XREAL gesture control: how to set it up, every gesture and fixes

Tired of reaching for your phone every time you want to pause a video? XREAL's glasses can read your hands instead. Clip on the $99 XREAL Eye camera and your One, One Pro, 1S or 1 Pro+ turns pinches and wrist flips into clicks and scrolls on whatever you're plugged into. XREAL still calls it experimental, so here's what works, what doesn't and how to set it up.

What you need

• The XREAL Eye. It's the small camera that sits in the middle of the frame and watches your hands. XREAL sells it for $99.
• Supported glasses. XREAL's gesture manual covers the One series, and its 1 Pro+ manual says the 1 Pro+ supports gestures too.
• Recent firmware. Gestures arrive and change through updates. Our XREAL firmware guide shows how to update.
• A connected device. An Android phone, an iPhone or iPad, or a computer that's sending video to the glasses.
• Decent light. A window behind you or a dark room makes tracking much worse.

Turn it on

Gesture control is off until you switch it on.

1. Plug the XREAL Eye into the slot in the middle of the frame.
2. Double-click the X button to open the menu.
3. Go to Other, then Lab, then Gesture Controls.
4. Switch Gesture Control on. It starts working after a second or two.

The first time, a three-part tutorial walks you through the cursor, the palm-back menu and the quick gestures. You can skip it and replay it later from Gesture Controls or Help.

On a 1 Pro+, XREAL's manual sends you to these same instructions but doesn't give its own menu path. Its Laboratory sits under Settings, then General, which is where we'd look first.

Using an iPhone or iPad?

Turn on two accessibility settings first, or the cursor won't show up or scroll:

• AssistiveTouch: Settings, then Accessibility, then Touch, then AssistiveTouch.
• Zoom: Settings, then Accessibility, then Zoom.

Then set Menu Mode to iOS (iPadOS) in the gesture settings, so the buttons map correctly.

The cursor: your hand is the mouse

Gesture	What it does
Pinch your thumb and index finger	Turns on the cursor
Move your hand	Moves the cursor
Pinch and let go	Clicks
Pinch, hold and move	Drags
Make a fist	Freezes the cursor so you can move your hand back. Open it to carry on.

The cursor moves relative to your hand, like a mouse, so a small movement covers a lot of screen. Keep your hand still for about 10 seconds and the cursor goes to standby. A small movement wakes it. If your hand leaves the camera's view for more than about 5 seconds, the cursor turns off, and you'll need to pinch again.

Quick gestures

These work without turning on the cursor.

Gesture	What it does
Flip your wrist up, from palm facing you to palm facing out	Scrolls once. Keep flipping to keep scrolling, handy for short videos.
Open palm facing out, then a fist held for about 2 seconds	Recenters the screen in front of you
Thumbs up	Runs a shortcut you choose. iPhone and iPad only.

The palm-back menu

Turn your hand so the back faces out, with your palm toward you, then pinch. A small menu appears. Slide about 1.5 cm to move between items, then let go of the pinch to choose one. Let go without moving to close it.

Button	Android	iPhone and iPad
Home	Yes	Yes
Voice assistant (hold Home for about 2 seconds)	Partly	Yes
Back	Yes	No
Recent apps	No	Yes
Play or pause	Yes	Yes
Page turn	Yes	Yes

On a Windows PC or Mac, only scrolling and the playback controls work.

Settings worth changing

You'll find these in the Gesture Controls menu.

• Menu Mode. Pick Android, iOS (iPadOS) or Off to match your device, so the palm-back buttons do the right thing.
• Page Turn Method. Drag works like a finger on a touchscreen and suits phones. Wheel works like a mouse wheel and suits Windows, Mac and iOS, but not Android.
• Scroll Direction. Flip it if scrolling feels backwards. XREAL says left-handed users may notice this first.
• Cursor Speed. Five levels, set to 3 out of the box. Lower it if the cursor feels jumpy. Raise it if it's hard to move.
• Like gesture. Turns the thumbs up on or off. It only shows in iOS mode.

When gestures don't work

• No cursor. Check that Gesture Control is on, the Eye is plugged in with its light on, your hand is in view and the room is bright enough. On an iPhone or iPad, turn on AssistiveTouch.
• Pinches don't register. Hold each pinch for about 300 milliseconds, with your fingertips within about 2.2 cm. Opening too fast counts as letting go.
• Scrolling goes the wrong way. Change Scroll Direction.
• The palm-back menu won't open. The back of your hand has to face out while you pinch, and your head should face the same way as your hand.
• Tracking keeps dropping. Keep your hands in front of you, between chest and head height, with no bright window behind you. Lowering Cursor Speed can help too.
• 3D Mode switched off. Gestures and 3D Mode can't run together. Turning on one switches off the other. Here's why XREAL modes switch each other off.
• The cursor freezes. XREAL says it can happen now and then. Unplug the cable between the glasses and your device, then plug it back in.

Tips for everyday use

• Rest your arms. XREAL suggests a break every 20 to 30 minutes, since holding your hands up gets tiring.
• Switch it off for movies and meals. Eating, drinking or waving your hands around can trigger clicks you didn't mean.
• Expect some warmth. Long stretches of dragging can make the glasses slightly warmer than usual. XREAL says that's normal.
• Bare hands work best. Gloves, long nails or covered fingers make recognition less reliable.

More for XREAL owners

• The Eye also adds 6DoF, so the screen stays put while you move. Here's what else is worth adding.
• Choosing glasses? Compare the 1 Pro+ and 1S.
• XREAL names the iPhone 17 for a direct USB-C connection on the 1S. Check yours:

Compatibility checkeriPhone 17 Pro / 17 Pro Max + XREAL 1SWorks