Next major Android OS version is dropping ‘back’ button

Google seems all set to introduce its Android Qoperating system for smartphones at its upcoming Google I/O 2019 conference. Although none of the features has been confirmed by the company, XDA Developers has been digging around and has found some of the features that could come in the next major OS version. The latest in the list is the ‘new’ navigation buttons that are found at the bottom of the screen. The updated navigation bar is now said to make wider users of the pill shape button that one can see in the Pixel 3 smartphones.
The current pill shape button eliminates the multi-window button found in the previous Android OS version. Now, Google is planning to ditch the ‘back button’. As found by the XDA website, the new gesture navigation bar may fully adopt the pill-shape button, letting people use it for going one page back. The leaked build suggests that the button can be swiped left to move one page back. On leaving the button, it will quickly snap back to its original centre position.

In addition to this, it has been found that Android Q could bring smoother animation while in the multitasking window. Swiping right however, won’t show you the entire ‘Recents’ menu but will quickly let you jump to the next app with a card-like animation. This means there won’t be any animation of zooming out to the full multitasking menu.

However, since these features are based on the leaked builds of Android Q, it is not for sure if the two features will make the cut and will show up in the official Android Q version or not.

Previous rumours suggest Android Q to feature foldable screen support, dark mode, enhanced PiP mode, native support for face recognition, more granular permissions and the ability to downgrade any app.