Modern smartphones are very large. This, of course, is wonderful: you don’t have to strain your eyes to see what’s written on the screen. But large sizes also bring inconvenience. Reaching the icon of the desired application with the thumb of the hand in which you are holding the gadget while the other is busy with something is still a task. But there are a few tricks that will make your life easier.
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Enable one-handed mode
Many smartphones have a built-in mode that makes them easier to use with one hand.
iPhone
On an iPhone, to do this, click “Settings” → “General” → “Accessibility” and activate the “Easy Access” option. Then swipe down from the bottom of the display (iPhone X and above) or double-tap the Home button (iPhone 8 and above).
The screen content will shift so that it will be convenient to press with the thumb of the hand in which you are holding the smartphone. To exit this mode, swipe up from the top of the display.
Android
In Android smartphones, this function may be called differently. Dig into the settings and you will find it. For example, on Samsung smartphones you need to go to “Settings” → “Additional features” and enable the “One-handed control” option. Depending on your choice, you can activate this mode by swiping diagonally across the screen or by pressing the Home button three times. To exit the “one-handed” mode, simply tap on an empty space on the display.
For Xiaomi smartphones, the parameters are similar: go to “Settings” → “Advanced” → “One-handed control”. To activate the mode, swipe to the bottom right corner: from the Home button to the Back button. Or to the left corner if you are left-handed.
Swipe back to previous menu
Despite the growth of screens, developers continue to place buttons to return to the previous menu at the top of the interface. It’s good that this can be done with a simple movement of a finger, even with one hand.
How to do it: Simply swipe right from the left edge of the screen.
Install special applications
For those whose smartphone does not have the above-mentioned mode, third-party applications can help.
One of them is Reachability Cursor. Once installed, swipe your finger along the right or left edge of the screen and a round cursor will appear. It will allow you to reach the buttons and icons at the top without placing your finger near them. You move and tap your finger at the bottom of the display, and the cursor clicks at the top. Quite convenient.
appbox fallback https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.niftyui.reachability&hl=ru&gl=ru
You will also find Bottom Quick Settings useful. This program creates a curtain with settings at the bottom, thanks to which you don’t have to reach up to put your smartphone in silent mode or change the brightness.
appbox fallback https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tombayley.bottomquicksettings&hl=ru&gl=ru
Finally, if you have root access or can type a couple of commands into the terminal, try the One-Handed Mode app. It adds support for one-handed mode to smartphones that do not have it. When starting, give it root access or follow these instructions from the developers. You will need a USB cable and a computer. The app costs 99 cents.
appbox fallback https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.xda.onehandedmode&hl=ru&gl=ru
How to switch to one-handed control mode (Xiaomi)
So, for example, the phrase “Tap the back button” means “Tap the back button and remove your finger.” Most often, tapping is done with one finger, but many applications support multiple taps. For example, in the iCab Mobile browser, tapping with two fingers opens the plug-in window, and with three – the trackpad. Taps involving more than five fingers are usually not used.
A type of tap can be called a tap with hold, when you touch the screen with your finger (or fingers), but do not release it, waiting for the effect. Another subtype is double tap, when the user quickly touches the screen twice.
A striking example of a regular tap is launching applications on the iPhone. To launch a program, you tap on its icon.
Place your home screen icons correctly
Arrange the icons on your home screen so that they can be easily pressed with the thumb of the hand with which you are holding the smartphone. Naturally, you can move icons on both Android and iPhone.
But iOS forces the user to arrange apps in a grid, so there is no empty space. This is not very convenient: you have to figure out how to fill the far corners. However, there is a way out: use the Makeovr tool. We have already described the principle of its operation.
Open Makeovr in Safari and use it to create some “blank” icons. Then arrange them at the top and left of the screen. And place the necessary icons closer to the lower right corner.
Android users have no such restrictions - you can put icons wherever you want. True, some shells, such as MIUI, do not tolerate empty space on the screen, just like iOS. But nothing prevents you from downloading a third-party launcher.
Learn to launch the last application you opened
If you need to launch the last app you opened, there's no point in looking for it on the Home screen or in the App Switcher (multitasking) menu. Just swipe your finger once and it will open again.
How to do it: Swipe from left to right at the bottom edge of the screen on iPhone X, XR, XS, and XS Max.
Squeeze your keyboard
Typing with one finger on a smartphone is a thankless task, but sometimes it is the only option. For example, if you are riding on a bus and want to write something like “I’ll be there soon.”
Many Android and iOS keyboards have a one-handed mode. In the standard iPhone keyboard, to switch to it, tap the language icon and choose whether to move the keyboard to the right or left.
The settings vary on different Android smartphone models. In standard Gboard, one-handed typing mode is activated by long pressing the comma key. You can also tap the ellipsis in the keyboard header and select floating mode, which allows you to move Gboard to any corner of the screen, which is especially useful on very large smartphones or tablets.
Gesture control on Redmi 5 (Plus)
With the firmware update on Xiaomi Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus smartphones Previously, this feature was only available on developer (weekly) firmware. By activating this function, you will disable the on-screen buttons, thereby increasing the usable screen area. Today we will tell you how to enable this option, look at what gestures are provided and how to use them.
With the MIUI update, a new “Unlimited Screen” item appeared in “Settings”. It is in this section that you can choose the option of working with either navigation buttons (on-screen buttons) or full-screen gestures.
When you activate the “Full-screen gestures” item, “Gesture Demonstration” becomes available, where you can familiarize yourself with their options and try how it works.
By clicking on any of the possible gesture options, a window will open with a description and display (animation) of what needs to be done for the gesture to work.
If during the demonstration, the required actions are performed correctly, the following window will appear.
This way you can practice making gestures correctly by switching between their options.
WHAT GESTURES ARE AVAILABLE
Return to desktop.
To return to the desktop, there is a gesture - swipe from the bottom to the center of the screen.
Displaying a list of recent applications
Swipe from the bottom to the center of the screen while holding your finger.
Return (Back)
Swipe left or right to the center of the screen.
All gestures are preset and cannot be changed. That is, we use it as is or return with on-screen buttons.
There are only two options available for settings.
Enable animation for the Return gesture
When the animation is enabled, arrows will be displayed when swiping to the left and or to the right.
Full screen mode
In this section you can configure applications to run in full screen mode.
To disable full-screen gestures mode and return to on-screen buttons, in the “Full-screen gestures” section, select “Navigation buttons”.
CONCLUSION
Gesture control is a very interesting solution. Of course, you need to get used to it. But you quickly get used to good things. At one time, when switching from sub-screen buttons to on-screen buttons, you feel some discomfort. Out of habit, I constantly want to press under the screen, where the touch buttons used to be. But after a day or two, everything falls into place. The old habit disappears and a new one is formed. The situation is approximately the same with full-screen gestures. At first, everything seems terribly unfamiliar and uncomfortable. The subconscious is looking for buttons that are not there. But after some time, you realize how convenient this solution is and how you managed without it before.
In any case, the choice is yours. Try using this interface option. If you like it, leave it. If not, then it’s never too late to return to the old, more familiar regime.
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