When Android 16 launched back in June, one of the new features I was most excited to try on my Pixel was the ability to change what happens when you double-press the power button.

Before Android 16, your only options were to have it open the camera app or turn the feature off entirely. That was it. But with Android 16, Google finally added the ability to launch Google Wallet instead of the camera, similar to how double-pressing the power button on an iPhone opens Apple Wallet.

I immediately set my Pixel 8a so that a double-press of the power button opens Google Wallet, and coming from an iPhone, it genuinely made my Pixel better to use every day. I regularly use my phone to pay for things like gas, coffee, and groceries, so having Google Wallet just a quick double-press away makes a real difference.

Still, as nice as it was to see Google finally expand the feature on Pixel phones with Android 16, I couldn’t help but think about how Samsung has already been doing this and, frankly, doing it better with One UI on its Galaxy devices. Let me explain.

Samsung has the upper hand over Google here

Google, please just copy how Samsung lets you customize this shortcut

While One UI is built on Android, one of the standout tweaks Samsung has made, among many others, is giving you full control over what happens when you double-press the power button.

By default, just like on a Pixel, double-pressing the power button on a Galaxy phone opens the camera. But if you’d rather have it launch something else, you can set it to open any app you want, such as Google Wallet, Samsung Wallet, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Google Messages, or even turn on your phone’s flashlight.

That’s a stark difference compared to Pixel phones. As I noted earlier, even with Android 16, your choices are limited to just two: opening the camera or launching Google Wallet. That’s all.

So my plea to Google is a simple one: with Android 17 later this year, please let us customize double-pressing the power button to open any app we want, just like Samsung lets Galaxy users do.

I’ve been using my Galaxy S25+ a lot recently, in anticipation of the Galaxy S26 series launching soon, and having this shortcut set to open whatever app I want has been extremely useful. Right now, I have it set to Google Messages, but I’ve previously used it for Google Wallet and Spotify.

It honestly boggles my mind that Google still limits the power of this shortcut, especially since Samsung users have been able to fully customize it for years now. So I think it’s about time Google finally fixed this.

With all that in mind, if you have a Google Pixel, you can change what double-pressing the power button does by heading to Settings > System > Gestures > Double press power button.

On a Samsung Galaxy, you’ll find the option under Settings > Advanced features > Side button > Double press. If you want it to open a specific app, tap the App option, then choose the one you want from the list.