10 tricks for making the most of Android gestures

Getting around Android isn’t what it used to be. Google has made some serious changes to the Android navigation experience over the past few years, going from the old-style three-button set-up to a clunky early gesture model in Android 9, then a whole other new gesture system in Android 10, and finally some slightly refined versions of that same gesture model with Android 11, 12 and beyond.

It’s enough to make anyone’s head spin – and whether you’re a card-carrying Android nerd or someone who’s just reluctantly trying to figure out the ins and outs of your phone’s ever-evolving navigation system, there’s almost certainly more you could be doing to make the most of Android’s current gesture arrangement.

I’ve been fiddling around obsessively with Android gestures for what feels like 642 years now, and along the way, I’ve stumbled onto some pretty helpful tricks for tapping into their many layers and hidden possibilities. Here are 10 Android gesture tips that’ll let you move around your phone like a pro.

(Note that these tips apply specifically to Google’s