New Android Update: Bottom Navigation Bar

I’ve had this update since Friday at least, and my version is showing as 1.9.1

Is there a significant delay between launching new features and announcing them?

Anyway, I’m not sure moving GUI elements about warrants an announcement, would prefer actual features.

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@Adam193 There’s no delay, 1.9.0 hit Play Store today. You are signed up for Monzo Beta in Play Store and that’s why you had nav bar earlier. :wink: Release difference (between beta and public) varies, from few days to +1 week, probably subject to bugs Beta testers find.

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Thanks.

How can I tell that I am signed up for the beta? theres no mention of it on the play store page like there is for other betas, i.e. whatsapp

1.9.1 is the current version according to play store, not 1.9.0 (tested incog)

Hi Adam! Feature development has been halted under the prepaid scheme as we plan to wind it down by the end of year - all feature development is happening on our current accounts as these are our permanent product. They run on a completely different system to our prepaid cards so it doesn’t make sense to have to build everything out twice.

We were able to launch this UI update because it’s simply that - a customer facing graphical update which applies to both the prepaid and current accounts :ok_hand:t4:

Regarding your other question, we announce updates when they are stable, they typically hit the Beta channel a few days before that :ok_hand:t4:

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@Adam193 It should kinda look like this:
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Yeah whatsapp has the same type of indicator, I can assure you Monzo does not (no mention of beta) on my device7040155752697833062

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Hmm, I might have been wrong. I just downgraded to non-beta, and it’s 1.9.1 too - blog post said 1.9.0 is available on Google Play, that’s why I stubbornly thought you’re in beta if you have 1.9.1 already, sorry for confusion! :grin: If you had nav bar last Friday, but Naji wrote:

We’re very excited to share a new Android update we’ve just released in the Google Play Store

then it would suggest nav bar hit Google Play today… :smiley: I rarely downgrade, unless to check something… maybe it was released a bit sooner than blog post?

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Well, I was trying to get late night beer tokens out of the ATM in Peru and realised I didnt have enough funds, and remember being very confused about the lack of the red button and having to find out where to top up :smiley:

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I just wanted to say that I think it’s a great update, as now important tabs are always visible, and only one tap away, rather than hidden away in the menu tab. Keep up the good work!

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Best hidden away. If it not hidden away at the side, why not have the bottom bar so it can be toggled on or off?

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It’s worth looking at the previous thread: Android app getting a little iOSy

I’ll also repost my opinion (slightly edited):

Whilst I prefer navigation drawers, the bottom navigation is better UI, even if it feels less material design like, as it avoids hiding options. It’s not that this app is particularly perfect when it comes to material design. I wish it were more so.

However, the bottom bar does currently have problems:

  • It has too much height and shadow, which makes it look odd to me.
  • I wish that it would hide when it scrolled.
  • It would also be nice if the settings could be added to the card page, and the help to a new bottom nav tab - and then the navigation drawer removed completely
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The HUGE issue is it does not hide. What with the bar at the bottom permanently on and the graph at the top permanently on, it is a bit design flaw. Having the account history visible the full length of the screen would be far better. The app seems to be going backwards not forwards. Instead of the designers foisting their ideas on users and having Monzo fanboys on this forum try and brainwash users that they are good ideas, how about actually getting some non-techie users involved before you roll stuff out and have them say what they think so far of your designs?

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Emphasis mine.

This feature isn’t even available on Android yet. I’d suggest you take the time to try the new design for yourself before complaining quite so enthusiastically.

As I’ve mentioned before, this design has been in the iOS app for quite some time & aside from an initial pushback when the graph was switched to permanently on, there haven’t been complaints about it since.

Also, the Monzo team aren’t having anyone do anything. To keep this community positive & welcoming please don’t take subliminal shots at other users, if you disagree with something that a user’s posted then respond to that post directly.

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The “issue” with android (really, is a software developer issue) is some phones have a “tall” aspect ratio and some have a 16:9 or even less if they have soft keys at the bottom. When you add this nav bar to the bottom, on some phones you’re eating into a significant portion of the screen real estate and for some users, that’s a big turn off and wont change unless they change phones.

My Samsung S7 is a 16:9 phone with hardware keys, so sits in the middle, whereas my Sony Z2 is a 16:9 phone but with softkeys, so monzo looks a bit more cramped. It would be too cramped with the graph at the top.

Personally, I think the navbar should be swipe up, no need at all for it to be fixed. same with the graph, but it’s not on android and it never will be on the pre-paid app, so not to worry about that.

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but the issue is it is coming with the current account so complaining about it now will make them rethink the problem before it occurs.

Unless you have some phablet with wrap round screen a smaller regular smartphone with graph at the top and a bar at the bottom will be a sub-par user experience.

Bring back the hamburger icon with a hideable menu and you have the ability to have the app suit those with smaller screens or older models as well as the newer larger pricier models

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Personally I dont mind how they “hide” it, but it definitely should be hidden when scrolling at the very least.

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They have said they won’t hide the graph, so hide the bar. If they won’t hide the bar then hide the graph. One of them needs to be able to hide.

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I have a ‘small’ 4-inch iPhone, and have not had any issues with a graph at the top and navbar at the bottom, but it’s clearly a personal preference. I don’t tend to be looking at more than one or two transactions at any given time, so can’t see what benefit I’d gain from having more displayed at once. However, I do gain benefit from easy access to the navbar items, and being able to glance up at the graph.

I honestly think this is a situation where you’re never going to please everybody, so Monzo have to decide what they think is the best tradeoff and go with it. Specific design decisions don’t always suit my personal preferences, but taken as a whole, I like the app.

In other threads and interviews, it’s been mentioned several times that Monzo do a lot of user testing with ‘normal’ people to inform the design process. I remember a recent one where they were asking specifically for people who weren’t techie or already familiar with Monzo.

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Now the Pulse graph is coming the bottom menu is more of a problem. If Monzo will not consider:
• Reinstating the hamburger menu
• Putting a hamburger menu on right (not left)
• Having a toggle switch to turn off Pulse
…then maybe they can do as this post suggests and let us hide the bottom menu bar?

We could also have Pulse graph remain if you use it to scroll left or right when you touch the graph, but the Pulse graph disappear if you scroll up or down when you touch off the graph!

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Totally agree! Your prediction has come true :frowning:

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