# On the Bottom Navigation Bar

DevFeed: [On the Bottom Navigation Bar](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/on-the-bottom-navigation-bar-22705.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://medium.com/android-ui-patterns/on-the-bottom-navigation-bar-d07d9b4b5e18?source=rss----75dfb6474397---4>)

Author: Juhani Lehtimäki

Published: 2017-09-12T10:15:35Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Android UI Patterns - Medium](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/android-ui-patterns-medium.md>)

Topics: [Android](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/android.md>), [Material Design](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/material-design.md>), [User interface design](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ui-design.md>), [ui](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ui.md>), [iOS](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ios.md>)

Tags: [android](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/android.md>), [animation](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/animation.md>), [bottom-navigation](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/bottom-navigation.md>), [design](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/design.md>), [material-design](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/material-design.md>), [navigation](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/navigation.md>), [ui](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ui.md>), [ui-design](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ui-design.md>), [ux](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ux.md>)

## AI overview

An opinion article discusses Android bottom navigation, focusing on how it interacts with the Android back button, tab behavior, and navigation state. It recommends using tap-based navigation, hiding the bottom bar deeper in the app hierarchy, and carefully managing animations and back-button behavior.

## Source excerpt

Android bottom tabs, I mean Bottom Navigation, is here to stay. I have to admit that I wasn't overly happy when this was added to the Material Guidelines. But hey, times change. In the end this addition makes sense and for me, as a business owner, this makes even financial sense. By utilising bottom navigation we can make Android apps take one steps closer towards iOS app design. It's one step less we need to take into account when designing apps targeting multiple platforms. Note however, that I'm still not advocating 1-to-1 iOS-Android design. The platforms are different and need different designs! Now, the reason I had anxiety over introducing Bottom Navigation to Android is the thing that keeps causing most of Android navigation problems: the back button. On iOS back is always contextual as it is rendered in the UI. Not so on Android. The Android back button is outside your app's UI. It's a platform control without any visual hints of what it might or might not do. This is why on Android it is easy to make a UI design mistakes leading into a conflicting navigation state. Also, on Android tabs are swipeable, on iOS they're not. Fortunately, the Material Design guidelines propose bottom navigation not to behave like Android tabs but instead like iOS tabs. i.e. you tap, don't swipe between the navigation views. This solves yet another platform navigation issue. Swiping tabs are still reserved for the Android top tabs. Like they've been so far. All of this to work and to be understandable to our users we need to be consistent and careful. When implementing bottom navigation make sure to pay attention to details. Pay attention to the animation you play when switching views and make sure your back button management is spot on. To not make your user confused with the combination of bottom navigation and Android back button there are few simple guidelines you should follow: Whenever user navigates deeper into the app hierarchy make sure that the bottom navigation bar is