4 unique Motorola Moto Actions I wish Pixel and Samsung phones would steal

I used Galaxy, Motorola, and Google Pixel handsets, and I enjoyed them. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses, but I like Motorola and Galaxy more.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 is my primary handset, but I also use the Motorola Edge 50 Neo almost daily for its excellent features.

While One UI is arguably the most customizable Android skin, Motorola's Hello UI offers many handy features you won't find anywhere else, or that aren't as good.

Motorola's Moto Actions are among my favorites on my Moto Edge 50 Neo handset. I discovered the feature a couple of months after I first bought it, and it instantly became my habit.

It wouldn't have been a problem had I used it as my primary handset, or had my Samsung Galaxy phone offered me those functionalities.

I would've even kept my Google Pixel with me if I had access to some of the unique Moto Actions.

I wish Pixel and Samsung phones would steal these four unique Moto Actions features.

Related

6 settings I change on every Motorola phone

Maximize your phone's potential

Posts 6
By  Rahul Naskar

Turn on the torch even when the screen is off

Although nobody talks about it, the torch in smartphones is incredibly underrated. It serves as a daily tool, especially for people who face regular blackouts.

Power cuts are rare where I live, but I still consider the torch a handy tool in a smartphone for moments when I need a quick source of light.

The torch functionality in smartphones sounds simple, but Moto Actions can make it even simpler.

You don't need to turn on your screen to turn on the flashlight on your Android smartphone.

All you do is hold your phone tightly and make what Motorola calls 'two quick karate chop motions.' This turns on the light. To turn it off, make two more karate chop motions.

It works even when the screen is off.

However, this isn't enabled by default in Motorola phones, and you have to do it manually.

Find and then open the Moto app, select Gestures from the Hamburger menu, spot the Fast torch option, and enable the Use Fast torch toggle.

This is the fastest and most convenient way to turn on the torch in a smartphone.

Both Galaxy and Pixel phones have ways, like double-pressing the side button or double-tapping the back, but they aren't nearly as good as the way my Edge 50 Neo handles it.

The biggest downside of the double-tapping method isn't reliable when you use a phone cover. Also, it isn't easy to double-tap the "G" logo without looking at the back of your phone.

On a Samsung Galaxy phone, you can double-press the Side button to turn on or off the torch. While this is better than tapping the back of your phone, there is always a chance of mistiming the second press.

I have faced this multiple times when my Galaxy handset didn't register the second press and failed to turn the torch on.

On the other hand, the Fast torch capability in the Motorola phone has never failed.

Motorola does a better job than the Galaxy and Pixel at quickly launching split-screen multitasking

Another handy feature in Moto Actions is Swipe to split. Open the Moto app, tap the hamburger menu in the top left corner, select Gestures, scroll to the bottom, tap the Swipe to split option, and enable the Use swipe to split toggle.

When enabled, it only requires you to swipe your finger back and forth across the screen to launch two apps in split screen.

In Samsung Galaxy handsets, there is an option to swipe with two fingers from the bottom to launch two apps in split-screen mode.

But the biggest disadvantage of this is that you can't use it with one hand unless you keep the phone on a surface.

On Pixel smartphones, the experience is even worse.

You need to launch apps in split-screen mode by swiping up from the bottom to open the app switcher, pressing the app icon at the top, then selecting the Split screen option.

I've become used to Motorola's Swipe to split so much that I can't go back to using any other method.

I keep swiping back and forth across the screen on my Galaxy handset, only to realize that Samsung does it differently, which isn't as good as my Edge 50 Neo.

I wish I had access to the same Swipe to split as Motorola's on Galaxy and Pixel handsets.

A hidden desktop dock to keep your home screen clean

One of my favorite Moto Action features is the Sidebar. When enabled, you can swipe from the edge of your display and select your favorite app to open it.

Samsung has the same feature on its Galaxy handsets, but the company calls it Edge Panel. However, Google Pixel handsets don't offer a dock-like feature, so launching apps through the home screen is the only practical option.

To enable the Sidebar on your Motorola handset, open the Moto app, go to Gestures, tap the Sidebar option, and then enable the Use sidebar toggle.

When enabled, tap the gear icon below the toggle to select which apps you want to include in the Sidebar.

There are a couple of advantages to having a desktop-style sidebar. It helps you keep your home screen clean. I use it for its ability to launch my favorite apps even without switching to the home screen.

A Google Pixel would have been far more useful with a hidden desktop-like dock. I would love to have it when I buy a new Pixel phone in the future.

Launch the selfie camera even when the screen is off

I love the Show palm gesture on my Galaxy phone. This way, I can click a selfie without holding my phone.

My Motorola Edge 50 Neo doesn't have support for this, but it can launch the selfie camera even when the screen is off.

This is unique in a smartphone. Open the Moto app, go to Gestures, tap Quick capture, and enable the Use Quick capture toggle.

This is all you need to do to launch the camera of your Motorola handset.

I've customized this option further to open the front camera when I twist my wrist. When I use the wrist-twist gesture, my Edge 50 Neo automatically launches the front camera to take a selfie.

You can quickly switch to the rear camera by using the wrist-twist gesture again.

To choose which camera you want to launch, tap the gear icon below the Quick capture toggle and select your favorite.

In addition to Rear and Front options, you also have Auto, which opens the selfie camera when you twist in portrait orientation and opens the rear camera when in landscape.

Neither Galaxy nor the Pixel has anything like this smart gesture to quickly launch the camera.

It's time for Google and Samsung to borrow these tricks

Smartphone brands have a lot to learn from each other. While they do learn, one of the biggest problems with Android phone manufacturers is that they mostly try to copy whatever good or bad Apple is doing.

Instead, I would love them to take more inspiration from within the Android ecosystem.

Google and Samsung can learn a lot from Motorola handsets. Some of the unique features in the Moto Actions are the ones that they should start stealing first.