Android’s physical navigation buttons are back on Googlebooks, but not the way you think
Android’s physical navigation buttons are back on Googlebooks, but not the way you think
Android 的物理导航按钮在 Googlebooks 上回归了，但方式出乎你的意料
An oldie but a goodie — and kind of a necessity-die. by Antonio G. Di Benedetto Oct 7, 2026, 8:44 PM UTC. What year is it, and what dessert name of Android are we up to? Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge. Antonio G. Di Benedetto is a reviewer covering laptops and the occasional gadget. He spent over 15 years in the photography industry before joining The Verge as a deals writer in 2021.
这是一个老派但实用的功能，甚至可以说是某种必需品。作者：Antonio G. Di Benedetto，2026 年 10 月 7 日，世界标准时间晚上 8:44。现在是哪一年？我们已经用到哪种甜点命名的 Android 版本了？图片：Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge。Antonio G. Di Benedetto 是一位评测笔记本电脑和偶尔评测小工具的评论员。在 2021 年加入 The Verge 担任优惠撰稿人之前，他在摄影行业工作了超过 15 年。
A common misconception I’ve seen with Googlebooks is that the Quick Insert and Google logo keys are new. They’re not, as they first debuted a couple of years ago on some Chromebooks. But there is something new for Googlebooks that’s ripped straight from Android phones circa 2014.
我发现人们对 Googlebooks 有一个常见的误解，即认为“快速插入”（Quick Insert）和 Google 徽标键是新功能。其实不然，它们几年前就首次出现在一些 Chromebook 上了。但 Googlebooks 确实有一项新功能，是直接从 2014 年左右的 Android 手机上照搬过来的。
On every Googlebook keyboard, the F1, F2, and F3 keys are the old triangle, circle, and square navigation icons that first debuted on Android 5.0 Lollipop. These were the back, home, and app switcher buttons long before everything went to gesture-based navigation, and they’re still built into phones on Android 17 as an alternative. On Googlebook OS, these keys do what you expect: the left-pointing triangle goes back, the circle goes “home” by minimizing all open apps, and the square tiles your open apps like Mission Control on macOS / Task View on Windows.
在每一台 Googlebook 键盘上，F1、F2 和 F3 键采用了首次亮相于 Android 5.0 Lollipop 的经典三角形、圆形和方形导航图标。在一切转向手势导航之前，它们分别是返回、主页和应用切换按钮，如今在 Android 17 系统中，它们依然作为一种替代方案内置于手机中。在 Googlebook OS 上，这些按键的功能正如你所预期的：向左的三角形用于返回，圆形通过最小化所有打开的应用来回到“主页”，而方形则像 macOS 的 Mission Control 或 Windows 的任务视图一样平铺显示你打开的应用。
If I stare at these keys long enough, I can pretend I’m holding my old Nexus 6. Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge. It’s useful to have these buttons, and to have them matched across all Googlebooks. The back button seems sometimes necessary when using Android apps that aren’t really optimized for a desktop interface or mouse controls. I just wish a second press of the home button brought all your apps back to where they were, but that’s another feature called desktop peeking that uses a different keyboard shortcut.
如果我盯着这些按键看足够久，我甚至可以假装自己正拿着旧款 Nexus 6。图片：Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge。拥有这些按钮，并且让所有 Googlebook 保持统一，是非常实用的。当使用那些未针对桌面界面或鼠标操作进行优化的 Android 应用时，返回按钮显得尤为必要。我只是希望再次按下主页键能让所有应用恢复原状，但这属于另一项名为“桌面窥视”（desktop peeking）的功能，需要使用不同的键盘快捷键。
If you’re an Android nerd of yore, it’s kind of fun to see these buttons live on. But they’re also a reminder that you sometimes need a fallback when Android gets all Android on you.
如果你是一位老派的 Android 极客，看到这些按钮得以延续会觉得很有趣。但它们也提醒我们，当 Android 系统出现各种“Android 式”的问题时，你有时确实需要一个备用方案。