Those of you who install Android 12 Beta 2 build on your Pixel 5 handset, will be able to take advantage of ‘Quick Tap’. For those of you who don’t know, ‘Quick Tap’ is the double-tap back gesture that has been rumored for a while now.
‘Quick Tap’ is now available on the Pixel 5, thanks to Android 12 Beta 2
This feature was known as ‘Columbus’ up to this point, now it has an official name. Do note that this feature seems to be active for the Pixel 5 units, but also some Pixel 4a 5G models. Interestingly enough, it’s not available for every Pixel 4a 5G owner who installed this build.
All you need to do, when you install the software, is navigate to Settings -> System -> Gestures, and look up ‘Quick Tap’. Enable it, and you’re good to go. By default, this action will allow you to take screenshots. You can change that, though.
You can assign various different actions instead, if you want. That action can trigger Google Assistant (or other voice assistants), play / pause media, open the Recent Apps menu, pull down the notification shade, or open a custom app.
More actions are likely coming with the stable build
Some users will surely find this feature interesting. Some of you may object to the fact that more actions aren’t available for it, though. Google may add more actions in the future, though. Like an action to fire up the flashlight, for example.
Chances are we’ll see more actions being added in the final build. This feature is likely here to stay, as it finally became available with Android 12 Beta 2. We’re not sure if it will stay exclusive to the Pixel 5, or will it trickle down to other Pixels.
The upcoming Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro will likely offer this feature as well, though we’re only guessing. Android 12 Beta 2 dropped yesterday with a lot of changes. We’ve already covered a bunch of them on the site, and more info is coming. The stable build is expected to arrive at some point in August.