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More Gestures on Niagara Button

Feature Request

Currently, the Niagara button supports only two gestures: tap and swipe up. Would it be possible to add more gestures like swipe right, left, or down? That would make the interaction much more convenient.

Category
Productivity
Posted by Іван Яковенко ·
48 comments

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Comments48

  • Tamino Fackler

    Team•

    Jul 17, 2025

    Pinned

    Since this ticket is gaining more traction, we would like to understand better why our community wants to see this functionality in Niagara Launcher.

    It would be incredibly helpful if you would comment on what you would use the additional gestures on the Niagara Button for and how you would like it to behave.

    • zer02wo

      •

      Jul 17, 2025

      I personally use the Niagara Button for “utility” apps. Things that I don’t necessarily want taking space on my favorites list, but would like quick access to.

      Press: Google Maps

      Swipe Up: Camera (Similar to opening the camera from the lock screen on certain devices)

      If we had access to more directional gestures, I might use this for home controls (e.g. Philips Hue lights), viewing security cameras (e.g. Ring doorbell), etc. Things that I want to be able to do/view quickly, but wouldn’t want to clutter my home screen with (or need multiple presses by putting them inside a folder) because they’re somewhat situational.

      I.e. I only need to use Google Maps when I need directions, but wouldn’t want to search through the app list to find it if I’m outside in a rush trying to find somewhere.

      I think with a bit more haptic feedback/visual interaction the gestures would be incredibly intuitive. It would be great if the button was more of a “joystick” (for lack of a better term) and the button tracked under your finger as it moved. Then each time you push it into a gesture/shortcut region (i.e. up, right, down, left) it gives haptic feedback and a bit of a “snap”.

      Currently, the button only displays the “swipe up” animation after you’ve already completed it, which I believe feels less intuitive than a UX pattern/interaction like the one I am suggesting.

      I wasn’t able to find a great/exact example, but here is a similar interaction mockup as to what is in my head:

      https://dribbble.com/shots/2839783-Warptalk-Camera-Button

      Another example of the joystick interaction pattern I’m imagining (styling/design would obviously not need to be this complex):

      https://dribbble.com/shots/13241875-Neumorphic-Joystick
      Another simpler joystick “regions” example (non-animated):

      https://dribbble.com/shots/10959112-Virtual-joystick

      Obviously this is just my opinion, other users may want this feature for other reasons. You and the team are more than free to disagree with my suggestions if you don’t feel they are aligned with the Niagara principles. Still love the launcher regardless, hope this feedback was helpful. :)

      • rejoicing6539

        •

        Jul 20, 2025

        Very insightful mate. My view is the same.

      • Tamino Fackler

        Team•

        Aug 1, 2025

        Thanks for the elaborate response 💙

        I love your proposal about haptics, that would definitely be awesome.

        Is putting a folder onto the swipe/tap action not an option because it requires two taps, or is there another reason why you did not mention it (I might have misunderstood when you wrote about a folder)?

        • zer02wo

          •

          Aug 2, 2025

          Thanks for reading :) I love how tactile the “wave” navigation is, so I’m sure you’ll be able to improve the haptics for the Niagara button too!

          Using a folder is definitely an option, but I think it’s less convenient and slower (due to the two taps, as you mentioned). Having the apps in a folder would require me looking at the screen to perform the second tap action, whereas a single swipe gesture can essentially become muscle memory.

          For my personal preference/usage as “utility shortcuts”, I’d prefer opening them to be as quick as possible. So I don’t use the folder on the Niagara button and just manually search for any additional utility apps when I need them.

    • Yan

      •

      Jul 18, 2025

      Mainly to quickly access certain apps, like the public transport app, without having to go through the main app list.

      • rejoicing6539

        •

        Jul 20, 2025

        Me too.

      • Tamino Fackler

        Team•

        Aug 1, 2025

        Could you please elaborate on why attaching a folder to one of these action is not good enough for finding apps quickly and not having to go through the all-app list?

        • Yan

          •

          Aug 9, 2025

          I don't want a folder because I want to assign a specific and logical application to each gesture. For example:

          upwards for the ‘flip a coin’ application.

          downwards (near the phone's microphone) for the sound recorder.
          I need the application to open instantly. I'll use it 20-30 times a day. Without going into the application list to avoid distraction. And without making choices to avoid decision fatigue as much as possible.

  • Tamino Fackler

    Team•

    Jul 11, 2025

    Pinned

    For clarity's sake I will post our previous response to this request here.
    If there are a lot of people requesting this change, we will discuss it again within the team.

    Why can we only utilize one swipe gesture?

    We don't want to overload the Niagara button with dozens of gestures. That's because we want to keep everything simple and easy to remember, and only allowing one swipe gesture makes the behavior of the button more consistent with the behavior of app pop-ups. The swipe-up gesture is the easiest one to execute at the bottom right corner. If you want to keep your home screen free of apps, we recommend adding a pop-up to the Niagara button.
    (from https://help.niagaralauncher.app/article/116-niagara-button)

    • rejoicing6539

      •

      Jul 20, 2025

      Disagree. Pop up and then selecting one app will be a two-step process while swiping left/right/down will be one step only! A toggle on/off can solve the excuses you are giving.

  • dante47

    •

    Jun 10, 2025

    Yes that would be a very nice feature. I wanted to open this feature request today and saw this thread.

  • Tareq

    •

    Jul 10, 2025

    This would be life-changing.

  • Ishan

    •

    Jul 31, 2025

    Any updates on this? It’s been three months at the very least, please let us know whether this is still planned or not.

    If possible, please prioritize this. It would make the launcher a perfect balance of minimalism and functionality.

  • Deluxe

    •

    Nov 18, 2025

    I think this is a very important feature, and so does many others. This post has a 100 upvotes at the moment.

    I don't see how this would overload the Niagara button since you would manually need to put a application to the swipe gesture and there is no need to use this feature, also the alternative: to have a folder is not very intuitive either and requires the user to create a folder and select applications and then select the folder to the Niagara button, also this means you would need more actions to do the same thing. Another bad thing is that you need to look for the application you want to use inside the folder, which also adds a layer of friction. Swiping is smooth, swiping is clean and minimalistic and ofcourse it is faster.

    I think a lot of people would put applications that they use often but don't need to see the notifications, on the Niagara button gestures. An example would be a browser, it would be a waste of space to put it on the favorite list because it does not have notifications but it is still being used often. Same with Spotify, camera, duolingo, banking apps, notes and many more. The favorite list has a very amazing feature that allows you to see notifications lets not waste that feature on apps that don't use it.

    Gestures are inherently minimalistic and increases productivity compared to the use of folders. And would not create more complexity because you could choose not to use the gestures.

    I believe that having more gestures to the button fits quite well in what you guys have written yourself:

    ✨ Clean & Elegant Home Screen – The streamlined, simple design keeps your home screen tidy while maintaining a sleek, elegant look.

    ⚡ Find Your Apps Faster – Quickly access your apps with smooth one-handed navigation, enhanced by the satisfying wave animation.

  • Lukeros8

    •

    Jul 11, 2025

    I would love this feature.

    If you want to keep things simple, then maybe create an additional separate advanced settings menu for premium users with more complicated settings?

    This way the basic app will stay simple for most users, but will unlock more customization for people that want it.

  • Meditrade

    •

    Jul 15, 2025

    We want this ASAP 🔥🔥🔥

  • rejoicing6539

    •

    Jul 19, 2025

    Strongly agree with this user. This feature should be a ‘Must Have’ for niagara launcher users.

  • Sam Parker

    •

    Aug 11, 2025

    •

    Merged request

    •

    3 votes

    Swipe left on Niagara button

    The Niagara button is an excellent, near way of navigating to often used apps: search, phone, chat.

    But I find two options (tap and swipe up) to be limiting.

    Can you add a swipe left option that functions in exactly the same way as swipe up?