Android: Investigate moving nav bar to bottom

[samuelclay]

See https://getsatisfaction.com/newsblur/topics/android-move-navigation-bar-to-bottom?topic-reply-list%5Bsettings%5D%5Bfilter_by%5D=all&topic-reply-list%5Bsettings%5D%5Bpage%5D=1#reply_19341715

I just want to know if this is easy. I assume it's not, but if it really was I think it might be a nice addition.

[dosiecki]

This was on my list of things to do eventually no matter what. My new phone's screen is far too tall for one-handed use anymore.

Do we want to do this the extreme way and just move it and let people adapt, or add a bit of complexity and offer an option for folks who want it to stay up top? Most of the apps I use have just moved it, but it causes some outcry in the issues page.

[samuelclay]

What are some apps that've done it? Also, I'm not convinced anymore since it's just the header and menu button that would make it down.

[dosiecki]

Interestingly, this year's big Android conference talked quite a bit about upcoming changes to the Android design guidelines, and the move to bottom nav bars and a bottom FABs is a common theme amongst the demos:
https://material.io/collections/google-io18/#01
https://uxdesign.cc/previewing-material-design-2-0-ec0215f0588f?gi=3625b85b3707
https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/08/google-makes-its-material-design-system-easier-to-customize/

One of the earliest movers on bottom buttons was Instagram, for sure, but lately many others have followed suit:
https://9to5google.com/2018/07/12/twitter-android-bottom-bar-update/
https://www.xda-developers.com/reddit-beta-android-amoled-night-mode/
https://www.androidpolice.com/2018/04/17/netflix-unveils-refreshed-ui-bottom-navigation-bar-latest-update-apk-download/
https://9to5google.com/2018/03/06/google-plus-android-update-white/
https://www.androidpolice.com/2018/03/12/play-movies-tv-v4-2-switches-bottom-nav-bar-adds-certified-fresh-ratings-hints-new-guide-screen-apk-teardown/

Now, all of that said, we don't really have all that many buttons or conform all that closely to the overall design patterns, so I think we can be quite flexible. For me, I definitely see the value in moving more buttons to the bottom not only because I can no longer reach the top mark-all-read button with one hand on my two largest phones, but also because the most powerful buttons in Story view (next/back/done) are already bottom FABs and having them on top for some screens and bottom for others is a bit odd.

Once we're done with the next round of bugs and stability updates, I'll spitball some ideas about how we might consolidate buttons nearer the bottom for both views.