How popular software platforms support core touch gestures.
| Platform |
Platform Gesture |
Platform Description |
Core Gesture |
| iPhone OS |
Tap |
A user gesture used to press or select a control or link (analogous to a singleclick in a desktop application). To tap, users make a quick up-and-down motion with a finger, lightly striking the screen. |
Tap |
| iPhone OS |
Double Tap |
A user gesture used to zoom in or out of content or an image. A double tap consists of two quick taps. |
Double Tap |
| iPhone OS |
Flick |
A user gesture used to scroll or pan quickly. To flick, users place a finger on the screen and quickly swipe it in the desired direction. |
Fling |
| iPhone OS |
Drag |
A user gesture used to scroll,move the viewport, or pan. To drag, users place a finger on the screen and move it in the desired direction without lifting it from the screen. |
Drag |
| iPhone OS |
Pinch Open |
A two-finger user gesture used to zoom in. To pinch open, users place the thumb and a finger (or two fingers) close together on the screen and move them apart without lifting them from the screen. |
Spread |
| iPhone OS |
Pinch Close |
A two-finger user gesture used to zoom out. To pinch close, users place the thumb and a finger (or two fingers) a little distance apart on the screen and move them toward each other without lifting them from the screen. |
Pinch |
| iPhone OS |
Touch and hold |
A user gesture used to display an information bubble, magnify content under the finger, or to perform specificactions in built-in applications and features. To touch and hold, users touch the screen, leaving their finger motionless until the information is displayed or the action occurs. |
Press |
| iPhone OS |
Two-finger scroll |
A user gesture used to scroll content in an element with overflow capability or a scrollable inline frame element. A two-finger scroll is a drag performed with two fingers moving together in the same direction. |
Drag
(Two-finger) |
| Platform |
Platform Gesture |
Platform Description |
Core Gesture |
| Windows Phone 7 |
Tap |
Actions on an item in a two step process. Stop a list from scrolling. Single touch on the screen. |
Tap |
| Windows Phone 7 |
Double Tap |
Toggle between “in” and “out” zoom states of a control or application. |
Double Tap |
| Windows Phone 7 |
Touch and hold |
Shows options (context menu) for an item |
Press |
| Windows Phone 7 |
Pan |
Moves content via direct manipulation (content sticks to finger and follows). A pan can reorder or move a specific item. |
Drag |
| Windows Phone 7 |
Flick |
Moves content |
Fling |
| Windows Phone 7 |
Pinch |
Continous zoom |
Pinch |
| Windows Phone 7 |
Pinch |
Continous zoom |
Spread |
| Platform |
Platform Gesture |
Platform Description |
Core Gesture |
| Palm webOS |
Tap |
invokes an action or opens an item. Position the insertion cursor |
Tap |
| Palm webOS |
Double Tap |
to perform actions like zoom in/out |
Double Tap |
| Palm webOS |
Flick |
to scroll through lists, or quit an application |
Fling |
| Palm webOS |
Swipe |
to the right in lists, to delete items |
Drag |
| Palm webOS |
Touch & Drag |
to scroll |
Drag |
| Palm webOS |
Touch & Hold |
to enter “reorder” mode. Then drag items to move them. |
Press |
| Palm webOS |
Spread |
using 2 fingers, to zoom in/out on a web page or a picture |
Spread |
| Palm webOS |
Pinch |
using 2 fingers, to zoom in/out on a web page or a picture |
Pinch |
| Palm webOS |
Rotate |
Touch with 2 fingers and rotate – to rotate content |
Rotate |
| Platform |
Platform Gesture |
Platform Description |
Core Gesture |
| Android |
Tap |
None provided |
Tap |
| Android |
Double Tap |
None provided |
Double Tap |
| Android |
Flick |
None provided |
Fling |
| Android |
Drag |
None provided |
Drag |
| Android (only 2.1) |
Pinch |
None provided |
Spread |
| Android (only 2.1) |
Pinch |
None provided |
Pinch |
| Android |
Touch and hold |
None provided |
Press |
| Platform |
Platform Gesture |
Platform Description |
Core Gesture |
| OSX (trackpad) |
Scroll |
Scroll up and down a page |
Drag
(Two-finger) |
| OSX (trackpad) |
Swipe |
Flip through your photo libraries |
Drag
(Three-finger) |
| OSX (trackpad) |
Swipe |
Show your desktop, view all open windows, or switch applications |
Drag
(Four-finger) |
| OSX (trackpad) |
Pinch |
Zoom in and out |
Pinch |
| OSX (trackpad) |
Expand |
Zoom in and out |
Spread |
| OSX (trackpad) |
Two-finger rotating |
Rotate photos, pages, and more. |
Rotate |
| OSX (trackpad) |
Tap |
Press or select a control or link |
Tap |
| OSX (trackpad) |
Click & Drag |
Move content. |
Drag |
| OSX (trackpad) |
Secondary Click A |
Right-click |
Tap
(Two-finger) |
| OSX (trackpad) |
Secondary Click B |
Right-click |
Tap
(on specific area on trackpad) |
| Platform |
Platform Gesture |
Platform Description |
Core Gesture |
| OSX (Magic Mouse) |
360° scroll |
Brush one finger along the surface to scroll in any direction and to pan a full 360 degrees. |
Fling |
| OSX (Magic Mouse) |
Screen zoom |
Hold down the Control key on your keyboard and scroll with one finger on surface to enlarge items on your screen. |
Drag |
| OSX (Magic Mouse) |
Two-finger swipe |
Using two fingers, swipe left and right along the surface to advance through pages in Safari or browse photos in iPhoto. |
Drag
(Two-finger) |
| Platform |
Platform Gesture |
Platform Description |
Core Gesture |
| Microsoft Windows 7 |
Drag |
Touch and slide your finger on screen. Like dragging with a mouse, this moves icons around the desktop, moves windows,selects text (by dragging left or right), etc. |
Drag |
| Microsoft Windows 7 |
Scroll |
Drag up or down on the content (not the scrollbar!) of scrollable window to scroll. Scrolling is available with one or more fingers. |
Drag |
| Microsoft Windows 7 |
Zoom |
Pinch two fingers together or apart to zoom in or out on a document. |
Spread |
| Microsoft Windows 7 |
Zoom |
Pinch two fingers together or apart to zoom in or out on a document. |
Pinch |
| Microsoft Windows 7 |
Two-Finger Tap |
Tapping with two fingers simultaneously zooms in about the center of the gesture or restores to the default zoom – great for zooming in on hyperlinks. |
Tap
(Two-finger) |
| Microsoft Windows 7 |
Rotate |
Touch two spots on a digital photo and twist to rotate it just like a real photo. |
Rotate |
| Microsoft Windows 7 |
Flicks |
Flick left or right to navigate back and forward in a browser and other apps. |
Fling |
| Microsoft Windows 7 |
Press-and-hold |
Hold your finger on screen for a moment and release after the animation to get a right-click. |
Press |
| Microsoft Windows 7 |
Press-and-tap with a second finger |
To get right-click, just like you would click the right button on a mouse or trackpad. |
Press and Tap |
| Microsoft Windows 7 |
Tap |
Touch and release to click. This is the most basic touch action. |
Tap |
| Microsoft Windows 7 |
Double Tap |
To open files and folders. |
Double Tap |
| Platform |
Platform Gesture |
Platform Description |
Core Gesture |
| Wacom Bamboo |
Navigate |
Touch and drag across surface. |
Drag |
| Wacom Bamboo |
Click or Select |
Highlight and select an item. |
Tap |
| Wacom Bamboo |
Double Click |
Open an application or file. |
Double Tap |
| Wacom Bamboo |
Right-click |
Bring up a context menu. |
Tap
(Two-finger) |
| Wacom Bamboo |
Scroll |
Scroll up and down a page |
Drag
(Two-finger) |
| Wacom Bamboo |
Zoom out |
|
Spread |
| Wacom Bamboo |
Zoom in |
|
Pinch |
| Wacom Bamboo |
Rotate |
Place two fingers on surface and rotate to left or right. |
Rotate |
| Wacom Bamboo |
Back & Forward |
Swipe two fingers across surface. |
Drag
(Two-finger) |
| Wacom Bamboo |
Select & Drag |
Select by tapping once then drag across surface. Moves objects. |
Drag |
| Platform |
Platform Gesture |
Platform Description |
Core Gesture |
| GestureWorks (Flash) |
One Finger Single Tap |
Touch and remove a single finger on the surface. |
Tap |
| GestureWorks (Flash) |
One Finger Double Tap |
Touch and remove a single finger on the surface twice. |
Double Tap |
| GestureWorks (Flash) |
Two Finger Single Tap |
Touch and remove two fingers on the surface simultaneously. |
Tap
(Two-finger) |
| GestureWorks (Flash) |
Two Finger Double Tap |
Touch and remove two fingers from the surface twice. |
Double Tap
(Two-finger) |
| GestureWorks (Flash) |
Scroll (Horizontal) |
Place two fingers on the surface at the same time, vertically positioned to each other, then drag both fingers horizontally. |
Drag |
| GestureWorks (Flash) |
Scroll (Vertical) |
Place two fingers on the surface at the same time, horizontally positioned to each other, then drag both fingers vertically. |
Drag |
| GestureWorks (Flash) |
One Finger Drag |
Place one finger on the surface and move the finger from one location to another. |
Drag |
| GestureWorks (Flash) |
Multi-point Drag |
Place one hand on the surface and move the hand from one location to another. |
Drag
(Multi-finger) |
| GestureWorks (Flash) |
One Finger Flick |
Flick tip of finger across the surface. |
Fling |
| GestureWorks (Flash) |
Two Finger Flick |
Flick tips of two fingers together across the surface. |
Fling
(Two-finger) |
| GestureWorks (Flash) |
One Hand Zoom |
Place the fingers of one hand on the surface and draw them apart or together to scale an element on the surface accordingly. |
Spread |
| GestureWorks (Flash) |
Multi-point Zoom |
Start with both hands together and move them apart across an area on the surface to zoom in. Pull both hands closer to each other to zoom out. |
Spread
(Multi-finger) |
| GestureWorks (Flash) |
Pinch Zoom |
Place the fingers of one hand on the surface and draw them apart or together to scale an element on the surface |
Pinch |
| GestureWorks (Flash) |
Two Finger Rotate |
Place two fingers on the surface and turn the hand at the wrist to rotate an image on the surface |
Rotate |
| GestureWorks (Flash) |
Multi-point Rotate |
Place both hands on the surface and move them simultaneously in a circular motion to rotate an image on the surface. |
Rotate
(Multi-finger) |
| GestureWorks (Flash) |
Precise Tilt (Yaw) |
Move three fingers in a vertical line to tilt an object in the Y plane (precise increments). |
Drag
(Three-finger) |
| GestureWorks (Flash) |
Aggressive Tilt (Yaw) |
Move three fingers in a vertical line to tilt an object in the Y plane. |
Drag
(Three-finger) |
| GestureWorks (Flash) |
Precise Tilt (Roll) |
Move three fingers in a horizontal line to tilt an object in the X plane (precise increments). |
Drag
(Three-finger) |
| GestureWorks (Flash) |
Aggressive Tilt (Roll) |
Move three fingers in a horizontal line to tilt an object in the X plane. |
Drag
(Three-finger) |
| Platform |
Platform Gesture |
Platform Description |
Core Gesture |
| Microsoft Surface |
Tap |
Press and then release |
Tap |
| Microsoft Surface |
Slide or push |
Move the object under your finger with a sliding or pushing action |
Drag |
| Microsoft Surface |
Flick |
Press, slide quickly, and then release |
Fling |
| Microsoft Surface |
Touch-and-turn |
Slide your finger on the content around a point of the content; you can also fake this carefully with manipulations in ScatterView |
Drag
(Around an object) |
| Microsoft Surface |
Spin |
Twist quickly to rotate the object |
Rotate |
| Microsoft Surface |
Pull apart Stretch |
Pull fingers apart on two hands |
Spread
(Two-finger) |
| Microsoft Surface |
Push together Shrink |
Bring fingers together on two hands |
Pinch
(Two-finger) |
| Microsoft Surface |
Twist |
Twist the object with two or more fingers, like turning a knob or paper |
Rotate |
| Microsoft Surface |
Pinch |
Bring two fingers together on one hand |
Pinch |
| Microsoft Surface |
Squeeze |
Bring three or more fingers together on one hand |
Pinch
(Three-finger) |
| Microsoft Surface |
Spread |
Pull fingers apart on one hand |
Spread
(Five-finger) |
| Microsoft Surface |
Pin turn |
Pin the object in place with one finger while the other finger drags the object around the pinned point |
Rotate |
The Touch Gesture Reference Guide was conceived of, researched, illustrated, and designed by:
Document-sharing and collaboration startup Box.net is joining the growing wave of companies embracing the HTML5 Web format. This morning, Box announced a new feature powered by HTML5 (more on that in a second). And looking beyond today’s announcement, cofounder and chief executive Aaron Levie (pictured) sounds very gung ho about HTML5’s potential.
Touch Gesture Reference Guide
