I turned my phone's camera cutout into a shortcut hub; now I use it constantly

30 Sep 2026, 17:00 by Anu Joy · Android Police

I have always ignored the camera cutout on my phone since it takes up a small part of the screen. It houses the front-facing camera but otherwise doesn't seem to do much.

I discovered a way to make that little area more useful. With a quick tap, double tap, or long press, I could trigger actions on my phone without pulling down Quick Settings, searching for an app, or navigating menus.

After using the app for a while, I assigned some of my frequently used actions to that small spot at the top of the screen.

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By Anu Joy

Turning the cutout into a shortcut button

I put the camera cutout to work

I used an app called Smart Action Notch, which turns the area around your phone's camera cutout into a gesture-controlled shortcut hub.

It uses Android's accessibility service to detect gestures around the cutout and trigger the action you've assigned.

After installing the app from the Google Play Store, you must follow the prompt to enable the accessibility service. This permission lets the app detect gestures and perform system-level actions such as taking screenshots or toggling the flashlight.

After it's enabled, you get several gesture options, including tap, double-tap, long press, and swipe. Tap one of these gestures and choose what you want it to do.

The app also goes beyond basic system controls. It includes a Notch Menu for favorite apps, a Smart OCR Scanner for extracting text from the screen, and Quick Notes.

I assigned different actions to different gestures

Everything's a tap, press, or swipe away

Smart Action Notch lets me assign separate actions to a tap, double-tap, long press, or swipe, so I can choose shortcuts based on how often I use them.

I kept my setup simple. I assigned a single tap to the flashlight since I might need it quickly and don't want to pull down the notification shade.

I used a double-tap for screenshots, which gives me another way to capture the screen without pressing the physical buttons.

For the swipe right gesture, I chose Gmail. I check my email throughout the day, so having Gmail one gesture away is handy.

Smart Action Notch also lets you assign actions such as media controls, notifications, screen lock, brightness, and other system shortcuts.

I use the cutout to open a whole set of shortcuts

One long press, then I can draw what I need

I paired Smart Action Notch with Glyf: Draw to Launch, an app that lets me create custom drawing gestures for launching apps, shortcuts, websites, and other actions.

I use it as a second layer of shortcuts. I set a long press on the camera cutout in Smart Action Notch to open Glyf, and I can draw a symbol for the action I want.

For example, I assigned K to Google Keep, so I long-press the cutout, draw K, and I'm straight in Keep.

I could do the same thing with other apps I open regularly. A quick M could launch Maps, while another easy-to-remember symbol could open an app shortcut or website.

You could take this further with Glyf's other options. It can launch websites, Android shortcuts, phone actions, Tasker tasks, and multistep Flow Glyfs, so the second layer doesn't have to be limited to opening apps.

The Smart Capsule adds a little more to the cutout

Quick controls without pulling down the shade

The Smart Capsule is a premium feature, differing from earlier shortcuts. Instead of tapping the cutout to trigger one action, it puts a small animated control on the screen for media controls, timers, and Quick Settings.

If I start a timer while meal prepping, I can check or control it without going back into the Clock app. The Network Speed Test Smart Capsule lets me check the current network speed from the same interface.

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The camera cutout became more useful than I expected

I didn't expect to get much use out of the camera cutout beyond using the camera. However, after setting up a few gestures in Smart Action Notch, I started reaching for it without thinking.

I use it for the shortcuts I access often, while Glyf gives me another way to get to apps without filling up my home screen with shortcuts. The Smart Capsule is useful in a different way when I want quick access to media controls or a timer.