Like Quick Tap? Google could make your entire Pixel touch-sensitive.

It wouldn't be the first time we saw a touch-sensitive rear cover on a smartphone, though.

Apr 11, 2025 - 09:59

Like Quick Tap? Google could make your entire Pixel touch-sensitive.

Credit: C. Scott Brown / Android Authority

Google has filed a patent for technology that detects gestures on the frame and back of a device.
The patent notes that this could apply to a smartphone, tablet, and more.
This could allow users to adjust volume, scrub through a video, and more without touching the display.

Google Pixel phones have long offered Quick Tap functionality, allowing you to double-tap the rear cover to initiate an action. Now, a new patent reveals that Google is thinking about upping the ante.

Google filed a patent with the World Intellectual Property Office (h/t: Patently Apple) on April 3, titled “Leveraging inactive touchpoints for gesture recognition and user interface configuration.” The patent describes the detection of user gestures via a “presence-sensitive housing” on a device. The filing notes that this could enable gestures at “any exterior location” on said device, including the back.