Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold brings Android's classic taskbar back early

For some of us, phones are an escape from our PCs, and we never want to see a taskbar cluttering up the screen again. But as mobile displays get larger, and we have a little extra real estate to work with, there’s a case to be made for a bar’s utility, especially for heavy multitaskers. Last year, Google seemed intent on downplaying Android’s taskbar, turning it into a transient interface that you had to gesture to access, but we’ve had hope that the old, persistent taskbar might make a return in Android 15. Turns out, we don’t even have to wait that long.

We first spotted work on this taskbar backtracking when Google released Android 15 DP2 to testing audiences earlier this year. Instead of the compact screen-edge taskbar that would go away when you were done with it, A15 DP2 offered a larger taskbar that persisted. We expected to give this a try on larger-screen devices like the new Pixel 9 Pro Fold with the arrival of Android 15 next month. Apparently Google couldn’t hold back its taskbar enthusiasm, because the permanent taskbar is already available on Google’s latest foldable.

We’ve been testing the Pixel 9 Pro Fold for a little while now, and while it initially only had the same taskbar we know from the original Pixel Fold, a software update has since delivered exactly this permanent taskbar we were hoping for.

More choice tends to be better than less, and while we’re happy to see this option returning, it really only gets us thinking about why Google felt compelled to go transient-only with the taskbar in the first place, rather than just introducing the choice — something Microsoft’s been doing on PCs for decades now. Better late than never, we suppose.