In this guide, we’ll show you how to open and use the new gesture navigation controls in Android 9 Pie. Google’s latest operating system introduces a whole new way to control our Android phones with swipes and gestures. Similar to iPhone X. Here’s what you need to know about gestures in Pie, how to use them, and more importantly, how to turn them off.
After a long beta period, Google released Android 9 in early August 2018. By default, no phone uses the gesture navigation system. Instead it is optional and owners must turn it on. However, on all phones starting with the Pixel 3 and running Android 9 out of the box, the gesture navigation controls will be on right out of the box.
This is a big change in the way we interact with our Android phones; so Google disabled this feature in beta and Pixel. If you want to try it, you have to manually enable the Android 9 gesture controls. Here’s how to get started.
How To Unlock Android 9 Gesture Controls
It will take some getting used to these new controls, that’s for sure. While this is the future of Android, you’d better get started right now. Here’s how to turn them on or off.
You’ll see a few different motion control options here, and most of them aren’t new. You can swipe the fingerprint scanner to open the notification bar and do a few other things.
However, “swipe up on home button” is new and you will see an instant difference when you enable it. You lose the back, home and recents button at the bottom of your phone. There is now a single “pill-shaped” icon that controls everything.
How to Use Motion Controls
This is the new gesture navigation controls in Android 9 Pie and it moves forward. Again, you don’t have to use it right now, but it will be the only way to navigate Android devices in the future.
For the most part, everything works as before. The pill-shaped icon is still the home button. Just like the old circle home button, you can tap to go home or long press for Google Assistant. When inside an app, a “back” button will appear on the left, but only when the operating system really needs a back button.
Swipe up from the pill button about halfway down the screen to enter your recent apps list. This way you can easily multitask and switch between running apps or Google Chrome tabs. When you swipe up faster (or more), you’ll open the app tray just like you did on Android 8.0 Oreo.
Try holding and swiping the pill-shaped home button, which will easily and quickly scroll through all your running apps.
As a bonus tip, you can instantly go back to the app you last used by swiping right. Let’s say you’re writing an email and you left the message to check the date or reply to a text message. Swipe the button right from the home screen or any screen. It will immediately open the last app you were using.
If you don’t like these new Android 9 navigation gesture controls, you can get rid of them on some phones. Follow the same steps above and go to and . With the launch of the Google Pixel 3, these will be the only ways to control the phone, so get to know them. As the screens get bigger and the bezels get smaller, there is no room for buttons. Motion controls will come.
