Background:

I’ve recently gotten a new (used) Pixel 7a—upgraded from an iPhone X.

Problem:

I must have short thumbs or something because on my new Android phone, I’m constantly having to swipe multiple times for a gesture to “take.” For example, swiping up to unlock or get to home, swiping left/right to cycle through image carousels in the app store—in all use cases, the screen starts sliding over, but when I lift my thumb off the screen, about 50% of the time, the screen slides back to its original position instead of sliding the rest of the way to the next screen.

I understand the need for a threshold to prevent accidental swipes; however, the native swipe lengths are just a wee bit too long for me, and the constant need to swipe multiple times to do what I want is significantly affecting my overall experience. I never had this problem on any of my iPhones.

What I’ve tried so far:

  • I’ve poked around in the Settings and done a few internet searches. Came across this Google forums thread from 2018, to which the only reply was essentially tough rocks.
  • In another post, I received the advice that I don’t need long gestures if I make them faster, and I have noticed different results depending on the speed of my flicks, but still find myself having to make multiple flicks to get it to do what I want. Somebody else suggested reducing the “Window Animation” or the “Transition Animation” speed (in developer settings), but alas, there are no such settings in GrapheneOS (I tried the search bar).
  • I’ve installed an alternate app launcher (PieLauncher), but this is only a partial band-aid solution. I still have the issue w/ left/right swipes on image carousels.

I’ll keep exploring apps that allow me to customize gestures, but has anyone else had this problem, and how did you solve it? Or if anyone has any suggestions for apps available in the F-Droid store that might help with this problem, I’d appreciate it. Thank you!

  • yo_scottie_ohOP
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    2 months ago

    I think you’re on to something w/ transition scale or animation scale, even though I’m not seeing them in GrapheneOS settings even after activating developer mode. I may just need to request this feature in GrapheneOS or look for a third party app that unlocks this setting. You’ve also given me a new phrase to search for, so thank you for that.

    EDIT: I found Transition Scale and Animation Scale in GrapheneOS after activating developer mode, not sure what I did differently this time. Alas, neither of those settings solves the problem, so the hunt continues.