Google released the stable version of the Android 11 operating system last month, and so far many Pixel devices have picked the update. Speaking of the new OS, it comes with some new features and improvements over Android 10. Some of them include built-in screen recording, improved Voice Access mode, Smart home & media controls, and improved Gesture navigation. As for the gesture feature, it provides users with the ability to quickly and naturally navigate their devices. Although a lot of people like the feature, some Android users still find it a little bit cumbersome. For those who don’t like it, there’s an option that allows switching back to the three navigation buttons – it’s been around for a long while. That said, according to the latest report, many Google Pixel users have taken to social media, complaining about a bug that is preventing the Android 11 Gestures from working.
Ever since Google rolled out the new Android 11 update to its Pixel devices, users have been reporting several bugs that are affecting their devices. In case you’re not aware, you can check here to see some of the bugs, reported by Google Pixel users so far.
According to the latest report, many Pixel users have now taken to various social media platforms, including Google Support, claiming that the Android 11 Gestures feature is not working properly. Let’s have a quick look at one of the reports below:
Nick Rondeau mentioned that the Android 11 Gestures feature is not working properly on his device. Here’s what the Google Pixel 3a XL user said regarding the bug below.
“After upgrading to Android 11 today, I switched to gesture navigation so I could get the screenshot options. The problem is, when I swipe up to access the app drawer, it doesn’t seem to work. I can’t get to my apps at all. So far, Android 11 is buggy, in my opinion. Bubbles don’t work either.”
For now, the exact cause of the issue/bug is still unknown. However, according to reports so far, it seems there are a couple of workarounds for it. According to Justin Seldomridge, who’s also experiencing the Android 11 Gesture issue, the Pixel user mentioned that the drag up gesture always “stops transitioning into the app switch control”. Furthermore, the Google pixel user mentioned that the only workaround for the bug is to restart the device.
So, in case your Android 11 Gesture is also not working properly, you can consider rebooting your phone. However, if that fails to resolve the issue for you, ensure you’re swiping up from above the search bar. Furthermore, recent reports confirmed that the gesture navigation feature also fails to work properly with some third-party launchers. In case you’re experiencing the Android 11 Gesture issue, you might have to uninstall the launcher if you have any installed on your phone.
If after trying the two workarounds, the issue persists, you might consider switching to the three classic navigation buttons. At least, you can make use of that until Google finds a permanent fix for the issue. For now, we don’t know when the fix will be ready, but we’ll continue to keep an eye on the company regarding it.
