Pixel phone users testing the latest Android 16 update are running into a frustrating issue with the Google Home app: buttons and text needed to create or edit automated Routines are getting cut off or hidden by the phone’s screen edges and navigation bars. This annoying bug makes it hard, or sometimes impossible, to save custom settings for your smart home devices right from your phone.
Contents
This means crucial parts of the app’s interface are disappearing, making it difficult to manage your smart home automations. While there are temporary workarounds, users are hoping for a fix soon.
What’s Going Wrong in the Google Home App?
The problem specifically affects the “Automations” tab within the Google Home app, where you set up Routines to control your lights, thermostats, speakers, and other connected devices with a single command or trigger.
When users try to create a new Routine or modify an existing one on a Pixel phone running Android 16, certain interface elements aren’t showing up correctly. Things like the “x” or checkmark buttons at the top to close or save, or the “Remove action” button at the bottom, can appear underneath the phone’s status bar (where you see time, battery) or the system navigation bar (for Home, Back, Recents).
Screenshot showing Google Home app interface with elements hidden behind the status bar on Android 16.
Even page titles can be partially covered by the front-facing camera cutout at the top of the screen, obscuring important information.
How Different Navigation Styles Are Affected
The bug behaves slightly differently depending on how you navigate your Android phone:
- 3-Button Navigation: If you use the traditional back, home, and recents buttons at the bottom of the screen, the “Remove action” button in the Google Home app might be completely hidden underneath this bar, making it inaccessible. The “Save” button is also affected but often just enough of it peeks out that you can still manage to tap it with careful aim.
Screenshot showing the Google Home app Routines editor with the Remove action button hidden below the 3-button navigation bar on Android 16.
- Gesture Navigation: If you use swipe gestures instead of buttons, the “Remove action” button isn’t usually hidden. However, you might face a different, significant issue: you can’t save customized settings within actions. For example, if you add an action to turn on a light and want to set a specific color using the fullscreen color picker, you can’t actually tap the necessary button to confirm and save that color choice.
Screenshot showing the Google Home app Routines editor Save button partially hidden by the 3-button navigation bar on Android 16.
Temporary Fixes and the Root Cause
While frustrating, users have discovered a couple of temporary ways to work around the issue, especially when using gesture navigation:
- Rotate Your Phone: Sometimes, rotating your Pixel phone to landscape (horizontal) orientation can shift the interface just enough that you can access the hidden checkmark or save buttons.
- Use the Back Gesture: In some cases, instead of hitting a visible “Save” button, performing the system-level back gesture can save your changes.
So, why is this happening now? The core reason appears to be a change introduced in Android 16. Apps targeting this new version of Android can no longer choose not to display edge-to-edge. This means the app’s content is now expected to flow right up to the very edges of the screen, underneath the status and navigation bars. Developers usually need to update their apps to properly handle this, adding “padding” or space to move interactive elements away from these system interface areas. It seems the Google Home app hasn’t been fully updated yet to accommodate this mandatory change in Android 16.
Google Home app screenshot showing UI elements obscured by the phone's status and camera bar on Android 16.
This bug has been reported by Pixel owners specifically running the Android 16 preview. It affects version 3.34 of the Google Home app. Notably, checks on Samsung devices running preview Android builds didn’t show this problem, suggesting it might be specific to Pixel phones or how the Android 16 build interacts with the app on those devices.
Screenshot showing the Google Home app light color picker interface with the save button potentially inaccessible on Android 16 Pixel phones.
Users are hoping this bug will be fixed in an upcoming update to the Google Home app or potentially in a future Android 16 build before its official release. For now, managing Routines on affected Pixel phones is a bit trickier than usual.
Google Home app screenshot showing a list of actions within a routine with UI elements impacted by edge-to-edge display on Android 16.
Screenshot of the Google Home app Routines editor, highlighting how text or buttons are cut off near the bottom of the screen on Android 16.
This issue is a clear example of the growing pains that can happen when new operating system features, like mandatory edge-to-edge displays, require apps to update their layouts to remain fully functional and user-friendly.
Stay updated on the latest Google Home news and Android developments.
