As we’re starting to see more handset makers opt for the full-screen design, it also means that Android needs to start adapting where instead of relying on on-screen/soft keys, gestures will probably be a better idea. We’ve seen Google adopt some gestures with the Pixel 3 smartphones, but now it looks like they might be expanding on that.
In a report from XDA Developers, it appears that Google is testing out a “swipe back” gesture in Android Q. At the moment, going “back” in Android comes in the form of an on-screen button that users can tap to go back. This has been more or less the standard for many years now, but Google seems to be testing using gestures to go back instead.
It sounds like it might be a good idea since using gestures can feel more intuitive compared to pressing on a button. However, the downside is that these swipe back gestures could interfere with certain apps and the implementation of the navigation drawer laid out in the Material Design guidelines.
However, this is only a test and at the moment, Android Q is still very much in beta which means that it might not necessarily make the final cut. If you’re interested in seeing how this works, you can check out the video above. In the meantime, what do you make of it? Yay or nay to the swipe back gesture?