Google Shows Off Android P With New iPhone X-Style Gestures

[pika2000]

Apple does the bar because they got rid of the home button, putting the "home" gesture on screen on the bezel-less X.

Google already has on-screen "buttons." These new gestures are not making Android more "accessible." Regular people don't actually do gestures well, especially the elderly. But they do know how to tap a button, and Android has been great at this with their on-screen buttons. Heck, there's a reason the Chinese OEMs were sticking to capacitive buttons for so long, and many accessibility features are button presses (instead of gestures). Buttons are intuitive for everyone, gestures are not. Android also has allowed the on-screen buttons to move away for full-screen apps. So this UI change clearly is there to copy Apple's since there's no real reason for the change on Android. Worse, only the Pixel and few Android One phones would get this, so the learning curve for people to adjust to gestures will take years, if not decades as the majority of Android phones are still on Lollipop and MM.

 

[JGIGS]

Great. Another thing to note when having a debate with an android fanboy about who copies who.

Unless you have ownership in either company, which I don't, who cares? As long as they are copying the best from each other it benefits the consumer aka us.

Right now if anyone should start copying it's Apple. I would love some customization, place icons anywhere I want, grouped notifications, get rid of the hold before closing an app on the iphone X and a multi platform/web based messaging app.

Then I could stop complaining about what sucks about ios and just choose the best overall device from either Apple or and Android competitor.
[doublepost=1525824569][/doublepost]

Apple does the bar because they got rid of the home button, putting the "home" gesture on screen on the bezel-less X.

Google already has on-screen "buttons." These new gestures are not making Android more "accessible." Regular people don't actually do gestures well, especially the elderly. But they do know how to tap a button, and Android has been great at this with their on-screen buttons. Heck, there's a reason the Chinese OEMs were sticking to capacitive buttons for so long, and many accessibility features are button presses (instead of gestures). Buttons are intuitive for everyone, gestures are not. Android also has allowed the on-screen buttons to move away for full-screen apps. So this UI change clearly is there to copy Apple's since there's no real reason for the change on Android. Worse, only the Pixel and few Android One phones would get this, so the learning curve for people to adjust to gestures will take years, if not decades as the majority of Android phones are still on Lollipop and MM.

Hmm I like the point about buttons being easier and more intuitive. Decades to get used to the new gestures feels like a stretch. I'm used to it on the X the only real annoyance is the hold the app before closing it. If I could just swipe up and right and left and then straight away up on the app I want to close I think it would be pretty natural.

 

[pika2000]

Hmm I like the point about buttons being easier and more intuitive. Decades to get used to the new gestures feels like a stretch. I'm used to it on the X the only real annoyance is the hold the app before closing it. If I could just swipe up and right and left and then straight away up on the app I want to close I think it would be pretty natural.

Google said they are doing this for the next billion smartphone users, which is dumb since gestures are not natural/intuitive for new users compared to buttons. And considering majority of Android phones are still on Lollipop/MM, and the next billion are coming from non-smartphones, and the fact that majority of OEMs won't adopt Google's UI (count how many Chinese OEMs are still using capacitive buttons on their phones), then yeah, I'll say it can take a decade or longer for these gestures to be "natural" for the next billion (ie. for someone to look at an Android phone and does the gestures automatically).
I don't understand why Google can't just stick with what Android did best, the on-screen buttons. It's like they are running out what to announce, and did this just so they can have new things to show.

 

[Jack Neill]

Cool, I cant wait for in 3 years when my Galaxy will actually get Android P for me to use these features...

 

[FelixDerKater]

At least Apple won't take the path they took with Microsoft in the 80's.

 

[mazz0]

Sod the accusations of who copied whom (Xerox anyone?), it’s good that this is becoming standardised isn’t it? Being at the forefront of the standardisation may be good for Apple.

 

[tito2020]

Google will never get my health information....ever.

apple has it whats the difference

 

[anthogag]

Some cool things. AI talking to humans. The map stuff. Lens.

When Google phones for you to make a reservation, or some other appointment, it's not your voice. Will a bunch of users have the same voice or is the AI inventing voices.

 

[expiredyogurt]

oh look, another android copying iphone now. haters gonna hate. apple is innovating now and android is copying now. keep telling yourself otherwise

 

[as4life]

oh look, another android copying iphone now. haters gonna hate. apple is innovating now and android is copying now. keep telling yourself otherwise

Android copying IOS and IOS copied from Palm Pre's WebOs. Who cares?

 

[Agent OrangeZ]

Tim is going to go "thermonuclear" on Google!

 

[MacFabulous]

In terms of “Copying”, I don’t think Android copies Apple or vice versa, I think they are both vastly different in their own ways in terms of software. That gives the consumer an option of what they want in different platforms. Its usually hardware that others blame Samsung copying Apple for.

Did you not see the video? The home screen navigation and App switcher is a blatant ripoff. Many things, small and big, were copied this time around. The "Don't disturb" features implemented stands out amongst many. The software in these cases is most certaintly not vastly different, as you say. They're taking cues from Apple, that's for sure. But then again, Apple has definitely also copied Android/Google big time the last couple of years. It has become part of the game.

 

[cmaier]

Let get this **** straight guy Aka Apple fan boys.

Apple copy WebOS, the man himself Mathias Duarte who works for Google Android design Team was on the Palm WebOS design team back in 2008-2010. He's the real architect of he swipe up gesture you see on the iPhone and Adroid P. He currently still works for Google android design team your seeing his influence.

I’ve been to his house.

My brush with fame.

 

[D!ma]

Great. Another thing to note when having a debate with an android fanboy about who copies who.

"Even so: anticipate many people saying that Android P has stolen the iPhone X’s gesture system. Burke says that Google has “been experimenting with this for a long time, so it’s something that kind of predates” the iPhone X. Of course, he admits that it doesn’t predate webOS, but “Matias Duarte works at Google and so we chat a lot” and so there’s some “lineage going on.”
-TheVerge.com (ANDROID P: AN EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK AT GOOGLE’S MOST AMBITIOUS UPDATE IN YEARS)

 

[torana355]

Why do people act like it's a crime for companies to copy something that is not IP protected? Apple wasn't the first to go with screen gestures as the main OS control mechanism. I believe the Blackberry Z10 offered on screen gestures for their navigation.

Because the majority of people on this website act like damn 2 year olds. Companies copying each other has been going on for a very long time and not just with technology based products. Not to mention it says in the article Google have been working on this for over a year which pre-dates the iPhone X...

 

[nviz22]

Because the majority of people on this website act like damn 2 year olds. Companies copying each other has been going on for a very long time and not just with technology based products. Not to mention it says in the article Google have been working on this for over a year which pre-dates the iPhone X...

I guess gesture control is "industry best practice" now? Software keys have been around for awhile, so no physical home buttons is not something new. I guess because Apple does it, it means a higher pedestal for many.

 

[mariusignorello]

Just like I am able to move my app icons anywhere on the screen? Oh wait ...

That would cause clutter and disorganization. Two things Apple is against (or at least used to be).

 

[m0sher]

Now that android copied notch and UI gestures it’s Ok because the notch is smaller and the UI gestures subjectively improved. ROFL

How hard of an android fan boy do you have to be not to see the iPhone X had it right ALL along.

UI gestures improvements are easy updates with iOS and everyone gets them not just a handful at a time roll out like Oreo.

It makes me like my X that much more.

 

[votdfak]

I can't wait for Apple to unveil its notch-less iPhone in 2019 or 2020 after the entire Android world copies the notch. And they all get caught with their pants around their ankles. Hopefully Google will still use common sense and not have a notch in the Pixel 3. Just because Android P supports it doesn't mean Pixel will have it. It's for the cheapo Android copycats and their useless notches. At least Apple has a good reason (I still hate it, but the notch serves a practical purpose).

I would love to see something like Vivo Apex. Notch is annoying, status bar is heavily crippled.

 

[Macaholic868]

“Android P has a new gesture-focused interface, which is similar to the interface that Apple introduced for the iPhone X.”

Purchase an Android for a cheap copy of Apple’s latest UI. Purchase an iPhone to get the real deal 6 months before Google can copy it.

 

[bladerunner2000]

No. Still Android copies iOS.

Steve Jobs claimed Apple invented multitouch. It did not. In fact multi-touch was around back in the 80s. But go ahead, be angry about copied features.

 

[Bustycat]

A great update that 2% of total Android users will be able to use.

 

[Junior117]

Personally, I was hoping that we would see the official name of Android P. I guess I'm going to have to wait even longer (I know that there are lots of rumours giving us one or two possibilities that will probably be true, but I don't want to just believe it and then we all find out it's wrong, no matter how credible it is).

 

[InuNacho]

Why do people act like it's a crime for companies to copy something that is not IP protected? Apple wasn't the first to go with screen gestures as the main OS control mechanism. I believe the Blackberry Z10 offered on screen gestures for their navigation.

I owned both the Z10 and Q10, and I remeber being wowed with the gestures and lack of buttons. I found the gestures to be very easy to work with on the smaller screen while quite unwieldy with the larger iPhone X.

 

[ROGmaster]

Google said they are doing this for the next billion smartphone users, which is dumb since gestures are not natural/intuitive for new users compared to buttons. And considering majority of Android phones are still on Lollipop/MM, and the next billion are coming from non-smartphones, and the fact that majority of OEMs won't adopt Google's UI (count how many Chinese OEMs are still using capacitive buttons on their phones), then yeah, I'll say it can take a decade or longer for these gestures to be "natural" for the next billion (ie. for someone to look at an Android phone and does the gestures automatically).
I don't understand why Google can't just stick with what Android did best, the on-screen buttons. It's like they are running out what to announce, and did this just so they can have new things to show.

The majority of users are on Nougat and Marshmallow actually, 56.8% to be exact so in 3 years the majority of people will be on Oreo and P. Saying it will take a decade doesn't make sense.