Custom Gestures in .NET MAUI for Enhanced User Interactions

Introduction

In today’s mobile-first world, touch gestures are a cornerstone of user interaction. Whether it’s swiping through images, pinching to zoom, or performing multi-finger gestures, users expect apps to respond intuitively to their touch inputs. While .NET MAUI provides built-in gesture recognizers for common interactions like taps, swipes, and pinches, many apps require custom gestures—such as multi-touch drags, complex swipe sequences, or gesture combinations—to deliver a truly immersive experience.
This guide will take you deep into custom gesture recognition in .NET MAUI, covering:

• The fundamentals of gesture handling in .NET MAUI

• How to create custom gesture recognizers from scratch

• Implementing multi-touch and complex gesture combinations

• Integrating gestures with UI elements for dynamic interactions

• Advanced use cases for gaming, drawing apps, and more

By the end, you’ll have the knowledge to build highly interactive, gesture-driven apps that stand out in the mobile landscape.

1. Understanding Gesture Recognition in .NET MAUI

Built-in Gestures in .NET MAUI

.NET MAUI simplifies gesture handling with the GestureRecognizer class, which supports the following common gestures out of the box:

These are sufficient for basic interactions, but what if your app needs:

• Multi-finger gestures (e.g., two-finger rotation)

• Custom swipe patterns (e.g., diagonal swipes, circular motions)

• Chained gestures (e.g., swipe + long press to trigger an action)

For these scenarios, we need custom gesture recognizers.

2. Building a Custom Gesture Recognizer in .NET MAUI

Step 1: Creating a Base Gesture Recognizer

To implement a custom gesture, we start by subclassing GestureRecognizer and defining our own gesture detection logic.

Step 2: Implementing a Drag Gesture Recognizer

A common use case is detecting a drag gesture (e.g., moving an element across the screen). We can track the initial touch point and compare it to the current position:

Step 3: Detecting Multi-Touch Gestures

For multi-touch interactions (e.g., two-finger zoom), we track multiple touch points and calculate their relative movement:

3. Integrating Custom Gestures with UI Components

Step 1: Attaching a Gesture Recognizer to a View

Once we have a custom gesture recognizer, we can attach it to any View (e.g., BoxView, Image, Frame):

Step 2: Combining Multiple Gestures

We can combine swipe + pinch for richer interactions:

4. Advanced Gesture Use Cases

Case 1: Two-Finger Rotation Gesture

For apps requiring rotation gestures (e.g., image editors), we can calculate the angle between two touch points:

Case 2: Chained Gestures (Swipe + Long Press)

For sequential gestures, we can track multiple steps before triggering an action:

5. Performance Considerations & Best Practices

• Optimize Gesture Handling: Avoid heavy computations in gesture callbacks to prevent UI lag.

• Use Platform-Specific Tweaks: Some gestures (e.g., high-frequency touch events) may need platform optimizations.

• Test on Real Devices: Gesture behavior can vary across Android, iOS, and Windows.

• Provide Visual Feedback: Use animations to confirm gesture detection (e.g., highlight on swipe).

Conclusion

Custom gestures in .NET MAUI unlock powerful, intuitive interactions that go beyond standard taps and swipes. Whether you're building:

• Drawing apps (multi-touch gestures)

• Games (complex swipe combos)

• Productivity tools (drag-and-drop, pinch-to-zoom)

…custom gesture recognizers give you the flexibility to create highly responsive, engaging user experiences.