Pixel 4a Size

[Morty2264]

You can add the navigation buttons to your screen. Go into settings and search for "navigation". Click on " System Navigation/Gesture Navigation". There you can choose "3 button navigation". The three buttons will appear at the bottom of the screen.

I remember I tried the gestures on my Pixel 2 for a while - maybe four or five days, I forget. They were okay, but I much preferred the button navigation. It's great that you still have the option to choose between the two.

 

[J Dubbs]

I remember I tried the gestures on my Pixel 2 for a while - maybe four or five days, I forget. They were okay, but I much preferred the button navigation. It's great that you still have the option to choose between the two.

Yep 3 button for me as well..... I mostly use Bluetooth and voice commands, but when I need to touch the screen I use a stylus because I have big hands and it's more precise. Gestures and a stylus didn't work too well for me lol.

 

[Smokeaire]

I remember I tried the gestures on my Pixel 2 for a while - maybe four or five days, I forget. They were okay, but I much preferred the button navigation. It's great that you still have the option to choose between the two.

You might want to give swipe gestures another try when Android 11 drops. I'm on Beta 3 and I like how the swipe gesture feature has been changed.
At least it is easy to change from one method to another.

 

[vzwuser76]

You might want to give swipe gestures another try when Android 11 drops. I'm on Beta 3 and I like how the swipe gesture feature has been changed.
At least it is easy to change from one method to another.

What did they change if you don't mind me asking.

 

[Smokeaire]

What did they change if you don't mind me asking.

I knew someone was going to ask that. I only had my Pixel 4a for a week or so before installing Android 11 Beta 3 so I really don't remember exactly how it differs. Previously you swiped up the home screen but now you swipe up from the bottom of the screen. Correct me if I'm misremembering the previous way.
I did have to readjust to the new way. I like it better. I suggest you watch some YouTube videos on A11Beta3 updated and new features.

 

[vzwuser76]

I knew someone was going to ask that. I only had my Pixel 4a for a week or so before installing Android 11 Beta 3 so I really don't remember exactly how it differs. Previously you swiped up the home screen but now you swipe up from the bottom of the screen. Correct me if I'm misremembering the previous way.
I did have to readjust to the new way. I like it better. I suggest you watch some YouTube videos on A11Beta3 updated and new features.

AFAIK you always had to swipe up from the bottom of the screen in an app or browser to get the home screen. Otherwise if you were in an app or browser that is scrollable, you'd have mistaken jumps to the home screen, which would be a real PITA.

Now on the home screen you can swipe from anywhere on the screen (swipe up for the app drawer, swipe down for the notification shade).

P.S. I did a search as you suggested, and the only thing I could find related to gesture navigation was the ability to adjust back gesture sensitivity. For example, sometimes you do a sideswipe for the hamburger menu, and you end up triggering a back gesture. I don't know how this will work, but I didn't see anything related to home screen and gestures on several sites I read.

 

[barondebxl]

This size is so perfect

 

[Smokeaire]

AFAIK you always had to swipe up from the bottom of the screen in an app or browser to get the home screen. Otherwise if you were in an app or browser that is scrollable, you'd have mistaken jumps to the home screen, which would be a real PITA.

Now on the home screen you can swipe from anywhere on the screen (swipe up for the app drawer, swipe down for the notification shade).

P.S. I did a search as you suggested, and the only thing I could find related to gesture navigation was the ability to adjust back gesture sensitivity. For example, sometimes you do a sideswipe for the hamburger menu, and you end up triggering a back gesture. I don't know how this will work, but I didn't see anything related to home screen and gestures on several sites I read.

Here are some YouTube video links:
https://youtu.be/8yf4MeJQ6Ac
https://youtu.be/F-HCt0HSfnA

I believe these will explain the new gesture features better than I did. There are plenty of other videos on A11Beta3.

 

[vzwuser76]

Here are some YouTube video links:
https://youtu.be/8yf4MeJQ6Ac
https://youtu.be/F-HCt0HSfnA

I believe these will explain the new gesture features better than I did. There are plenty of other videos on A11Beta3.

Neither said anything about gestures. They both talked about the new power menu, media players in the quick settings, & the Android 11 easter egg. But nothing about gestures.

 

[Morty2264]

You might want to give swipe gestures another try when Android 11 drops. I'm on Beta 3 and I like how the swipe gesture feature has been changed.
At least it is easy to change from one method to another.

Thank you, I will! Admittedly, things were going okay, but I struggled a lot with minimizing my Netflix app to that picture-in-display thing. And I feel like it was difficult to undo years of muscle memory! But I didn't mind gestures, and I will give them a go next time!

 

[Smokeaire]

Neither said anything about gestures. They both talked about the new power menu, media players in the quick settings, & the Android 11 easter egg. But nothing about gestures.

Found one. Go to around 3:45 if you don't want to see some other new features.
https://youtu.be/-sEJUdytWFg
Notice the small horizontal bar at the bottom of the screen. That is where you swipe up from to open recent apps. Swiping up from the middle of rhe home screen brings up the app tray.

 

[vzwuser76]

Found one. Go to around 3:45 if you don't want to see some other new features.
https://youtu.be/-sEJUdytWFg
Notice the small horizontal bar at the bottom of the screen. That is where you swipe up from to open recent apps. Swiping up from the middle of rhe home screen brings up the app tray.

That's how it is now. The short bar in the bottom middle of the screen has been that way since I switched to gestures on my Pixel 3 and it's the same on my Pixel 4a.

What he talking about is that now if you swipe and hold to get the app switcher, there are 2 main differences (one of which he didn't talk about). He talked about how you can no longer get the app drawer by swiping a second time in the app switcher. What he didn't mention is that those 3 shortcuts, snapshot, select, and share, are replacing the shortcuts to your 5 recently used apps. Which sucks for me because I use that a lot.

But as far as the bar being there, that's been that way since I switched to gestures almost a year or so ago. Trust me, I've been using it pretty much since they allowed their use on Pixels other than the 4/4XL.

As for swiping from the middle of the screen, that's been that way for awhile, if not since they introduced gestures. It's nice as that allows more one handed use on larger devices so you don't have to reach all the way down or all the way up to open the app drawer and notification shade respectively.

 

[anon(50597)]

That's how it is now. The short bar in the bottom middle of the screen has been that way since I switched to gestures on my Pixel 3 and it's the same on my Pixel 4a.

What he talking about is that now if you swipe and hold to get the app switcher, there are 2 main differences (one of which he didn't talk about). He talked about how you can no longer get the app drawer by swiping a second time in the app switcher. What he didn't mention is that those 3 shortcuts, snapshot, select, and share, are replacing the shortcuts to your 5 recently used apps. Which sucks for me because I use that a lot.

But as far as the bar being there, that's been that way since I switched to gestures almost a year or so ago. Trust me, I've been using it pretty much since they allowed their use on Pixels other than the 4/4XL.

As for swiping from the middle of the screen, that's been that way for awhile, if not since they introduced gestures. It's nice as that allows more one handed use on larger devices so you don't have to reach all the way down or all the way up to open the app drawer and notification shade respectively.

Aren't the 5 most recently used apps at the top of the app drawer?

 

[Smokeaire]

That's how it is now. The short bar in the bottom middle of the screen has been that way since I switched to gestures on my Pixel 3 and it's the same on my Pixel 4a.

What he talking about is that now if you swipe and hold to get the app switcher, there are 2 main differences (one of which he didn't talk about). He talked about how you can no longer get the app drawer by swiping a second time in the app switcher. What he didn't mention is that those 3 shortcuts, snapshot, select, and share, are replacing the shortcuts to your 5 recently used apps. Which sucks for me because I use that a lot.

But as far as the bar being there, that's been that way since I switched to gestures almost a year or so ago. Trust me, I've been using it pretty much since they allowed their use on Pixels other than the 4/4XL.

As for swiping from the middle of the screen, that's been that way for awhile, if not since they introduced gestures. It's nice as that allows more one handed use on larger devices so you don't have to reach all the way down or all the way up to open the app drawer and notification shade respectively.

I'm referring to the small white horizontal bar that is under the very bottom Google search bar.
On my wife's Pixel 4a the white bar is only there under certain conditions.
On my phone with A11B3 the small white bar is always at the very bottom no matter what screen is showing.
In my wife's Pixel 4a the small horizontal

 

[vzwuser76]

I'm referring to the small white horizontal bar that is under the very bottom Google search bar.
On my wife's Pixel 4a the white bar is only there under certain conditions.
On my phone with A11B3 the small white bar is always at the very bottom no matter what screen is showing.
In my wife's Pixel 4a the small horizontal

I kinda see what you're saying now. I just did a check, and for the most part, the white bar is there all the time. The only time it isn't there is in certain apps. I've got an old version of Quick pic, and when viewing a photo, it disappears until you touch the screen, then both the white bar and the status bar appear. On Solitaire, the white bar disappears the entire time the app is on the screen. To get it back, you have to do kind of a short upward swipe from the bottom of the screen, then a second swipe to go to the home screen.

I think until I get it and experience it for myself, it's going to be hard to see what you're referring to.

 

[vzwuser76]

Aren't the 5 most recently used apps at the top of the app drawer?

It is. But it seems to me I noticed that sometimes the 5 apps at the bottom of the app switcher and the ones at the top of the app drawer were different at times. That might've been awhile back and I just didn't notice it changed though.

 

[Smokeaire]

I kinda see what you're saying now. I just did a check, and for the most part, the white bar is there all the time. The only time it isn't there is in certain apps. I've got an old version of Quick pic, and when viewing a photo, it disappears until you touch the screen, then both the white bar and the status bar appear. On Solitaire, the white bar disappears the entire time the app is on the screen. To get it back, you have to do kind of a short upward swipe from the bottom of the screen, then a second swipe to go to the home screen.

I think until I get it and experience it for myself, it's going to be hard to see what you're referring to.

I tried taking some screenshots but unfortunately the little white bar doesn't appear in those. Curious.
Speaking of taking screenshots I'm not sure I like the new A11 way of doing it. I can't figure out how to take one of my home screen. Grrr! More research needed.

 

[vzwuser76]

I tried taking some screenshots but unfortunately the little white bar doesn't appear in those. Curious.
Speaking of taking screenshots I'm not sure I like the new A11 way of doing it. I can't figure out how to take one of my home screen. Grrr! More research needed.

It says in the video you last posted that pressing the power and volume down button still works exactly as it does now. The difference between the new screenshot and the one we currently have is that the old way takes an image of the entire display, including the status bar and so on. The new way on captures what you see on the floating card in the app switcher. But when he was explaining about screenshots in the video, he says you can still use the old way (power + volume down buttons) and capture everything.

 

[Smokeaire]

It says in the video you last posted that pressing the power and volume down button still works exactly as it does now. The difference between the new screenshot and the one we currently have is that the old way takes an image of the entire display, including the status bar and so on. The new way on captures what you see on the floating card in the app switcher. But when he was explaining about screenshots in the video, he says you can still use the old way (power + volume down buttons) and capture everything.

I must have missed that part.
So below are two shots showing the bottom horizontal bar. Home screen and your post in Tapatalk. That is where you swipe up from for the recent app screen.

 

[vzwuser76]

I must have missed that part.
So below are two shots showing the bottom horizontal bar. Home screen and your post in Tapatalk. That is where you swipe up from for the recent app screen.

Like I said, AFAIK you always swipe from the bottom, unless you want the app drawer or notification shade. I have that bar on the bottom as well and I'm on Android 10. So far the only thing I've seen as different is what I referenced from the last video you posted.