Google’s Pixel Stand is a fun little wireless charger designed specifically for Pixel phones that conjures up an interactive interface, complete with Google Assistant. Those who own the accessory will be pleased to learn that the charger is learning a few new tricks thanks to a recent update, and in addition to all that Assistant stuff, the Stand will now also give access to smart home controls when your Pixel is docked.
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This story was originally published and last updated .
We've known that Android 11 plans to integrate smart home controls into the long-press power menu, building on the wallet functionality it already added, and we've even seen mockups for what it will look like. But today we've received a report of the change live and in the wild on a Pixel running Android 11 DP4, and it turns out, anyone on Android 11 can enable it by sideloading the latest Google Home app release.
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Google decided some time ago that the power button on Android phones could be useful for quick access to commonly-used features. An iOS-style wallet was added to the Pixel in March so you can switch between payment cards or bring up travel passes and loyalty cards when you need them, and next on the list is smart home controls. Evidence of this arrived with Android 11's developer previews, but freshly leaked documentation now shows us what the final product is going to look like.
Read More![[New App] TasKarou Launcher Overlay Adds Quick Controls To Android Tablets](https://www.androidpolice.com/wp-content/themes/ap2/ap_resize/ap_resize.php?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.androidpolice.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F11%2Fnexusae0_unnamed4.png&w=150&h=150&zc=3)
If you think back to the browser redesign that came with Android 4.0, you might recall the quick controls feature – a circular popup controls you could trigger with a tap. TasKarou Launcher Overlay takes that same idea and makes it universal in Android. This app can give you access to settings, searches, apps, and more with just a flick.
Quick controls in the old Android browser were never really a headline feature. The idea was that you could tap in certain areas and have a wedge of controls appear with functions like forward and back. Neat, but not necessarily useful on a phone.
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