Touch Gesture Basics

December 2025: 

Don't lose that lovin' feeling

A commonly misunderstood but highly beneficial tech skill for seniors is the principle of “single tap vs. double tap vs. long press,” particularly on smartphones and tablets. Different types of touches trigger different actions. This often leads to accidental app openings, missed actions, or difficulty navigating interfaces.

Why this skill is misunderstood

• Our devices don't clearly explain the different gestures. We're expected to "just know" (the way our grandkids do, who are born with this knowledge! 😄)

• These touchscreen gestures seem unintuitive.

• We often assume, incorrectly, an unresponsive screen needs us to "tap harder".

Why this matters

Touch gestures are foundational to almost everything on a mobile device. Mastering them dramatically improves confidence, reduces frustration, and speeds up everyday tasks. Let's look at the three core gestures.

1. Single Tap

Activates or selects something. Examples of where it's used:

• Opening an app

• Choosing an option

• Starting a video

2. Double Tap

Often zooms in or out, or toggles a particular state. Examples of where it's used:

• Zooming in on photos or web pages

• Skipping forward/back in a video (YouTube, Netflix, etc.)

3. Long Press (press and hold)

Opens hidden options or brings up a menu. Examples of where it's used:

• Moving or deleting apps on your home screen

• Highlighting text

• Opening context menus in email or messaging apps

Let's practice touching

Okay, yes, our sense of touch is usually our first connection to the world when we're born. And like us, our devices need to be touched in order to interact with us. Voice commands are reducing some of that need, but we should still keep our tech-touching skills sharp. Try these exercises on the mobile device of your choice (not suitable for desktop or laptop devices):

1. Photos

   • Open the following Google Photos gallery: https://photos.app.goo.gl/cwPxpfX6pj42vMg46

   • You should see 8 photo thumbnails. Perform the following steps in order:

     1. Single tap on one of the thumbnails to see what happens.

        • It should open the image in a new display of its own.

     2. Double tap on the image to see what happens.

        • It should 'zoom in' on the image. You can use a finger to drag the image side to side, or up and down, to see all of it.

     3. Double tap on the image again to see what happens.

        • It should return to its original display size.

     4. Single tap on the image, then quickly single tap on the 'return' icon " ← " in the upper left corner of the screen.

        • You should be returned to the Google Photos gallery.

     5. Long press one of the images in the gallery to see what happens.

        • You should see the image slightly shrink and a small checkmark should appear in the upper left corner of the image.

          • This indicates to Google Photos that you have 'selected' the image.

          • Each of the other photos in the gallery should have a small 'selection circle' appearing in their upper left corners. 

     6. Single tap on another image to see what happens.

        • You should see that image slightly shrink and a checkmark should replace the 'selection circle' in the upper left corner of the image.

          • You have now selected two images.

            • The long press started the selection process with the one image you were pressing and holding.

            • The single tap continued the selection process with the next image you touched.

2. Videos

   • Open the following YouTube video: https://youtu.be/vPY1pH_g85I?si=Pwp3mwIrEt6vhaqq 

   • Start watching the video (Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe for Beginners). Perform the following steps in order:

     1. Single tap anywhere on the screen to see what happens.

        • You should see playback controls appear briefly over the video.

     2. Single tap the screen again to make the controls appear, then quickly single tap on the small square in the lower right corner of the video.

        • The video should rotate 90 degrees clockwise and take up the full screen of your mobile device, while continuing to play. 

     3. Single tap the screen once more, then quickly single tap the 'pause' icon " ‖ " appearing in the centre of the screen. 

        • The video should pause and you should now see the 'play' icon " ▶ " in the screen centre.

     4. Single tap the play icon. 

        • The video should start playing from where it was paused.

     5. Double tap on the left half of the screen to see what happens.

        • The video should skip backward 10 seconds to start playing from that point.

     6. Double tap on the right half of the screen to see what happens. 

        • The video should skip forward 10 seconds to start playing from that point.

     7. Long press on the screen to see what happens.

        • The video should start playing twice as fast as normal (you should see " 2x▶▶ " at the top of the video).

     8. Release your long press to see what happens.

        • The video should return to normal play speed.

Tips for Success

• Use gentle pressure. These gestures rely on timing, not force.

• Pause briefly when long pressing. Hold your finger still until options appear.

• Practice slowly at first. Speed will improve naturally.