According to technology experts, after 16 years, many Android smartphones still do not take full adv
antage of their touch screens.
Android smartphones have come a long way in the past 16 years. The first iPhone proved that using the entire to
uchscreen was the best solution.
However, despite Android and iOS phones becoming more and more similar, Apple's operating system still uses mu
lti-touch gestures in a way that Android doesn't.
Illustration photo.
Illustration photo.
For example, One UI lets you use a second finger to swap between home screens when moving app icons.
Google needs to standardize this feature in Android so we can all benefit.
iOS uses multi-touch to its full potential
Multi-touch gestures are everywhere in iOS 18 and iPadOS, making the most of the larger screens. In practice,
using a tablet on a stand is more difficult than using it in a normal situation with the tablet in your hand or on your lap.
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Thanks to multi-touch gestures, users don't have to reach down to the bottom edge of the screen to switc
h apps or return to the home screen. Users can simply swipe up with four fingers to return to the home screen. Swiping and holding opens the app switcher, and swiping right or left
switches between open apps. These gestures are available on both iPad and iPhone , drag and drop being the most obvious examples.
Android smartphones will benefit from better multi-touch capabilities
Android 7.0 Nougat added the ability to drag and drop text in 2016. However, Google's drag and drop feature is still as half-baked and incomplete as it was eight years ago.
Illustration photo.
Illustration photo.
The problem with Google's implementation is that the app needs to support this feature. On iOS devices
, any text can be dragged and dropped elsewhere, while Android apps need to support this feature themselves.
Thanks to the advent of foldable smartphones , more natural interactions with large screens are more important than ever. Tablets are largely home devices, but phones like the Pixel 9 Pro Fold make it easy to take a big screen with you.
Implementing more natural multitouch features into Android smartphones is all about software. Our touchscreens have been able to detect multiple inputs for years since smartphones were first introduced, so it’s time for Google to catch up to Apple in terms of software upgradeability.
