How to Use Palm Timer to Take Selfies on Android

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.

Take a photo with Google's Palm Timer

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!

What if I don't have a Pixel phone?

Even if you don't have a Pixel phone, you can still take photos hands-free. Let's explore your options.

Check your Android phone

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.

Take a photo with your voice

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.

Also, if you want to use the rear camera to take a photo, say something like 'Hey Google, take a picture with the main camera'.

Install third-party apps

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.

Marvin Fry

Update 25 May 2025