Android 12 has introduced a whole host of changes, but not all of them are popular among users. One of those is the change to the power menu — the menu that appears when you hold the power button — which is drastically different to its counterpart in Android 11.
The main complaint is the removal of the G Pay and Home device controls within the power menu itself. Now, it's just a three-button menu with Power Off, Reset, Emergency. The aforementioned controls were moved to Quick Settings.
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Some users and outlets are saying the power menu is ruined, but even some Googlers have chimed in on the issue. Over on Google's issue tracker, someone raised this "problem" and a Googler responded:
"If this is intentional, our product is doomed."
Talk about hyperbole. While saying the power menu is "ruined" is quite a stretch, I'm on the fence about this one. I don't mind the controls being moved to Quick Settings — especially since I've never used the G Pay controls in the power menu and just tap my phone to a reader — but I do miss easy access to Home device toggles, like my lights.
Take what you will from this. Perhaps it was change for change's sake, or maybe Google thought those controls were better suited for Quick Settings. If nothing else, I liked having them tucked away in the power menu to keep them out of sight unless I needed them. Like I said, though, I'm not hung up on this, but maybe I'm in the minority.
Android 12 is still in beta form, so it's possible that Google might reverse this change before the final release. There seem to be quite a few people upset by it, so who knows.
