Android 12 DP2: Swiping down on the bottom edge opens notification shade

Abner Li | Mar 18 2021 - 11:00 am PT

The Pixel Launcher already lets users swipe down anywhere on their homescreen to pull down the top shade. In Android 12 DP2, Google extends a similar notification swipe gesture to the entire operating system.

Under the system “Gestures” menu in Android 12, this feature is called “Swipe for notifications.” It differs from the Pixel’s “Swipe fingerprint for notifications” option, though the same tutorial animation is currently in use during the developer preview.

Swipe down on the bottom edge of the screen to show your notifications

Oddly, the setting to turn it off does not appear on the Pixel 3 line. In our testing, we’ve only spotted it on the Pixel 4a and newer. That said, it works on all Pixel phones.

By “bottom edge,” we’ve found that you can start swiping down at roughly the height of a standard bottom bar or floating action button (FAB) to invoke this gesture. Google has done a good job of making sure you will not accidentally scroll down in an app/feed while trying to quickly access the shade.

It takes some getting used to as your thumb might come into contact with the pinkie stopping your phone from dropping. Regardless, it’s another one-handed convenience as phones get ever taller.