How To: Add Thumb-Friendly Pie Controls to Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 for More Efficient Use with One Hand

With its awesomely enormous size, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 can at times be difficult to navigate when you only have one hand free—especially if you have really small hands.

To make the Note 2 (and other large Android devices) easier to navigate, Paranoid Android (and later CyanogenMod) released a feature called pie control. With the pie control feature, you can easily access navigation buttons, settings, tools, and apps—all with the tap and swipe of a finger (most likely your thumb).

The problem with pie control is that it was exclusive to custom ROMS, meaning only those with rooted devices and that particular custom ROM could access the on-screen thumb-friendly controls.

So, what to do for those without a rooted device?

Use the newish Pie Control app from Android dev Coolace. With this free app, you can bring the popular pie interface to your Galaxy Note 2—without rooting!

You can easily access apps, tools, and settings by either tapping on the left or right side of the screen (which you can customize). When you hold your finger down, two layers of the pie (yum) will show up. To select, just slide your finger over to the preferred icon.

In the settings, you can choose which icons will be shown in the pie, as well as the ability to change the color and size. You also have the option to add a clock, which appears in the corner of the device. If you want to change the settings of the clock (as well as get rid of the non-intrusive ads), you can purchase Coolace's PieControl Pro for $1.99.

So far, I'm really digging Pie Control; it's great for when I need to access my most used apps and settings on a whim. It's incredibly handy to toggle things like Wi-Fi and NFC with one hand and a single tap, as opposed to stretching my thumb out like an acrobat.

Let us know how you like the app in the comments below. Got a better one you like to use with your thumb? Share!