Many Android smartphones have a hidden button on the back, which allows add quick access to our favorite appss, or maybe take screenshots or open the notification panel, whichever you prefer. This feature is available for Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy, and Xiaomi phones, and after using it, there is no going back.
This feature makes it much quicker to do some things we probably do dozens of times a day, so why not save precious seconds or just make things easier? This is precisely the aim of “double tap” on the back of the mobileand below we explain how to use it.
How to Use the Back “Button” on a Google Pixel
Let’s start with the Google Pixel phones, the workhorses of the Android operating system. Of course, there’s actually no physical button hidden on the back of the phone, but rather the device. uses different sensors to detect if we perform the “double tap” gesture. This feature is available natively in the purest version of Android on these devices, and enabling it is very simple.
Just go to the System Settings menu and follow the following steps:
- We go to the “System” section in the settings menu
- We access the “Gestures”
- Next we select the option Tap quickly to start actions
- And then we activate Use the quick key
From now on, it is possible to use the gesture on your Google Pixel mobile. The last thing we need to do is configure exactly what we want the double back press to do.
Among the available options we have to take a screenshot, show recent applications, turn on the flashlight or, my favorite, open an app. If we select this option we must also press the gear-shaped button to choose the application that will open, it can be any application installed on the mobile, from social networks to, well sure, the camera app.
How to use the back “button” on a Samsung Galaxy
If you have a Samsung Galaxy mobile, this function is also available, but not by default: you must install the application Good Lock, an official Samsung application which adds many customization possibilities to the company’s devices.
The first thing we need to do is install Good Lock, which is available on the Samsung Galaxy Store as well as the Google Play Store.
Then we follow these steps:
- Let’s move on to the Life Up tab
- We are looking for the module Register and we install it
- We access the RegiStar module and select Rollback action
- We activate this function and we can configure the back touch to perform actions
In the case of the Samsung Galaxy, it is possible to configure the double back key and also the triple back key, so we can have two quick shortcuts with this gesture. We can configure opening any app, take screenshots, view recent apps and more options.
How to Use the Back “Button” on a Motorola
Many Motorola phones also have the ability to use the rear touch gesture, but although this manufacturer uses a version of the Android operating system almost Purely, the function is not available in the same section of the settings menu as in the Google Pixel.
On Motorola, the rear touchscreen is available in the Moto application. And it can be activated and configured by following these steps:
- Let’s go to Motorcycle appavailable on many phone brands
- Next we access the section Gestures
- Then we continue Quick Start
- We activate Use Quick Start
Finally, we click on Settings on this last screen and select the action we want to perform with the double back tap. Among the available options are taking a screenshot, recording the screen, playing (or pausing) music, and of course, opening the desired app.
How to use the back “button” on a Xiaomi mobile
In the case of Xiaomi mobiles, the option is available natively on many of these devices. To configure it, simply follow the following steps:
- We go to the mobile configuration menu
- We access additional settings
- Then we select Gesture shortcuts
- Finally, we continue back key
We can configure two gestures: double back touch and triple back touch, so we can use two actions with these gestures. Available options include taking a screenshot, opening the camera, showing notifications, etc.
Cover photo | Ivan Linares for Xataka
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