I've resisted this for a bit, but finally gave in and tried it out a week back. I opted for the three bottom swipes, so everything is still actually in the same position (to make the transition a bit easier) but I may still progress to the side swipe.
Yes, the muscle memory does actually kink in quite quickly, and I'm sticking with it. It gains a bit of extra screen space for you, but the theory too is that it is quicker to just swipe, than to aim for the actual buttons as a press. Also having recently switched back from using an iPhone, it actually feels a bit similar as iOS uses the swipe up for return to home screen, and swipe up and sideways to see recent apps.
See
It’s Time to Stop Using Three-Button Navigation on Android#
technology #
Android #
gestures #
navigation 
Following in the steps of the iPhone, Google added gesture-based navigation to Android in 2018. It’s been a while since then, yet many people still cling to the old three-button navigation system. Allow me to make the case for gestures.
