Google wants OEMs to hide their custom gesture navigation systems

Google is pushing for a more streamlined navigation system in Android, and to achieve that, they will be tying OEMs’ hands behind their back. Google has been developing their own navigation gestures, and they want OEMs to use them.

They aren’t banning OEMs from making their own gesture navigation system, but OEMs will now have to offer Android 10’s new gestures as well as the traditional three-button navigation system more prominently. Google wants OEMs to hide their custom gesture navigation systems deeper in the settings menus.

OEMs are not going to be able to offer their own gesture navigation systems in the setup wizards that most phones have when you turn on your new phone, and most definitely not as the default navigation method. These new rules are apparently part of the latest version of the Google Mobile Services (GMS) agreement that 9to5Google got a copy of.

Xiaomi and HUAWEI users probably have nothing to worry about, given how similar Android 10’s gestures are to MIUI 10’s, but those coming from recent Samsung devices might have to relearn how to use the Android 10 gestures.

I do welcome Google’s implementation of their new Android 10 gestures, as swiping from the side is definitely a lot more intuitive than having to reach down and swipe upwards to go back. However I do find the way Google enforces that OEMs now have to hide their own gestures away from prime time a bit heavy handed.

Well, at least they didn’t try to enforce the unsightly pill navigation onto everyone. That one would have been quite unacceptable for me. Who had the bright idea that having a pill for gestures and yet having a dedicated back button was good?

Pokdepinion: Well, a major complaint that a lot of iPhone users have about Android devices is that the experience can be entirely different on devices from different OEMs, so perhaps this should solve that pain point. Although that does take away the uniqueness of each OEM’s skin.