Pixels get double-tap action to turn the screen off with new third-party app

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

When it comes to picking your favorite Android skin, most folks usually come down on one of two sides: One UI, which appears on Samsung Galaxy phones, and Pixel UI, which appears on Google’s Pixel phones. The problem is that one skin will have features the other doesn’t have, which might make picking the real winner difficult.

Thankfully, a new third-party app helps bridge the divide between team Samsung and team Google. Jawomo — the developer behind some popular apps, such as one that brings Apple’s Dynamic Island to Android phones — has a new app called Pixel ToolBox. This free, ad-supported app brings four features to any Pixel phone that currently don’t exist in an official form. One of these features is something One UI users have enjoyed for a long time: the ability to double-tap on the home or lock screens to turn the screen off.

On a stock Pixel phone, double-tapping on the home or lock screens doesn’t do anything. This might be strange to people who jumped from Galaxy to Pixel as it might be something they’ve done multiple times a day. With this app, though, former One UI users can feel right at home on Pixel UI.

The app takes things a step further by allowing you to control screen flicker, add vibration to the gesture, and even tweak the time needed between the two taps. However, you’ll need to get the Pro version — a one-time fee of $3.99 — to see all these features.

Check out the screenshots below to see all the tweaks you can make with the Pro version of Pixel ToolBox:

I tried this out on my Google Pixel 9 Pro, and it works exactly as expected. Even better, the app doesn’t require any special permissions and does not collect any data. You do need to add it as an Accessibility tool within Android Settings, though, but that’s not too big of a deal.