Gestures

Gestures allow users to interact with your app by manipulating the screen objects you provide. The following table shows the core gesture set that is supported in Android.

 

Touch

Triggers the default functionality for a given item.

  • Action

    Press, lift

Long press

Enters data selection mode. Allows you to select one or more items in a view and act upon the data using a contextual action bar. Avoid using long press for showing contextual menus.

  • Action

    Press, wait, lift

Swipe or drag

Scrolls overflowing content, or navigates between views in the same hierarchy. Swipes are quick and affect the screen even after the finger is picked up. Drags are slower and more precise, and the screen stops responding when the finger is picked up.

  • Action

    Press, move, lift

 

Long press drag

Rearranges data within a view, or moves data into a container (e.g. folders on Home Screen).

  • Action

    Long press, move, lift

Double touch

Scales up a standard amount around the target with each repeated gesture until reaching maximum scale. For nested views, scales up the smallest targetable view, or returns it to its original scale. Also used as a secondary gesture for text selection.

  • Action

    Two touches in quick succession

Double touch drag

Scales content by pushing away or pulling closer, centered around gesture.

  • Action

    A single touch followed in quick succession by a drag up or down:

    • Dragging up decreases content scale
    • Dragging down increases content scale
    • Reversing drag direction reverses scaling.
 

Pinch open

Zooms into content.

  • Action

    2-finger press, move outwards, lift

Pinch close

Zooms out of content.

  • Action

    2-finger press, move inwards, lift