Android menu button now on by default on all device with KitKat
stiff! Bereft of life, it rests in peace! If you hadn't nailed it to a
flagship device it'd be pushing up the daisies!
THIS IS AN EX-BUTTON!!
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28 Comments
3. Tsoliades (Posts: 165; Member since: 22 Dec 2012)
I wish all the manufacturers would just change it already. It's extremely annoying not having soft buttons on all the devices.
25. ihavenoname (Posts: 155; Member since: 18 Aug 2013)
Dilemma... One King of Android has physical buttons on almost all phones (Samsung) and other King hates them (Google). Winner? I don't know.
4. Finalflash (Posts: 450; Member since: 23 Jul 2013)
About damn time, I hate having to switch between my S4 and padfone/nexus 4/whatever else. The menu button is on the left hand side and back button on the right hand side which is a retarded move for right handed users. Having to master hitting the back button with your palm (ball of thumb?) should not be a requisite to using a smartphone.
5. Whateverman (Posts: 3066; Member since: 17 May 2009)
I like having a physical menu button. That was the reason why I chose the Note 2 over the newer HTC One. I hope Samsung keeps it, the onscreen buttons are cool but choice is better.
7. hurrycanger (Posts: 29; Member since: 01 Dec 2013)
Same here. It's not so big of a deal that makes me choose Samsung over a Nexus or anything else, but I find it very convenient. It's easier to hit if you have a big phone (for many people: 4.5" and up). Another reason I like it is that no matter where I am on the phone, I can just hit it and voila! It's not hard to spot the soft menu button (I've used the Nexus 4), but getting to the menu by pressing the exact same button at the exact same place every time is better.
12. bigstrudel (Posts: 399; Member since: 20 Aug 2012)
Its even easier to hit Samsung's buttons. Try handing your phone to a stranger to take a picture. I guarantee they hit the back key.
14. jacko1977 (Posts: 336; Member since: 11 Feb 2012)
been there done that but i still wouldnt get rid of them
26. ihavenoname (Posts: 155; Member since: 18 Aug 2013)
I like physical home button too. It feels nice to have one, you can unlock screen with it, and if somekind of malfunction appears, it's lifesaver (as a Nexus 7 owner i have witnessed virtual buttons freezing.
16. saiki4116 (Posts: 268; Member since: 31 Mar 2011)
They did that mainly because of inconsistency where the menu opens. I have Juhan Lehtimiki or someone post Screenshots of Note 10.1(with physical Menu buttons), where the menu would open sometimes in middle,sometimes top.
17. dratomic (Posts: 117; Member since: 09 Oct 2013)
yes me too. the main reason why I dont like to try htc or sony anymore. i dont like o screen back , home and menu buttons
6. QWIKSTRIKE (Posts: 640; Member since: 09 Mar 2010)
There are times when software soft buttons do not show up in some screens and you have to do tricks to get out of certain creens because of flaws in the software. The hardware button on my GS3 saved me in those conditions where my Nexus 5 makes changing back on some screens a chore!
10. hurrycanger (Posts: 29; Member since: 01 Dec 2013)
Same here. It happened many times when I opened Chrome. It showed the blank gray screen without the New Tab button and the others on the top.
8. kaikuheadhunterz (Posts: 45; Member since: 18 Jul 2013)
What about capacitive buttons that adapt to the interface (i.e. menu button lights up only when it is needed)?
21. areeeeez (Posts: 15; Member since: 01 Jul 2012)
love this idea. But it will be more difficult for Google to force the company to change it rather than forcing the hardware to use the onscreen
23. kaikuheadhunterz (Posts: 45; Member since: 18 Jul 2013)
I'm okay with both kind of buttons. They each have their own strengths and weakness, so it all boils down to whether I can adapt to it (I certainly cannot adapt to iOS's interface. Back and menu buttons not obvious enough)
9. baldilocks (Posts: 411; Member since: 14 Dec 2008)
Having the 3 dot menu button up top is a pain in the ass on larger devices. I prefer a real menu button.
13. dsDoan (Posts: 205; Member since: 28 Dec 2011)
That's the great thing about software buttons. You can modify them to have any buttons you want in any order.
11. Andrewtst (Posts: 205; Member since: 25 Jan 2009)
Why Goggle forcing it.
Recently what Goggle did is more towards bad.
It is really a time new OS come up and replace evil soon Android.
27. ihavenoname (Posts: 155; Member since: 18 Aug 2013)
iOS? Too expensive devices. WP? At the moment M$ removes Nokia name marketshare is dropping. Ubuntu? Just look at their desktop situation. Sailfish? Too new.
15. blazee (Posts: 198; Member since: 02 Jan 2012)
Slowly but surely Google is making the experience from one android phone to another more uniform. Something they should have done a while ago
18. noteseries (Posts: 31; Member since: 29 Oct 2013)
hate onscreen home button, love samsung
20. wando77 (Posts: 203; Member since: 23 Aug 2012)
Prefer the samsung method. The menu button is ALWAYS in the same place and it doesn't take up valuable screen space
22. Eclectech (Posts: 25; Member since: 01 May 2013)
The Samsung capacitive buttons are retarded because half the time they don't light up and you just have to know where they are or press blindly. At least with the HTC you can reassign the home button to also be the menu button and their buttons stay lit when the screen is on.
24. marbovo (Posts: 348; Member since: 16 May 2013)
I love when google tries to force something to it's partners...
28. tasior (Posts: 47; Member since: 04 Nov 2012)
I've used this new solutions on 7 inch tablets, and I hate it. I'm used to universal home button, and I had to search for it every time I wanted to press it. That's just a matter of getting used to though. The more annoying thing is, that it takes screen space. It just makes browseing on 7 inches almost the same as on 5 inches...
29. kimLWR (Posts: 3; Member since: )
hate on screen buttons (soft keys) as it takes a precious space on screen. really love physical or even just capacitive button for as long as it won't take space on screen :)
30. MAXXtreme007 (Posts: 20; Member since: 28 Jun 2012)
Ok, I have wondered this for awhile... In my thinking (Palm Pre days...) I thought they had an ingenious method for navigating around. Slide over the home button! Slide left to go back and slide right to go forward. I mean you have forward and backward then and they don't take up space for actual buttons. Second, since they don't take up actual buttons, they could place two other buttons there... Maybe menu, search, or recents like they used to. It seems this would be very intuitive and more functional.
What do you all think?
