There are going to be times when you\u2019ve only got one hand free to use your phone. You may be walking the dog, carrying groceries, hanging on to a subway pole, or you just don\u2019t have another hand available. But with just about every modern phone sporting a screen at least six inches corner to corner, using one hand to work your phone could be a difficult balancing act.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Luckily, both Android and iOS phones come with integrated features to make one-handed phone use less tricky. There are also some helpful options inside individual apps you can turn to.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Methods for Android phones<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\nOne-handed mode<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n\nAndroid has a dedicated one-handed mode that lets you shrink any app down to the bottom half of the screen to make it easier to reach. The way to enable that mode can be slightly different, depending on the manufacturer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n- From Settings<\/strong> on a Pixel phone (or most other Android phones), go to System > Gestures > One-handed mode<\/strong> and enable the toggle switch.<\/li>\n
- From Settings<\/strong> on a Samsung Galaxy phone, tap Advanced features > One-handed mode<\/strong> and enable the toggle switch.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n
Either way, you can then simply swipe down on the screen to pull the top half of an app into reach. Make sure you swipe down close to the bottom of the screen, as otherwise, you\u2019ll simply refresh the screen in whatever app you\u2019re in. Tap anywhere above the app to go back to a full-screen view.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\n\n\nAndroid comes with a dedicated one-handed mode. <\/em><\/figcaption>Screenshot: Google<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nYou can adjust the Gboard keyboard to be more toward the side of the screen.<\/em><\/figcaption>Screenshot: Google<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nEnable a one-handed keyboard<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n\nWhatever app you\u2019re in, you can make sure Android\u2019s default Gboard keyboard is easier to get to for one set of fingers and a thumb. With the keyboard on screen:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n- Tap the four-box icon above the keyboard to the left.<\/li>\n
- Choose One-handed<\/strong> from the pop-up menu.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n
The keyboard then pushes up against one side of the screen. Tap the arrow button to switch it to the other side or the expand button (four arrows) to go back to normal. (You don\u2019t get this on the default Samsung keyboard on Galaxy phones, but you can always install Gboard<\/a> on any Android phone.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\nMake homescreen apps easier to access<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n\nIt helps if the app shortcuts you rely on most often are down towards the bottom of your home screen, rather than up at the top. You can organize this manually, but on Pixel phones you can also have a row of your most-used apps pop down to the bottom.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n- Open Settings<\/strong> then tap Apps > Default apps<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
- Tap the gear icon next to Pixel Launcher<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
- Tap Suggestions<\/strong> and enable Suggestions on Home screen<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
Make browsing easier<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n\n
Android has a dedicated one-handed mode that lets you shrink any app down to the bottom half of the screen to make it easier to reach. The way to enable that mode can be slightly different, depending on the manufacturer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
- \n
- From Settings<\/strong> on a Pixel phone (or most other Android phones), go to System > Gestures > One-handed mode<\/strong> and enable the toggle switch.<\/li>\n
- From Settings<\/strong> on a Samsung Galaxy phone, tap Advanced features > One-handed mode<\/strong> and enable the toggle switch.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
\nEither way, you can then simply swipe down on the screen to pull the top half of an app into reach. Make sure you swipe down close to the bottom of the screen, as otherwise, you\u2019ll simply refresh the screen in whatever app you\u2019re in. Tap anywhere above the app to go back to a full-screen view.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\n\n\nAndroid comes with a dedicated one-handed mode. <\/em><\/figcaption>Screenshot: Google<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \nYou can adjust the Gboard keyboard to be more toward the side of the screen.<\/em><\/figcaption>Screenshot: Google<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Enable a one-handed keyboard<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
\nWhatever app you\u2019re in, you can make sure Android\u2019s default Gboard keyboard is easier to get to for one set of fingers and a thumb. With the keyboard on screen:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n- \n
- Tap the four-box icon above the keyboard to the left.<\/li>\n
- Choose One-handed<\/strong> from the pop-up menu.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n
The keyboard then pushes up against one side of the screen. Tap the arrow button to switch it to the other side or the expand button (four arrows) to go back to normal. (You don\u2019t get this on the default Samsung keyboard on Galaxy phones, but you can always install Gboard<\/a> on any Android phone.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Make homescreen apps easier to access<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
\nIt helps if the app shortcuts you rely on most often are down towards the bottom of your home screen, rather than up at the top. You can organize this manually, but on Pixel phones you can also have a row of your most-used apps pop down to the bottom.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n- \n
- Open Settings<\/strong> then tap Apps > Default apps<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
- Tap the gear icon next to Pixel Launcher<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
- Tap Suggestions<\/strong> and enable Suggestions on Home screen<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
Make browsing easier<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
\n - Tap the gear icon next to Pixel Launcher<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
- Open Settings<\/strong> then tap Apps > Default apps<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
- From Settings<\/strong> on a Samsung Galaxy phone, tap Advanced features > One-handed mode<\/strong> and enable the toggle switch.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n