Tip: call a contact with one hand (secret UT key !)
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Hello
following a recent discussion where I have argued that using a phone with one hand was not a generally useful feature, I'll make a little exception here
Since most people talk to a correspondant on their phone using one hand, it could be nice to call with one hand too. Unfortunately, this is not an easy thing to do because most of the time, calling is really calling a known correspondant where the number is not memorized, hence the use of the contacts application: and it's very difficult to press the very small icon amid 2 other small icons in the upper right of the screen while holding the phone with the left hand. Using first the contacts application is not a good workaround since selection of a correspondant displays it and it's then necessary to press the small button at the opposite side of the screen to go to the phone app.
Here is the trick (maybe everyone knows it already
) !
There ie a secret way to open the contacts application from the phone:
touching the area to the left of the main phone green button starts the contacts app, this area is a lot more easier to thumb while holding the phone with only the left hand. It's then possible to swipe the list with the thumb, press the appropriate contact and then the phone app comes back to focus with the right number ready to call.
Honestly this looks like a bug, but it's handy once it's known.
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thank you, but i tried it...and it doesn't work (UT 20.04 - ota 11 one sony xperia X)
so, it is probably a bug... -
It works on Oneplus 5t (24.04)! Not that I ever use my phone one-handed, but it's a fun thing to know about.
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@gpatel-fr
A kind of easter egg...
Funny!Thanks for sharing!
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@gpatel-fr
oh funny!.
But seems buggy, it shows the contact profile even in edit mode on click, instead of filling the number -
@DJac said in Tip: call a contact with one hand (secret UT key !):
it is probably a bug.
I have not tracked when this feature was added.
The hidden button is exactly where the button to add a contact appears when the extra tiny '+' button under the '0' is pressed.
However, it's not behaving the same: when it's visible, the contacts app is entered in edit mode; when it's not, selecting a contact triggers a return to the phone app. It's as if it was intended to be displayed, but not having a different icon available and displaying the same icon in the 2 cases would be confusing, the approach has been to keep the button hidden - but still active because it's useful - even if one uses the phone with 2 hands because the button displayed at the top right, that does exactly the same thing, is also so small it's really difficult to use it.
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@lduboeuf said in Tip: call a contact with one hand (secret UT key !):
it shows the contact profile even in edit mode on click, instead of filling the number
I think I understand what you mean, it seems that toucning the area above the hidden button triggers the add mode - the button with the character and a '+' is displayed in this case. However when it's not, pressing the icon or the name in the contacts list does fill the number for me.
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LOL This is funny. This is definitely a bug and most likely I'm the culprit since I redesigned it. Seems like the add to contact buttion can still be clicked even when hidden, same with the delete button since I also get a haptic feedback from it.
BTW, if you're old enough, you can actually search for a contact using T9 typing which is awesome
@djac The redesigned phone app is only available in Noble so this bug/feature is not there in focal
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@kugiigi
The new design is very nice, by the way. Thanks for this!
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@kugiigi said in Tip: call a contact with one hand (secret UT key !):
This is definitely a bug
If you say so, however if I can insist, the phone would actually be more usable and intuitive if the icon for adding a contact could be copied, removing the '+' and left displayed by default. Going in the contacts app using the top right button feels cumbersome to me in comparison, needs attention to press the right button, easy when confortably sit at a desk, less so when walking in a street, half of the time I press the wrong button, or I need to stop walking and look carefully at the phone screen.
Unrelated: when displaying the recent calls list and selecting one (that's also an operation difficult to do with one hand BTW), the add to contact is then made visible and I don't see the logic why because if clicking it, the selected number is not proposed for a new contact.
My first intuition is that the add to contact (the character symbol with a '+') should be displayed only after pressed the '+' button. Minor gripe but this is a very important app for an object that is still often called a phone instead of a pocket computer.@kugiigi said in Tip: call a contact with one hand (secret UT key !):
if you're old enough, you can actually search for a contact using T9 typing
I never even noticed the letters below the numbers. Maybe it's because I have actually used an old school phone, with these things, it's enabled only in text fields, when composing a number to call, it does not work, typing a '3' produces a '3' and that's exactly what it is doing in the phone app - so if it's possible to use the phone keypad to search a contact, it's not obvious enough for me to use it even knowing now it's supposed to be possible !
To be complete, I have noticed that sometimes a contact list is displayed below the keypad but I have never found the magic wand that I used to display it without intending. If it was a desktop app at this point I'd press F1 to get online help...
