Android basics | 22 |
Using the touchscreen
The main way to control Android features is by using your finger to manipulate icons, buttons, menu items, the onscreen keyboard, and other items on the touchscreen. You can also change the screen’s orientation.
Touch To act on items on the screen, such as application and settings icons, to type letters and symbols using the onscreen keyboard, or to press onscreen buttons, you simply touch them with your finger.
Touch & hold Touch & hold an item on the screen by touching it and not lifting your finger until an action occurs. For example, to open a menu for customizing the Home screen, you touch an empty area on the Home screen until the menu opens.
Drag Touch & hold an item for a moment and then, without lifting your finger, move your finger on the screen until you reach the target position. You drag items on the Home screen to reposition them, as described in “Customizing the Home screen” on page 43, and you drag to open the Notifications panel, as described in “Managing notifications” on page 29.
Swipe or slide To swipe or slide, you quickly move your finger across the surface of the screen, without pausing when you first touch it (so you don’t drag an item instead). For example, you slide the screen up or down to scroll a list, and in some Calendar views you swipe quickly across the screen to change the range of time visible.
Pinch In some applications (such as Maps, Browser, and Gallery), you can zoom in and out by placing two fingers on the screen at once and pinching them together (to zoom out) or spreading them apart (to zoom in).
Rotate the screen On most screens, the orientation of the screen rotates with the phone as you turn it from upright to its side and back again. You can turn this feature on and off, as described in “Display settings” on page 364.
Android User’s Guide |
