Hidden in the fourth Android Q beta was a new feature in Gesture settings called "Show cards & passes." Both 9to5Google and I discovered the toggle for this new setting, but sadly, the feature wasn't working. When Google launched its new webpage for Android 10, they referred to this feature as "Quick wallet access," so we knew it would be coming. However, the feature is mysteriously absent from the Android 10 update that rolled out for the Pixel smartphones. Now, we finally have our first look at the feature.
What we're showing off today doesn't unveil any new information, because the description for the "Show cards & passes" feature already gave us enough information to know what Google was working on. According to the description, the feature shows credit cards, passes, and tickets from the Google Pay app when you press and hold the power button to show the power menu. If you have multiple credit cards and passes stored in the Google Pay app, this feature will help you quickly choose the right card or pass after you pull your smartphone out of your pocket. Samsung has integrated a similar feature in its version of Android called One UI, but its implementation works with Samsung Pay and not Google Pay.
Earlier today, I noticed a new item in the power menu on my Pixel 2 XL running Android 10. This item was in the shape of a card and it asked me to "Add a payment method." After adding one of my credit cards, I was able to access the new card switcher from any screen. Just like before, you'll still need to unlock your phone in order to initiate a payment. However, the new quick wallet access feature makes it more convenient to switch your active payment method. You no longer have to open the Google Pay app to change the default card. Just swipe left or right on the card in the power menu to see your available cards or tap on "View all" to see all of your saved cards. (I did add a second credit card to confirm that more than one card can be shown here, but I didn't continue adding cards to see if there's a limit.)
The power menu is typically towards the right side of the screen, but with this feature active all the buttons drop to the bottom.
I haven't seen any reports of this feature rolling out for anyone yet, but since it works for me, it should be ready for release sometime soon. We'll let you know when that happens.
Thanks to PNF Software for providing us a license to use JEB Decompiler, a professional-grade reverse engineering tool for Android applications.