TECH NEWS – A key feature is coming that you’d expect by default, but somehow has been missing until now…

Companies are increasingly looking for ways to improve the user experience by offering features that make using a smartphone smoother. Samsung is working on this in particular, offering features that allow you to turn the screen on or off with just a double-tap on the screen. Google’s Pixel phones didn’t have a similar experience, only the ability to turn the phone off from sleep mode by double-tapping the screen. It seems that this will soon change with the fourth beta of Android 16, as Google is determined to improve the experience and catch up with other Android phone offerings.

Pixel users have been eagerly awaiting the fourth beta of Android 16 and all the features it brings. It brings a handy feature that users have been waiting for. Android Authority has highlighted the hidden code that was spotted in the latest beta, which indicates that a double-tap screen shutdown gesture will be introduced for Pixel users. It remains to be seen how the double-tap gesture would work, and whether it would rely on the empty space on the lock screen, or if any area of the home screen would suffice.

Users are hoping to be able to do this on both screens, and it will be closer to what Samsung’s One UI software offers. While Pixel users have been able to use the double-tap option through a third-party app, they will be relieved to know that this will no longer be necessary, as Google will now bring the experience directly through Android. The feature is expected to be available sometime in June, once the stable version of Android 16 is released. There will also be a monitoring page that will be linked to Google Family Link, among other things.

In any case, it’s very unusual that Google is lagging behind in this area, as it really seems like a feature that should be almost standard nowadays…

Source: WCCFTech, Android Authority