What you need to know
- The Digital Wellbeing app hints at a possible feature for the rumored Pixel Fold.
- The "Flip to Shhh" gesture may be available on the foldable, but it'll require an extra step.
- The device may first require users to close the phone before flipping it over.
While we await official acknowledgment of the long-rumored Pixel Fold, we continue learning more about the elusive device. The latest tells us that we can expect some popular Pixel gestures to make their way to the foldable, but with some changes to address the new form factor.
A dive into the Digital Wellbeing app by 9to5Google reveals that the "Flip to Shhh" gesture may very well be present on the Pixel Fold. This was discovered in v1.5 of the app, with a pref_auto_dnd_enable_foldable_summary string detailing how the feature may work on the device.
If you're unfamiliar with Flip to Shhh, the feature lets users activate Do Not Disturb on Pixel smartphones simply by flipping the phone with the display side down on a flat surface. When this happens, the phone will give you a subtle vibration to inform you that Do Not Disturb is activated.
It's a handy feature that saves you the trouble of flicking through your Quick Settings to activate it. However, when it comes to the Pixel Fold, there will reportedly be an extra step involved in activating the feature.
According to 9to5, the user must first close the main display first, then flip the phone over:
"To turn on Do Not Disturb, make sure your phone is folded and place it face down on a flat surface. You’ll feel a subtle vibration when Do Not Disturb turns on."
The extra step makes sense, given the form factor. After all, you'll likely close a foldable phone if you're done using it. Plus, given the nature of the display, forcing this extra step will help ensure that you protect the fragile folding display since you have to place the phone face down for the feature to activate.
In addition to this feature, 9to5 suggests we'll likely see other gestures such as Quick Tap — which may also come with the same requirement — and "Flip camera for selfie."
