Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL; DR
- Android 14 introduced a new predictive back gesture, but Google didn’t enable it by default system-wide.
- If you want to preview the feature, an in-app version of this predictive backward gesture is now available in the Gmail app for Android on Android 14 devices.
- The predictive backward gesture is intended to address situations where users would leave the app by mistake, so they now have a better visual indication of where they will land during the animation.
One of the standout features of Android 14 was supposed to be the new predictive backward gesture, but Google hasn’t yet moved to enable it system-wide. If you want to preview the feature to see how much better it is than the default Android back gesture, you can now try out the app version of the gesture in the Gmail app on your Android 14 smartphone.
As 9to5Google Notably, Gmail for Android with version 2024.03.03.x includes the implementation of the predictive backward gesture. Android 14 introduced support for custom transitions and in-app animations, so Gmail uses it to display a predictive backward gesture when you close an email.
Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority
Predictive motion preview back in the Gmail app
When you swipe back on an open email conversation, you can see the email collapse into a smaller window as part of the transition animation.
This is similar to the predictive back gesture in Android 14, which shows a preview of the home screen as you would swipe back from the app’s basic home page. The gesture is intended to address situations where users would leave the app by mistake, so they now have a better visual indication of where they will land during the animation. Predictive in-app backtracking, in the Gmail app in this case, provides a visual cue to the user leaving a specific email and landing on the main email list page in the Gmail app.
The report says that Gmail’s implementation joins similar implementations in Google Calendar’s schedule or day view and playlist actions in YouTube Music. Note that you’ll need an Android 14 device to see this feature, although the report specifically mentions Pixel and Samsung devices.