Bad tidings for those of you with little hands or small pockets ( or both ): It take care like phonesare staying bigfor the foreseeable hereafter . But owning a handset with a big screen does n’t mean you ca n’t operate it with just one helping hand if you postulate to — these are the software antic and apps you need to familiarise yourself with .
Enable Reachability mode
Apple introduced a feature of speech call Reachability into Io back in 2014 , and it ’s been help exploiter hit carte and icons at the top of the screen ever since . It ’s disable by default in iOS 12 , but can be switched on by tapping General then Accessibility in configurations and toggle the Reachability switch to On .
With that done , a scant swipe down or a quick swipe up and down near the bottom of the display brings the top half of the screen down so you may get to it more easily with one hand . On older iPhones , lightly tap twice on the plate button or else .
Android does n’t have an official fashion like Reachability build into it , but some Android manufacturers have added one anyway . In the typesetter’s case of Samsung devices , for example , you ask to choose One - handed mode from advance feature of speech in configurations . You get a alternative of ways to set in motion the modality — either through a sloped swipe up from a bottom corner or through three closet on the Home clitoris .
Photo: David Nield (Gizmodo)
HTC is another company that ’s put an easy - to - enjoyment one - handed mode right into its Android software . In this case , you need to pick out Display & gestures and One - handed style from the organization options to start the feature , then threefold - spigot the place release to establish it .
Tweak the keyboard
Both Android and Io include a ‘ one - handed mode ’ for their respective caudex keyboards . On Android , pink and hold on the Polygonia comma button ( lower right ) , then select the musical mode substitution button ( it ’s the one on the rightfulness ) , then resign .
The keyboard snaps to one side of the screenland — you’re able to use the pointer button to switch sides , the papa out button ( at the bottom ) to move the keyboard anywhere you like on screen , and the expand button ( at the top ) to go back to the standard mode .
Over on iOS , the equivalent one - handed mode is very standardised . Here you need to weight-lift and apply on the emoji button ( lower left-hand , underneath the keyboard ) , then find fault either of the one - handed modes on the left field or right .
Again , the keyboard snaps to the side of the screen , and you may apply the arrow button to switch sides ( or go back to the modality choice menu ) . To restore the keyboard to its full sizing , press and throw on the emoji push button again then choose the full keyboard .
Adapt your home screens
One simple way to make a big headphone easier to use with just one manus is to get everything you ’re going to need down in one of the bottom corners of the screenland . In the case of your home screens , for example , you’re able to ensure all your favorite apps and shortcuts are within easy reach of your thumb .
This is very straightforward on Android of course — you just tap and hold on a shortcut and then move it into position wherever you like . Drag an ikon right down into the favorites stripe to get at it from the bottom of the screen ( you might have to move another picture out of the favorite block up first ) .
iOS is more restrictive in that you have to set up a undifferentiated grid of ikon . you may get your most - used apps and shortcuts down in the corners , but you ’re going to have to fill the rest period of the cover with other apps to keep the grid intact .
Alternatively , tryMakeovras a workaround ( open up the website on your iPhone ): Using some impertinent inconspicuous icon tricks , it make the illusion of empty space on your menage screens , which means you ’re loose to order your real icons as involve .
Choose your apps carefully
For those apps you run a lot , confirm whether there are any options to adjust the interface to make them easier to use with one hand . You might come up aside discomfited though — few of the apps that we ’ve had a hunt through will let you tweak the layout in any meaningful style .
One exception is Opera Touch , free forAndroidandiOS , a web web browser build for bare and intuitive ascendance with a single hand . There ’s what Opera call a Fast Action Button at the bottom of the interface , which you’re able to push and contain to range searches , switch through your heart-to-heart pill , and access various other features .
If you ’re on Android , you may take advantage of the experimentalOne - Handed Modeapp from XDA Developers , which attempt to duplicate the occasion of Reachability in iOS by shrink down the screen so it ’s easier to get at with one hand . It does n’t work perfectly with every app but it ’s worth checking out .
Also for Android and also in an other beta form isReachability Cursor , which is free in its basic variant but has the option of a premium version . Here you get an on - screen cursor that ’s within easy reach of your ovolo , and which lets you verify just about everything on your phone — from insert text to selecting choice on menus — through a series of swipe on that cursor .
Switch to voice
Okay , this one ’s a bit of a cheater — it ’s really operate on your phone with no hands , and it ’s not going to figure out in a quieten library or on a noisy commuter train . It will let you use your telephone set without cradle it in both hands though , so you might find it useful .
The idea is simply to do whatever you demand to do through Siri or Google Assistant : These apps can do a lot more than run vane searches and tear weather information from the web , and perhaps more than you realize .
We ’re not go to run through a comprehensive list of Siri and Google Assistant commands here , but you could find some helpful arrow fromAppleandGoogleonline ( or just necessitate for avail ) . Both apps let you use your voice to open up websites , turn Bluetooth and wifi on or off , set reminder , and play up your calendars , for instance .
Both apps let you send message and emails , and send and receive calls as well , saving you the trouble of have to stab at the screen to select contacts and type out text . Siri and Google Assistant are also equal to of taking photograph for you . Before you sputter strain to do something with your hands , see if you may do it with your voice .
AndroidSmartphones
Daily Newsletter
Get the unspoiled tech , science , and culture tidings in your inbox daily .
tidings from the future tense , delivered to your present .
You May Also Like
