Slashdot Asks: How Do You Navigate Your Smartphone?

There are many different ways to navigate a smartphone. Some devices employ capacitive touch navigation buttons in favor of on-screen navigation buttons for the back, home and overview commands. Others, such as the recently released Moto Z2 Force and Moto Z2 Play, feature a mini trackpad under the display that lets users navigate their device through a series of swipes (on-screen navigation buttons are used by default, but the option to use the "one button nav" mini trackpad can be enabled in the settings). The upcoming iPhone 8, for example, may feature a software bar in lieu of a physical/virtual home button, introducing new gesture controls for returning to the home screen and switching between apps.

How do you navigate your smartphone? Given the many different options available on the market, do you think there is one method of navigation that trumps the others, or is it a classic case of "different strokes for different folks?"

Comments

I organize it & use search

[ThomK]

I was in repair shop once (because my iPhone's phone jack wouldn't take the stereo mini cable I was trying to stick into it anymore. I thought something was bent inside the hole, turned out it was just jammed with pocket lint.) and the clerk did something I now do every day.

She took my phone, and instead of hunting for the settings icon, she swiped down, hit the letters "se" and the settings icon presented itself! She f*cking searched for it! I do that with spotlight on my mac all the time, I don't know why it didn't occur to me to do that on my iPhone, but I sure do now.

So to answer the question:
1. I try to delete apps aggressively, that helps.
2. I put the most used stuff on the first page, leaving empty space if that's required.
3. I group games together and tuck them away.
4. I search for stuff I use once in a while.

Its an ongoing process. The problem is there's a long tail graph of usage of apps. My iMessage, phone and Skype apps get used a ton, my sense app and a few games get used once a day, settings etc, once a week and a hand full once a month. The remainder probably need to be deleted.

The iOS app/interface manager isn't that great. Sure I have full control, but damn, help me out a bit. Doesn't the windows phone sort apps by usage? That would be amazingly helpful. So would a notification of what apps should probably be deleted.

I don't want that much fine grained control & it's stressful to see all that crap on your phone.