Google Pixel phones may finally get ‘Double Tap To Lock Screen’ feature: Report

Google Pixel phones could get a useful new feature in the form of being able to double-tap to lock the screen with Android 16, according to a new report.

Google Pixel software is considered some of the best in the Android world, and no wonder, considering Google makes it and how it packs several exclusive AI features, a smooth operation, and a design language that is consistent across the entire software experience. Notably, it lacks several advanced features and some gestures which other, more feature-rich Android UIs offer.

Google Pixel phones have missed on several key gestures that are available on other flagships. (Shaurya Sharma/HT )

By Shaurya Sharma

Shaurya Sharma is the Technology Editor at Hindustan Times Digital Streams, where he oversees technology coverage across digital and social platforms. With over eight years of experience across editorial, video production, and digital media, his work focuses on smartphones, AI, consumer gadgets, and shaping audience-first content strategies for modern tech consumers.

He began his career in 2018 as a fashion cinematographer before turning his lifelong passion for technology into a profession. From spending his childhood immersed in tech magazines, video games, and the latest gadgets to covering the global consumer tech industry today, technology has remained a constant throughout his journey.

Over the years, Shaurya has worked with some of India’s leading media organisations, including CNN-News18, Sportskeeda, and Guiding Tech, where he led video initiatives that combined strong editorial storytelling with engaging visual and social-first execution.

A graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication from Manipal University, Shaurya has reviewed hundreds of products across categories including smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles, cameras, and wearables. Beyond work, he is passionate about animal welfare, environmental causes, and automobiles, particularly turbo-petrol cars

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One such feature is the ability to double-tap the screen. While we already have the ability to double-tap to wake the screen, the ability to double-tap and lock the screen is missing. This feature is already available on several phones, including all those by Samsung, OnePlus, and more. However, it now appears that Google Pixel phones, including Pixel 9 series, may also start offering the same, according to a new report by Android Authority.

Double Tap To Lock Screen Feature Hinted

Evidence for this was discovered in Android 16 Beta 4. Android Authority’s Mishaal Rahman notes that this gesture is currently neither supported nor active in Android 16 Beta 4, which was released for Pixel phones recently. There is not even a setting available to turn it on. However, the report found evidence in Android 16 that suggests Google is working on adding it.

When Could This Feature Arrive Officially?

The report hints that the feature could roll out with the first quarterly update for Android 16, but it is unlikely to ship with the stable version, as it is currently disabled in the beta as well. So, do not get your hopes up too much.

It is hidden in the software for now, but it certainly seems like a promising move by Google to bring these missing gestures to the Pixel experience, especially as they can already be found on other flagship phones, including those by Samsung.