Android 11 could let you double-tap the back of your Pixel to launch apps
Yet another way to launch Google Assistant?
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The first Developer Preview ofAndroid 11continues to reveal new features thatGooglehas in the pipeline for its mobileoperating system– including a new gesture where you could double-tap the back of your Pixel phone to launch apps and actions.
The feature isn’t properly enabled yet but has been spotted in the Android 11 code byXDA Developers. As with any feature in this Developer Preview, it may get tweaked or removed altogether before the software gets a full and official release.
Apparently “Columbus” is the codename for this new gesture, and a double-tap on the back of a compatibleGoogle Pixel handsetcould, for example, launch the Google Assistant or the phone camera, or pause any audio that’s currently playing.
Other references embedded in the code suggest this is indeed a Google Pixel exclusive, though it may roll out to other phones further down the line. We probably won’t hear anything from Google about the double-tap feature untilGoogle IO 2020gets underway on May 12.
Tap, squeeze, wave
The new gesture system doesn’t require any special hardware – it just uses the accelerometer and gyroscope sensors that can be found inevery phoneto judge when you’re double-tapping the back of the handset.
According toXDA Developers, the double-tap can also dismiss timers, snooze alarms, unpin notifications, or trigger an action specified by the user. It looks as though you’ll be able to configure this to do pretty much anything you like.
Google has form for this sort of Pixel-exclusive gesture: every Pixel since thePixel 2has supported Active Edge (squeeze the sides of the phone to carry out an action), while the latest Pixel 4 phones support Motion Sense (wave above the phone to skip media tracks, silence alarms and more).
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There’s likely to be plenty more from Android 11 in the coming weeks and months – Google is planning another two Developer Preview releases and then threeBeta releases(which will be much easier to install for the average user).
Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.
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