By default, you need to use swiping gestures in order to navigate the system menus of the Google Pixel 6a. To see who you can add a go back, home and app overview buttons for this smartphone, you can take a look at this tutorial from Seeking Tech.
How to navigate the Google Pixel 6a system menu by using gestures
Without any customizations, you need to use swiping gestures to move around the system menu.
In order to go back to the previous screen or page, for instance, you need to swipe to the left from either the left or right edge of the screen.
If you want to open the home screen, then you need to swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
To see an overview of currently opened applications, you need to swipe up from the bottom of the screen and then hold for a little bit before releasing.
When compared to tapping buttons on the screen, using swiping gestures can be more finnicky and not as accurate. Therefore, you may want to consider using button navigation instead in order to move around the Pixel 6a user interface.
How to add a go back, home and switch app buttons to the Pixel 6a
If you want to add the go back, home and switch app buttons to your Google Pixel 6a, then you need to take the following steps:
Before we begin, it is important to note that these steps are based on the Android 12 operation system. A new version of the Pixel 6a OS may end up having slightly different menus.
1. Start off by turning on your smartphone if it is not currently powered on.
2. Next, you need to make your way to the phone’s Setting App.
If you can’t find the Settings application, you can go to the home screen. From there, swipe upwards from an empty spot to open a list of installed apps. You should be able to find Settings on the listing.
3. Once you get to the first page of Settings, scroll down and then select System.
4. Inside of the Settings sub-menu, you should then select Gestures.
5. In the Gestures sub-menu, select the System Navigation option.
6. After you get to the System Navigation menu, make sure you select the 3-Button Navigation setting.
7. After making the change, you should see three new buttons added to the bottom of the screen.
With the triangle button, you will be able to go back to the previous page or screen.
You can use the circle button to bring up the home screen.
The square button is used to bring up a list of applications that are currently opened.
8. If you want to switch back to Gesture Navigation, then you need to open the Settings App. From there, go to System > Gestures > System Navigation and then select Gesture Navigation.