Android fanboys are waiting for the release of Android 12. More than a year ago, reports suggested that Google was developing a brand new gesture for its Pixel lineup.
Known as Colombus from previous reports, the new gesture allows users to perform any action. It works by performing a quick double-tap on the back of the phone.
It looks like the feature made its way to Android 12 Beta 2 and can be used on the Google Pixel 5 and 4a 5G phones. If you want to make use of the feature, just head over to Settings>System>Gestures and tap on the “Quick Tap” option.
The default action assigned to Quick tap can be used to take screenshots. However, it can also perform actions such as:
- Play/Pause any media
- Show the Recent Apps
- Pull-down notification shade
- Open any app
- and trigger the Google Assistant
The actions are, to be honest, enough for a normal user. However, power users might be disappointed to learn that they cannot trigger certain toggles such as Flashlight.
We must bring to your attention that the feature is still in Beta, and you might experience some bugs here and there. According to tipster Dylan Roussel, the feature is buggy if you try to use it on the settings page. Also, he suggested that it won’t work when the option “Require Stronger Taps is turned on.”
It seems Google is still experimenting with the feature. Many changes are coming with Android 12, so make sure you stay tuned for further updates!
