Android Q Beta 5: Google Assistant gets new gesture ‘handles’

Ben Schoon | Jul 10 2019 - 10:22 am PT

When Android Q’s fully gestural navigation system first debuted, one of the things we didn’t know was how Google intended to have us launch Assistant. That later became clear, and now in Android Q Beta 5, Google is making it more obvious how to launch Assistant with a couple of gesture “handles.”

For those still not aware, there’s a completely separate gesture for launching Google Assistant when using the new gesture system in Android Q. It can be accomplished using a swipe directly up from the corner of the display, or at an angle from that corner as seen in the video below.

With the arrival of Android Q Beta 5, there are gesture “handles” for Google Assistant on both sides of the display in the bottom corners. These hints are not visible in screenshots or screen recordings, but only visible to the end user. These gesture hints pop up every time the phone is unlocked. From what we can tell, there’s no way to turn these off.

Alongside these new gesture hints, Google has also given Assistant a spiffy new animation.