New Android 16 Beta Hints at a Customizable Navigation Bar

For years, Android users switching from one phone brand to another have had to contend with a small but significant detail: the order of the buttons in the navigation bar. If you’ve ever moved from a Samsung Galaxy phone to a Google Pixel, you know the feeling of having to retrain your muscle memory. On Samsung devices, the “back” button lives on the right. Meanwhile, on Pixels, it’s traditionally on the left. But a new development in the latest Android beta could finally solve this common frustration, letting you flip your Pixel’s navigation bar buttons.

Google Pixel users may soon Be able to flip their navigation bar button order

Just yesterday, Google rolled out the Android 16 QPR2 Beta 2 update. This release includes some improvements and interesting new features. For example, Pixel users will finally be able to change the shape of their app icons. Now, recent findings from Android Authority suggest that Google is adding a long-awaited option to let Pixel users reverse the order of their three-button navigation bar. This would allow you to switch to the “Recents, Home, Back” layout. The feature may allow you to mirror the default button placement on Samsung phones. This could make the transition between devices much more seamless.

It’s noteworthy that the new setting is not yet live in the beta. However, there are strings that point directly to it. Once available, the option could appear under a new “Button navigation” page in your phone’s settings. Here, you’ll find a “Button order” header with two distinct choices: the familiar Pixel layout of “Back, Home, Recents” and the new, flippable option.

While the discovery of this code is a promising sign for customization fans, it’s not a guaranteed feature yet. Because the setting isn’t active in Beta 2, its final inclusion will likely depend on whether it shows up in the next beta release before the public rollout of Android 16 QPR2 in December. That said, let’s hope the feature makes the cut and is available in the final rollout.