Google's iPhone-like gestures will become mandatory in Android Q

by Joshua Swingle / May 10, 2019, 6:35 AM

Google's iPhone-like gestures will become mandatory in Android Q

The iPhone X's gesture navigation system

Android’s classic 3-button navigation system has served users well since it was introduced with version 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich way back in October of 2011. But with screen sizes ballooning, bezels shrinking, and screen real estate becoming increasingly more valuable, it’s starting to look and feel quite dated.

In the hope of fixing this, last year Google introduced a newer ‘pill-based’ gesture navigation layout that was intended to replace the 3-button system. Following negative feedback from users, though, just one year later the internet giant is scrapping it in favor of an iPhone X-like Fully Gestural Navigation system which will now become mandatory on all Android Q smartphones.

To satisfy more traditional users, support for the 3-button navigation bar will also be mandatory in Android Q. As for the company’s pill-based UI, that won’t be mandatory and will presumably be scrapped entirely at some point in the near future. Google hasn’t confirmed whether OEM-specific gesture navigation systems like the ones developed by Samsung or Huawei will be allowed in Android Q, but it was pretty open about its vision of unifying the Android ecosystem, something that, in turn, will probably discourage their use.

According to Google, defaulting to just two navigation systems will help make app developing easier. After all, developers currently have to take into account the different navigation options offered by smartphone brands and how they may affect interactions with their respective apps.

UPDATE: Google has told Android Authority that custom OEM gesture navigation systems will still be allowed in Android Q, although it sees them more as a "power user option."

Options

24 Comments

1. MrMalignance

Posts: 331; Member since: Feb 17, 2013

"Google's gestures or 3 button navigation system will become mandatory I'm Android Q." There, fixed your headline and article. No need to mention apple, as we all know the pill is similar. All the other words in the article are useless fluff and padding

posted on May 09, 2019, 5:41 PM 25

3. mackan84

Posts: 636; Member since: Feb 13, 2014

That’s like telling a politician to be honest and get half the votes. That’s not how business work.

posted on May 09, 2019, 6:50 PM 2

9. MrMalignance

If you don't call them on it, they'll just keep getting worse

posted on May 09, 2019, 11:12 PM 15

11. XyAzario

Posts: 61; Member since: Mar 15, 2019

LoL hahahah,

posted on May 10, 2019, 2:14 AM 0

6. Orion78

Posts: 217; Member since: Mar 27, 2014

Exactly.

posted on May 09, 2019, 7:24 PM 1

14. Mikele

Posts: 186; Member since: Nov 19, 2013

The the article writer is a personified Apple. Everything about new tech on phones is Apple and if I'm not mistaking many OEMs has been using the gesture for years. Google wants the 3 buttons navigation a compulsory to all Android phones to ease her software plans.

posted on May 10, 2019, 7:15 AM 6

17. joshuaswingle

Posts: 669; Member since: Apr 03, 2018

I'm in the process of changing my surname to Apple

posted on May 10, 2019, 9:52 AM 1

19. MrMalignance

You should, it'll make it easier to determine who is going to write apple biased articles

posted on May 10, 2019, 11:45 AM 3

20. IT-Engineer

Posts: 579; Member since: Feb 26, 2015

The way you answer even though they tried to correct your article for you, shows only that this site is hiring young and immature writers. A normal mature editor would correct his mistakes when they get pointed out.

posted on May 10, 2019, 1:03 PM 4

24. dvlprr

Posts: 70; Member since: May 08, 2019

Google Copied.

posted on May 11, 2019, 11:56 AM 0

2. danny_a2005

Posts: 365; Member since: Oct 06, 2011

Ive tried it, I hate it! I even liked the pill more

posted on May 09, 2019, 6:17 PM 3

4. Doakie

Posts: 2478; Member since: May 06, 2009

Yeah this new style is pretty garbage. I'm not a fan of this BS back gesture by pulling in from either side. I'm getting too many errors on different apps I use frequently. The old Pie style was much better. Plus I really liked the little screen rotation button that would come up to the right of the Pill if you held your phone in landscape. The Q gesture method doesn't do that anymore.

posted on May 09, 2019, 7:04 PM 2

5. Orion78

Well thankfully there's nova launcher huh?

posted on May 09, 2019, 7:24 PM 2

7. Kdk2020

Posts: 42; Member since: Apr 27, 2016

Apple leading the way as usual. Imagine my shock

posted on May 09, 2019, 7:54 PM 7

10. MrMalignance

Apple comment on an article that shouldn't have included apple at all. Imagine my shock.

posted on May 09, 2019, 11:15 PM 8

23. sixline

Posts: 17; Member since: May 25, 2015

more like blackberry..

posted on May 10, 2019, 5:45 PM 0

8. libra89

Posts: 2316; Member since: Apr 15, 2016

Eh, I don't know how I feel about this.

posted on May 09, 2019, 10:23 PM 0

12. josjom

Posts: 5; Member since: May 04, 2019

NOTHING beats the navigation UI of 2012 NOKIA N9..

posted on May 10, 2019, 2:38 AM 3

21. BGChicago

Posts: 227; Member since: Nov 16, 2014

BlackBerry 10 is slightly better IMHO. They all took note from Palm.

posted on May 10, 2019, 2:27 PM 1

13. pissedandrioduser

Posts: 3; Member since: Aug 26, 2012

I hate the new Gesture in Android Q,I always like the 2 button mode to me it was better than what apple brought to the table. I hope they keep the 2 button mode as an option

posted on May 10, 2019, 7:06 AM 0

15. gd761

Posts: 215; Member since: Sep 18, 2012

Why more apple like?!!!!!! Why not More ANDROID LIKE?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

posted on May 10, 2019, 8:35 AM 1

16. gd761

This is My Gesture for Gestures. Throw them away in the Garbage Can

posted on May 10, 2019, 8:38 AM 0

18. oldskool50 unregistered

Gesture driven UI's suck. Nothing beats a button that i don't have to remember what it does, or how it works or how ot make it work. Onscreen gestures get in way of the important stuff. With 3 navi buttons, nothing else is needed.