One of the things that we can expect from Android Q, or at least in this iteration of their beta program, is swiping from the side of the screen as a back “button” for your device. Owners of OnePlus devices that are running on Hydrogen OS, the Chinese version of their OxygenOS, will now be able to experience this gesture if they’re on the beta channel of the platform. They are now testing this out but will probably be replaced when Android Q eventually gets released later this year.
The beta channel of HydrogenOS lets users test out new features at the risk of it not being that stable yet. It’s meant of course to check for bugs and even the response of users. One of these things that they’re now seeing is a gesture that lets you go back to your previous screen simply by swiping from the side of the screen instead of pressing the back button at the bottom of the screen.
It may be a small thing but with screens getting bigger all the time, including the OnePlus 7 Pro’s 6.67-inch screen, it can sometimes be hard to navigate and reach certain buttons especially if your hands are small. Having a gesture like this where you can just swipe from the side is very helpful.
A video posted by user JelleZon on the OnePlus forums shows the swipe gesture being used at 3:30. The phone being used is the OnePlus 7 Pro and it’s running on Android 9.0 Pie. This will probably become sort of useless when Android Q is released since it will have the gesture by default anyway.
As to when we’ll see Android Q, there isn’t any official announcement yet as to when it will roll out or even what that Q stands for. It will probably be August so expect more rumors over the next couple of months.
