the Android 14 beta fixes something very annoying from the navigation bar

The beta of Android 14 has arrived and we’re happy about it. Let’s try out what Google has in store for us. We will probably hear more about it at I/O, but a number of websites have already encountered things that will clearly be different in the future. For example: the navigation bar.

Transparent navigation bar

Many apps do not support the transparent navigation bar, or the theme colors. Too bad, because that makes your experience a bit less good. Google initially left it up to developers to choose their own navigation bar color, but now recognizes that it doesn’t provide the best experience. It provides an adjustment of that navigation bar, so that you can turn on the transparent variant. This is an option in the developer menu and is also called ‘transparent navigation bar’. This makes your phone’s navigation transparent across all apps.

Android expert Mishaal Rahman of XDA Developers says that the user interface is not hidden under the navigation bar, so there are no things that “shine through”. It’s a bit hidden in the developer options, though, so chances are many people still perceive apps with the nav bar the way the developers chose it. You can choose something else now, because you know more now.

Android 14 beta 1

The Android 14 beta is currently only available on Google Pixel phones. This was first preceded by two Developer Previews, but now it’s time for other phone users to see how they like this new variant of the operating system. We see the Material You design, but the emphasis is also on privacy, performance, security and productivity. Read more about it in our article about the first test version of Android 14 going live and how you can participate yourself.

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Have you ever noticed those inconsistent colors of the navigation bar? Share it in the comments.