Hide that Navbar! (gotta be rooted, mind you)

[Day]

so i googled the interwebs, did a trawl through the Playstore and after speed-dating a number of mediocre offerings, i'm currently romancing "full!screen".

you need to be rooted to install it. its purpose, to dispense with the standard android navbar, replacing with two size-configurable, function-configurable, placement configurable (by corner of screen) replacement buttons. I've set button size to just 20 pixels. Small enough not interfere with the PA buttons, but large enough to be able to hit on first attempt.

Top left corner of screen i have short-press = home, long-press = exit full!screen (return to android navbar). Top right of screen, short-press = back button and long-press = task manager (running apps). These buttons do not interfere in any way with PA's camera view and pause buttons. In fact placing the full!screen back button above PA's pause button serves to make in-game pausing more reliable and more certain to work on a single press. Start full!screen from the standard android notification area, and then launch Pinball Arcade.

The payola version called "full!screen+" costs a modest €1.49 eurojetons. this will allow for automated launch of specified apps with full!screen and return to standard navbar on exit. However if one is happy to manually stop/start fullscreen before launching PA (or anything else) it seems to work perfectly well. I've experienced no system issues so far, and my bottom of screen within PA is now unencumbered by the google navbar. I can tap/flip right at the bottom of the tablet. Additionally, i now have increased screen real-estate which whilst not much (extra 5% possibly?), allows me to see more table detail & text. I'm undecided if it's my imagination but tables certainly look ever so slighlty crisper.

And finally, the freeware/beerware/postcardware version of full!screen does not contain nag screens or any other contrivances to encourage upgrade to fully paid version. Initially an additional task manager entry will appear "learn more about full!screen+". If you're happy to remain a freeloader, the developer has generously allowed the task manager entry to be permanently suppressed by repeat viewing the About Full!screen information within the App's configuration dialogue (3 times).

i'm feeling the love for this app and hope (i) it will not cause any unforeseen issues (ii) navbar collisions, google now popups, and failed flipper detections are now a thing of the past.

 

[Timelord]

On the ASUS TF series running OTA stock JB I can do the same thing by locking the Navbar. It was my humble understanding that this was a JB feature and should be available across the Android device installation base, but I've been wrong before. No need to root a device and give up warranty.

Same benefits; no missed flipper detection, etc.
Timelord ...

 

[Day]

On the ASUS TF series running OTA stock JB I can do the same thing by locking the Navbar. It was my humble understanding that this was a JB feature and should be available across the Android device installation base

Took a look on Nexus 7 with stock Jellybean 4.2.1. I don't see any option in the settings..... not even under the developer options.

thanks for the suggestion though

 

[jaredmorgs]

Took a look on Nexus 7 with stock Jellybean 4.2.1. I don't see any option in the settings..... not even under the developer options.

thanks for the suggestion though

So you don't have an "Asus customized settings" menu on the Nexus 7. That's where the option lives on the TF models.

Because nexus devices offer "vanilla Android" user experience, it is likely you don't have this.

 

[Nik Barbour]

GMD gesture control lite (free - rooted only) & Button saviour (paid - for rooted & non rooted) offer nav bar control & options for moving or closing it.

Haven't tried any of these as I don't mind the Nav bar personally & it would screw with my button mappings.

I like vanilla - you can always add sprinkles if it ain't rich enough for you.

 

[jaredmorgs]

GMD gesture control lite (free - rooted only) & Button saviour (paid - for rooted & non rooted) offer nav bar control & options for moving or closing it.

Haven't tried any of these as I don't mind the Nav bar personally & it would screw with my button mappings.

I like vanilla - you can always add sprinkles if it ain't rich enough for you.

Yep. With the talent of xda and the like out there, there will *always* be an app for that... ;-)

 

[Nik Barbour]

Day - I've got to agree with your preference for full!screen.
I've tried 3 of the free apps and without doubt this is the best quality app of the three.
I generally play TPA in portrait, and in this orientation it makes little difference. However...... in Landscape, it's significantly improved by the removal of the nav bar.

 

[Day]

Great for you guys, Timelord & Jaredmorgs that get this enhanced functionality out-of-the-box. I'm very new to the world of tablets, having purchased the nexus 7 just last November, but i now understand stock to mean no-frills, unadulterated & pure android and in this respect it lacks the value-added "sprinkles" provided by other manufacturers. TBH i was going to buy the Amazon HD Fire when a friend with more experience advised to go for Nexus in this price bracket as having better bang-for-your-buck.

Having used full!screen app for a couple of days (and having already tried several others incl GMD gesture control lite) i'm quite happy with full!screen and i now don't want to go back to playing PA with a visible android navbar. No more collisions and no failed screen press detections (as yet) which empirically, has already doubled my AFM score such that I'm now beginning to warm to AFM. I'm just somewhat surprised to not find previous posts highlighting the same issues i was having with the android navbar. TBH it was bugging the heck out of me and more often spoiling the good games i was having - where i was in with a shot of beating my high score (something possibly to do with my fingers becoming more conductive the longer i played, the more into a game i get, the warmer the tablet gets and consequently, the sweatier the fingers get ?)

Nik, thanks too for your feedback...... seems like no-one else needs this requirement..... but good to hear you are also finding it useful.

 

[Nik Barbour]

Finding it more useful than I initially thought.
Although I play TPA in portrait where it makes little difference, I do play Zen in Landscape by preference and quite a few other emulators and Android games all in Landscape, where the extra 5-8% makes a big difference.
Then there is web browsing, you tube etc........
Thanks again for the suggestion Day.

In regard to "sprinkles" - when I first got my htc Desire S it had the "sense ui" =extra sprinkles to the point of making you barf. Problem is too many sprinkles crippled its performance even out of the box. Cyanogenmod 7 -then MIUI fixed that.
I personally prefer vanilla, then add the bits you need.

 

[CenoByte]

Thanks for the full!screen tip.
I had a problem with touches not being registered, this helped a lot.

It is not a 100% solution though.
I find it is possible for the base of my left thumb to touch the bottom of the screen at the same time my thumb tip is on the screen.
This 'double touch' seems to disable the right flipper.
Is this a bug with the way TPA handles multi-touch?

 

[Nik Barbour]

Thanks for the full!screen tip.
I had a problem with touches not being registered, this helped a lot.

It is not a 100% solution though.
I find it is possible for the base of my left thumb to touch the bottom of the screen at the same time my thumb tip is on the screen.
This 'double touch' seems to disable the right flipper.
Is this a bug with the way TPA handles multi-touch?

2 touch points is the max TPA can currently take.
Once 2 register, all further ones are ignored.