Black bar bottom of google play store and amazon prime video

N

nicolasschmidt

Member
Since July, my Neo U1 has a black bar at the bottom of Google Play Store and Amazon Prime Video. It's like the menu bar, but without the icon. If I make the menu appears, it appears on it (fitting exactly), if I remove it, the black bar stays (icons disappear). I don't have that behavior on any other apps installed (ex: Kodi)

I tried disabling Android System Webview and Chrome app but not luck. I tried factory reset, but once the google play store automatically updates, I have the same problem.

It is particularly annoying watching amazon prime video, since it's cropping the screen. I tried using amazon prime with chrome instead of the app, but I have the same behavior.

Any idea?
 
nicolasschmidt said:
Since July, my Neo U1 has a black bar at the bottom of Google Play Store and Amazon Prime Video. It's like the menu bar, but without the icon. If I make the menu appears, it appears on it (fitting exactly), if I remove it, the black bar stays (icons disappear). I don't have that behavior on any other apps installed (ex: Kodi)

I tried disabling Android System Webview and Chrome app but not luck. I tried factory reset, but once the google play store automatically updates, I have the same problem.

It is particularly annoying watching amazon prime video, since it's cropping the screen. I tried using amazon prime with chrome instead of the app, but I have the same behavior.

Any idea?
Click to expand...

I realise you've tried a full factory reset due to this problem but have you tried the usuals since the Play Store/apps have updated themselves again? (Clearing the cache of the apps in question etc.? Try clearing the data too if necessary.)

A good number of the forum regulars here are still running their trusty U1's & it's not a problem that I can recall being reported recently, (not that my memory is the best these days lol ;)). (Perhaps reported on the old/original MINIX forum?)

Obviously, if everyone with a U1 was experiencing this issue with the Play Store or other apps there would be considerably more information about it.

Have you installed any additional new apps or changed any settings that you may have forgotten about in the interim etc. since July when you first experienced the problem & again since your factory reset? (It's not unknown for other apps that seem to be completely unrelated to cause strange problems, (ES File Explorer springs to mind depending on the version you may have).)

It may well be something very specific to your system &/or what you have installed that others don't.

I don't have the U1 so I can't attempt to recreate this issue for you unfortunately. See if you get anywhere tinkering with/removing any apps & let us know what happens (if anything)!

If you're still getting nowhere will get the attention of those with U1's to see if they have more specific advice for you :).
 
Thank you for the full answer, it is much appreciated.

I did try clearing cache of almost all apps and also data.

No new app installed, it really appears after some updates of the google play store (somewhere in July). I don’t have some funky app, only Kodi with exodus and amazon prime video. Nothing that appears to me as suspicious. Factory reset did clean it anyway.

That’s why I’m really surprised that nobody is talking about that. The only thing I can think of is that I’m in Canada, so app versions might be different than in the USA.

I will remove ES to test that, but before factory reset it was uninstalled anyway. Thanks again for the suggestions
 
nicolasschmidt said:
Nobody is experiencing that on Google Play Store?
Click to expand...

I never had anything like that in my U1. But one thing I never do is leaving Android and Google stuff turned off. I actually have all those updated to last possible version as Android is a Google OS.

Do you use Minix Metro as a starter? I wonder when you pull the icons bar from bellow do you see the artwork in transparency through the icons bar or are the icons in a solid black backgroud on the bar?

Also check that in Settings, Screen, you have the small square marked to hide the Status Bar (the bar on top) and in case it is not, try to mark it and try again to see if it makes a difference.

I will keep trying to reproduce that. I will come back if I manage to.
 
CybeRider said:
I never had anything like that in my U1. But one thing I never do is leaving Android and Google stuff turned off. I actually have all those updated to last possible version as Android is a Google OS.

Do you use Minix Metro as a starter? I wonder when you pull the icons bar from bellow do you see the artwork in transparency through the icons bar or are the icons in a solid black backgroud on the bar?

Also check that in Settings, Screen, you have the small square marked to hide the Status Bar (the bar on top) and in case it is not, try to mark it and try again to see if it makes a difference.

I will keep trying to reproduce that. I will come back if I manage to.
Click to expand...

I normally also keep everything updated to the latest. Yes the icons are solid and not some kind of transparent. It’s like if the menu bar background was always there. I tried with metro and with launcher3, same behaviour. The check box for top menu is checked (so top bar is hidden). Even if I uncheck it (which I don’t do normally), I have the same problem with the bottom menu bar.

Weird weird weird, especially if nobody is experiencing that...

By the way, thanks everybody for the help. It is much appreciated.
 
nicolasschmidt said:
...the icons are solid and not some kind of transparent. It’s like if the menu bar background was always there. I tried with metro and with launcher3, same behaviour...
Click to expand...

IMO that is where things start to get odd... The black area of the icons bar is dark transparent with the white icons, over the Minix Metro or Laucher3, when I call it up in my U1. We can see the lines of the artwork of the launcher through it in the background.

I can't find a setting to fix that. Are you using an Air mouse or the little stock mouse to call it up? ...

EDIT: When I call it (either by long pressing the 4 horizontal stripes button in the A2 remote, or pulling the bar moving up the mouse arrow) while in Chrome I do get the bar solid black, quitting Chrome it stays solid black over the launcher, but then pressing the button or the icon to call it off and then again back on it gets normal transparent as usual. The icons are always present.

:sick:
 
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CybeRider said:
IMO that is where things start to get odd... The black area of the icons bar is dark transparent with the white icons, over the Minix Metro or Laucher3, when I call it up in my U1. We can see the lines of the artwork of the launcher through it in the background.

I can't find a setting to fix that. Are you using an Air mouse or the little stock mouse to call it up? ...

EDIT: When I call it (either by long pressing the 4 horizontal stripes button in the A2 remote, or pulling the bar moving up the mouse arrow) while in Chrome I do get the bar solid black, quitting Chrome it stays solid black over the launcher, but then pressing the button or the icon to call it off and then again back on it gets normal transparent as usual. The icons are always present.

:sick:
Click to expand...
I do use the A2 to bring up the menu (swiping up and/or button). I do have the same behaviour as you have regarding chrome. But for play store, as soon as I open the app, the background for the menu appears without the icon. And it won’t disappear even making the menu icon appear and disappearing.

I might try to reflash completely the device
 
nicolasschmidt said:
I do use the A2 to bring up the menu (swiping up and/or button). I do have the same behaviour as you have regarding chrome. But for play store, as soon as I open the app, the background for the menu appears without the icon. And it won’t disappear even making the menu icon appear and disappearing.

I might try to reflash completely the device
Click to expand...

You are actually not the only one. There is a black bar in my Playstore app as well.
And also in Spotify, and Musicolet, and Proxy Master, and Instagram, and Musixmatch ... Yet SoundCloud has its own icons also in a persistent bar.

And once you see it you can not unsee it. :eek:

(REMOVED)
EDITED: The YouTube app is also affected but the videos play fine in full screen mode.
 
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nicolasschmidt said:
Since July, my Neo U1 has a black bar at the bottom of Google Play Store and Amazon Prime Video. It's like the menu bar, but without the icon. If I make the menu appears, it appears on it (fitting exactly), if I remove it, the black bar stays (icons disappear). I don't have that behavior on any other apps installed (ex: Kodi)

I tried disabling Android System Webview and Chrome app but not luck. I tried factory reset, but once the google play store automatically updates, I have the same problem.

It is particularly annoying watching amazon prime video, since it's cropping the screen. I tried using amazon prime with chrome instead of the app, but I have the same behavior.

Any idea?
Click to expand...

It sounds more and more like you're describing the nav bar (or possibly a silhouette of the nav bar). (???)

Try pressing and holding the MENU button on your A2, hopefully it'll disappear. Press and hold the menu button again to bring it back if you need it.

Any change?
 
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ArcticWolf said:
It sounds more and more like you're describing the nav bar (or possibly a silhouette of the nav bar). (???)

Try pressing and holding the home button on your A2, hopefully it'll disappear. Press and hold the home button again to bring it back if you need it.

Any change?
Click to expand...

You are absolutely right @ArcticWolf.
I thought I was losing my mind or my eyes were tricking me as I had never noticed that black bar before, and then today after all the testing there it was!

Well, in the U9-H all it takes is to press the four horizontal lines button in the A2 and it shuts down for all the affected apps simultaneously. It is a silhouette as you well mention. I will check it in the U1 also.
 
CybeRider said:
You are absolutely right @ArcticWolf.
I thought I was losing my mind or my eyes were tricking me as I had never noticed that black bar before, and then today after all the testing there it was!

Well, in the U9-H all it takes is to press the four horizontal lines button in the A2 and it shuts down for all the affected apps simultaneously. It is a silhouette as you well mention. I will check it in the U1 also.
Click to expand...

Well spotted mate ;)!! I meant the MENU button, NOT the home button lol!!!

I'll edit that to avoid future confusion :).
 
No no, it’s like if the background of the menu NEVER disappear, even pressing the menu button (4 bars, not the home button) to make the menu appear and repressing to disappear. All you got by doing this is making the icons appear and disappear, but not the background

At least now i’m not alone hehe!
 
nicolasschmidt said:
No no, it’s like if the background of the menu NEVER disappear, even pressing the menu button (4 bars, not the home button) to make the menu appear and repressing to disappear. All you got by doing this is making the icons appear and disappear, but not the background

At least now i’m not alone hehe!
Click to expand...

So it is like a silhouette/ghost of the nav bar that won't correctly disappear, (just without the normal icons on it)? I understand it must be damn annoying but at least one other user can now recreate this problem ;)!!

It's certainly a new issue. Obviously a lot of people have been using their U1's for years and never reported this before (or recently at least).

Google app updates can frequently cause unexpected issues like this. Have you tried raising this issue with Google or left a review on the Play Store?

Additionally, have you tried clearing the cache/data for the actual main Google app itself or did you just clear the Play Store app alone?

Try reverting the Play Store app and the Google app back to their factory version if you can. If the problem suddenly disappears until they update again you'll at least eliminate or identify some possible causes ;).
 
nicolasschmidt said:
No no, it’s like if the background of the menu NEVER disappear, even pressing the menu button (4 bars, not the home button) to make the menu appear and repressing to disappear. All you got by doing this is making the icons appear and disappear, but not the background

At least now i’m not alone hehe!
Click to expand...

I bet all U1s are like that but users are blind to it until they can spot it as you did, and as I now can also see.

I now recall having fiddled with that bar long ago in Musicolet in the U1 ( didn't have it installed in the U9) because in the light minimalist background of the app the black bar was quite visible, but because it didn't interfere with anything I quit chassing it.

I had never noticed it in the PlayStore but this one changed the interface not long ago. That is probably when this started to happen there.

I turned off all aps one by one and cleared all caches. Restarted. Didn't work so far...
 
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