There is no denying that phones have grown, sometimes in a humorous way. Using a modern Android phone with one hand can be almost impossible. This is where “one-handed mode” comes in, and many Android phones have it.
If you’re unfamiliar with “one-handed mode”, it’s just a feature that slides the UI to the bottom of the display to make things easier to access. It’s not a permanent thing, but it works in some situations.
In this guide, we will show you how One Hand Mode works on Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones.
Related: How to enable one-handed mode in Android’s Google Keyboard.
One-handed mode for Samsung Galaxy phones.
Samsung was one of the first Android phone makers to add one-handed mode. First, swipe down once from the top of the screen and tap on the gear icon.
Scroll down to Settings and select “Advanced Features”.
Select “One-handed mode”.
Switch on the top of the screen.
Next, you can choose how to activate one-handed mode. If you are using gesture navigation, you can select only “gesture”. But if you use a three-button layout, you also have the option to double-tap the home button.
In one-handed mode, you can tap the arrow icon to move the screw screen left or right. You can also hold the corner to resize the screen. Tap on any blank screen to exit.
One-handed mode for Google Pixel phones.
Android 12 features one-handed mode for Google Pixel phones. To get started, swipe down twice from the top of the screen to display the Quick Settings menu, and then tap on the gear icon.
Next, scroll down and select “System.”
Now, select “Gestures”.
Finally, switch to “One-handed mode”.
Toggle the switch above to turn on one-handed mode.
You also get some other options. Enable “Exit when switching apps” to automatically leave one-handed mode when you leave the app.
Finally, you can set the “Timeout” so that one hand mode exits after a certain length of inactivity.
Out of the way, you can turn on one-handed mode by swiping down the home button or gesture bar. To leave one-handed mode, swipe to the same location or tap the space at the top of the screen.
If you don’t have a Samsung Galaxy or Google Pixel phone, there is a good chance you have a one-handed mode. Find it in the settings and you might be surprised! It’s a nifty thing to know.
Related: How to find the settings menu on Android.