One-handed mode spotted in Android 12's Developer Preview
Google unveiled the first Developer Preview build of Android 12 on February 18. As speculated, one of the highlights of the new OS is its one-handed mode. The feature shrinks the active screen area by bringing the top edge within reach. This makes it easier to interact with content on the screen using just one hand.
Android's one-handed mode resembles iOS; here's how to use it
The Android 12 feature is similar to iOS's Reachability mode. It can be invoked with a simple swipe-down action on the gesture navigation bar. One-handed mode automatically exits if no touch input is received for eight seconds. Alternatively, one can manually exit the mode by tapping the upper half of the screen or swiping up on the gesture bar.
Feature brings top edge of the screen within reach
While in one-handed mode, the upper region of the screen is grayed out and content is moved down to be within your thumb's reach. The phone can be used like usual in the shrunken state. Although Android 12 supports one-handed operation now, it will only benefit Pixel users later this year. Other manufacturers already have a similar feature running on older Android versions.
Feature will be a blessing for buyers of tall phones
One-handed mode did not publicly launch with Android 12, but Dylan Roussel at 9to5Google was able to enable the feature and show how it works. The feature will come in handy for buyers of the taller phones in the market such as the Sony Xperia 10 III, OnePlus 8, and Samsung Galaxy Note 9.
Android 12's implementation differs from that of previous third-party skins
In the past, the one-handed mode has been seen on third-party Android skins such as Xiaomi's MIUI and Samsung's OneUI. Both these implementations of one-handed mode shrink the screen in equal proportion along both edges. Google's keyboard app called Gboard also features a one-handed mode that brings the left or right edge of the keyboard closer to the opposite screen edge.
Feature might not be in final release, but appears production-ready
Although it is too early to say if the stable build of Android 12 will support one-handed mode, the implementation appears to be polished. For instance, scrolling screenshots were seen in the Developer Preview for Android 11, but they never made it to the final stable release. Android 12 beta testing will begin in mid-April with stable releases available after August.
