It’s becoming clearer and clearer: The time of big phones is over; we are feeling the call of the small phone once again.
Alright, so that’s not entirely true, but the recent popularity of phones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 shows there’s an appetite for phones of a more manageable size.
But the Z Fold 8’s dirty secret is that it’s still fairly difficult to use one-handed. Thankfully, Quick Cursor offers an easy fix.
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The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a great size
But it’s still too wide for one hand
Pretty much everyone agrees the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is an exceptional phone. Samsung made a big gamble when it decided to change the Z Fold’s form factor so drastically, but it’s easy to say it’s paid off. Everyone loves it, and I’m no exception.
After a scant few months with the Z Fold 8, I find it hard to imagine how I ever used a regular phone. Even a phone as small as the Google Pixel 7 Pro feels comically long now.
But even though the Z Fold 8 is an improvement over the massive Ultra and Pro Max phones of the world, it still has some issues. While it’s easier to use one-handed than some large phones, its width still makes it hard to reach parts of the phone. The other side of the phone is just about doable if you have big hands, but the opposite top corner? Forget it.
Thankfully, it’s fairly rare to only have one hand for my phone. But it happens often enough that I wish for a way to make it a bit easier.
I know this is a common sentiment, especially for those with larger phones. Big displays are great for watching videos and playing games, but they’re a chore to poke around, often needing both hands to use properly.
There had to be an app for that.
So I started searching, and it didn’t take long to find plenty of recommendations for Quick Cursor. I downloaded it and gave it a whirl — and it’s very much the exact tool you need to deal with a large phone screen.
Quick Cursor adds a touchscreen trackpad to your screen
And it’s invisible too
Quick Cursor has a simple premise: What part of your display was actually a laptop trackpad?
This isn’t a unique proposition, and you’ve probably seen similar ideas in other apps or operating systems. But it’s not common, and if you’re not specifically looking for it, it doesn’t immediately spring to mind.
When you want to use it, the first thing you’ll want to do is go to the How to use section.
This mode uses the default options to show you how it works. You’ll immediately see a pair of translucent areas that work as the “trigger” areas. Hold your finger or thumb in this area, then move it to control a mouse-like icon around the screen.
The icon’s movements are amplified, so you don’t need to move your digit much to throw it around the screen. Take a few moments to get to grips with how it works.
After you understand how it works, it’s important to go to the Triggers portrait settings and choose where you want your trigger areas to be.
This is important because they sit on the edges of your screen, and you often use those edges. If you have a Samsung phone, you may use the Edge Panel. Plus, it’s common to swipe from the edge to go back a screen, and the triggers on this app can mess with that.
So make sure your trigger area is small enough not to mess with other parts of your phone, while large enough to find easily. It’s worth tweaking until you find something that works for you.
After it works, all you do is tap and hold in the trigger area, then swipe to move the cursor. It’s simple, but very effective.
It’s not essential, so don’t use it all the time
But it’s really nice to have
Quick Cursor is well-made and works well, but that’s not the best part of the software. The best part is that it’s free to use, with only certain features locked behind a paywall.
Those locked-off features aren’t required to use the app, which is always a bonus, but if you really like it, it’s cheap to buy. A year’s subscription is $2, and a lifetime license costs $5.
I’ve also taken to turning it off when I don’t need it. I’ve set up the triggers well now, but it can still be annoying when I accidentally hit one, so I only have it on when needed.
But when is it needed? There are few better apps. This is a must-have if you’ve ever been annoyed by your smartphone’s size.