Android 16 might convey new performance to three-button navigation

I’m certain this has occurred to you at the least as soon as up to now: You press Android’s again button, and as a substitute of an app taking you to the display you have been anticipating, the button exits the app totally. That is irritating for customers as it may trigger them to lose progress, and it’s additionally irritating for builders because it reduces utilization. To resolve this downside, Google created predictive again, a characteristic that allows you to preview the place navigating again will really take you. Presently, predictive again doesn’t work in case you use three-button navigation, however that’s set to vary on this 12 months’s Android 16 replace.

Predictive again is a characteristic that Google has been engaged on for a number of years now. It was first launched as a developer possibility in Android 13 and have become enabled by default in Android 15. It helps you to preview the vacation spot of the again gesture earlier than you absolutely full it, permitting you to resolve whether or not to decide to going again or to remain on the present display. If going again will take you to your telephone’s residence display, you’ll even see a preview of your present residence display as you swipe inward, making it a lot much less doubtless you’ll by chance exit an app.

Google designed predictive again for gesture navigation, which is the meant methodology of navigation on Android. For accessibility causes, nevertheless, Android nonetheless helps the outdated three-button navigation methodology that’s been round for greater than a decade. Many customers favor three-button navigation for its velocity and ease, so it’s nonetheless fairly well-liked.

Due to this, Google is trying to convey predictive again help to three-button navigation in Android 16. With some tinkering within the second developer preview of Android 16, I managed to activate an early preview of this new habits. As you possibly can see within the video embedded beneath, after I press and maintain the again button, I’m capable of see what web page I’ll land on subsequent after I let go of the button. This even works in apps that help predictive again, akin to Google Calendar. Nevertheless, I’m presently unable to see a preview of the house display when going again. I feel that is occurring as a result of it’s both only a bug or unfinished work, although. The back-to-home animation will doubtless work as soon as predictive again help formally rolls out for three-button navigation customers.

I don’t know when Google will convey predictive again help to the three-button navigation methodology, however I’d be shocked if it doesn’t make it into Android 16. Android 16 is predicted within the second quarter of this 12 months, however this new habits could seem earlier than the secure launch. It might very effectively go reside within the first beta of Android 16, for instance, which is scheduled for later this month.

Predictive again help isn’t the one improve coming to three-button navigation in Android 16. Google can be growing a new nook swipe gesture that allows you to invoke the default assistant when utilizing three-button navigation. Further adjustments to three-button navigation can be good to have, together with the extremely requested capability to swap the order of again and up to date buttons.