[Discussion] What do you think of the new gestures in Android Q?

Android Q’s third beta is now out for a number of devices—just like Android Pie‘s beta from last year, this beta build was released on several devices from multiple manufacturers, including those from OnePlus, Xiaomi, LG, and more. It was even released in the form of a GSI build so everyone can go ahead and try it out on any Treble-compliant device. This new beta of Android Q is, for the most part, just a refinement update bringing substantial improvements on most of the stuff we’ve seen previously, including the all-new system-wide dark theme. And one of the most noteworthy things that we’ll see launching with Q is reworked screen gestures.

We saw Google introduce screen gestures back on Android Pie, but they weren’t exactly the best or the most intuitive solution. In fact, they were criticized by some because they felt like an incomplete solution. After all, they weren’t fully gestural. There was still a back button, and it still took up the same space as regular navigation buttons, so users didn’t really have an added advantage by using gestures over buttons—it was just a preference thing. The new Android Q gestures try to address this. They now take up a lot less space than the previous gestures, and they function pretty similarly to Apple’s gestures and our own Navigation Gestures app.

In their current state, they’re a pretty buggy and unreliable solution. But they will get more polished and overall better throughout the final betas, which are set to come in the following months, and they will surely become a workable alternative by the launch of the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, where they will be a central feature. These new gestures will also be required on Android Q handsets going forward, though OEMs can still include their own navigation systems.

Now, we want to ask you, what do you think about Google’s new gesture system in Android Q? Do you like them or are you more of a button person? Let us know down in the comments.

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