, but it remains unclear at this time if the new design we’re seeing here will be available to all devices running N or only Google’s in-house Nexus brand.”
These changes to the Home and navigation buttons will ONLY be present inside stock Android, meaning Nexus phones. This means the upcoming Nexus phones made by HTC — the Sailfish and Marlin — will both feature it, as will the Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6 and other Nexus products like the Nexus tablets once they receive Android N.
So What Will Android N’s New Home & Nav Keys Look Like?
It’s not much to be honest. A long press on the Home key will make some kind of animation with various colours expanding outwards. The keys themselves are now also opaque. Whether Google is adding in any specific new features to the Home key remains to be seen, ditto for whether or not this feature will be part of Google’s ASOP release.