How to Tweak Motion Sense Settings on the Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL

The inclusion of Soli’s radar technology brings hands-free gestures to the Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. Some of the included features allow you to silence calls, skip songs, wake the phone, and more. Here’s how to tweak Motion Sense.

To get to the Motion Sense menu where all of the available features are located, you’re going first to need to head into the Settings menu. To do this, swipe down twice on your homescreen and then tap on the gear icon.

Alternatively, swipe up on the homescreen and select the “Settings” app from the app drawer.

From the Settings menu, scroll down and tap on the “System” option.

Lastly, select the “Motion Sense” button to gain access to all of the available features.

Completely Disable Motion Sense

Before we start enabling, disabling, or tweaking the Pixel 4’s various Soli gestures, the first option in the menu is to turn off Motion Sense completely. Doing so won’t break any of the phone’s functionality, and doing so can potentially help save battery life.

If you want to turn off the radar feature, tap on the toggle next to the “Motion Sense” listing.

Skip and Repeat Songs

One of the most advertised Motion Sense features is the ability to skip between songs. If you don’t use it (or find that it doesn’t work well), you can disable the feature.

First, select the “Skip Songs” option.

Next, tap the toggle next to the “Skip Songs” item. Doing this will altogether disable the ability to swipe between songs hands-free.

The other option in this secondary menu is the ability to change the swipe direction. By default, you have to wave your hand right to left to skip to the next song. Reverse this by selecting “Swipe Direction” and changing the setting so that the next song selection uses a left to right gesture.

Silence Interruptions Such as Alarms and Calls

Similar to the music controls, you can silence alarms, timers, and calls with a wave of your hand. If you don’t want to snooze your alarm while still being half asleep accidentally, you can turn the feature off.

Start by tapping on the “Silence Interruptions” option in the Quick Gestures section.

From there, select the toggle next to the “Silence Interruptions” listing. Now, moving your hand in front of your Pixel 4 won’t silence any ongoing notifications.

Reach to Check Phone

One of the most helpful but also potentially annoying Motion Sense features is Reach to check phone. When enabled, the Google Pixel 4 or Pixel 4 XL will wake the screen and turn on Face Unlock the moment Soli detects nearby motion.

Although this feature is useful when picking up the handset to unlock it, reaching up to scratch your nose or take a sip of water can trigger the device to wake up.

To disable the Motion Sense feature, first, tap on the “Reach to Check Phone” button.

Next, select the toggle next to the “Reach to Check Phone” option. With it off, you will need to tap on the display or hit the power button to wake the phone and launch Face Unlock.

RELATED: Google Pixel 4 Early Impressions: Radar, Face Unlock, and the Camera