The original Pixel and the Pixel 2 were heavily criticized for their lack of wireless charging. Google finally got around to adding the feature in the Pixel 3, as well as releasing their own wireless charger, the aptly named Pixel Stand. For quite some time, it was the only charger capable of doing 10W fast wireless charging on the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. Google also released a Pixel Stand app which lets you change the display of a docked Pixel 3 or Pixel 4 smartphone. For example, you can set it to gradually change colors to wake you up or display an album from Google Photos.
The new update to this app hints that the Pixel Stand UI will soon gain a new shortcut to open the Google Home app. This application is used to control smart devices like the Google Home, Nest Mini, or gadgets from third-party manufacturers. Pixel Stand 1.4 was released yesterday with the standard "bug fixes and stability improvements" changelog, but APK strings, noticed first by 9to5Google and confirmed by us, give us a sneak peek of the upcoming update. You can see the relevant strings from the APK teardown below.
<string name="onboarding_home_description">Add a shortcut to the Google Home app to control your connected devices, lights, and more</string>
<string name="onboarding_home_title">Quickly access the Home app</string>
<string name="settings_home_control_title">Google Home app shortcut</string>
Apparently, there's even a small video which users will see during the app setup, informing them about the feature. It shows icons of Google Home itself, light bulb, thermometer, and video recorder, hinting that you can control thermostats, cameras, and all kinds of smart devices from the docked Pixel device.
As you'd guess, there's no telling of when we'll be able to use this feature in the Pixel Stand app. Google may even turn it on from the server-side for all users. As of now, you can go ahead and update the app to the latest version from the Play Store if you own the Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 4, or Pixel 4 XL.