I am one of those who really appreciate these tips which, although small, are extremely useful. Especially when they are not very well known and, still in my opinion, they are worth sharing. This is what happens with a little-known tweak to the Google Pixel and this can surely be useful for any user who has one of these mobiles.
It is basically perform actions with a single touch on the back of the mobile. It’s very similar to the iPhone’s double-tap gesture, as the Pixel also offers the ability to take screenshots and other actions.
A Pixel and Android 12, the only necessary requirements
Although there are third-party applications that offer this possibility, and in fact we will comment on them later, if you already have a Google phone, you will not have to install anything at all. It just needs to be compatible with at least Android 12 or any newer version. Therefore, we have these mobiles on which to perform this trick:
Google Pixel 3 XL (Image: Xataka)
Knowing this, you just need to follow this setting path to configure it:
- Open Pixel settings.
- Enter the “System” section.
- Now go to “Gestures”.
- Click “Quick press to start actions”.
- Activate the “Use Quick Touch” tab.
- Choose the action you want to perform from the list of options below.
Among the proposals you will see that they are proposed several possibilities like take a screenshot, view recently opened apps, turn on the flashlight or open a specific app. In my particular case, the latter is my favorite, having selected the camera app for it.
NOW, how does this gesture work? Well, as you may have already seen in the GIF that the system adds in this section, it consists of give two quick taps with your finger on the back of the mobile. After that, the device will perform the action you set.
The sensitivity of the device to detect these keys is very good, to be able to detect them even with a cover. Now, not just any blanket will do either. If it’s very thick, it might work, but giving the strongest hits.
Anyway, I think it’s one of the best things Pixels have to offer. Too bad it’s not a common function also among other Android manufacturers, although there is an option. As we already told you a while ago, there is an app (you have to download it as APK) that provides these functions to any mobile. It’s called “Tap, Tap” and you can always download it via this link.
Cover image | xataka
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