Leaked doc shows Android 11 power menu w/ Pixel’s quick wallet, smart home controls

Ben Schoon | Jun 1 2020 - 6:45 am PT

google pay cards and passes android power menu pixel

Despite beta delays, Android 11 is still on track to be released later this year, and it’s bringing a handful of new features with it. Apparently, that’s also going to include the upgraded power menu that Google started building out on Pixel smartphones this year, but the Android 11 version is also going to include smart home controls.

In Android 10 and earlier releases, Google tweaked the look of the power menu, but with a Feature Drop for its Pixel smartphones Google delivered a useful new feature — “Cards and Passes.” This delivered a user’s Google Pay credit/debit cards to the power menu so they could easily be switched between at the payment terminal without diving into the full app.

According to a leaked document (tweeted by Misaal Rahman) which details new features in “Android R,” Google is bringing this upgraded power menu to all Android smartphones in Android 11.

This updated power menu design in Android 11 would integrate the quick wallet from Pixel’s, but open that API to any app like Google Pay. Technically, Samsung could adopt this for Samsung Pay as an example.

Below the “Quick Access Wallet” in Android 11’s power menu, Google is also adding “Quick Controls.” These controls are user-customizable and, based on the document we’ve seen, it looks like it will include controls for smart home products as well as other options in Android itself. The smart home controls, though, definitely appear to be Google’s focus. As seen below, those controls include lights, locks, the thermostat, and even cameras with a live view. Um, yes please.

From the look of it, Google is building out this feature in general for Android 11 smartphones, not just its own Pixel lineup, which, of course, will see these features arrive first. It’ll be interesting to see how other OEMs and apps adopt these features over time, but right now, this is definitely a huge reason for everyone to be excited about Android 11.