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How to bring down the notification shade of your Google Pixel/XL without stretching

By Daniel Petrov

Updated: Oct 24, 2016, 6:55 AM

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Google's Pixel and Pixel XL have a multitasking finger scanner

Google's brand new Pixel and Pixel XL phones have many virtues, but having excellent screen-to-body ratio isn't one of them, so reaching everywhere on the screen with your thumb while perusing them with one hand is not an option, even on the smaller Pixel. When you need to pull down notification shade, for instance, to preview messages or switch the connectivity toggles, it's pretty much a balancing act of sliding your phone down in your palm, or stretching your thumb tendons to the breaking point of their elasticity.

Granted, this is a problem on a vast majority of big-screen phones out there that have a notification bar tucked way up in the top strip of the interface, but many Android device maker overlays have found a very simple solution. On a lot of popular UI solutions you can simply swipe down on an empty screen area, and the notification shade will come down as if you've stretched to pull it all the way up.

Unfortunately, stock Android doesn't have this feature, but we don't blame Google - after all, the most ubiquitous overlays, like Samsung's TouchWiz or Huawei's EMUI, also don't carry it, despite most every other UI having it included in the laundry list of its options. Well, EMUI lets you swipe up and down the finger scanner on the back, or tap it to clear all notifications, which is arguably at least as good of a solution, but more on that option in a bit.

How to bring down the notification shade of your Google Pixel/XL without stretching

Fret not, however, there is a very simple way to pull down the notification shade of the Pixel and Pixel XL phones while holding them tight with one hand, here's what you need to do:

1. Swipe down the notification bar on your Pixel or Pixel XL phone, and tap on the settings cog wheel up right;

2. Scroll down until you reach the "Moves" option;

3. In the Moves menu, check if the "Swipe for notifications" option is turned on (should be on by default);

4. From now on, each time you swipe down the round finger scanner area on the back of the Pixel or Pixel XL, this will bring down the notification shade. Swipe up, and it rolls it back, simple as this.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.