Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Android 16 Beta 2 introduces a brand new “double press energy button” menu.
- This menu allows you to select between launching the digital camera app or the default pockets app when double urgent the facility button.
- Beforehand, double urgent the facility button on a Pixel cellphone all the time launched the default digital camera app.
Android makes it fairly straightforward to launch the Google Pockets app, which is helpful in case you retailer lots of totally different bank cards, transit passes, or different gadgets you could often pull up. You possibly can both faucet the app’s icon on your own home display screen, faucet the pockets tile in Fast Settings, or press and maintain the lock display screen shortcut. On some Android telephones, you possibly can even double press the facility button to convey up Google Pockets. Double urgent the facility button on a Pixel cellphone all the time brings up the digital camera app, however that’s one thing you possibly can lastly change within the newest Android 16 beta.
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Google is rolling out Android 16 Beta 2 in the present day, and after putting in it on considered one of my Pixel telephones, I seen that the “shortly open digital camera” web page has been changed with a brand new “double faucet energy button” web page. This display screen is positioned underneath Settings > System > Gesture, and it allows you to set the double-tap energy button shortcut to both launch the Pixel Digital camera app (the default digital camera app on Pixel telephones) or the default pockets app. I first noticed this web page within the third beta for Android 15’s second quarterly launch, however it’s now stay in Android 16 Beta 2.
If you change this setting to “Pockets,” you possibly can double-tap the facility button to open the default pockets app no matter what app you’re in. Nonetheless, for those who double-tap the facility button whereas the cellphone is locked, you’ll have to first unlock your cellphone to see your playing cards. That is presumably carried out for safety causes so individuals can’t see the playing cards in your pockets whereas your cellphone is locked.
Right here’s a brief video of me demonstrating this function on a Pixel 9 Professional working Android 16 Beta 2. As you possibly can see, altering the “double faucet energy button” setting to “Pockets” permits me to launch the default pockets app (which I’ve set to Google Pockets) once I double-tap the facility button.
It is a helpful function for individuals who often have to shortly pull up Google Pockets, however I want it had been extra configurable. There’s no purpose, in my thoughts, for the gesture to be restricted to simply the digital camera and pockets apps. Many OEMs provide way more customization on this division, however plainly Google desires to maintain issues easy for now.