According to 9to5 Google, “Predictive Back” will be one of the most obvious user-facing systems changes this fall. Google shared at I/O 2023 how some developers, including the Chrome browser, will be adopting the Predictive Back feature in Android 14.
When the user swipes away from the edge, Predictive Back shows a preview of the home screen and the current app shrinks. According to a study conducted by Google, the back-to-home animation “significantly reduces the number of instances where users accidentally leave the app, and the experience is more positive.”
Users can test it in Android 13 (Attached the path: Settings App > System > Developer Options > Predictive Back animation). Google will enable this feature by default in Android 14, but it will still be optional starting with Beta 2.
Google Android 14 adds in-app Predictive Back, where users can preview the screens they return to when navigating within an app.
Developers can now “choose to enable predictive return animations for each Activity rather than the entire application.”
At the same time, Material components also take advantage of the Predictive Back animation in the following ways:
Side Sheets (navigation drawer): "Side Sheets detach from the top and bottom edges of the screen, indicating that it will close."
Search: The fullscreen search page zooms out and returns to the pill-shaped bar on the previous screen
Bottom Sheets: Sheets shrink and dropThis new feature is also coming to the bottom navigation bar and Nav Rail soon.
