When Android Nougat came to life via the Google Pixel and Pixel XL, a lot was made out of the several features that were seen to be exclusive to the handsets.
First was the Google Assistant – but a workaround came in allowing users of Google Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X running on the base version of Android Nougat to get the feature on their phones. The issue of the Google Camera app followed and like the Assistant, this application found its way to the older models of Google devices.
As more and more people purchased the Google Pixel and Pixel XL, users of these phones started stumbling on newer features that were not available on the updated Google Nexus 6P. One of them was the ability to do more than just unlock your phone with the fingerprint scanner. Of course, the sensor can also be used to authenticate online transactions, but this is just about everything it can do. Wrong!
Using a new application known as Fingerprint Gestures, you can get your Android Nougat or Android Marshmallow phone to do more with the fingerprint scanner. As long as Google’s fingerprint API is also installed on your Nougat or Marshmallow phone, you can enjoy actions such as swiping, single and double tap in order to execute different tasks on your phone. The Fingerprint Gestures app can be downloaded right from the Google Play Store and it is available for free.
Once the application is set up, you can use the fingerprint scanner to launch apps, toggle ringer mode, view recent apps, play/pause music as well as open notifications shade. It gets even better for those using a rooted phone as more actions are possible on such a device. In addition to the already mentioned ones, a rooted Android Nougat or Android Marshmallow phone will also let you send it to sleep and even scroll up and down using fingerprint gestures.
The installed app will let you configure everything as you wish to see it work thanks to the simple interface it comes with, but be warned that not all Android devices have the supported fingerprint API installed. As a result, not all devices running Android Nougat or Android Marshmallow will let you use this application.