what's the quiet middle ground between talking to a device and tapping a screen

so voice is great when you can talk out loud. touch is great when you can look at a screen and use both hands. but there's a ton of moments that fit neither. you're in a meeting. on a train. someone's asleep next to you. your hands are full and it's not a good time to talk. and you just wanna do one small thing, skip a song, turn something off, reply with a yes. what do you even use there? a tap on a watch, a gesture, a button, something else. honestly i can't think of a great answer that works for most people. has anyone designed for this gap, or is it just unlocked phone by default?