Joseph Minetto | 7 hidden tricks for making the most of Android gestures

7 hidden tricks for making the most of Android gestures Joseph Minetto

• All right, first things first: One of the most frustrating flaws with Android's current gesture setup is the way the universal Back gesture — where you swipe in from the left side of the screen — overlaps with other actions already present throughout the operating system.

1. Learn a new app menu gesture

• The most common conflict is with the gesture for opening a drawer-style menu within an app, like what you see within Gmail or Google Drive. Google created an awkward mechanism for differentiating between swipes meant for going back and swipes meant for opening an app menu, but it's clunky, inconsistent, and generally just too unpredictable to rely on.

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2. Remember that the Back gesture actually works in two places If you're anything like me, you probably think of the Android Back gesture as living on the left side of your screen — but don't forget: You can swipe your finger in from the right side of the screen, too, and accomplish the exact same result.

Strange as that redundancy may seem on the surface, the idea is to make the Back gesture convenient and comfortable to access no matter how you like to hold your phone. So if you're more of a right-hand-holder, stop reaching across the entire device and try swiping in from the right side of the screen instead for an easier and more natural-feeling experience.

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3. Don't forget about the universal Assistant gestures One of the most easily overlooked options in Google's Android's gesture setup is the Assistantopening command, which actually works from anywhere in the operating system — regardless of whether you're on your home screen or using an app.

This gesture, too, works in two different ways: by swiping upward at a diagonal from the lower-left corner of the screen or by doing the same thing from the lower-right corner. The lower-left corner seems to be the spot I veer to by default, but I've found the Assistant-opening command is actually more consistent and easier to access via the lowerright corner swipe-up option.

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4. Master the Overview-opening timing • Android's gestures make the Overview screen — that area of the software where you can see all of your recently used apps and move quickly between 'em — a

little less accessible than it used to be. But the Overview screen is actually still pretty easy to pull up, if you take the time to practice and master the associated gesture.

• The trick is to swipe up in a straight line from the bottom of the screen and then stop and lift your finger quickly after about an inch — right where the top of the shaded card with the search box and app suggestions

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5. Tap into Overview's hidden swipe option Make yourself a mental note: Once you're in the Overview area, you can tap on any app's card to

open it — or, in what I find to be a faster and more natural-feeling move, you can swipe down on the card to accomplish the same thing. That way, you go from the quick swipe up to open Overview (and perhaps a short swipe over

to find the card you want) right into another similar swipe gesture.

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6. Don't overlook Overview's other cardswiping possibility In addition to being able to swipe down on an app to open it from Overview, you can swipe up on any Overview card to dismiss it entirely out of view. Contrary to common belief, there's really no real performance-related benefit to doing that — this isn't Windows we're talkin' about, after all — but it can still be a satisfying way to clear out clutter and increase your efficiency, especially if you encounter an app in your list that you know you won't be Your Logoto or Name Here soon.

7 going back anytime

• Another hidden Overview trick: While looking at your list of recently used apps, in addition to swiping directly along the cards themselves, you can swipe on the bottom navigation bar to move through your apps and find the one you want. A gentle, short swipe will move left or right one app at a time — while a harder, longer swipe

7. Swipe through apps in Overview the secret way

(ooh, baby) will quickly move you from the start of the list to the end.

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