Good Lock just fixed the most annoying navigation change on the Samsung Galaxy S24

Summary

• The latest update to the NavStar Good Lock module adds the ability to change the color of the back gesture handle, as well as restoring two popular features.
• The restored features include Samsung’s old gestures and the option to hide the navigation or gesture bars on the Galaxy S24 series.
• By using NavStar, users can choose their preferred navigation method and decide if they want the navigation bar to be displayed, without affecting the Circle To Search feature.

The Galaxy S24 series was the first set of phones to get Circle To Search, a Google Now On Tap-style feature that introduces a new way to search what’s on your screen. It’s pretty great, but the addition led Samsung to remove one of the most popular features in One UI: hiding the navigation bar. We found that you could still force it to disappear if you were willing to use a workaround, but now Samsung has updated the NavStar Good Lock module, adding new features and restoring old ones.

NavStar adds a new feature

The update to NavStar adds one new feature and restores two others. The latest addition is the ability to change the color of the back gesture handle, with the option to set different colors for the handle itself and the arrow that sits within it. It’s a nice touch, but the restoration of two other well-loved features matters most in this update.

NavStar restores old features

Before Google added gesture navigation to Android 10, Samsung had its own system. It added three lines to the bottom of the screen, each mapped to serve the function of the old three-button navigation. While Google’s system made it obsolete, a lot of people loved it and were sad to see it go in One UI 6.1 on the S24 series. Likewise, Samsung has long allowed people to hide the navigation or gesture bars, an option that was also missing from the S24 series at launch. Thankfully, you can get it back.

Here’s how to hide the navigation bar — or re-enable Samsung’s unique gesture navigation setup — using NavStar in Good Lock.

1. After updating NavStar, open the module from within Good Lock.
2. Switch on the enable extra gesture settings toggle.
3. Open the settings app, then open the display menu.
4. Scroll to the bottom, open the navigation bar menu, then tap on more options.
5. To hide the gesture bar, turn off the gesture hint toggle.
6. To switch to Samsung’s old gestures, tap on them at the top of the screen.

With that, you can use whichever navigation method you wish and choose for yourself if you want the navigation bar to be displayed. Even better, Circle To Search still works as before: press and hold the place where the gesture handle would usually be, and it’ll appear as intended.