leah.menon LE
@leah.menon
Android Oct 09, 2026

my back and home buttons vanished from the bottom of the screen

after an update my android only has a little bar at the bottom. the three buttons (back, home, recent apps) are gone and i keep swiping things away by accident. how do i get them back?
android back button
2

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2 Answers

J
joshf Nov 12, 2026
leah.menon
if it's set to buttons already and they're just gone, check whether you're in a full screen app or video. those hide the bar, and a swipe up from the bottom brings it back for a few seconds.
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R
robert_46 Oct 15, 2026
leah.menon
Sounds like it got switched to gesture navigation. Swipe up from the bottom to go home, swipe in from either edge to go back. To get the buttons back: on a Samsung it's Settings > Display > Navigation bar > Buttons. On a Pixel it's Settings > System > Navigation mode > 3-button navigation. Other brands have it under System or Display somewhere, search 'navigation' in settings.
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