Google launched the first Android 12 preview a few weeks back, but many of the most interesting features were hidden behind flags. With a little tinkering, it was possible to unlock Google's new One-handed mode, but there's no modding required in the just-released DP2. Just head into the gesture settings and flip on One-handed mode to get started.

One-handed mode in Android 12 is more akin to Apple's reachability than it is to existing Android UIs. Simply swipe down near the bottom of the screen, and the whole UI drops down to bring those hard-to-reach buttons into range. You can swipe up to leave One-handed mode (the home gesture), or you can wait for the timeout. That's set to 8 seconds by default, but there are other options, including no timeout.

The feature might not be final, but it works fine as currently implemented in DP2. The reachability-style mode isn't as useful as one-handed modes that shrink the entire screen, but this version is very easy to use. If you just need to hit that quick settings toggle up at the top of the screen, this feature is great. If your hands are full and you want to use one-handed mode for an extended period, Google's take is pretty useless. Nevertheless, this is a preview build—as we've learned over the years, features can change substantially or just vanish before the final release.

For more about Android 12, check out our ongoing series coverage here, or bookmark our regularly updated changelog and check back in later. If you want to install the developer preview on your own device, find out how in our Android 12 download guide.