Summary
Briefly pressing the Power button sleeps or wakes the display. Common touchscreen actions like tap to select and swipe to scroll are also applicable to Sidephone. Sidephone uses swipe gestures for 'Back', 'Home', and navigating between open applications or 'App Switching'.
Steps
Core touch gestures
Tap any button, icon, or menu item to select it.
Swipe up or down to scroll lists and pages.
Swipe left or right to move between screens where supported.
System navigation (gestures)
Beginning with your finger placed on the outside edge of the display:
Swipe towards the center of the display from the left or right edge of the display to perform a Back action in your current application
Swipe directly up from the bottom center of the display to the top of the screen and release to return Home to the main screen
Swipe directly up from the bottom of the display and hold your finger in the middle of the display to open the App Switcher to view and switch between open apps.
It is possible to change from gestures to on-screen buttons for each of the below actions in Settings -> System -> Gestures -> System navigation -> 3-button navigation.
Tap Back (◀) to return to the previous screen.
Tap Home (●) to return to the main screen.
Tap App Switcher (■) to view and switch between open apps.
Home screen navigation
From the middle of the home screen, swipe up to reveal all applications below, sorted in alphabetical order.
Screen and power behavior
Press the Power button quickly to turn the screen off (sleep).
Press the Power button quickly again to wake the screen.
Hold the Power button for 3–5 seconds to power the device on or off.
Setup Wizard navigation (first-time use)
Use Tap to advance through Setup Wizard screens.
Scroll down on longer pages to reveal the Next/Skip buttons.
Considerations
Disabling touch screen and associated gestures: As a redundancy measure, the touchscreen will always remain active even with keypads inserted.
Swiping up gesture not working to view all apps on home screen: Swipe from the middle of the screen, not the bottom of the display. Swiping from the bottom of the display is a system gesture to return to home.
Swiping up gesture not working to answer phone calls: Create a crescent or 'C' like shape as you swipe up to extend the area of travel for the swipe. On occasion, and for actions such as accepting a phone call, the smaller display requires firm and exaggerated swipes up. The action should be slow and arc to the right in order to extend the amount of travel.
Button sizes impacting touch recognition: Applications with smaller buttons have smaller areas or 'zones' where a touch can be registered. If your first attempt at pressing a button on screen is not registered, attempt a second time more firmly and directly, using the tip or point of your finger.
During Setup Wizard: Navigation must be done via the touchscreen; keypads are configured later.
Screen turns off mid-setup: Tap the Power button once to wake and continue.
If gestures feel unresponsive: Clean the screen and ensure your finger is dry.
App-specific behavior: Some apps may use additional gestures (e.g., swipe to delete); these are app-dependent.
Inferred behavior: Back/Home/App Switcher placement follows standard Android patterns (not explicitly detailed in the Sidephone guide).
When to Contact Support
Create a support ticket if the touchscreen consistently fails to register taps or swipes across multiple screens entirely, or if the display will not wake with the Power button.
What to Collect for Support
Which gesture is not working (tap, swipe, back, home, power)
Whether the issue occurs in the Setup Wizard, Home screen, or a specific app
Whether the screen wakes when the Power button is pressed
Whether the touchscreen responds in other areas
Any visible cracks, moisture, or debris on the display
Videos are extremely helpful to diagnose the core problem.