Google quietly resurrects a Pixel gesture we first spotted over a year ago

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Google may finally be getting ready to give Pixel users a much better way to turn off their phone’s screen without reaching for the power button.

We first spotted a double-tap-to-lock feature in Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1 back in June 2025. It was meant to help Pixel users double-tap an empty area of the lock screen to turn off the display. While the feature still hasn’t made its way to Pixel phones, it now looks like Google didn’t forget about it afetrall.

In fact, our latest findings suggest that the company is making the feature even more useful.

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While digging through the latest Android 17 QPR2 Beta 3 build , we found that Google has updated some previously dormant strings related to the double-tap-to-sleep feature. It also looks like Google has added the home screen to the feature’s description.

Essentially, the feature was designed to double-tap an empty space on the lock screen to turn off the screen. Now, its definition seems to have evolved in the latest QPR update, with code strings now saying:

The additon of “Home” in this description suggests that when Google eventually enables the gesture, Pixel users may be able to double-tap an empty area on either the home screen or lock screen to turn off the display.