All smartphones, whether Android or iPhone, have the same set of buttons: volume up, volume down, and power on/off. However, starting with the iPhone 8, Apple has been offering a additional button: A virtual one on the back that uses gestures to help perform different tasks on the device.
Android phones are not far behind in this regard, although not all manufacturers offer this possibility. Next, we will explain how to unlock this secret button and how to use it to perform different actions on your phone with the Android operating system / (we take the Google Pixel as a reference).
How to activate this button on Pixel phones
Google Pixel phones, from model 4a to newer, come with the quick-tap function, which is what we are talking about. This allows you to double-tap the back of your phone to perform various actions, such as take screenshots, open the Google assistant, turn the flashlight on or off, and much more. You can even set Quick Tap to open an app.
Here are the steps you need to take to enable Quick Tap on a Pixel device and customize it to perform the desired operation:
- Open Settings on your Pixel phone in the usual way, for example using the icon that has the same name.
- The next thing is that you access the Gestures section that is within the System. In the settings that you will now see on the phone screen, select Quick Tap to start actions.
- Now, all you have to do is activate the Use Quick Tap button. You can select the option right next to it to assign gestures to use the new option (it will work a little erratically otherwise).
- If you want to open an app with Quick Tap, select Open app and then tap the gear icon next to it to select the app on the next screen.
Once you’ve set up Quick Tap on your phone, it’s pretty straightforward to use. You only have to do double touch on the back of your phone and will perform the action you have assigned.
Something important to keep in mind
Unlike the iPhone’s Back Tap feature, Quick Tap only supports the double-tap gesture. Hopefully this will change soon and Google will add support for adding more. By the way, this function only works when screen is unlockedso it cannot be used on the lock screen.
>
