Beta 2 code lets you switch up what to open
Customization has always been one of Android’s key strengths — you can personalize the look and feel of the software to your liking. With Android 12, Google brought in its Material You design language complete with a wallpaper-based theming engine to crank up styling possibilities. Despite all these improvements, Android’s stock lock screen customization options are pretty limited, even paling in comparison with iOS. Worse yet, you can’t even change the lock screen shortcuts on Pixel phones. Fortunately, Google’s dropping some signs of change this with the latest Android 13 beta.
Internal code in Android 13’s first Quarterly Platform Release revealed that the company was working on custom lock screen clocks for added customization. With QPR2 Beta 2, Google is continuing work on this front and plans to add the ability to change out the lock screen shortcuts.
Mishaal Rahman tips that the new “Shortcuts” option will be tucked under Settings > Display > Lock screen. 9to5Google was able to surface some code and UI related to shortcut customization for the Pixels.
Google won’t let users go entirely hog wild assigning custom lock screen shortcuts, though. There will be some specified options for triggering the flashlight, launching the camera, opening the QR code scanner, and a couple others. To ensure the lock screen shortcuts are not accidentally triggered, users will be required to press and hold the icons.
Other Android manufacturers may opt to add their own shortcut editing paradigm with guidance from the Keyguard Quick Affordances framework.
Currently on Android 13, the bottom left shortcut on the lock screen brings up smart home controls while the bottom right shortcut opens either the Google Wallet app on the Pixel 7 series or a carousel of your stored cards on older Pixels. Samsung already allows Galaxy device owners to customize the lock screen shortcuts to any app or action they want. Following the release of iOS 16, Android’s top manufacturer also put in additional lock screen enhancements for One UI 5. If Google is looking to catch up, it’ll need to make large strides.
