You can get around on your phone in different ways. Learn how to choose an option, then use that option to move between apps and other items.
Important:
- Some of these steps work only on Android 10 and up. Learn how to check your Android version.
- Some of these steps require you to touch the screen.
Select a navigation mode
- Open your phone's Settings app.
- Go to System
Gestures
- If you can't find System navigation, go to the steps for older Android versions.
- If you can't find System or Gestures, to change navigation settings, get help from your device manufacturer.
- Choose an option:
- Gesture navigation: No buttons.
- 2-button navigation: Two buttons for Home and Back.
- 3-button navigation: Three buttons for Home, Back, and App Overview.
Move between screens & apps
Go back
Go to Home screen
Find all open apps
Switch between open apps
Open the previous screen you were looking at. You can go back more than once. But when you reach the Home screen, you can't go back any further.
- Gesture navigation: Swipe from the left or right edge of the screen.
- 2-button navigation: Tap Back
.
- 3-button navigation: Tap Back
.
- Gesture navigation: Swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
- 2-button navigation: Tap Home
.
- 3-button navigation: Tap Home
.
Tip: You can have more than one Home screen. To move between them, swipe right or left. Learn how to change your Home screens.
- Gesture navigation: Swipe up from the bottom, hold, then let go.
- 2-button navigation: From the bottom of your screen, swipe up to the middle.
- 3-button navigation: Tap Overview
.
From here, you can:
- Close apps: Swipe up on the app image.
- Open an app: Tap its image.
- Gesture navigation: At the very bottom of the screen, swipe from left to right.
- 2-button navigation: To switch between your 2 most recent apps, swipe right on Home
- 3-button navigation: Tap Overview
Select, move, or change the display of items
Select items
Change the size & orientation of items
Tap to select or type
To select or start something on your phone, tap it. In some apps, to find available actions, you can touch and hold text like when you play a song.
To type something, tap where you want to type. You'll find an open keyboard.
Double tap an item to change size
On some pages like a webpage or map, tap twice to zoom in.
Pinch open & closed to change size
In some apps, to change the size, put 2 or more fingers on the screen.
- To zoom in, pinch open.
- To zoom out, pinch closed.
Turn screen rotation on or off
Most screens can rotate as you turn your phone. To turn rotation on or off:
- At the top, swipe down with 2 fingers.
- Tap Auto-rotate
.
If you use an older Android version
Choose how to get around (Android 9)
- Open your phone's Settings app.
- Go to System
- Turn Swipe up on Home button off or on.
- If you turn it on, you're using 2-button navigation.
- If you turn it off, you're using 3-button navigation.