Still manually setting the timer for every selfie? There’s an easier way! Many Android phones, including Google’s Pixels, offer clever ways to take photos hands-free—like Google’s Palm Timer, which is now even available on the main camera. Here’s how to use Palm Timer to take selfies on Android.
While most people use the front camera to take selfies, the rear camera offers better quality. And even with the selfie camera, using a timer is often necessary to capture more of the body or surroundings.
On Pixel phones, Google’s Palm Timer feature saves you the hassle of setting a timer and rushing to get a pose. Initially limited to the selfie camera, the feature is now available on the rear camera as well, according to a recent Google Community post.
Table of Contents
Google's Palm Timer should be enabled by default, but to make sure it is, open the camera app on your Pixel phone.
Tap the small gear icon in the lower left corner of the screen.
Now, tap on the More settings button in the Photo Settings pop-up window that appears.
Find the Palm Timer option and make sure the switch next to it is on.
To take a photo with the front or rear Pixel camera, stand in the frame and make sure you have enough light. Hold your hand up with your palm facing the camera and wave it steadily. When you lower your hand, a 3-second timer will start - enough time to flash your best smile!
Even if you don't have a Pixel phone, you can still take photos hands-free. Let's explore your options.
Other Android manufacturers have included similar options on their phones. Samsung phones, for example, offer their own gesture control feature that lets you use your palm to activate the selfie camera and take a photo. Unfortunately, this option isn't available for the main camera.
On your Samsung phone, open the camera app and switch to selfie. Then, find the Settings icon and tap it.
On the Camera Settings screen , go to Shooting Methods .
Make sure the Show Palm toggle is active.
Now, when you want to take a selfie, just raise your palm and the camera will take a photo in seconds.
Other phone manufacturers, such as OnePlus, Huawei, RealMe, or Motorola, also have similar options that allow you to easily take photos hands-free.
If your phone doesn't have a gesture feature for taking hands-free photos, no problem! Most Android devices now offer the Google Assistant service (now being replaced by Gemini ), and you can use it to take photos without touching your phone's screen.
To be able to take photos this way, you first need to set up Google Assistant on your phone and train it to recognize your voice. Go to Settings -> Apps -> Assistant -> Voice Match .
Make sure the Hey Google keyword is enabled. If you need to keep the voice match pattern, select the appropriate option below.
Once done, say something like “Hey Google, take a selfie." You can also add something like “10 seconds” to give yourself time to get to the desired location.
Alternatively, if you want to use the rear camera to take a photo, say something like “Hey Google, take a picture with the main camera.”
Alternatively, if you don't want to go through all the trouble of training Google Assistant to recognize your voice and you have some free space, you can try a third-party app. For example, Camera for Android - Fast Snap will take a photo from both the main and selfie cameras when you make a sound.
Install and open the app. Tap on the 3-bar option in the top right corner and select Setting .
Find the Shooting methods section and enable the Voice capturing option .
Also, make sure to go to the Voice capturing sensitivity section . Here, you can set the sensitivity to low or high. We recommend choosing an option in the middle. When you choose maximum sensitivity, even the slightest sound (like typing on a nearby laptop) can trigger the camera.
Anyway, with this option, you can now say something like “Take photo” or “Snap” and the app will take a photo. The photo will be saved to your phone’s Camera folder.
If you want to take better Android photos, check out our list of tips for taking better photos at night . Also, check out photo editing apps that use AI to enhance your images.
Notifications are great for staying informed, but they can quickly get out of hand. With so many alerts coming from different apps, checking the notification center can feel like wading through a sea of information.
Many people never expected the weakest camera on their phone to become a secret weapon for creative photography.
Maybe your Google Play payment card has expired, or you want to switch to a new bank. Here's how to remove a payment method from your Google Play account.
Sometimes, if there is a problem with this tool on your Android phone, uninstalling and reinstalling Google Play Store is one of the recommended solutions.
If you're an Android user, you're probably familiar with the term APK, but did you know there's also something called XAPK? This guide explains what XAPK files are and how you can install them on your device.
Deleted contacts on Android phones will be moved to the Google Contacts trash folder, from there you can restore deleted contacts according to the instructions below.
While most of us look for the best specs at the lowest price, it's important to remember that they aren't everything.
While Android 16 doesn't introduce any major changes, it does incorporate some important new security features that you should consider right away.
If you've ever used your phone's built-in compass and felt like something was wrong, then there's probably something wrong with it.
Android 16 has lock screen widgets for you to change the lock screen as you like, making the lock screen much more useful.
Editing videos on Android will become easy thanks to the best video editing apps and software that we list in this article. Make sure you will have beautiful, magical and classy photos to share with friends on Facebook or Instagram.
Google Play Services is a core part of Android, responsible for syncing data, notifications, and a host of other behind-the-scenes tasks. But if it goes wrong, it can silently become a major battery drainer.
If you left your laptop at work and you have an urgent report to send to your boss, what should you do? Use your smartphone. Even more sophisticated, turn your phone into a computer to multitask more easily.
After rooting your Android phone, you have full system access and can run many types of apps that require root access.
The fix doesn't necessarily involve deleting your favorite photos or apps; One UI includes a few options that make it easy to reclaim space.
When you install an application on your iPhone from another source, you will need to manually confirm that the application is trusted. Then the application will be installed on your iPhone for use.
Like most people, you probably just send (or read) a message and move on. But chances are you're missing out on a bunch of hidden features.
Even though the application does not appear on the iPhone screen due to some error, users can still delete the application on the iPhone very simply.
Instead of letting the iPhone turn on low power mode when the battery drops to 20%, users can set up a task to automatically turn on low power mode when it reaches a certain battery % level that you want.
Notifications are great for staying informed, but they can quickly get out of hand. With so many alerts coming from different apps, checking the notification center can feel like wading through a sea of information.
Many people never expected the weakest camera on their phone to become a secret weapon for creative photography.
Maybe your Google Play payment card has expired, or you want to switch to a new bank. Here's how to remove a payment method from your Google Play account.
Sometimes, if there is a problem with this tool on your Android phone, uninstalling and reinstalling Google Play Store is one of the recommended solutions.
If you're an Android user, you're probably familiar with the term APK, but did you know there's also something called XAPK? This guide explains what XAPK files are and how you can install them on your device.
With these 10 ways, you can turn off the iPhone camera shutter sound and still be able to record videos and take photos on your iPhone.
How to take a long screenshot on iPhone helps you capture the entire web page easily. The scrolling screenshot feature on iPhone is available on iOS 13, iOS 14, and here is a detailed guide on how to take a long screenshot on iPhone.
To change your iCloud password, you can do it in many different ways. You can change your iCloud password on your computer or on your phone through a support application.
Deleted contacts on Android phones will be moved to the Google Contacts trash folder, from there you can restore deleted contacts according to the instructions below.
While most of us look for the best specs at the lowest price, it's important to remember that they aren't everything.
iOS 26 brings a new feature that lets you share personal accessibility settings from one iPhone or iPad to another.
