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Summary
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Pixel phones are expected to gain a double-tap gesture to turn off the screen with Android 16 QPR1, a feature already present on other Android launchers.
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This new functionality, revealed through strings in Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1, will appear as a toggle in Settings but will only work on the lock screen, not the home screen.
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While initially limited, this gesture is a positive step for Pixel usability, with potential for broader home screen functionality to be added in future updates.
Google Pixel users have long had the option to wake up their device by double tapping the lock screen.
The gesture works anywhere on the lock screen, making it a much more intuitive alternative to pressing the power button. However, unlike Android devices from OEMs like Samsung and OnePlus, Pixel devices notably lack the reverse functionality, which might finally make its way to users with Android 16: a double-tap gesture to turn the screen off.
Related
Double-tap to turn the screen off
Earlier in April, hidden elements found in Android 16 Beta 4 suggested that double-tap gesture could soon let Pixel users turn off their screens. Expected to land with the first quarterly Android 16 release later this year (QPR1), strings hinting at the feature’s Settings app page have now been found in Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1, giving us a better idea about how the gesture will function.
Shared by credible Android analyst Mishaal Rahman in a report for Android Authority, the tool will appear as a toggle under Settings → System → Gestures → Double tap to turn off screen.
Google’s implementation is limited to the lock screen
Source: Android Authority
Unfortunately, though, unlike Samsung and OnePlus’ implementation, Pixel device users will only be able to ‘turn off’ their screen when they’re on the lock screen. Google’s implementation will not work on the home screen.
OnePlus lets you double tap anywhere on the home screen to lock your device. Samsung, similarly, lets you double tap anywhere on the home or lock screen to turn your device’s screen off. Google’s implementation, according to what can be observed at the moment, will only let you “double tap an empty space on the lock screen to turn off the screen.”
Google’s implementation would only be useful to turn off the screen once you’ve checked all pending notifications on the lock screen, or when you’re done looking at your lock screen widgets. For reference, lock screen widgets are expected to be available with Android 16 QPR1 later this year.
Regardless of the limitation, the eventual introduction of the gesture is a positive step for Pixel usability, and broader home screen functionality could always be added in future updates.