Pixel 5

Google · catalog updated 2026-10-21

All supported devices

Brand: Google
Kind: Android phone · released 2020-10 · last update Android 14
Model codes: Pixel 5

Ships with Android 11, last update Android 14. Quick Tap needs Android 12 or later.

Gestures on the Pixel 5

Double-tap the back of the phone (Quick Tap)

DocumentedInput: Back tap

Requires: Pixel 4a (5G) or later phone

Set it up

Settings
System
Gestures
Quick tap
Use Quick tap: On
Open app
Settings icon next to "Open app"
Quick signal: back tap

Google's Pixel help says Quick Tap only works on Pixel 4a (5G) and later phones; the original Pixel 4a and the Pixel Tablet don't have it. Quick Tap arrived with Android 12, so a Pixel 4a (5G), 5 or 5a still on Android 11 has no Quick tap entry. The Pixel Fold's launch firmware (Android 13) doesn't declare Quick Tap; its Android 14 firmware does (see that model's notes). Other actions are screenshot, play/pause media and show notifications. The power-button double press opens only Camera or Wallet, and press-and-hold the power button only opens the Assistant or the power menu, so neither counts. One event is one double tap. Google's page doesn't say whether Quick Tap works with the screen off or locked, so test it after setup.

Sources

https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/7443425?hl=en

Plus what the app offers on every Android phone: In-app button, Widget, Quick Settings tile, Shake, Volume keys, Voice phrase. How to set those up

Recommended presets

Shake ×3Sends a signal
Three sharp shakes within 2.5 s: hard to do by accident, easy to do without looking.
Shake ×3, 0.15–1 s apart · whole gesture within 2.5 s
Widget ×2Sends a signal
Two taps on the home-screen widget within 3 s; a single accidental tap does nothing.
Widget ×2, 0.1–3 s apart · whole gesture within 3 s
Quick Tap ×3Sends a signal
Three back double-taps within 10 s: done without looking at the screen, and one stray Quick Tap in a pocket or bag doesn't fire.
Back tap ×3, 0.3–3 s apart · whole gesture within 10 s
Quick Tap ×2, then shake ×2Sends a signal
Two back double-taps followed by two sharp shakes: mixing two unrelated inputs makes an accidental match very unlikely.
Back tap ×2, 0.3–3 s apart → then within 5 s: Shake ×2, 0.1–1.5 s apart · whole gesture within 15 s
Quick Tap, then volume keysSends a signal
One back double-tap followed by the volume-key pattern: two deliberate inputs, both doable through a pocket (full build only, because volume keys need the accessibility service).
Back tap ×1 → then within 8 s: Volume keys ×1 · whole gesture within 12 s

Gestures are set up in the phone settings as shown, then combined into a trigger recipe in the app, where practice mode shows step by step whether a gesture would trigger.