Android Q Will Kill The Back Button In Favor Of Gestures

One of the main differences between iOS and Android is the way users interact with their phones. For example, a lot of Android phones come with on-screen buttons or soft keys for going home, accessing the menu, or going back. This is versus iOS where the newer iPhone models essentially rely on gestures for navigation.

It looks like Google is planning on simplifying Android further because during Google I/O 2019, the company has revealed that they will be killing off the back button in Android Q in favor of gesture navigation. This means that in order to go “back”, all users have to do is swipe in from the edge of their phone.

This is definitely more intuitive compared to pressing a button and having to reach for the bottom of the phone. That being said, gesture navigation in Android isn’t exactly new. Companies such as Huawei have implemented them into its EMUI interface, but the fact that they’ll now be part of Android Q means that we can look forward to them in future Pixel handsets, like the upcoming Pixel 3a and 3a XL and the Pixel 4 in the later part of the year.

That being said, Android Q has yet to be released and is still in beta. It is expected to be released later this year, but in the meantime, Google has also announced that the beta for Android Q can be accessed on a variety of handset brands.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Cellphones
Tags: Android, android q, Google, google i/o, Google I/O 2019