As an enthusiast of One UI navigation gestures, the upcoming One UI 8.5 update for my Galaxy S24+ leaves me apprehensive. While the update has its merits, the implementation of the Back Swipe Preview animation is a significant concern. This feature, designed to enhance the back gesture by previewing the last window or app, appears promising in theory. However, in practice, it seems underdeveloped and prematurely integrated into One UI 8.5. Unlike its optional status in One UI 8.0, the Back Swipe Preview is now mandatory, having been included in the default One UI 8.5 experience since its rollout on May 6.
Initially introduced as an experimental Labs feature in One UI 8.0, the Back Swipe Preview required manual activation, allowing users to opt-out of this unfinished feature. The main issues were its inconsistent application across apps and the fixed position of previews on the left side of the screen, irrespective of the swipe direction. These problems persist in the public release of One UI 8.5, particularly on the Galaxy S26 series, and users can no longer disable the feature.
This mandatory inclusion is a step back for navigation gestures, making me hesitant to update my phone despite appreciating other One UI 8.5 enhancements. Having experienced the feature’s shortcomings in One UI 8.0, I remain hopeful for improvements. Ideally, Samsung would allow users to disable these animations until the feature is fully refined.
