I found Android’s hidden gesture customization and it’s surprisingly powerful

Android users are no stranger to gestures. While I’m sure there are still some holdouts using trusty three-button navigation, many of us have embraced gesture navigation on our Android phones with open arms. Multitasking is quicker, you can swipe from both sides of the screen to go back, and more screen real estate is left for your content. However, if you’re only using Android’s basic swipe gestures for navigation, you’re missing out on your smartphone’s hidden gestures and the customization tools available for them.

Gestures can come in a handful of forms — swiping on the screen is one kind of gesture, but other gestures consist of back taps or phone movements. The exact set of gestures and their customization options will depend on your phone brand. Google Pixel phones have a different gesture customization suite than Samsung Galaxy phones, and the same goes for Motorola or OnePlus phones. This is how I make the most of the gestures and shortcuts on my Android phone, and why only one brand gets them right.

Launch apps or silence notifications with gestures

Double-tap the back of your phone to launch apps or take actions

Credit: Brady Snyder / MakeUseOf

There are some gestures available on almost every Android phone, and that’s because they’re particularly useful. If you only start using one Android gesture, it should be back tap. This gesture effectively adds a hidden button to the back of your device. Using sensors in your smartphone, Android can detect when the back of the device is tapped, and it can become a powerful gesture shortcut.

Google Pixel users can navigate to Settings → System → Gestures → Quick Tap and select an action that will start when the back of their phone is tapped. Motorola users can do the same by finding Settings → Gestures → Quick Launch and selecting something to launch when the back of their phone is tapped. You can set the back tap to open an app, but it’s far more versatile than that. The feature is customizable, and you can set it to take screenshots, record your screen, play or pause music, switch to your last app, or kick off other actions.

Another fan-favorite Android gesture involves flipping your phone face-down to activate Do Not Disturb. On Pixel phones, this is affectionately branded as Flip to Shhh. Motorola phones call this Flip for DND, and you can find each feature on the Gestures page for each device. You may have noticed I haven’t mentioned Galaxy phones yet, and that’s because Samsung buries its best gestures behind Good Lock modules. Users need to install the Good Lock app and manually load each required module to match the Pixel and Motorola features.

For instance, Galaxy owners need to download the RegiStar module from Good Lock to find the Back-Tap action gesture. Recreating the “Flip to Shhh” functionality is more difficult. That requires building a gesture completely from scratch using the Modes and Routines page in the Settings app. Galaxy users can install the Routines+ module from Good Lock to activate the face-down routine trigger. Then, they’ll need to build a custom routine activating DND with the face-down trigger in Modes and Routines.

Going through this process reveals the gesture customization tools most people miss. Using Modes and Routines on a Galaxy phone or Modes and Rules on a Pixel, users can build shortcuts and actions that launch following a gesture of their choosing.

Wrist twists or chops are hidden Android gestures

Motion sensors in your phone can be used for actions and commands

Credit: Brady Snyder / MakeUseOf

Google Pixel and Motorola phones have better gesture support out of the box, although Samsung’s calling card is how it lets you create custom Galaxy gestures entirely. Motorola has a Quick Capture gesture buried in the Settings app. This one opens the camera app after you twist your wrist twice, holding your phone. Google Pixel phones offer something similar. With the camera app already open, twisting your wrist twice is a gesture that switches between the rear and selfie cameras.

Credit: Brady Snyder / MakeUseOf

Motorola really goes wild with gestures. Fast Flashlight turns the flashlight on or off with two chopping motions, while Pick up to silence turns off the ringer after your device is lifted. These are part of an Android gesture category called kinetic gestures. Rather than swiping or tapping your screen, this kind of gesture is activated by the physical movement of your device.

Motorola’s gesture suite is robust and customizable

Three-finger swipes are the hidden shortcut gesture you aren’t using

Motorola’s default sensor suite includes a trio of three-finger actions: three-finger swipe to split, three-finger screenshot, and three-finger selection. The latter is particularly interesting — it allows you to select text or images on your screen following a three-finger press, and this selected content can be quickly dragged to another app. It’s clear that the gestures you’ll find right in the Settings app on a Motorola phone will outnumber those on a Samsung or Google phone.

Motorola gets my vote for best Android phone brand for gestures for this reason, but there’s a catch. Samsung offers an outstanding Modes and Routines section in the Settings app that effectively lets you create any gesture or shortcut you can think of. If you’re someone that doesn’t mind having to tinker with gestures or download Good Lock modules, a Samsung Galaxy might be the best gesture phone for you.

SoC

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5

RAM

16GB

Storage

512GB

Battery

6,000mAh silicon-carbon

Operating System

Android 16

Front camera

32MP external, 20MP internal

The Motorola Razr Fold is a formidable challenger to Google and Samsung foldables in the U.S., complete with a 6,000mAh silicon-carbon battery and stylus support on both of its screens. It packs slick Pantone colorways and an 8.1-inch foldable OLED display. Plus, it can charge at a whopping 80W over a cable and at 50W wirelessly.