Resolve Navigation Redundancy and Align with M3 Expressive Guidelines

[umbrellapeace]

Checklist

• I made sure that there are no existing issues - open or closed - which I could contribute my information to.
• I have read the FAQ and my problem isn't listed.
• I'm aware that this is a request for NewPipe itself and that requests for adding a new service need to be made at NewPipeExtractor.
• I have taken the time to fill in all the required details. I understand that the feature request will be dismissed otherwise.
• This issue contains only one feature request.
• I have read and understood the contribution guidelines.
• I have read and understood the AI policy. The content of this request is not generated by AI.

Feature description

The current application layout features duplicate navigation destinations across multiple components, creating unnecessary cognitive load and violating Material 3 (M3) Expressive spatial hierarchy principles. The primary app destinations are mirrored in both the bottom navigation component and the side drawer, which dilutes the purpose of each navigation mechanism.

As seen in the screenshots; The five primary top-level destinations (What's New, Subscriptions, Bookmarked Playlists, History, and Recommended Lives) are rendered simultaneously within the bottom navigation bar and the modal navigation drawer.

Proposed fix Steps

1. Implement state-checking logic within the navigation drawer adapter to identify which items are currently populated in the bottom NavigationBar.
2. Dynamically strip active NavigationBar destinations from the drawer's UI state.
3. Promote the drawer visually as a secondary utility menu rather than a primary content discovery tool.

Why do you want this feature?

It makes more sense to me and also for others(I assume).

Additional information

No response

[wizdom13]

Hi @umbrellapeace,

I fully agree with your assessment and the proposed fix steps. You hit the nail on the head—this redundant navigation structure was actually inherited directly from the NewPipe codebase.

Dynamically stripping the active NavigationBar destinations from the drawer and refactoring it to serve strictly as a secondary utility menu is the right move. I will get to work on implementing this state-checking logic.

In the meantime, could you please grab the latest APK from the Releases page? I'd love for you to continue testing and let me know if you run into any other layout or navigation quirks. I'll ping you here once the navigation fix is ready for a test drive.

Thanks for the sharp feedback!

[wizdom13]

Implemented and closing as completed.

The Home configuration is now the source of truth for primary navigation:

• Destinations configured on Home are dynamically removed from the navigation drawer.
• Filtering applies to both the bottom navigation bar and the scrollable tab layout.
• Supported Home destinations include What’s New/Feed, Subscriptions, Bookmarks, History, Downloads, the default kiosk, and service-specific kiosks such as Recommended Lives.
• The drawer continues to show destinations that are not configured on Home.
• Service selection, Settings, Donate, and About remain available as secondary drawer actions.
• Kiosks are identified by both service ID and kiosk ID, preventing incorrect filtering or selection across services.
• Settings → Content → Customize home now allows users to add, remove, and reorder Home sections.
• Downloads can be used directly as a Home section while preserving the standalone Downloads screen.

Additional lifecycle and menu fixes were included to ensure the embedded Downloads section does not leave duplicate or stale toolbar actions.

Thank you for the suggestion.