Gmail gets Predictive Back feature on Android 14

What You Need to Know

• Predictive Back allows users to "preview" their destination when using the back gesture.

• On Gmail, Predictive Back will preview the inbox when attempting to exit an email.

• The feature is also reportedly available on Google Calendar

Android 14 users can begin experimenting with Predictive Back on Gmail while they wait for the feature to be deployed system-wide.

As first spotted by 9to5Google, Gmail version 2024.03.03.x allows users to take advantage of the nifty gesture. As it stands, Predictive Back on a system level is behind developer options, and the tech giant has yet to implement it across all of Android 14. Still, it’s a welcomed sight for users who fancy productivity.

For the uninitiated, Predictive Back is a feature that allows a user to “preview” their destination when using the back gesture on their device. This feature gives a user a chance to decide whether they want to continue and commit to swiping back or returning to their current view. That current view is minimized while the user decides what action they’d like to take.

As Android’s developer website notes, “predictive back provides a smoother, more intuitive navigation experience while using gesture navigation. It leverages built-in animations to inform users where their actions will take them to reduce unexpected outcomes.”

Users on Gmail will notice that when using the back gesture and through Predictive Back, their email will shrink into the corner, with the preview being the user’s inbox. As a result, the animation allows the user to commit to whether they’d like to exit the email and return it to their inbox. The Predictive Back feature is also apparently available in Google Calendar its monthly and daily overviews

It remains to be seen when Predictive Back as a whole will be implemented across Android 14 without the need for developer options. The tech giant has also encouraged developers to work towards enabling it within their own apps, even providing an entire rundown of how to do so.