How to take gesture selfies on Samsung phones and tablets

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See how to simplify the selfie-taking process on Samsung Galaxy phones with this simple hack.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Whether you're running a Samsung Galaxy S21, Z Fold 3, or one of the other best Samsung phones, the Camera app on Galaxy smartphones contains some tucked-away features that make taking selfies a cinch. 

Taking selfies on Samsung Galaxy phones the regular way isn't exactly difficult — you simply tap the shutter button, like on any other phone — but Samsung has some cool additional methods that make it even easier, especially when taking group shots. For instance, you can simply hold up your hand to trigger the camera, or say "cheese." 

Cool, right? And it really is very simple to do — in fact I spent half of my Christmas taking selfies with my family this way. So here's how to activate hidden selfie features on Samsung Galaxy smartphones.

How to activate hidden selfie features on Samsung Galaxy smartphones

1. Open the Camera app, then tap the cog in the top-left corner.

A screenshot from the Samsung camera app showing the settings cogwheel highlighted

(Image credit: Samsung)

2. Scroll to the bottom and tap "Shooting methods."

A screenshot from the Samsung camera app settings menu showing the Shooting Methods option highlighted

(Image credit: Samsung)

3. Tap the toggles next to "Voice commands" and "Show palm" to turn the features on.

A screenshot from the Samsung camera app settings menu showing the Show Palm and Voice Commands options highlighted

(Image credit: Samsung)

And that's it. To test it out, try saying "smile," "cheese," capture," or "shoot" to take a photo — this works with both the front and rear-facing cameras. To take a selfie or record a video using gestures, simply hold up your palm to the front-facing camera.

If you want to take your selfie game even further, check out our guide to the best ring lights for phones. Or if you want to get the most out of Google Assistant on Android, see what we think are the best Google Assistant commands. And whether your phone is brand new or you've had it a while, take a look at what we think is the first app you should install on your Samsung Galaxy phone, or how to turn your Galaxy S22's punch hole into a notification light and how to set up Easy Mode on Samsung smartphones.

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Dale Fox
Dale Fox
Freelance Journalist

Dale Fox is a freelance journalist based in the UK. He's been a tech nerd ever since childhood, when he used the money from his first job as a paperboy to buy a subscription to GamesMaster magazine. Dale was previously a presenter and editor in China, where he also worked as a copywriter for OnePlus at its Shenzhen HQ.