Google Pixel 'swipe gestures' bugged or not working on Android 14? Try this workaround

Since its implementation on Android, swipe gestures have become the favorite method of many to navigate the UI of their phones. However, the latest Android 14 update apparently negatively impacted the behavior of this feature for users of Google Pixel devices.

It seems that the Google Pixel swipe gestures have been buggy or not working correctly for several people since they updated their devices to Android 14, leading to a loss of functionality and even screen sensitivity, according to reports.

‘Swipe gestures’ are an alternative way of navigation to the classic navigation buttons. Basically, the actions associated with the navigation buttons can be done through different swipe gestures on the screen. Currently, Android offers 4 main navigation gestures:

• Swipe from the left/right edge of the screen: Go back
• Swipe from the bottom of the screen upwards: Go to home screen
• Swipe from the bottom of the screen up and hold: Go to multitasking/recent apps
• Swipe from the bottom of the screen to the left/right: Quickly switch between recent apps

The swipe navigation gestures help to get more usable screen space as the navigation buttons disappear completely. However, it’s noteworthy that they need a learning time, so some people may prefer to keep the navigation buttons as they find the gestures a bit complex (especially the elderly or people who are not very tech-savvy).

Sadly, now this useful feature is not working properly on several Google Pixel phones running the latest Android 14 stable update, according to reports.

Navigation through the UI becomes frustrating.

Complaints from affected people describe some different situations of erratic Google Pixel swipe gestures operation. For instance, when trying to use the ‘Go to home screen’ gesture from an app, the app will become a small window and will immediately maximize again. Also, swiping between different tabs in an app becomes a challenging task, as shown in the video below (shared by savorit52 on Reddit):

But that’s not all; there are also cases where the ‘Go back’ swipe gesture causes severe lag and freezes in the system UI animations. Furthermore, in some situations, the swipe gestures stop responding completely, not executing any action.

Apparently, for some people, the issue appears only when the phone is charging. In these cases, the phone becomes practically unusable while connected to the charger, but not due to a defect in the charger, as those affected claim that it all started after updating their phones to Android 14. Some have even tried different charging adapters, but the result was the same.

Some users speculate that Android 14 made their phone screens less responsive to gestures, since when trying to execute them more slowly and carefully, they often perform the desired action. However, this does not seem to be something intended, as it makes navigation through the UI much more annoying. Also, for now, it is a mystery why for some the issue only occurs while the phone is charging.

Others have tried installing the latest Android 14 beta as a potential fix for the issue. Unfortunately, they discovered that the issue is still present even in the beta, causing some to fear that it will take a while to be resolved.

A potential workaround that has helped some

Fortunately, a Redditor provided a potential workaround that could help you fix the issue. Basically, the Redditor recommends doing a factory reset on your Google Pixel, which they claim worked in their case.

If you are facing the issue, we hope the workaround will help you to solve it. You can share your experience or additional tips in the comments box below.

NOTE: You can also check the Google Pixel series Android 14 bugs/issues tracker.

PiunikaWeb started as purely an investigative tech journalism website with main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Foxnews, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.