Why Does a Taxi Headrest Monitor Need to Hide the Navigation Bar?
A taxi headrest monitor is typically installed in front of rear-seat passengers and is designed to play video advertisements, image advertisements, and other digital content.taxi headrest monitor
When the advertising display is playing content, the Android navigation bar at the bottom of the screen occupies part of the display area and affects the overall appearance of the advertising interface.
More importantly, passengers may be able to bring up the Android navigation bar by tapping the screen or using swipe gestures, such as swiping up or down. This could allow them to leave the current advertising application or access other system functions.
Therefore, a complete full-screen solution for a taxi advertising monitor needs to solve two different problems:
First: The CMS player needs to enter full-screen mode and hide the Android navigation bar.
Second: The device system needs to prevent passengers from bringing the navigation bar back through touch or swipe gestures.
Although both functions are designed to create a clean advertising experience, they work at two different technical levels.taxi headrest monitor
Two Technical Elements Are Required to Hide the Navigation Bar
DHB divides navigation bar control on its taxi headrest monitors into two parts.
Part 1: The CMS Hides the Navigation Bar
The first function is handled by the CMS.
When the CMS starts the advertising playback interface, it needs to enter full-screen mode and request Android to hide the status bar and navigation bar.
This allows video and image advertisements to use as much of the available screen area as possible.
This function solves the following problem:
How can the navigation bar disappear when advertisements are playing?
Part 2: The System Prevents the Navigation Bar from Being Reopened
Simply hiding the navigation bar is not always enough.
Depending on the Android version and device configuration, users may still be able to bring up the system navigation bar by tapping the screen or using swipe gestures.
Therefore, DHB provides a corresponding system-level setting to prevent passengers from reopening the navigation bar through these operations.
This function solves a different problem:
After the navigation bar has been hidden, how can we prevent passengers from bringing it back?
This is why hiding the navigation bar through the CMS and preventing the navigation bar from being reopened through the system should be considered two separate functions.
DHB’s Previous System-Level Navigation Solution
For the second function — preventing passengers from bringing up the navigation bar through touch or swipe gestures — DHB has already published dedicated technical support articles.
Related Technical Articles
How to Hide the Navigation Bar on a Taxi Headrest Advertising Tablet
How to Prevent the Navigation Bar from Appearing on a Taxi Headrest Advertising Display
These two articles mainly explain DHB’s system-level navigation protection solution.
Through the relevant device system settings, the taxi advertising monitor can prevent passengers from reopening the Android navigation bar through touch, upward swipes, downward swipes, or similar operations during normal use.
Therefore, this article does not repeat the system-level implementation.taxi headrest monitor
Instead, the focus here is another important question:
How does the CMS on a DHB taxi advertising monitor actively hide the navigation bar during advertising playback?
How Does the CMS Hide the Android Navigation Bar?
Hiding the Android navigation bar is not a technology unique to taxi advertising displays.
Many Android applications already use similar functionality.
For example, when watching a movie on an Android tablet, the navigation bar normally disappears when the video player enters full-screen mode.
This happens because the video player application actively requests Android to enter full-screen mode and hide the system UI.
The CMS player on a DHB taxi headrest monitor works according to a similar principle.
When the CMS starts the advertising playback interface, it needs to perform two main operations:
- Enter full-screen mode.
- Hide the Android navigation bar.
This allows video and image advertisements to play across a larger and cleaner display area.
Android WindowInsetsController Code for Hiding the Navigation Bar
For an Android CMS application, WindowInsetsController can be used to control system UI elements.
For example, the CMS can use the following code:
import android.view.WindowInsetsController;
void hideSystemUI() {
((Activity) getContext()).getWindow()
.setDecorFitsSystemWindows(false);
WindowInsetsController controller =
((Activity) getContext()).getWindow()
.getInsetsController();
if (controller != null) {
controller.hide(
WindowInsets.Type.statusBars() |
WindowInsets.Type.navigationBars()
);
}
}The main purpose of this code is to allow the CMS to request Android to hide the status bar and navigation bar after entering the advertising playback interface.
How Does This Code Work?
1. Configure the Window for Full-Screen Layout
The code first executes:
setDecorFitsSystemWindows(false);This tells Android that the application wants to manage the relationship between the application content and the system UI, providing the foundation for a full-screen layout.
2. Get the WindowInsetsController
The CMS then obtains the WindowInsetsController for the current Activity:
WindowInsetsController controller =
getWindow().getInsetsController();WindowInsetsController is an Android API that allows an application to control system UI elements such as the status bar and navigation bar.
3. Hide the Status Bar and Navigation Bar
Finally, the application executes:
controller.hide(
WindowInsets.Type.statusBars() |
WindowInsets.Type.navigationBars()
);Here:
statusBars()hides the status bar at the top of the screen.navigationBars()hides the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen.
As a result, the CMS can provide a cleaner and more complete full-screen advertising interface.
Why Does the CMS Need to Hide the Navigation Bar?
A common question is:
If the DHB system can prevent passengers from bringing up the navigation bar, why doesn’t DHB simply hide the navigation bar permanently at the system level?
The main reason is related to the actual commercial application of taxi advertising monitors.
DHB serves different customers, projects, and CMS platforms.
Customers may use:
- DHB’s recommended CMS;
- Their own CMS;
- Third-party CMS platforms;
- Customized advertising applications developed for specific projects.
Therefore, DHB cannot know in advance which CMS software every customer will ultimately use.
If DHB permanently hid the navigation bar at the system level, the device’s system behavior would become more closely tied to the customer’s software environment.
Allowing the CMS application to control full-screen playback and navigation bar visibility provides greater flexibility between the application and device system.taxi headrest monitor
Why Doesn’t DHB Permanently Hide the Navigation Bar at the System Level?
There are four main reasons.
1. DHB Customers Use Different CMS Platforms
DHB provides taxi advertising monitors for different customers and projects.
Different customers may use different advertising management platforms and CMS software.
If the system permanently forced the navigation bar to remain hidden, additional compatibility considerations would be required for different CMS platforms.
Allowing the CMS to control its own full-screen playback interface provides greater flexibility.
2. System-Level Modification Increases Development and Maintenance Complexity
Different customers may use different:
- Android versions;
- Firmware versions;
- CMS applications;
- Application architectures;
- System UI configurations.
If every project required system-level navigation control, DHB would need to perform more system-level adaptation for different projects.
By allowing the CMS to handle full-screen playback, the development and maintenance burden at the system level can be reduced.
3. Permanently Hiding the Navigation Bar Can Cause Operational Problems
A taxi advertising monitor is not only an advertising display. It is also an Android-based commercial device.
During installation, debugging, after-sales service, and maintenance, customers or technicians may sometimes need to access the Android system.
For example, they may need to:
- Check system settings;
- Debug the CMS;
- Update software;
- Check device status;
- Perform maintenance.
If the system permanently hides all navigation functions, these normal maintenance operations may become more difficult.
Therefore, advertising playback and device maintenance should use different operating logic.
4. Completely Hiding Navigation Can Make It Difficult to Return to the Main Interface
If all navigation functions are permanently disabled at the system level, it may also remove the convenient touch-based method for returning to the main interface during maintenance or other authorized operations.
For a commercial taxi advertising monitor, this is not an ideal design.
What we want is:
Full-screen advertising with no navigation bar during playback.
Not:
Permanently hiding all Android navigation functions at all times.
Therefore, DHB separates the advertising playback state from the device maintenance state.
How Do the Two Functions Work Together?
The complete operating principle of a DHB taxi headrest monitor can be understood as follows:
Android System
↓
System Navigation Protection
Prevents passengers from bringing up the navigation bar through tapping, upward swiping, or downward swiping
↓
CMS Application Starts
↓
CMS Enters Full-Screen Mode
↓
CMS Hides the Status Bar and Navigation Bar
↓
Video and Image Advertisements Play
↓
The Screen Maintains a Clean Full-Screen Advertising Interface
In other words:
The CMS is responsible for “hiding the navigation bar.”
The system is responsible for “preventing the navigation bar from being reopened.”
The two functions work together, but their responsibilities are different.taxi headrest monitor
Why Is This Approach Suitable for Taxi Advertising Monitors?
A taxi headrest monitor has a very different use case from a normal consumer Android tablet.
A consumer tablet needs to allow users to perform many different operations, while a taxi advertising monitor is primarily designed to:
Play advertising content continuously and reliably.
Therefore, a professional taxi advertising solution needs to consider:
- Full-screen advertising playback;
- Android navigation bar hiding;
- Prevention of accidental passenger interaction;
- Prevention of navigation gestures;
- Compatibility with different CMS platforms;
- Device maintenance;
- Flexible customer integration.
By separating CMS-level and system-level functions, DHB can maintain a clean advertising interface while preserving flexibility for device maintenance and project integration.taxi headrest monitor
Recommended Approach for CMS Developers
If a customer is developing its own CMS, we recommend integrating navigation bar hiding into the CMS advertising playback interface.taxi headrest monitor
When the advertising playback page starts, the CMS can:
- Enter full-screen mode.
- Hide the status bar.
- Hide the navigation bar.
- Allow advertising content to use the available display area.
- Restore the required system UI when leaving the advertising playback interface.
At the same time, the DHB device’s system-level navigation protection prevents passengers from bringing the navigation bar back.
This creates a clear division of responsibilities:
CMS: Controls the full-screen advertising interface.
DHB System: Provides device-level navigation protection.
Conclusion
Achieving a clean full-screen advertising experience on a taxi headrest monitor requires more than simply hiding the Android navigation bar.
Two different functions need to work together.
First, CMS full-screen mode and navigation bar hiding.
When advertising playback starts, the CMS enters full-screen mode and uses Android’s WindowInsetsController to request that the status bar and navigation bar be hidden.
Second, system-level navigation protection.
The DHB device uses system-level settings to prevent passengers from bringing the navigation bar back through tapping, upward swiping, downward swiping, or similar operations.taxi headrest monitor
Therefore:
The CMS hides the navigation bar, while the system prevents the navigation bar from reappearing.
DHB’s previous technical articles explain how the device system settings provide navigation protection, while this article focuses on how the CMS actively hides the navigation bar during advertising playback and how Android code can implement this function.
By combining these two functions, a taxi headrest monitor can provide a clean, complete full-screen interface when playing video and image advertisements while reducing passenger interference with the Android system interface.
For customers developing their own CMS or integrating third-party CMS software with a DHB taxi advertising monitor, DHB can provide relevant hardware, firmware, and CMS integration support.taxi headrest monitor
FAQ
1. Can a CMS hide the Android navigation bar on a taxi headrest monitor?
Yes. Android provides APIs such as WindowInsetsController, which allow a CMS application to request full-screen mode and hide the system navigation bar.taxi headrest monitor
2. Is hiding the navigation bar the same as preventing passengers from bringing it back?
No.
These are two different functions.
The CMS hides the navigation bar during advertising playback, while the DHB system-level navigation protection prevents passengers from reopening it through touch or swipe gestures.
3. Why are both functions required?
If only the CMS hides the navigation bar, passengers may still be able to reopen it through touch or swipe gestures on certain Android system configurations.
If only system-level navigation protection is used, the navigation bar may still remain visible during advertising playback.taxi headrest monitor
Therefore, both functions work together to achieve a complete full-screen advertising experience.
4. What do DHB’s previous navigation bar articles explain?
The previous two articles explain how DHB uses device system settings to prevent passengers from bringing up the navigation bar through tapping, upward swiping, or downward swiping.
This article focuses specifically on how the CMS actively hides the navigation bar during advertising playback.taxi headrest monitor
5. Can this solution be used with a customer’s own CMS?
Yes.
Customers can implement full-screen and navigation bar hiding in their own CMS player while using the DHB device’s system-level navigation protection solution.taxi headrest monitor
Need Technical Support for Your Taxi Headrest Monitor CMS?
If you are developing a taxi advertising CMS or need to integrate full-screen playback, navigation bar hiding, and device-level navigation protection into a taxi headrest monitor, DHB can provide hardware, firmware, and CMS integration support.taxi headrest monitor
WhatsApp: +86 134 2287 1594
Email: kiki@donghebao.com
Website：www.dhbtaxiad.com
Contact Us: Contact the DHB team about your project requirements.
