Google introduced gesture-based navigation in Android 10, similar to the one introduced in iOS 11 when Apple launched the iPhone X back in 2017. While gesture-based navigation is definitely a welcome change, for using your device, especially in the era of bezel-less of smartphones, Google might not have done a stellar job in implementing this feature.
The gesture-based navigation in Android 10 was criticized by a lot of Android users for its lack of functionality and poor implementation. However, thankfully there are a few ways using which you can customize both the functionality and the features of the navigation gestures on Android 10 on your device. Even if your Android phone hasn’t still received the Android 10 update yet, you can still enable the gesture navigation feature of Android 10 by following the below steps.
How to customize Android 10 navigation gestures on any Android phone
Method 1: Customize navigation gestures in Android 10 using Gesture Plus
Gesture plus is an app developed specifically for customizing the navigation bar in Android 10 devices by adding new functionality and gestures and performing multiple actions besides basic navigation. Just follow the below steps to install the Gesture plus app on your Android 10 device and customize the navigation gestures.
Step 1:
First, download and install the gesturePlus – Gesture Navigation Tuner app on your Android 10 device.
Step 2:
The app can be customized to add new gestures to your navigation bar on both the home screen and lock screen of your device. You can also select between single or double-tap gestures based on your preference.
Step 3:
Once you have selected your preferred method, you can now choose between several actions to assign to the single or the double-tap gesture. The default single tap option is set to the back gesture, however, you can replace it with any action you like including opening the camera, calling someone, enabling or disabling the flashlight, taking a screenshot, or even launching any app installed on your device.
You can assign any of this action to either the single or the double-tap gesture and from both the home screen and the lock screen of your device using the Gesture plus app.
The app can also be used to disable the gesture to swiping on the edges of your device to go back entirely, and replace it with the single or double-tap on the navigation bar to go back gesture. This is especially useful if you are using an Android device with a large screen like the Samsung or the Google Pixel XL flagships.
Method 2: Get Android 10 navigation gestures and customize them on any Android phone
According to recent statistics, only about 12% of Android devices run the latest version of Android 10. So, if you are still on older versions of Android but would like to have the gesture-based navigation feature on your Android phone, then follow the below steps to both enable the navigation gestures and also to customize them.
Step 1:
First, download and install the Navigation Gestures – Swipe Gesture Controls app from the Google Play Store on your Android phone.
Step 2:
Open the app and grant the basic permissions like root access, accessibility permission and draw over other apps permission for displaying the navigation pill at the bottom of the screen, replacing the default navigation bar on your device.
Step 3:
Once you have granted the app all the necessary permissions you can now enable the gesture pill, left and right side gestures based on your preferences from the home screen of the app.
You can also enable the option to hide the navigation bar on your device if your Android phone uses software-based navigation buttons.
Step 4:
Now click on the settings icon at the top right corner of the app to customize the gestures of the navigation pill and the left and the right side gestures on your device. You can also modify the appearance of the pills by modifying their thickness or transparency from the settings screen.
Step 5:
Once you select the gestures option you can now assign your preferred navigation action to the navigation pill at the bottom, or the right or the left sidebars.
While the free version of the app only allows you to assign navigation based actions, you can purchase the premium version of the app to assign several other actions like media controls, taking screenshots, launching apps and more.
Method 3: Using Fluid Navigation Gestures app
You can also try using the alternative app called Fluid Navigation Gestures, which can also be set up by following similar instructions as above. The app also needs root access to function and offers several options to be assigned to the navigation gestures like launching quick settings, an app or a shortcut, toggling split-screen apps and more in the free version of the app.
If you do not have root access on your Android device but you still want to try out the above-mentioned apps, then you can use the ADB method to give them the necessary permission for enabling the app functionality. You can click this link to get detailed instructions on how to install ADB on your Windows, macOS, or Linux based machine.
Once you have installed the ADB on your computer, you can then connect your Android phone to your PC using your USB and then grant the necessary permissions for the app to function and to enable and customize the navigation gestures on your device.
Feel free to let us know in the comments below if you need any assistance in setting up the above-mentioned apps or if you face any problems in making them work.