What to know

  • Android 14’s in-app predictive back gesture is now live on the Gmail app.
  • Predictive back gesture lets users see the screen they’re swiping back to.
  • Predictive back gesture is expected to be enabled system-wide on Android 14 in upcoming updates. 

Ever find yourself leaving an app by mistake because you swiped back once too often? Such accidents will soon become avoidable on Android 14 with a predictive back gesture that will show the screen you’re swiping back to while you’re doing so. Although predictive back gesture isn’t enabled across the system, it is live on Gmail for Android. 

When you close an email on Gmail, you’ll see the predictive back gesture in action. As you swipe back, the email will shrink in size as though it’s decoupled from the main app screen and you will see the transition animation showing where you’re swiping back to. 

Predictive back gesture was supposed to be an Android 14 feature from the start. But the fact that it’s not enabled system-wide may mean that Google is behind the eight ball. However, with the feature now live on Gmail for Android version 2024.03.03.x, one can expect it to go live system-wide soon enough.