Database Develop

Permanently hide Navigation Bar on Nexus 7

I wanted the greatest amount of usable screen "real estate" on my Nexus 7 so I looked for ways to hide the black Navigation Bar that spans the bottom of the display. My launcher of choice, GO Launcher EX, has an option to hide it but that didn't work. There are apps that supposedly hide it but either they only hide it until you return to your home screen or they hide it but leave thick unusable black gaps at the bottom and the top of the display. I use Button Savior for my navigation so I just wanted the Navigation Bar GONE.
I read that, on other devices, adding the line "qemu.hw.mainkeys=1" to the build.prop file under /system would do it but I added the line and it did nothing. Then -- since I was just beginning to customize a newly rooted Nexus 7 (32GB, in case that matters) I scrubbed EVERYTHING and took it back to stock, then rooted it with WugFresh's Nexus Root Toolkit (Version 1.5.5). Next I entered my sign-in data and installed Root Explorer from Google Play (so I could edit system files). Then -- before I did anything else to the tablet, I again added "qemu.hw.mainkeys=1" to the end of build.prop in /system. It worked! The Navigation Bar disappeared and has not reappeared no matter what I've done (reboot, add apps, customize, etc). Better yet, my wallpaper image instantly resized to fill the screen space I'd recaptured. My rows of icons adjust to fill and use the space and no black bars are left anywhere on screen.
It seems unlikely that I'm the first to discover that this works with the Nexus 7 since I'm not a very sophisticated user but in case this adds value to the XDA forum, which I use and very much appreciate, here it is.

Good find. First I heard of this.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app

So how do you navigate without the on-screen buttons?

Frostfree said:
So how do you navigate without the on-screen buttons?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same question.

I use Button Savior. There are other "soft key" solutions as well. I have Button Savior set to never "auto hide" so it's always available (it can always be manually popped in and out). I've got it placed just above the keyboard so it's never in my way when typing. I have it set to semi-transparent so I can always see it but also always see through it. The beauty of soft key solutions is that they take up NO screen real estate and, at least in the case of Button Savior, you can place them exactly where you want them so that you never have to move your hand to navigate your screen. Button Savior needs to be on a rooted device to work properly but you have to be rooted to do this procedure anyway.

deleted

Nexus 7 screen with no Nav Bar with Button Savior
I'm sure there's better ways to illustrate this but here's a blank home page with a bland wallpaper to illustrate what the space on my screen looks like. No Navigation Bar. No Dock either (I use a few icons and a few folders of icons). I like the Status Bar across the top although I could eliminate that too. That's Button Savior on the left-hand side (I'm left-handed). Soft key solutions were popularized in the CM7/Nook Color days since the Nook only had one hard button, a home key.

+1 on GMD Gesture Control. Not cheap ($5), but worth every penny.

This is a pretty interesting idea. I might do this with my N7 or Gnexus also

Let us know if it causes any problems with installing Gameloft, EA, or any other games

might give gmd gesture a try. running pa in tablet ui. cant imagine how nicely it will run in full screen

Gmd is a great proggy. I use it to hide the navigation buttons amongst a ton of other things.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

GMD Gesture looks awkward (I watched some YouTube videos of it in use) but I'm sure it'd become second nature in time. Can you hide the Navigation Bar but still show the Status Bar?

Yep, just tried this neat little mod. Hides the nav bar but not the status bar. Running stock rom/kernel rooted/unlocked. Edited the build.prop rebooted, worked. Re-edited, rebooted went back to normal.
Excellent find!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

I'd use lmt launcher if you're interested in hiding the navigation bar. It worked well when I was hiding the navigation bar on my gnex.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1330150
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

lesdense said:
I wanted the greatest amount of usable screen "real estate" on my Nexus 7 so I looked for ways to hide the black Navigation Bar that spans the bottom of the display. My launcher of choice, GO Launcher EX, has an option to hide it but that didn't work. There are apps that supposedly hide it but either they only hide it until you return to your home screen or they hide it but leave thick unusable black gaps at the bottom and the top of the display. I use Button Savior for my navigation so I just wanted the Navigation Bar GONE.
I read that, on other devices, adding the line "qemu.hw.mainkeys=1" to the build.prop file under /system would do it but I added the line and it did nothing. Then -- since I was just beginning to customize a newly rooted Nexus 7 (32GB, in case that matters) I scrubbed EVERYTHING and took it back to stock, then rooted it with WugFresh's Nexus Root Toolkit (Version 1.5.5). Next I entered my sign-in data and installed Root Explorer from Google Play (so I could edit system files). Then -- before I did anything else to the tablet, I again added "qemu.hw.mainkeys=1" to the end of build.prop in /system. It worked! The Navigation Bar disappeared and has not reappeared no matter what I've done (reboot, add apps, customize, etc). Better yet, my wallpaper image instantly resized to fill the screen space I'd recaptured. My rows of icons adjust to fill and use the space and no black bars are left anywhere on screen.
It seems unlikely that I'm the first to discover that this works with the Nexus 7 since I'm not a very sophisticated user but in case this adds value to the XDA forum, which I use and very much appreciate, here it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Paranoid android+ expanded desktop and problem solved
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

You could also use a custom rom such as CM10.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

Team EOS Rom has an option in the power menu to hide the bar.
But beware, hide the bar before you start a game, otherwise no problems.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

I use AOKP, so I already have the function to hide nav bar, but didn't know about Button Savior...
Nice little and powerful app.
Cheers!

Does anybody know how to permamently hide top status bar?

[Q] Grey Navigation Bar on Nook HD

I have had a savage hatred for Google's idea of softkeys (while loving Button Saviour's) ever since HC dropped on us with the Xoom. Is this method of getting rid of the navigation bar viable on the Nook HD? I read from the guides that the Nook was "sensitive" but am too dumb to know what this means.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1985592
Currently on 2.0.5 rooted with GApps but no location.

Do not try. Will do 8 boot, restore. Seems most anything related to /system will cause this.
Despite this limitation I still hate the Nexus 7 enough to stick with the NookHD

I have the same/similar problem with the grey toolbar. I have used LeapinLar's excellent guide for getting CWM on the nook and it works very well indeed. The only problem is that when running BSplayer/Moboplayer/Mxplayer etc the nook home grey bar doesn't disappear when playing a video.
The grey bar does go black but the screen doesn't expand to make use of the extra space that the stock nook video player uses. Is there a setting that makes the grey bar slide away like on the stock video player? If one player can do it hopefully the other player can be made to do the same, but I can't find a setting that allow this?
Cheers

jb14 said:
I have the same/similar problem with the grey toolbar. I have used LeapinLar's excellent guide for getting CWM on the nook and it works very well indeed. The only problem is that when running BSplayer/Moboplayer/Mxplayer etc the nook home grey bar doesn't disappear when playing a video.
The grey bar does go black but the screen doesn't expand to make use of the extra space that the stock nook video player uses. Is there a setting that makes the grey bar slide away like on the stock video player? If one player can do it hopefully the other player can be made to do the same, but I can't find a setting that allow this?
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no setting to do what you want. And the bar turning black with tiny white dots is called "lights out" mode. It is to fool you into thinking it is gone. It is a "feature".
They only way to get the bar to disappear is with third party software like "GMD gesture control". That particular one is a paid software.
Sent from my HD+ running CM10 on SD with XDA Premium

You can try a free application called "full!screen" to hide the gray toolbar.

This should work with any CM10. I wrote it for my TouchPad and it also works on my HD2
ToggleBarCM10.apk
http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1555097&d=1355245239

full!screen needs access to system tools. Will this result in me never being able to let the tablet die for want of battery or rebooting? GMD GestureControl also requests the access to "modify system settings".
I'm fine with never turning it off but I am wondering if there are other ways that the 8loop bootloop can occur. I mostly use the Nook for satisfying an 18 year old habit of reading TIME magazine so I would prefer to be on stock rather than switch back and forth.
It really is weird...I can't eat cereal without reading last week's news on TIME

Man, I messed up that edit!
I will repeat.
It is ok to change system settings, just not /system. System settings is in /data.
Neither GMD or full!screen change /system.
Earlier I found full!screen did not work, but now it does.
Oh, it is a new version, that's is why it works now... and I just rebooted and no issues. It is awesome.
Sent from my BNTV400 using Tapatalk

CM10 already contains the code to switch the bar on and off, it is call expanded desktop.
It is usually accessed through the power menu but some builds don't have that option enabled, still the "logic" (finishAnimationLw()) inside the android.policy.jar is always there and can be "activated" using a simple setting on the system database.
Not sure about the "new" fullscreen app, but the way GMD used to hide the bar was killing the systemui service.
"ToggleBarCM10.apk" just updates the setting db switching the value on and off, it doesn't do anything else. It's not going to affect /system.
I've been doing that for quite a long time on the TouchPad and other devices with CM9 and CM10.
Search for "No way to hide the bottom bar in CM9" and you will would find the thread in Rootzwiki with a lot of more info about it

[Q] Questions: New Nook HD with CM10.1

I've been happily using a Nook Color for over two years running CM7.
But when B&N reduced the price of a new 16GB Nook HD to $150, I couldn't resist.... I grabbed one.
Haven't even had it for 18hrs and its running CM10.1 in EMMC (thanks to verygreen's fantastic skills and files)
Now I'm trying to get moved in and get it configured like CM7 was in the Nook Color.
1: In the CM7 system tweaks, there was a setting to allow apps to run full screen on request. I can't find anything like that in CM10. I tried the FullScreen app from the Play Store, but all it does is run full screen all the time or not at all. I want the status and navigation bars to show when not in a full screen app. Any suggestions???
2. Having a problem with wallpapers.... I can choose and set to any preloaded wallpaper that came with CM10. But when I try to use a downloaded wallpaper JPG from the Gallery, the wallpaper setup goes normally, but won't change the wallpaper after tapping Set Wallpaper. ???????
3. I managed to get a Power Control widget stuck in the upper left corner of the screen. Press and hold to move or remove it doesn't work. Help!!
4. Navigation Bar: This thing is a total mess compared to CM7. I had full control over which buttons showed in CM7. Now it appears I can't do anything with it. The home button is a useless duplicate of the Nook button. And personally I have never had any use for the Recent Apps button. But in CM10, I can't turn them off!!! All I really need in the navigation bar is Menu and Back (which is all I used for two years in my Nook Color). And I don't even need them. There's a navigation app called Button Savior that I absolutely love. When not in use, its just a little tab on the side of the screen... tap the tab and a full navigation menu shows in its place. And its totally customizable. What can I do to get rid of the Home and Recent buttons in the navigation bar.... or barring that, how do I turn off the navigation bar??????
I really liked CM7 because of all the nifty tweaks it had.... where did they all go????????????

Forget about number three... the widget went away on its own somehow.

macevanscb said:
1: In the CM7 system tweaks, there was a setting to allow apps to run full screen on request. I can't find anything like that in CM10. I tried the FullScreen app from the Play Store, but all it does is run full screen all the time or not at all. I want the status and navigation bars to show when not in a full screen app. Any suggestions???
4. Navigation Bar: This thing is a total mess compared to CM7. I had full control over which buttons showed in CM7. Now it appears I can't do anything with it. The home button is a useless duplicate of the Nook button. And personally I have never had any use for the Recent Apps button. But in CM10, I can't turn them off!!! All I really need in the navigation bar is Menu and Back (which is all I used for two years in my Nook Color). And I don't even need them. There's a navigation app called Button Savior that I absolutely love. When not in use, its just a little tab on the side of the screen... tap the tab and a full navigation menu shows in its place. And its totally customizable. What can I do to get rid of the Home and Recent buttons in the navigation bar.... or barring that, how do I turn off the navigation bar??????
I really liked CM7 because of all the nifty tweaks it had.... where did they all go????????????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried using expanded desktop and pie controls? If not, you may find it does pretty much what you're looking for with both #1 and 4.
Go to settings --> system and tap on "expanded desktop." When enabled, you can hold in the power button, and one of the options will let you toggle expanded desktop on and off, which allows you to get rid of the navigation bar entirely whenever you want.
Also in settings --> system at the very bottom, you can enable Pie controls. When enabled, you can tap the bottom of the screen to bring up the navigation bar controls.
I don't know if there's a way to enable or disable expanded desktop automatically depending on the app in CM 10.1. I don't use the option myself, so I'm just not aware. Maybe with Tasker or something?
If you just want to get rid of buttons in the navigation bar, that's also under settings-->system. Tap "buttons and layout," and you can add or remove whatever buttons you want, including a menu button.
Hopefully that answers at least some of your issues, and I wasn't just telling you stuff you already know.

About #2 (setting wallpaper):
I found that changing wallpaper in landscape mode --> it won't stay.
But doing the same thing in portrait mode --> working fine.
I think this is a small bug in verygreen's CM10.1 (don't see this in other devices running CM10.1).

Hiding the Navigation Bar
Thanks for your help Dan...
I looked up both "expanded desktop" and "pie controls" and then played with them.
The expanded desktop only deals with the status bar and that's not a problem in the apps I want to use full screen.
Those apps do hide the status bar but not the navigation bar.
I don't need the pie controls because the Button Savior app does the same thing... and is much easier to use IMHO.
I finally figured out the interface for Buttons and Layout.... I don't find that setup intuitive at all... but I did manage to beat it into displaying just the Menu and Back buttons, the way I like it.
So I still need to find some way for full screen apps to hide the navigation bar.
I really liked the old way it was done in CM7: There was no separate navigation bar. Navigation buttons were in the status bar. And the status bar could be placed either at the top or bottom of the screen. I had the status bar at the bottom with just the Back and Menu buttons in it. I'd love to find some way to make CM10.1 work that way.
After living with the Nook HD for another day, I see that some apps do go full screen and hide the Navigation bar... both YouTube and MX Video Player do this. But the one app I use for reading PDF eBooks, RepliGo Reader, won't go full screen and hide the Navigation bar. My secondary reader app, Aldiko, hides the navigation buttons, but not the navigation bar.... strange. I guess I'll talk to Cerience about RepliGo Reader under Jelly Bean.
hyperxguy... re: wallpapers: I've been doing all my attempts to change wallpaper in portrait mode... sigh
Had anyone out there set wallpaper from a Gallery file successfully???
Is there some special place I need to put my wallpaper JPGs in???
Right now they're just sitting in /mnt/sdcard/download/

macevanscb said:
I looked up both "expanded desktop" and "pie controls" and then played with them.
The expanded desktop only deals with the status bar and that's not a problem in the apps I want to use full screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Expanded desktop definitely gets rid of the navigation bar. If you choose to enable it, it will give you options that say "status bar visible" or "status bar hidden." But with either of those options, it will get rid of the navigation bar.
I agree that these functions are implemented in a non-intuitive way. It seems like there should be easier ways of configuring it.
I'm not aware of any ways to do the more involved things you're talking about, like moving the status bar down with the nav bar. There are other ROMs out there that allow more fine grained control (Paranoid Android is especially popular), but I don't think they're available for the Nook. If you want more customizability, you might be better off with a tablet like the Nexus 7, which is not much more expensive and has more development support.

I'm sorry Dan, but I can only go by what I see.
With expanded desktop set to either hide or show the status bar, the navigation bar will not go away when running either RepliGo Reader or Aldiko Reader.
I would be totally happy if it did.
I'm running CyangenMod v10.1-20130615-UNOFFICAL-hummingbird
That's what was in the EMMC instructions I used.
Is there a more stable version I can load up????
Maybe backing down a build or two would get rid of all my problems.

I think this goes back to the user-unfriendliness of the way CyanogenMod implements certain things. To get rid of the nav bar, there are two steps involved. First, you have to go to settings-->system, and choose Expanded Desktop, either with status bar visible or hidden.
But all that does is enable the option to turn the nav bar on and off. To actually turn it on and off, you have to hold down the power button to bring up the power menu. If Expanded Desktop is enabled, you should see an option for "Expanded desktop." Tapping on it turns the nav bar on and off.
I tried to say that in my first post, but it's a complicated process, and it's not easy to describe.
Also, in an earlier post you mentioned something about wanting the status bar at the bottom of the screen. I didn't really understand what you were talking about with that, but it may be TabletUI, which Google used to put on large tablets but then discontinued. There's a mod where you can install it for the Nook: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2275939
I haven't tried it, so I don't know how stable it is. But it may be worth trying if you like the look of the screenshot on the page I just linked to.

IT WORKS!!!!!!
Thanks, Dan!!!!!
I never noticed the Expanded Desktop option in the Power Menu... in the week I've had the HD I've almost never used it.
My apps are now running full screen and I don't miss the navigation bar at all... Button Savior takes its place.
Status bar on top or bottom was in the CyanogenMod Tweaks settings in CM7 as was adding navigation buttons to the status bar.
I don't really need it here at all as all my navigation is handled by Button Savior.
I have a new question about pixel density... for you or for anyone out there.
I learned in CM7 that pixel density had to be set to either 420 or 69 for Google Play Store compatibility.
Use any other pixel density, and it was very difficult to get new apps or app updates.
And a setting of 420 was perfect for my Nook Color with its 1024x600 screen.
Now, on the Nook HD, the default setting is 420 for the 1440x900 screen.
This leaves a number of things a little too small for me... especially the status bar and other text.
Does anyone know a larger density number I can use that is compatible with the Play Store????

density
Wow... I sure didn't remember this correctly.
160 was the original setting on my Nook Color and 240 was what I used to make things the correct size on screen.
Now 240 is the original setting on my Nook HD and I've found that 320 is the Play Store compatible setting to make things larger on screen.
I am not totally happy with my CyanogenMod Nook HD... everything is working perfectly!!

I'm glad the full screen is working for you. I don't know anything about the pixel density, unfortunately. I've only had the Nook for about a week myself, and I haven't run into any app compatibility issues that would make me start messing around with that.

macevanscb said:
I am not totally happy with my CyanogenMod Nook HD... everything is working perfectly!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How are you now not happy with perfection?

Stupid fingers
Damn dyslexic fingers.... NOW.... I am NOW totally happy with my Nook.

pixel density
The reason I had to mess with pixel density is because I don't like the stock Trebuchet launcher app.
I started out almost three years ago with the Zeam launcher app and I got used to its simplicity and gestures.
But Zeam adheres to the pixel density in build.prop and the icons are too small.
When running Trebuchet, the icons are ok, but widgets and things in the status bar are too tiny at stock density of 240.
Then, running Zeam, everything is too small at stock density.
But with the density set to 320, everything is just right.

You might try Nova or Apex launchers. Both have lots of customizability with gestures, though you may have to pay for the full version to get all the options. I'm not sure if they deal with the dpi issue.
It's too bad there's not a Nook HD port for the Paranoid Android ROM, which allows you to customize the dpi separately for every app you have. If it ever becomes available, you might want to try it out.

Add an actionbar (soft-buttons stopped working)

Looking like a temp fix but I need something to work for now. I do I enable the action bar at the bottom of the screen. I don't want to have to install an entire new rom with this pre-enabled just to get the bar. Is there an app in the store that can enable this functionality?

JDMpire said:
Looking like a temp fix but I need something to work for now. I do I enable the action bar at the bottom of the screen. I don't want to have to install an entire new rom with this pre-enabled just to get the bar. Is there an app in the store that can enable this functionality?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not quite the same implementation, and I haven't tried it on my Note3 but Button Savior was a similar thing I used on my eink Nook when I had it in semi tablet mode. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.smart.swkey

Change Notification Bar Size in Fire 7 5th Gen on 5.4.0?

I've been plinking with a new Fire 7 to use as a bedside alarm clock, to replace my Sony Dash.
I found that most apps (including everything on the web) displays much too small on the Fire. I can bump up the system font size but that does nothing on the web or apps.
I used adb to bump up the dpi and that did the trick...in general, text is roughly the same size as on my phones, there's just more real estate, which is what I wanted/expected.
The problem now is that the notification bar is too wide. Anytime it's supposed to come up...on boot, or when you try to pull it down, it displays for about one second and then goes to a black screen for five seconds or so. If you rotate the Fire, it's all good. The notification bar displays perfectly in landscape mode.
Any tips for resizing the notification bar?

ConnCarl said:
I've been plinking with a new Fire 7 to use as a bedside alarm clock, to replace my Sony Dash.
I found that most apps (including everything on the web) displays much too small on the Fire. I can bump up the system font size but that does nothing on the web or apps.
I used adb to bump up the dpi and that did the trick...in general, text is roughly the same size as on my phones, there's just more real estate, which is what I wanted/expected.
The problem now is that the notification bar is too wide. Anytime it's supposed to come up...on boot, or when you try to pull it down, it displays for about one second and then goes to a black screen for five seconds or so. If you rotate the Fire, it's all good. The notification bar displays perfectly in landscape mode.
Any tips for resizing the notification bar?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have yet to encounter an app, method or Xposed module for explicitly resizing the notification bar. However, you may find some relief with Xposed modules such as GravityBox that permit customization notification content and format. You can also turn some notifications into 'heads-up' toasts which may or may not meet your needs.
Device must be rooted to install the manditory Xposed Framework. A custom ROM is preferable as some controls do not work on FireOS.

Davey126 said:
I have yet to encounter an app, method or Xposed module for explicitly resizing the notification bar. However, you may find some relief with Xposed modules such as GravityBox that permit customization notification content and format. You can also turn some notifications into 'heads-up' toasts which may or may not meet your needs.
Device must be rooted to install the manditory Xposed Framework. A custom ROM is preferable as some controls do not work on FireOS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was going to say the same exact thing.
ConnCarl said:
I've been plinking with a new Fire 7 to use as a bedside alarm clock, to replace my Sony Dash.
I found that most apps (including everything on the web) displays much too small on the Fire. I can bump up the system font size but that does nothing on the web or apps.
I used adb to bump up the dpi and that did the trick...in general, text is roughly the same size as on my phones, there's just more real estate, which is what I wanted/expected.
The problem now is that the notification bar is too wide. Anytime it's supposed to come up...on boot, or when you try to pull it down, it displays for about one second and then goes to a black screen for five seconds or so. If you rotate the Fire, it's all good. The notification bar displays perfectly in landscape mode.
Any tips for resizing the notification bar?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like Power Toggles, though I haven't been able to get it to override Amazon's panel. But it is nice to add shortcuts to it that aren't in Amazon's. If you've been able to resize it, any idea how to remove it or disable it? What is the file of Amazon's panel called? Is it an APK? Been trying to fool around with it, but can't find what directory the panel is stored.

Thanks for the suggestions, guys, but this unit is on FireOS 5.4.0. If it were rootable, or able to take a custom ROM, none of this would be an issue.

ConnCarl said:
Thanks for the suggestions, guys, but this unit is on FireOS 5.4.0. If it were rootable, or able to take a custom ROM, none of this would be an issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still want to know the package or packages name of the notification panel

DragonFire1024 said:
I still want to know the package or packages name of the notification panel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you asking me or Davey? Because like my original post says, all I did was change the DPI using an adb command. If I figure something out, I'll come back here and update. For now, I just rotate the Fire if I need to read notifications.

DragonFire1024 said:
I still want to know the package or packages name of the notification panel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ConnCarl said:
Are you asking me or Davey? Because like my original post says, all I did was change the DPI using an adb command. If I figure something out, I'll come back here and update. For now, I just rotate the Fire if I need to read notifications.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not a regular FireOS user. At one point I may have known this (FireOS v3) but have since stepped away.