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I just want to know if it is possible to change the position of the options menu in Android, specifically I want to display the menu at the top of the screen, instead at the bottom. Thanks in advance.

maxivis
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    Don't do that. It will only confuse your users. – Krylez Nov 22 '11 at 22:40
  • If every other app in the world displays it's option menu at the bottom, why in the world would you want to move yours to the top? I thought we were trying to move to more of a "consistent" look and feel for Android :). – Jack Nov 22 '11 at 22:42
  • Thanks both for the quick response. I agree with you, but the client doesn't want to accept it, so we are trying to code it :S . If you know how can I do that I will appreciate it. – maxivis Nov 22 '11 at 22:58

1 Answers1

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The answer is no, you cannot change the position of the options menu.

The reason you cannot change the position is for human interface standards between applications. As others have indicated in the comments on your question, it is important to have common touchpoints of consistency on a platform. Apple recognizes this, which is why they would simply refuse to allow your app on the App Store if you break their guidelines. Google is kinder about it, sometimes to the detriment of users, who have repeatedly and loudly complained about app inconsistency.

Of course, you are welcome to roll your own menu system, which is part of the freedom that Google grants you. Reaction from users will then be on your shoulders (and possibly other body parts, depending on how good those users' aim is when throwing things).

CommonsWare
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    Thank you all for your answers, I used them to argue and convince my client, so he accepted the menu in the regular positioning. – maxivis Nov 23 '11 at 22:45
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    One issue is that if you don't use an ActionBar, it seems impossible to position the Overflow dropdown menu. For example, I'm working on a landscape layout for a tablet app. I don't need the action bar to take up the full width of my app and lose precious vertical space. I'm using a right-side sidebar panel & menu instead. I'm keeping the overflow button in the top right corner so it's consistent, however without the "always expected" ActionBar up top, the Option Menu always opens on the left side of the screen. – radley Aug 16 '12 at 08:26
  • @radley: If you don't use an action bar, you should not be using an overflow menu at all. See the last paragraph of my answer and apply it to your "right-side sidebar panel & menu", or to your "overflow button". – CommonsWare Aug 16 '12 at 11:10
  • Full-screen Activities like games and video players also benefit from the OptionsMenu. Pretty silly that we have to write our own menus for them. Potential UI inconsistencies, no? If only the Android team allowed us to position the OptionMenu dropdown to be in the same part of the screen as the Overflow menu, all of this would be better... – radley Aug 16 '12 at 22:19
  • @radley: Well, a game should have their "menu" be styled like the rest of the game UI, and therefore the overflow menu is typically incorrect. I have yet to see a video player that used a drop-down menu, but then again I have only used a few. – CommonsWare Aug 16 '12 at 22:36
  • Let me know is it possible to change the menu list to bring down? Currently it's displaying on top right corner. I want to display in bottom right corner. – Star Apr 15 '21 at 13:17
  • @Star: You would need to set up a bottom `Toolbar` to serve as the home for the menu. – CommonsWare Apr 15 '21 at 13:24