Touchscreen taps and gestures make up the vast majority of our interactions with smartphones these days, but sometimes it’s nice to be able to perform an action without looking, like we could by tapping Active Edge to invoke the Google assistant on the old pixels. A similar feature that allowed double-tapping on the back of the phone was in the works for Android 11, but was not included in the final version. Fortunately, it looks like it will be making a comeback in Android 12.

Codeed Columbus, the feature used a combination of the phone’s accelerometer and gyroscope to detect tapping on the back of the phone and perform a predefined function like taking a screenshot or opening an app. Since the new pixels have lost the ability to activate Google Assistant with a squeeze, this gesture would be a suitable alternative.

People at 9to5Google have seen information that indicates the feature is making a comeback on Android 12. Similar to its previous implementation, it will allow users to customize its action, but it could also get a toggle for sensitivity and an easy way to do it. activate / deactivate.

With the first developer preview of the next Android iteration scheduled to arrive in February, we probably won’t have to wait too long to see this feature in action.