How to use the new navigation gestures in Android Pie update for Galaxy S9 and S9+?

View Comments (37)

• This update is awful????

  • Personally, I prefer the navigation gestures in the stock Android Pie.

    On S9 or S9+, you can go back to the navigation buttons if you don't live the gestures.

• Is there ANY way to get the stock Android home button on a Samsung?? Please help!

  • You have to try third-party launchers.

• I have an S9 and just updated to the latest OS update. I hate the Recent Apps showing up on the screen and cant get rid of them. Any ideas? All other implementations of Pie show you can turn them off in the wall paper settings. But no.

  • Do you mean the suggested apps (4 or 5 depending on your home screen grid settings) on the bottom in the Recents/Overview screen? They can be removed. When you are in the Recents screen, tap the menu key (3 vertical dots) right to the search bar on the top, tap settings, then uncheck Suggested apps.

    In any version of Android, you cannot disable Recents/Overview screen.

• My phone recently updated last night. Now when I want to close a specific recent app, I cannot do so. The only option I can see to close all recent apps. Is there a way to close just one of the recent apps?

  • Swipe up to close individual apps. Swipe down or tap the individual app to switch to (re-open) it.

    The old swipe left/right gesture was now assigned to scroll the list because the list is now considered as stacking horizontally.

• I can't stand this new update, it's very annoying, it changes things you don't want changed and adds things you don't want added. You should be able to pick and choose what you want to install from each update.
  Sooo now my question is since there's no way to uninstall the new 2019 update, is there any way to disable the feature at the bottom where when you press the 3 little lines, you have the option to "close" all open apps/tabs or whatever... it used just be that which is great but now under that there's some kind of navigation bar that I need to disable. I don't like it, it's distracting and not useful for me. Can someone please please help?

  • Do you mean the 5 (or 4 depending on grid settings) suggested apps below "close all"? They can be disabled. In the Recents screen (when you see the 5 app icons below close all button), tap the menu key (3 vertical dots right to the search bar on the top of the screen, then tap Settings in the menu, then you can find the option to turn on or turn off Suggested apps.

    The "Close all" button cannot be disabled.

• Yessss!!!! Thank you Simon you are awesome!!! Ugh that feature was sooo distracting. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

  • Enjoy your Pie.

• Hello, found something else I would like to change...
  Background color to calendar the way it's set up I can't see all days (numbers) just the day we're on like today's date. I would like to see all the days numbers like in a regular calendar.
  Also text background I can see their pic profile bubble but their name is faded along with text. Is there a way to change that to be able to see better without squinting?
  Same with contacts, when thou press the button yo get your contacts but nothing is bold and color is faded so it's not easy to tell unless you really squint your eyes or have a bubble with their picture on it.
  Can you please help? Thank you ????

  • For the calendar, there are several different views. You can tap the navigation menu ( 3 lines on the top left), the choose year view, Month view, week view, and Day view. If you choose Month view, you can keep swipe up or down to get different views as well. (You can also access the navigation menu by swiping from the left to the right inside the calendar app).

    I am not sure about the background color issues. For me, both the default theme and night mode works very well for the said apps. There are no issues. Are you using a third-party theme? If yes, try to switch back to the default theme. If possible, you can share the screenshot on our Facebook page (please remove all private/sensitive info) so that others can understand the issue you are facing.

• Ok I'll post it on FB so yo can see what I mean. I'm not using a third party.

• So everything seemed great with the update until...
  I was texting with the navigation bar on its default setting. When I tried to use my emojis I could not swipe through the various emoji pages, nor could I revert to the normal keyboard, because the buttons were under the navigation bar, and therefore, 'unclickable'.
  I changed the nav bar to gestures with 'gesture hints' on, but still it was half covering the buttons.
  I don't like not having the hints on, as I don't like not seeing the relevant place to click/swipe (just personal preference).
  Personally, I think it's totally ridiculous that a Samsung default app (Messaging) should be so negatively affected by Samsung's own adaptation of the update.
  I know it may seem like a fairly minor problem, but I've spent hours trying to find a workaround, and it is exasperating me.
  These types of thing are what will ultimately make the difference between whether I get another Samsung, or not, when I upgrade next.
  Any help would be appreciated.
  Thanks in advance.

  • Not sure about the issue. The navigation bar should be outside of any apps as shown below. Did I miss anything?

    BTW, are you using the floating mode for the keyboard? if yes, you can move the keyboard freely on the screen. We will release the floating keyboard guide next week.

• Hi,
  Thanks for the reply.
  I think I've sorted it. My phone was set on the Samsung Neural keyboard. I have set it to the regular keyboard and it seems to be working fine now.
  I had actually spent hours trying to figure it out, and now I feel silly that I hadn't tried changing that earlier.
  Thanks again.

  • Thank you for sharing the update. Actually, the Neural keyboard has no issues either. It also supports the floating mode.

    If you still get the issue with the Samsung Neural keyboard, you can try to resize it, then reset the size.

• I hate this new update! Help! I know you cannot hide the nav bar - but, it's so darn bright when my phone is in clock mode at night. The nav bar glows all night - along with my clock/alarm. Any way around this?

  • Do you mean always on display (AOD)? In AOD screen, there should be no navigation bar. You can turn off the home button in AOD screen.

    If you are referring to navigation bar in apps, do you try the night mode?

• The thing I really REALLY miss (and a quick search in the past couple of hours since I updated shows I'm not the only one) is the ability to vertically stack the open apps. That way I see everything open in one quick glance and not have to keep swiping sideways.

  Leave us not discuss the removal of Total Silence from DND which is completely heinous.

  • Unfortunately, the feature is gone in Android Pie. Yes, you can quickly find the app if they are stacked vertically.

    But Google implemented the new layout in Recents screen in Android Pie to streamline multiwindow and gestures.

• Now when I watch a movie or any video on my phone, the navigation bar doesn't hide itself. It just lays there on the side glaring at me. I want it to disappear! Why is it there in landscape/ video mode... even after I hit the button to expand and fit to screen?
  - Thanks in advance for the help.

  • Which app? Does YouTube app have the issue?

• How do I split screen with the new hidden navigation bar?

  • In the Recents/overview screen, you can tap and hold the app icon, then you can the option to open the app in a split screen view or pop-up view.

    You can check this page for details https://gadgetguideonline.com/s9/how-to-use-the-new-recents-screen-in-android-pie-update-for-galaxy-s9-and-s9-plus/

• Horrible update, icons look rubbish. The new navigation bars are rubbish i.e. there is always something displayed on my screen to show the navigatiom bar, what was the point of removing buttons if I always have lines or a bar on the bottom of my screen? It seriously just looks rubbish!

  • Yes, the stock Android Pie has better implementation of navigation gestures.

    Whether showing navigation bar or not in an app can also be controlled by app developers. If immersive mode is enforced, the app can hide the navigation bar.

• This is awful. Full screen display is gone. Now you have an annoying lines when watching on full screen.. argh!!

  • Full screen mode is still there.

    If the app is in full screen mode, the navigation bar, or the 3 lines (together with the status bar) will always be hidden.

    did you try it in YouTube app?

    Yes, you cannot hide navigation bar or the 3 lines when the app is not in full screen mode. For example, in the home screen, you cannot hide them now. But if an app supports or enforces full screen mode, you will be able to get full screen display.

• Thanks a lot Simon - this is most helpful !!!

  • Enjoy your Pie.

• I hate the new update I really wish I researched it before i hit ok to install ughhhh !! i miss the disappearing navigation bar where i could swipe up to see it with transparent colors it was one of the best features of my s9. Is there any way to uninstall the new update please ??!!

  • There is no downgrade or undo option in Android. You have to flash the phone if you really want to run the older version.

    It's recommended to update to latest Android even if you don't like some changes. All future security update will be for Android Pie. If you go back to Android Oreo, you will not get security update.

• thank you Simon, i ended up calling them they told me to take it to best buy and do the flashback its free. They also said they are working on an update to fix and restore the features we liked. yay!

  • Thank you for sharing the update.