Your Pixel phone’s screen could soon adjust itself for wet fingers and other conditions

What you need to know

• Google is apparently working on a feature called “Adaptive Touch” for Pixel phones, aiming to automatically adjust touch sensitivity based on the user’s surroundings and activities.
• Mishaal Rahman uncovered this feature while exploring the code of the latest Android beta, specifically in Android 14 QPR3 Beta 1.
• The code indicates that touch sensitivity will adapt not only to environmental conditions like rain or cold but also to different activities.

Google might add a handy feature to Pixel phones that will make the screen adjust its touch sensitivity depending on your surroundings.

Mishaal Rahman on Android Police took a peek into the newest Android beta, Android 14 QPR3 Beta 1, and found a cool tidbit in the code. It turns out Google is cooking up a fresh feature called “Adaptive Touch” for Pixels.

The code states that “Touch sensitivity will automatically adjust to your environment, activities, and screen protector.”

Currently, the Google Pixel 8 series has a handy screen protector mode that increases touch sensitivity when you’ve got one on. Your phone usually figures it out, but you can also turn it on manually by hitting Display in settings. Now, with Adaptive Touch in the works, Pixel might kick it up a notch by adjusting touch sensitivity on its own, depending on how you’re using it.

Unfortunately, there are no extra details from the strings, but Rahman thinks environmental conditions could mean stuff like rain or freezing weather, and “activities” might include swimming and hitting the gym.

Smartphones nowadays revolve around the display, and the last thing you want is a screen that’s not snappy enough. When everything’s peachy and the weather’s fine, your phone behaves, but in tougher situations when you need quick responses, it can be a real hassle.

Rahman’s discovery uncovered a fresh menu in the beta software, breaking down Touch sensitivity into a separate section. This means that when the new feature hits Pixels, you could find an Adaptive Touch switch in the Settings app under Display > Touch sensitivity.

When Rahman stumbled upon this, the Touch sensitivity section only included the screen protector choice, but it’s a safe bet that more tweaks for touch sensitivity might be in the pipeline.

There’s no official word on this new feature yet, so we’re in the dark about which devices will snag Adaptive Touch. However, considering the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro already have the screen protector mode, it’s possible that the feature will debut on these models.