I’m looking for some advice, recently my pixel 6a and a pixel 8a both have the same annoying behaviour, periodically the three bottom buttons stop working or lag to an extreme degree, so the back button, home button and app switcher.

I suspect it’s related to 3rd party launchers, I use Action Launcher but was able to replicate it on Lawnchair as well.

I’ve currently got the default Pixel/Nexus launcher selected as a test (I hate it), so far it seems to be immune from this issue. Are 3rd party launchers all suffering from the same issue? Anything I can do?

EDIT: Thankfully the pixel launcher also started doing this eventually so I can happily switch back to action launcher while I choose a new phone!

If you think the fairphone 6 is a silly choice, please persuade me otherwise as that’s what I’m currently thinking, with a view to a 5 year+ phone

  • VicksVaporBBQrub@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    2·
    15 hours ago

    I may or may not have a solution. But in my experience, between Android 13 and 15, the 3-button navigation bar became more “smart” and\or more complicated. 15 introduced Predictive Back which is on by default. 15 can add more static buttons onto the bar (Accessibility shortcuts, Keyboards). In 15 now my web browsers (Vivaldi and Firefox Beta) does not recognize “holding down back button” to show a recently visited webpage list. I am using Nova launcher on both 13 and 15 and I’m not necessarily getting 3-button navigation bar lag, but I am noticing windows animation intricities on 15, which Ive kinda fixed by slowing animations in the Developer Options.

    The more 15 options I can turn off and make the 3-button Navigation Bar act “less smart” the more responsive it acts.

    • misery mansion@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      2·
      15 hours ago

      I love the sound of this, how are you turning the features off?

      EDIT: I have developer options enabled but what specific things are you tweaking?

      • VicksVaporBBQrub@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        2·
        10 hours ago

        Btw, I have a 2024 Motorola with Android 15. Everything can be found under “Settings” (com.android.settings). And turning things off…

        Some switches may appear more fancy-looking, or that may be a Motorola-only thing.

        Developer Options…
        Animator Duration Scale = 1.5x (larger = slower)
        Windows animation scale = 1.5x
        Transition animation scale = 1.5x
        Predictive Back animations = off

        Settings\Gestures…
        I turned off most features.

        Settings\Display,…
        Refresh Rate 60hz only
        Swipe-to-Split = off
        3 finger swipe to screenshot = off

        Settings\Accessibility…
        I turned off the Accessibility Menu, live Captions, and anything else that added shortcuts to the volume and power buttons.

        Settings\System\Performance…
        Smart App Launch = off
        I think this is a “single tap & hold anywhere for fancy action”, I’ve no clue. When it’s on it shows a permanent button on the screen.

        Also I have a Settings\Home and Lock Screen Settings, but I’m certain 50% of the things in there are related to my phone’s native Motorola Moto Launcher. I’m using Nova Launcher, so uncertain if things there are in-effect or not as I cannot force stop the native launcher spp; it just restarts, even though I’m not using it.

  • frongt@lemmy.zipEnglish
    5·
    10 days ago

    I’ve heard there is a long-standing issue with 3rd-party launchers, but I’ve been using Lawnchair (legacy) on a pixel 4, 6, and 8 and never experienced issues like that.

  • Trey A@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    10 days ago

    It might be worth trying one or two other launchers (Nova and Microsoft, perhaps?) and checking OS versions to see if it’s possibly a Pixel issue, an OS issue, or something else entirely. I think recall vaguely hearing about Google discouraging third-party launchers, but I don’t know that they actually did anything to make them worse.

    • misery mansion@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      3·
      9 days ago

      Thanks, it feels like a memory/RAM issue but obviously Google messed up the 6a all around so I wouldn’t put it past them to nerf it wherever possible. The battery issue resolution options on the 6a are clearly geared towards Google store credit, but I don’t think I’m getting another pixel in future so useless to me.

      • Trey A@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        9 days ago

        Shame… that stinks. Well, if it’s any consolation, Samsung phones are finally at the 7 years of software update promise, so you might be able to get an S24 or A34 (or higher, of course, just two options), load it up with Material-style launchers and icon packs, even maybe the open Pixel Camera app from that one website, and turn it into your new “Pixel” until the battery FULLY dies. That, or you can embrace ONE UI or another Android skin entirely, up to you.

        • misery mansion@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
          1·
          9 days ago

          Considering the fairphone 6… I have the 6a for more than 2.5y even though I hate it versus the 3a it replaced. So it almost got to the 3y anyway

          • Trey A@lemmy.worldEnglish
            3·
            9 days ago

            Hey, there you go. I’ve yet to encounter one myself, but the Fairphone 6 seems to finally be “viable” for most people. Battery’s still on the weaker side and performance is a bit behind most comparable phones, but in terms of ethics and sustainability, they’re unmatched.

            I’d love to check out a budget flagship-killer like the Nothing or CMF Phones, but software update support was crucial enough to have kept me from fully switching to Android for years. I happen to be partial to Samsung after having their tablets for so long, but other brands (so long as they offer comparable update support) have stepped up significantly. Since Fairphone does have that much down though, go for it.

  • Novaling@lemmy.zipEnglish
    3·
    10 days ago

    Huh, maybe it is me using Lawnchair. I am using up-to-date GrapheneOS on a Pixel 8a and have noticed that my navigator buttons will just have a stroke at random times throughout the day, and it is annoying. I use lawnchair so I can apply icon packs. Haven’t tested the base launcher yet.

    • misery mansion@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      2·
      9 days ago

      The base launcher seems rock solid so far annoyingly so it’s a question of which compromise can I live with. The features on Action are SO far beyond what Pixel launcher has it’s not even a comparison

  • ogeist@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    10 days ago

    I recommend Kvaesitso, it is well integrated and the app switchers triggers properly. I have tested Lawnchair but it behaves like a separate app and not part of the system which Kvaesitso does really well.