Google brings iPhone-style swipe animations to Android browsers: Here’s how to turn them on

Google is bringing a new navigation feature to Chrome on Android that closely resembles iPhone-style swipe animations. The update introduces a page transition effect, which gives users a preview of the previous or next screen when performing back or forward swipe gestures.

The feature builds on Android’s Predictive Back system, which was first introduced with Android 13, allowing users to see the destination screen before completing a back gesture. In Chrome’s latest test, this functionality extends to browsing, showing a dimmed preview of the previous page within a tab’s history. If the gesture is performed on a new tab without history, Chrome displays a grey background with its logo, indicating a return to an empty tab.

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According to reports from Android Authority, the animations are being tested in Chrome version 138. While the feature was previously hidden behind developer flags, it is now appearing for select users in the public build.

How to Enable Chrome’s Swipe Animations on an Android Phone

• Open Chrome on your mobile device and type chrome://flags in the address bar.
• Use the search function to locate the flags #back-forward-transitions and #right-edge-goes-forward-gesture-nav.
• Enable both flags. Chrome will then display a “Relaunch” button at the bottom of the screen. Tap it to restart the browser and activate the animations.

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• As an alternative, you can type chrome://flags#back-forward-transitions and chrome://flags#right-edge-goes-forward-gesture-nav directly into the address bar to enable them without searching.
• Once restarted, Chrome will show the new swipe animations when navigating between pages.

Google has not enabled this feature by default, and since it is still experimental, some visual glitches may occur. Users can disable the flags by following the same steps if they encounter issues.

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The move aligns Chrome’s gesture navigation more closely with the fluid animations found on iOS, giving Android users a more interactive browsing experience. While the feature is still in testing, it signals Google’s intent to refine touch-based navigation for its mobile browser.