Table of contents:
- Table of Contents
- Capture the screen by sliding three fingers down
- Keep the screen on while we are looking at it
- Take black and white photos with a color object
- Create GIFs with the Camera app
- Enable Motorola Dark Mode
- Reduce screen size virtually
- Print images and documents via WiFi without third-party applications
- Convert your Motorola mobile into a powerbank
- Duplicate the phone image on a TV
- Create custom gestures with the fingerprint sensor
- Turn on the camera flash by shaking the phone
Do you have a Motorola mobile and don't know how to get the most out of it that you would like? Although the phones of the Asian firm use Android Stock, Motorola adds a series of functions that allow us to expand the possibilities of their phones. Applications such as Moto Actions or Moto Display, but also options such as Smart Screen or Attentive Screen. Let's look at some of the most useful features for Motorola phones that you probably didn't know about.
Table of Contents
Capture the screen by sliding three fingers down
Keep the screen on while looking at it
Take black and white photos with a color object
Create GIFs with the Camera application
Activate Motorola's Dark Mode
Reduce screen size virtually
Print images and documents via WiFi without third-party applications
Convert your Motorola mobile into a powerbank
Duplicate the image of the phone on a TV
Create personalized gestures with the fingerprint sensor
Turn on the camera flash by shaking the phone
Capture the screen by sliding three fingers down
A curious function that allows us to capture the phone screen by sliding three fingers down from any part of the panel. The option in question can be enabled from the Moto application; specifically in the Motorcycle Actions section.
Within this section we can find the Capture option with three fingers, which we will have to activate to make use of the aforementioned function.
Keep the screen on while we are looking at it
Tired of the screen turning off automatically when you're reading a web page? One of the most useful functions of Motorola comes from the hand of Attentive screen, an option that allows us to keep the screen on when we look at it directly by depending on the proximity sensor and the camera.
Activating this function is as simple as going to the Moto application; specifically to the Attentive Screen section. Finally we will activate the homonymous option, for which we will have to activate a series of permissions.
Take black and white photos with a color object
Using the Artificial Intelligence of the processors, Motorola has integrated a powerful function in its native camera application that allows us to capture photos with a black and white background and a color object. The result is very similar to what Spielberg achieved in Schindler's List.
To make use of this function we will have to go to the Camera application and then click on the Camera Menu icon. Within this menu we can find a multitude of options: the one that interests us is Selective color. Now we will only have to select the color or object whose original tone we want to maintain.
After pressing the shutter of the camera, a picture will be taken with the background in black and white and the main subject in color.
Create GIFs with the Camera app
Another of the most useful functions that we can find in the Motorola Camera application has to do with the creation of short videos and GIF files. By clicking again on the Menu icon within the application we will click on the Cinemagraphy option. Then a video function will be enabled that will allow us to record a small video clip by clicking on the camera shutter.
Later we can edit the video and export it to a GIF file or to an MP4 file.
Enable Motorola Dark Mode
One of the biggest novelties of Android 10 is perhaps the native dark mode that converts the interface colors to black and gray. Although it is true that no Motorola mobile has updated for the moment to the latest version of Android, we can use a Dark Mode somewhat limited in features but equally valid.
Activating this mode is as simple as going to the Screen section within Settings. Then we will click on Advanced and finally on Device Themes and finally on Dark. Then the system will enable a Dark Mode that will affect a few applications (Telegram, Gmail, Instagram…) and some menus (notification curtain, widgets, notification bar, quick settings…).
Reduce screen size virtually
Can't reach all the corners of the screen? Motorola, unlike Android Stock, allows us to reduce the virtual size of the screen through a simple gesture. To activate this function we will have to go to the Moto application and then to Moto Actions.
Within this sections we will go to the last option with the name of Slide to reduce. Once we have activated it, we will have to make a sliding gesture from the central part of the screen to one of the lower corners.
To return the phone to its original state we will have to click on the empty part of the screen.
Print images and documents via WiFi without third-party applications
Did you know that you can print any image or document from your mobile on your WiFi printer without depending on external applications? Until now, this procedure required a third-party application, either from HP, EPSON, Brother, or other printer brands. Now we can carry out this task without too many complications as long as the two devices are connected to the same WiFi network.
Within the Google Photos or Files application we will click on the three option points within the document or image that we want to print and then on Print or Export to PDF. Then the wizard will allow us to adjust the print format, such as paper size, sheet orientation or color settings.
Finally, we will click on All printers and synchronize the phone with the WiFi printer that we have previously connected to the network.
Convert your Motorola mobile into a powerbank
The Motorola Moto G7 Power is probably one of the mobile phones with the highest battery capacity, with no less than 5,000 mAh. To take advantage of this function we can get a USB OTG cable with which to connect another phone to transfer charge to the device. This cable uses a male microUSB or USB type C input and a female output in the form of USB type A to connect any cable to it.
USB C to USB A OTG cable. It is recommended that the standard is USB 3.0 at least so that the voltage is higher, and consequently, the charging speed increases.
It will be enough to connect the charging cable to the adapter outlet once we have connected the OTG cable to the phone to provide the phone with charge. If the battery percentage is less than 20%, it is recommended not to use this function to avoid possible damage.
Duplicate the phone image on a TV
If we have a TV with a screen mirroring function (Screecast or Screen Mirror), broadcasting the image of the phone on the screen will not take us more than a couple of minutes as long as the two devices are connected to the same WiFi network. Just slide the notification curtain down and tap on the Send screen option.
If the option in question is not within the Quick Settings curtain, we will have to go to the Connected Devices section in Settings and then to Connection Preferences. Once we are inside the homonymous option, the phone will start looking for compatible televisions via WiFi.
When it has finished synchronizing with our television, the image of the phone will be displayed on the screen: from the videos and images to the applications.
Create custom gestures with the fingerprint sensor
The fingerprint sensor functions in a Motorola mobile are limited to serving as a biometric method to unlock the phone and lower the notification curtain. What if we want to make it more useful than the one we just described?
Fingerprint Gestures is the application with which we can create personalized gestures with the fingerprint sensor. One touch of the finger, two touches, one simple touch…
Once we have installed the application on the phone, we will have to grant it the respective accessibility permissions so that it works correctly with the fingerprint sensor. Then we will assign the actions that we want to perform with the gestures that we must execute. Back, Recent applications or Home and applications such as Flashlight, WhatsApp, Telegram or Gmail.
Unfortunately some functions are limited to the paid version and to mobile with root. For the gestures to work correctly we will also have to configure the sensor delay.
Turn on the camera flash by shaking the phone
If you use the flash of your Motorola mobile as a flashlight, Within the Moto application we can find a multitude of functionalities for our Motorola mobiles. Quick flashlight is one of the most useful. We will only have to access the Moto Actions section and activate the option with the same name.
To activate the intern once we have activated the option in question, it is enough to shake the mobile from top to bottom. The flash light will automatically turn on even if the screen is on. To turn off the flashlight we will have to follow the opposite process.
