Pixbar is the name of a new Android app that lets you add on-screen navigation buttons from the Google Pixel and the Pixel XL to any phone. The app was created by an independent studio Dunrite and started rolling out on the Google Play Store earlier this month. While there are many apps that allow you to change the look of your on-screen navigation buttons, not a lot of them can be used to accurately replicate the look of the Google Pixel and the Google Pixel XL. Google’s 2016 flagship duo features a home button that’s shaded in, while its buttons for navigating back and opening the Recent Apps menu are colored in. Pixbar allows you to replicate this effect with just a few swipes as it features a simple user interface that’s easy to understand and works with stock Android navigation buttons.
Pixbar is a lightweight app that doesn’t require root and seemingly doesn’t impact the battery life of your device which is definitely a plus seeing how it must run constantly to accomplish what it’s promising. While your Pixel-like navigation buttons will disappear the moment you force close the app, Pixbar ships with a convenient option that allows it to run at boot, so once set, you’ll be able to forget the app is even on your phone. While it doesn’t require root, Pixbar only works on devices running Android 5.0 Lollipop and higher. Note that your stock on-screen buttons need to be enabled for the app to work, meaning you won’t be able to use the app in a conjunction with a third-party Android launcher like Nova Launcher and Arrow Launcher. Apart from allowing you to recreate the exact look of the navigation buttons featured on the Google Pixel and the Google Pixel XL, Pixbar also provides you with the option to color the buttons in any way you see fit.
Pixbar is priced at $0.99 and features no ads or in-app purchases. The developers behind this creation revealed how they’re currently working on extending the app’s support to more on-screen buttons like the ones on LG and Xperia devices. Naturally, if you own an Android device with physical buttons, Pixbar won’t do anything for you seeing how the app doesn’t add a navigation bar to your interface but merely modifies the one that already exists.
