I hate the Pie update.

[Bobert_123]

Having use to be a big BB10 fan, I really enjoyed using the gestures. Definitely not on par with Blackberry, but it works well. After a few days I've become used to it and prefer it to Oreo.

With that being said, my Pixel 2 XL worked perfectly for 8 months without a single issue before this update. After the Pie update however, performance has definitely taken a hit. Hopefully Google releases some mini update that helps.

 

[gebco]

Having use to be a big BB10 fan, I really enjoyed using the gestures. Definitely not on par with Blackberry, but it works well. After a few days I've become used to it and prefer it to Oreo.

With that being said, my Pixel 2 XL worked perfectly for 8 months without a single issue before this update. After the Pie update however, performance has definitely taken a hit. Hopefully Google releases some mini update that helps.

I just came from BB10 as well and the Priv most recently. I also appreciate the gestures and like how the row above the search bar populates with the 5 of the most recently used apps. Makes going back and forth a breeze.

 

[Ca_lvn]

How is it on the OnePlus? I assume the same or did they do some further tweaks?

Same but you have Oxyogen OS with it so a bit more tweaking available

 

[Obsidian OG]

I've been using the gestures since the beta releases. I got used to it by the next day if not sooner. That's not to say that it should be that way for everyone. Maybe I'm just easy to please.

I have been doing the same and throughout the 4 betas and they improved it so much. If the OP tried using the first release he would have truly lost it. The pick up point for the swipe up got in the way, there was no "clear all" for recents and I don't think there was a simple gesture to get to the last app used at one point as well.

I do wish they would add in some more gesture functions and a bit of customization into it though.

... So I go in and swipe away all the other apps (or simply 'Clear all' and then open the ones I need) so that when I use the 'Recents' button I can easily switch between the ones I need to utilize without all these other apps being in the queue. YMMV.

I went on a "I'm going to try to use all stock apps/launcher" binge, when the beta dropped and The Nav bar was the toughest to stomach by far. But you truly just need to give it a few days and you're muscle memory adjusts. I'm still working out the recents button delete though.

I do agree with some of what you're saying though. Because they did put the clear all in the wrong place within the new recents area. But, like I said above, at least there is one now. I'm with you on a lot of the rest. There is no reason to not have a dedicated button for recents, or they could at least option it in. Because the screen just looks lopsided with nothing next to the back button (which is almost always there)

That's a good use case scenario, but you're (not) using the Recent Apps/Overview feature the way it was really intended to be -- a way to switch easily between recent apps, and not as a way to close apps to "clean RAM."

Recent apps was made just for that... Too access recent apps and switch between them. While I agree that it's main purpose wasn't to clear the apps, it truly has become integral to it. Even more so now, due to the lack of control the slider has. If the slider gets better I won't have as much of a problem with removal of a dedicated button. But when you're in a quick use situation and try to get the 3rd previous app, only to end up selecting the 7th app, it gets really frustrating.

They only thing I can think of is that they are trying to get ready for a single button interface and with that I agree with the "don't become Apple" comments.

 

[bonnie100th]

I really like Android Pie, easy to use, not difficult at all. IDK if it's better than the old Oreo, but quite frankly both versions are winners in my book. Go Google!

 

[hallux]

I'm getting used to it. The battery life, for me, has been an improvement.

I took my phone off charge at 11 last night, read some articles on my Google Now feed (as Digital Wellbeing was slowly changing the screen color, kind of freaky), went to bed at 98%. Woke up 6 hours later to 94% (yes, that's right). By the time I'd had breakfast, let it settle, gone out for a walk (using the phone for music over Bluetooth and tracking the walk with Google Fit) then come home and cleaned up I still had 83% left. Can't complain.

I immediately switched to the new navigation and have gotten used to it. I also like the shortcuts to frequent "things" in the app drawer. I have one for Google Fit and one to my library in Play Music right now.

 

[Theot]

The gesture navigation has been a deal breaker for me until I'm able to add or customize gestures on the entire launcher. Still baffles me why swipe down anywhere on the home screen to pull down notifications isn't a feature/option. That right there has me installing Nova first thing and until third party launchers can use the gesture navigation bar I'll be using the buttons. If they eliminate buttons before then I'll go somewhere else for my devices.

As for performance in Pie, a factory reset fixed all my issues. Mine flies and the battery life is great.

 

[cbreze]

My notification shade comes down with a swipe, no problem. Just swipe from near the top bar. When in a web site I'd not want it to work from center screen. I'm not seeing the problem with it as is.

 

[B. Diddy]

You can also still set it so that swiping down on the fingerprint sensor brings down the notification panel.

 

[davidnc]

I love the new gestures

 

[elshagon]

I don't mind the gestures at all, took me 5 minutes to get used to. I think some of the responses are amusing: "how dare they give us an option to use gestures or go the old way! That's it Google, options are a deal breaker!"

 

[Theot]

My notification shade comes down with a swipe, no problem. Just swipe from near the top bar. When in a web site I'd not want it to work from center screen. I'm not seeing the problem with it as is.

Yep and that's fine when I have both hands however it's very awkward for me to do that one handed as I can't reach it without almost dropping the phone.

You can also still set it so that swiping down on the fingerprint sensor brings down the notification panel.

Yeah I have that on but it's never worked real well for me, it's more of a last resort.

I think the bigger thing for me is the damn search bar you can't get rid of. I don't like reaching over it and I don't like looking at it. I'm just not a big "search" user.

 

[TraderGary]

Yep and that's fine when I have both hands however it's very awkward for me to do that one handed as I can't reach it without almost dropping the phone.Yeah I have that on but it's never worked real well for me, it's more of a last resort.

I think the bigger thing for me is the damn search bar you can't get rid of. I don't like reaching over it and I don't like looking at it. I'm just not a big "search" user.

When I got my Pixel 2 XL, the first thing I did was change from the Google launcher to the Nova Prime launcher. The next thing I did was get rid of "the damn search bar you can't get rid of"!

 

[Theot]

When I got my Pixel 2 XL, the first thing I did was change from the Google launcher to the Nova Prime launcher. The next thing I did was get rid of "the damn search bar you can't get rid of"!

Yeah it has no place on my screen, I don't need an entire row taken up by something I don't use much and I can do with one icon. So search is still accessable but it's just the icon.

I love Nova launcher. Swipe down for notifications, up for quick settings, two fingers down locks the phone, two fingers up opens photos (great quick access to show off the kids to family and friends) pinch in for weather, pinch out for the garage door opener, and double tap turns on or off my flashlight.

Pixel launcher can suck it lol.

 

[Mike Dee]

Yeah it has no place on my screen, I don't need an entire row taken up by something I don't use much and I can do with one icon. So search is still accessable but it's just the icon.

I love Nova launcher. Swipe down for notifications, up for quick settings, two fingers down locks the phone, two fingers up opens photos (great quick access to show off the kids to family and friends) pinch in for weather, pinch out for the garage door opener, and double tap turns on or off my flashlight.

Pixel launcher can suck it lol.

To each his own. I used to be a launcher fanatic and was using Nova till I got the Pixel. If I didn't use Pixel, Nova would be my choice.

 

[Gdraft#WN]

I hate my pie, it is pecan instead of Apple. And no ala mode.

But my phone still rocks, through every monthly update through every annual os update.

Wish ANY of my old phones did that......

Oh yeah, pixel is the only android phone out there that does this.

 

[Mike Dee]

I hate my pie, it is pecan instead of Apple. And no ala mode.

But my phone still rocks, through every monthly update through every annual os update.

Wish ANY of my old phones did that......

Oh yeah, pixel is the only android phone out there that does this.

It's ala mode proof.... No worries

 

[Theot]

To each his own. I used to be a launcher fanatic and was using Nova till I got the Pixel. If I didn't use Pixel, Nova would be my choice.

For sure. I just think the pixel launcher is lacking and could use a few more options.

 

[leemarkin]

I hate the update too. the gesture navigation and recent apps are terrible.

in pie u can only see ONE of your recent apps each time, and u can't tell what the next one will be, (u can guess, but u can't see the icons, so u need to guess), and it is just like reading a book with an iphone text magnifier............

if it is not worse enough, try use it in landscape mode, swipe right, left, up and down, depending on how u hold your phone....

Oh, and the split screen, they said pie is supposed to be more gesture-based, but actually it is less gesture-friendly and less intuitive than oreo, in the last version u just need to tap the recent button, then u can scroll through a list of apps, drag and drop and u r done, now we have to tap tap tap to do it, (just if u still want to argue, in Oreo, youtube keep playing when u split screen, now in Pie youtube will pause...)

 

[boxer2]

I don't care for the new gesture, seems less than fully polished. The dampening on the half swipe is not good. The loss of swiping up anywhere on the home screen to open the app drawer is disappointing.