Android’s physical navigation buttons are back on Googlebooks, but not the way you think
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Android’s physical navigation buttons are back on Googlebooks, but not the way you think

Summarized by News Era from reporting by theverge.com. How we work

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What Happened?

What year is it, and what dessert name of Android are we up to? | Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge A common misconception I've seen with Googlebooks is that the Quick Insert and Google logo keys are new. They're not, as they first debuted a couple of years ago on some Chromebooks. But there is something new for Googlebooks that's ripped straight from Android phones circa 2014. On every Googlebook keyboard, the F1, F2, and F3 keys are the old triangle, circle, and square navigation icons that first debuted on Android 5.0 Lollipop. These were the back, home, and app switcher buttons long before everything went to gesture-based navigation, and they're still built into phones on Android 17 as an alternative.

Key Takeaways

  • 1Googlebooks now feature physical navigation buttons, reminiscent of older Android phones.
  • 2The F1, F2, and F3 keys on Googlebook keyboards display the triangle, circle, and square icons.
  • 3These icons represent the back, home, and app switcher functions, which were first seen on Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Summary written with AI from the story's source text.

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