Android immersive full screen mode - is it worth trying?

Java on Mobile Devices Android
#1

Some time passed since Immersive mode has been introduced to android (https://developer.android.com/training/system-ui/immersive.html).
However it is still hard to find android game that uses that mode.

Main advantage of that mode is that it hides virtual buttons so user won’t tap it accidentally when engrossed by the game.
Main disadvantage is that it hides virtual buttons (what a coincidence ;)) so novice user might have hard time finding how to exit the game.

I wonder if somebody had some experience with this mode and can share whether it caused user complaints.

#2

Don’t worry about it. When I use apps that use immersive mode, Android shows you a big pop-up telling you to swipe down to get your buttons. It also shows this pop-up during some subsequent startups (not every time, I don’t know how often). So really I don’t think it’s a problem.

#3

[quote]Don’t worry about it. When I use apps that use immersive mode, Android shows you a big pop-up telling you to swipe down to get your buttons. It also shows this pop-up during some subsequent startups (not every time, I don’t know how often). So really I don’t think it’s a problem.
[/quote]
I know that people at java-gaming.org won’t have problems with handling game with immersive mode :slight_smile:
I’d rather know in advance how mysterious such full screen mode is for average user.
I worry in advance because I haven’t seen that feature used by any popular android game. Is there a reason for that?

#4

I won’t worry about it until you release your game and end up receiving a bunch of complaints. When both of these occur then you can decide if it’s worthwhile to add a checkbox to disable and if it should be checked by default or not. When issues like this start to nag at your brain…remember chicken little.