When smartphones were usable by people with normal hands, I didn’t really need the quick-tap gesture of my Google Pixel 6 Pro. It’s different today, the displays of the current Pixel phones have outgrown my hands. To do this, Google has removed the fingerprint sensor from the back of the devices. For me, a daily used feature was lost as a result.
Google has enlarged displays and put the fingerprint sensor somewhere else
But Google thought of an alternative that now works very well and I use it a lot today. Pixel users used to be able to unlock the smartphone via the fingerprint sensor, but they could also open the notification bar with a swipe gesture.
Today I need this gesture all the more because on the much larger displays my fingers can only reach the notification bar with great difficulty. Unfortunately, the fingerprint sensor has migrated to the display with the Pixel 6 generation, so the gesture mentioned has also been omitted.
Double-tap: New gesture via the back of the smartphone
Google introduced a double-tap for this some time ago and this gesture saves my smartphone life. Pixel phones (and other devices) can use internal sensors to detect when the user taps their finger on the back of the phone. The detection is now really mature in the Pixel 6.
So today I use the double-tap to open the notifications. I do this very often every day and it usually works right away. You can also use this gesture for other actions. For example, display the recently used apps, open an app directly, start the Assistant, and much more.
Sometimes it’s the very small gestures that can make everyday life with the smartphone easier. You can find a quick tap in the gestures under System in the system settings.
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