Mobile gestures : getting started

101 tutorial on mobile gestures

Touch :

A user gesture used to press or select a control or link (analogous to a singleclick in a desktop application). To tap, users make a quick up-and-down motion with a finger, lightly striking the screen

touch gesture

Long press :

Enters data selection mode. Allows you to select one or more items in a view and act upon the data using a contextual action bar. Avoid using long press for showing contextual menus.

long press gesture

Swipe :

Used to scroll overflowing content, or navigates between views in the same hierarchy.

swipe gesture

Drag :

A user gesture used to scroll,move the viewport, or pan. To drag, users place a finger on the screen and move it in the desired direction without lifting it from the screen.

drag gesture

Double tap :

A user gesture used to zoom in or out of content or an image. A double tap consists of two quick taps.

double tap gesture

Pinch open :

A two-finger user gesture used to zoom in. To pinch open, users place the thumb and a finger (or two fingers) close together on the screen and move them apart without lifting them from the screen.

pinch open gesture

Pinch close :

A two-finger user gesture used to zoom out. To pinch close, users place the thumb and a finger (or two fingers) a little distance apart on the screen and move them toward each other without lifting them from the screen.

pinch close gesture

Image credits to developer.android.com