Google initially began developing a predictive back gesture feature in Android 13 that allowed users to see if the back gesture would return them to the main screen after quitting the program. This feature has been expanded in Android 14 and allows users to see which screen the back gesture would take them in the app or if it takes them to the previous app in the back layer.
After almost a year of testing, the predictive back gesture is ready. When you swipe back in an app that supports this feature, it’ll allow you to return to it before you finish the swipe. As the name suggests, you can use it if you’ve got Android’s gesture navigation system enabled on your smartphone and not in the button navigation.
These previews only appear in apps that support them. Currently, only Settings, Phone, Clock, and other system apps support the feature and there are many apps that don’t.
How to enable Predictive Back Gesture in Android 14
In Android 14, predictive back animations or gestures have been disabled by default. To get started with this feature, you will need to enable developer settings. After that, turn on the feature in the Developer Options settings. Here are the steps to follow for enabling Predictive Back Gesture in Android 14 –
- Open the Settings app on your Android 14 smartphone
- Look for the “About Phone” option and then tap to open it
- Search the build number and click on it multiple times until you get the prompt telling you that you’re now a Developer
- Now, return to the main Settings page
- Tap on “System” and select Developer Options
- Scroll down until you’ve got “Predictive Back Animations”
- You could also look for it by using the search box
- After you find it, turn on the toggle beside it and then tap OK
Once you have done that, you’ll get a preview of the previous pages on the supported apps when using the swipe-back gesture.
Pic credit – www.phonearena.com
