GoKawiilRyan Haines / Android Authority
We give Motorola a lot of criticism for its software. It’s justified — Motorola’s update practices are nothing short of terrible, and they deserve to be called out.
Ignore updates, though, and Motorola’s Hello UI is one of my favorite Android skins. From gestures that debuted over a decade ago to new software tricks for folding phones, there are plenty of Motorola software features I wish all my phones had.
What Motorola software feature do you wish your phone had? 11 votes Camera and flashlight gestures 45 % Tend mode 9 % Manual Material You theming 0 % Volume button media control 9 % Smart connect 27 % Something else (comment) 9 %
Quick gestures
The original Moto X is a beloved phone for many reasons, and one of them is the gesture controls it introduced. You don’t need to double-click your power button to launch the camera or search for a flashlight quick setting. Two quick twists of your wrist open your camera app, whether the phone is unlocked or not, and a double karate chop does the same for the flashlight.
If you’ve never used Moto’s gestures, it’s hard to convey how natural they feel and how convenient they are compared to alternatives. Whenever I have to switch back to a non-Motorola phone, I spend the first few days waving the other phone around, trying to turn on my flashlight, much to the amusement of those around me.
Desk display
Joe Maring / Android Authority Desk display
If you have a Motorola that folds in half, you can use desk display to get glanceable information from your phone without having to touch it or wake it up. You can have a big clock or a smaller one with calendar and weather information taking up the other half of the screen. Notifications appear with large text that’s easy to read from a distance, and if you’ve got music playing, you’ll get media controls.
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