DBPie Brings Pie Controls to Non-Rooted Users

Here on the XDA-Developers Portal, the vast majority of the modifications, applications, and utilities that we cover require root access on your device. So if you’re a non-rooted user, you’ll quickly notice that there are quite a few things that you can’t enjoy. Luckily, there are also plenty of utilities available for non-rooted users looking to spice up their Android-powered lives.

If you’ve spent any appreciable amount of time with the AOSP web browser, you’ve probably run into its experimental Pie Controls feature. And if you haven’t seen Pie Controls in the AOSP browser, you’ve probably heard of its use in custom ROMs, as the Paranoid Android team used this experimental browser feature as inspiration for its Pie Controls navigation keys. This feature was later incorporated into other ROMs such as CyanogenMod, and with good reason–Pie Controls are quite convenient, especially if you own a large device such as a Galaxy Note, where reaching for the buttons on the bottom of your screen is difficult. But of course, changing your ROM or installing an Xposed-based Pie Controls alternative requires root access.

Luckily, XDA Senior Member aeppacher created DBPie. DBPie is an application-based Pie Controls app that allows non-rooted users to enjoy this UI paradigm on their own device. DBPie brings the core Pie Controls functionality that we’d expect, with navigation keys for back, home, and multitasking. The app also allows you to configure custom colors, whether it launches at start, and the ability to work in both landscape and portrait modes. In the future, the developer is also planning on adding extra features such as docking to the sides of the screen, custom sizing, animations, and Google Now access.

If you’re a fan of Pie Controls but aren’t rooted, head over to the application thread to give DBPie a shot.