A few months ago, OnePlus added gesture navigation on the OnePlus 5T through one of its betas. Now, thanks to the OnePlus Italia Facebook account, it is confirmed that this feature will be standard on the OnePlus 6, becoming an integral part of their user experience.
The OnePlus 6 will feature gesture navigation as confirmed by OnePlus Italia's Facebook
Either by mistake or on purpose, the Italian branch of OnePlus seems to have been ahead of the bill and has confirmed through a teaser that the OnePlus 6 will feature gesture navigation. It is not only the video, but the publication is accompanied by the text «Velocizza your experience begins with gestures. # OnePlus6 »which makes it clear that the brand wants speed up interaction with the system replacing the classic buttons.
Below you can see the video teaser, which suggests some of the gestures that can be performed and how these replace the traditional navigation bar:
The existence of this feature is a logical step Looking at the current state of mobile phones, bezel-less devices and elongated screens are all the rage, aiming to condense the mobile phone experience and make it more immersive. Following the disappearance of other elements like bottom-mounted buttons and front-facing fingerprint sensors, we're seeing new ideas pursuing the same goal: make the most of the screen.
One of these ideas is the fingerprint sensor under the panel, which has already debuted Living, and another is the gesture navigationThis last point is not entirely new in the world of mobile technology: in the past there were already systems like Palm Pre that relied on gestures, but it has been the rise of high-end smartphones that has consolidated its use on a large scale.
Gesture navigation eliminates any need to use buttons on the screen. This would allow to gain more space with which to display other elements, a design idea that has led many manufacturers to choose to introduce a notch on their mobile phones to gain screen space. It is under these same parameters that the search to eliminate everything unnecessary from the front of these devices is understood, leaving the content and applications as the main focus.
There's no doubt, however, that the iPhone X deserves credit in all of this. The device established very clear principles with its notch and on-screen gestures, and we've seen how other manufacturers have gradually followed suit. The same has happened with facial recognition and even Animoji, so it's undeniable that, despite its lower sales volume, the ideas of the iPhone X They have gained validity over time and influence the design of other manufacturers.
How gesture navigation works on the OnePlus 6
The OnePlus 6 inherits the idea of gestures from the OnePlus 5TBut it integrates it more seamlessly into OxygenOS. Instead of relying on the classic three navigation buttons (Back, Home, and Recents), the system allows you to use slides from the lower edge from the screen to control the entire system.
The philosophy behind it is simple: replace each traditional button through an intuitive gesture. Although the exact configuration may vary depending on the OxygenOS version, the following interaction zones are typically used:
- LOWER CENTRAL ZONE: It is usually dedicated to the gesture of going to Home, with a swipe upwards from the center of the bottom of the screen.
- LOWER LEFT AREA: designed to activate the Back function with a swipe from this area, replicating the behavior of the back button.
- LOWER RIGHT AREA: It can be associated with the Recents view or with other actions, depending on the specific configuration of each software version.
In many cases, the system also allows advanced gestures such as swiping and holding, or double-tapping the detection zone. These types of interactions are used to launch additional functions (for example, the assistant, opening a specific app, or activating quick switching between applications) without using more on-screen buttons.
The key is that the user can largely customize how they want these gestures to respond, something very much in line with OnePlus's philosophy, which has always been committed to giving the user control without sacrificing simplicity.
Advantages and disadvantages of gestures versus buttons
The shift from physical and virtual buttons to gestures has been years in the making. Throughout Android's history, it has gone through... physical buttonshaptic buttons and, finally, virtual on-screen buttons. Gesture navigation represents the next step in this evolution, with a number of clear benefits:
- More usable screen spaceBy removing the navigation bar, more space is gained for content, something especially noticeable on elongated screens.
- more immersive experienceGestures allow the interface to visually disappear and the user to focus on what they are seeing or doing.
- Cleaner designManufacturers can opt for more minimalist fronts, without extra elements occupying part of the panel.
However, there are also drawbacks And points to consider. Users accustomed for years to the three buttons may find a slight learning curve. Also, on some Android phones, the Home gesture is perceived as slowest traveller than pressing a physical or virtual button, which leads many to continue preferring the classic three-button navigation, especially if they use custom launchers like Nova Launcher.
In those cases, switching between applications using buttons can be faster than relying on poorly optimized gesture animations. That's why it's important that the the implementation The gestures, like the one proposed by OnePlus, should be fluid enough for the user to perceive a real improvement and not a step backward in speed.
Use OnePlus 6-style gestures on other Android phones
The success of the OnePlus 6's gestures has led many users to want replicate that experience on other Android devices. As is often the case when a mobile feature is well-received, some developers have created specific applications to emulate this behavior.
An example is the app OnePlus GesturesThis feature allows the use of a gesture system very similar to that of the OnePlus 6 on smartphones from other manufacturers. It works by creating a detection zone at the bottom of the screen and associating different gestures with specific system actions.
For the application to function correctly, it is necessary to grant it accessibility permissionsso that they can interact with what's happening on screen at any time. Once granted, the user can configure the app in considerable detail:
- The zones are divided into left, center and right at the bottom of the screen.
- In each zone, two main actions can be assigned: swipe up and swipe and hold.
- It is possible to add secondary actions using the double tap over the detection zone.
- The detection bar can be made visible or invisible, according to the user's preference.
- The active zone width to avoid accidental touches or, on the contrary, to facilitate its use.
All of this allows the gestures to be adapted to the needs of each person and avoid conflicts with other gestures specific to the manufacturer's customization layer. For example, on some Huawei phones, the central swipe gesture is used to launch Google Assistant, so it's best not to assign it to the home screen function to avoid unwanted actions.
The app usually offers very smooth operation and, although it's a paid app, the price is quite a lot of content for the type of utility it offers. The only aspect to watch out for is the energySince it is permanently active in the background, it can use slightly more battery than standard browsing, especially on phones with lower battery capacity or with many apps running simultaneously.
All of this context makes the gesture navigation of the OnePlus 6 not just another feature, but a a key Following the current Android trend: making better use of the screen, offering greater fluidity, and giving options to users who want a different experience, whether on a OnePlus or any other compatible device.