Android 16 is great, but changing this one setting makes it even better

Google’s Android 16 update is now available for Pixels, and like many of you, I eagerly rushed to update my phone as soon as the new software was live. Even though Android 16 isn’t the most thrilling OS upgrade we’ve ever seen (the really big changes are coming in Android 16 QPR1), a new Android update is still exciting, no matter how small.

Android 16 has been running wonderfully on my Pixel 9a so far. It’s not a drastic update, but it’s smooth, responsive, and the little tweaks here and there are much appreciated. It’s a good update out of the box, but I’ve been enjoying it even more after changing one specific setting.

For years now, double-tapping the power button on Pixel phones has launched the camera. It’s how most Android phones work, and it’s an objectively good shortcut to have. However, as someone who sometimes goes multiple days without using the camera, it’s not always the most helpful for the way I use my phone.

Thankfully, Android 16 finally lets you change this to something else.

While I don’t use my phone’s camera app all the time, I’m constantly using Google Wallet for one reason or another. It contains all of my credit cards, my library card, movie tickets (which I have quite frequently, living next door to a movie theater), my health insurance card, and more. I find myself using Google Wallet just about every other day and, in some cases, multiple times per day — certainly more often than I use the camera.

I imagine that’s not the case for everyone, but in my situation, having Google Wallet just a double-tap away is wonderful. Is accessing it from an app icon on my home screen difficult? Certainly not. But I  love the physicality of having Wallet tied to a button like this. Being able to double-tap the power button as I’m pulling my Pixel 9a out of my pocket, so Google Wallet is immediately ready to go, is such a nice convenience.

I didn’t expect such a simple setting to be so helpful, but now that I’ve lived with it for a couple of days, I don’t think I’ll be going back to the old camera shortcut. Swapping the double-tap gesture to Google Wallet is such a nice option to have, and I’m thrilled Google added it to Android 16.

As happy as I am with the Google Wallet option for double-tap in Android 16, I hope it’s just the start of even bigger changes. A choice between the camera and Google Wallet is great, but there’s still so much more Google could do here.

Samsung, for example, lets you map the double-tap shortcut on its phones to open the camera, flashlight, magnifier, voice recorder, Samsung Notes, Routines, or take a screenshot. And if none of those interest you, you can configure it to open any app installed on your phone — including Google Wallet.

Google has a long way to go before we achieve that level of customization on Pixel phones, but I like to think that the Google Wallet option in Android 16 means more choices are on the way. You may want to double-tap the power button to do something other than launch the camera or Google Wallet, and I hope you get that option soon.

But hey, if that’s not the case, at least we now have some say in what the double-tap shortcut does. I’m stoked that mine is now tied to Google Wallet, and if you just downloaded Android 16 or are doing so soon, I highly recommend checking it out.