Scoreboard app buttons hidden behind the navigation bar: how to fix it

Short answer: the buttons are hidden because the app draws under the system bars without leaving room for them. You can work around it by switching navigation mode or rotating the phone, but the lasting fix is a scoreboard app that keeps every control inside the screen's safe area.

Why it happens

Newer Android phones run apps edge to edge: the app fills the whole screen, including the area under the navigation bar, the status bar and the camera notch. Apps are supposed to pad their controls away from those areas. Scoreboard apps built for older phones often don't, so the +/- or Start button ends up under the bar. Users describe it as "buttons hidden behind the phone interface" or "you can't go full screen".

Quick workarounds

1. Switch between gesture navigation and 3-button navigation in Settings, System, Navigation mode. One of them may uncover the bottom buttons.
2. Rotate the phone. In landscape the navigation bar often moves to the side.
3. Turn off display zoom or large font size, which can push controls off screen.

The lasting fix

Use a scoreboard app that respects the safe area. Test it before game day: open it on your actual phone, in the orientation you'll use at the table, and check that every score, foul and clock button can be tapped.

Doing it with Hoopclock

Hoopclock keeps all controls inside the safe area on any phone or tablet, so the navigation bar and notch never cover a button. There are also no ads on the live scoreboard to cover anything mid-game.

Why are the buttons hidden behind the phone interface?

Since Android 15, apps draw edge to edge by default. An app that doesn't reserve space for system bars puts its buttons under the navigation bar or notch.

Will switching to 3-button navigation fix it?

Sometimes it moves the problem rather than fixing it. Gesture navigation uses a thinner bar, so it can uncover a bottom button, but the real fix is in the app.

Does it happen on tablets too?

Yes. Any device with a taskbar, gesture bar or camera cutout can cover controls if the app ignores the safe area.