New shortcut for Google Wallet coming to Android 16

If you keep many credit cards, transit passes, and other stuff in Google Wallet, you’ll love this new shortcut. It lets you add Google Wallet to your phone’s lock screen or Quick Settings for easy access. This means you can switch cards fast without having to unlock your phone or open the app. Especially for Pixel phone users, Google is planning a new shortcut in the Android 16 update that will let you open Google Wallet even quicker.

On most good Android phones, you can choose what happens when you double-tap the power button. But on Pixel phones, this action always opens the camera, which is great if you’re into taking photos but not so much if you aren’t. The good news is, that Google is changing this so you can choose to open Google Wallet instead with that double-tap.

I found some clues about this feature in the latest Android 15 beta update. There’s talk of a new settings page where you can decide if double-tapping the power button opens the camera or your wallet app. You’ll find this under Settings > System > Gestures, where there’s a new option for the double-tap power button.

When this setting is turned on, you can jump right into your wallet app by double-tapping the power button, no matter if your screen is on or off. And it’s not just for Google Wallet; it’ll open any wallet app you’ve set as your default, thanks to a change made in Android 15.

This feature isn’t ready yet in the current Android 15 beta, so we won’t see it in the next stable update. But we might see it in an early version of Android 16. I’ll keep an eye on Google’s updates to tell you when this handy shortcut becomes available.

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