Home

There's a Secret Way to Reopen an App You Just Closed in Android 11

Apr 24, 2020 09:42 PM

May 1, 2020 04:28 PM

Hand holding a smartphone displaying various application icons, with a laptop in the background.

You no longer have to worry about accidentally closing an app with Android 11. The latest version introduced a new gesture that lets you bring back an app you inadvertently dismissed from your recent apps list.

After swiping up on an app's card in the Overview menu (the view you enter after performing the recent apps gesture), just swipe down from the top of the screen to bring the app back. Be sure to swipe your finger and then remove it, because if your finger stays too long, it will open the next app in Overview.

Only the app you last closed will come back, so if you close another app, you can't bring back the first one. You also have to do it right away. If you close an app and exit from the Overview menu, you will no longer be able to use this secret gesture to bring it back.

Cover image by Jon Knight/Gadget Hacks

The next big software update for iPhone is coming sometime in April and will include a Food section in Apple News+, an easy-to-miss new Ambient Music app, Priority Notifications thanks to Apple Intelligence, and updates to apps like Mail, Photos, Podcasts, and Safari. See what else is coming to your iPhone with the iOS 18.4 update.