Your Pixel's lock screen may be about to get its biggest shortcut upgrade in years
Aug 4, 2026 — 7:25 AM ET
- The lock screen on Pixel devices may soon allow users to add app shortcuts.
- While other Android brands let you add widgets to the lock screen, Pixels limit users to basic shortcuts such as flashlight and camera.
- Among Android OEMs, Samsung already lets users add app shortcuts to the lock screen.
The lock screen on Pixel devices may currently seem limited compared to rival Android devices. Google currently lacks the option to add lock screen widgets that a host of others, seemingly inspired by iOS, have, and currently limits users to basic shortcuts placed at the bottom of the screen — unless you use an unofficial app to tap into hidden lock screen features. That could change soon, as Google seems to be testing an option that not only outpaces other Android rivals but also iOS.
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With Android 17 QPR2 Beta 2, Google appears to be exploring the option to launch with fewer steps. Buried in the latest build’s code, we’ve found references to “App Launch Shortcut,” which could allow Pixel users to launch apps directly from their lock screen, just as they can a bunch of system features such as flashlight and camera.
While other Android manufacturers allow users to add shortcuts under the lock screen clock, Pixel users can only choose to add items at spots along the bottom two corners. On top of that, the selection is limited to options including DND, flashlight toggle, camera, Now Playing, and a handful of others. While you can technically use widgets on Pixel’s lock screen, these are full-blown versions similar to home screen widgets instead of the stripped-down ones we get from other brands.
If the Android team moves forward with the change, Pixel users would not only have the option to choose more shortcut options to add, but would also be able to make apps accessible right from the lock screen. We came across the following strings referencing the functionality, suggesting Pixel users may soon be able to add more shortcuts.
<string name="app_launch_quick_affordance_setup_name">App Launch</string>
<string name="app_launch_quick_affordance_setup_enablement_title">Create App Launch Shortcut</string>
<string name="app_launch_quick_affordance_picker_title">Lock screen shortcuts</string>
<string name="app_launch_quick_affordance_setup_enablement_action">Select App</string>
In addition to adding app shortcuts to Pixel’s lock screen, more strings from code highlight the possibility of adding more than one app shortcut.
<string name="app_launch_quick_affordance_setup_enablement_explanation">"You can create up to %1$d app launch shortcuts. You can create %2$d more shortcut(s).
Long press on an existing app launch shortcut to configure or remove."</string>
<string name="app_launch_quick_affordance_setup_enablement_explanation_limit">"You have reached the maximum limit of %1$d app launch shortcuts. Please delete an existing app launch shortcut first.</string>
The exact number of shortcuts remains a mystery for now. We know the number of additions would be limited, but the limit isn’t specified either. We don’t know whether Google will allow only two, as it currently does, or extend the limit further, but we do know that users will be able to long-press an existing shortcut to modify or replace it.
Along with the strings hinting at app shortcuts, we’re seeing references to “Quick Affordances,” which Google describes as “interactive UI elements that appear on the lock screen.” These likely include quick actions for apps, such as scanning a QR code for payment or drafting a message. It’s possible Google might allow users to add shortcuts to app actions alongside apps, though we can’t say with certainty.
It’s unclear whether Google could continue using the same placement along the corners or allow users to add shortcuts somewhere in the middle of the screens as other brands do. Interestingly, while several Android OEMs, including OnePlus, OPPO, and vivo, let you add shortcuts under the clock, options are mostly limited to widgets or shortcuts to system apps, such as Weather or Phone. Samsung, however, already allows users to add shortcuts to apps, and this might be something Pixel users would rejoice over catching up to.
Finally, since the references appear in QPR2 Beta 2 for Pixel devices and not the Android git, we could expect them to be initially limited to Pixel phones before being carried to AOSP.
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APK teardownhelps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.