I turned my Android phone’s annoying AI button into its most powerful shortcut key
I was ready to disable my AI button until I realized how much it could actually do.
In recent years, Android phones have been increasingly featuring AI buttons that launch AI assistants and features, replacing the dedicated power and volume buttons. These AI buttons have become a common addition across various phone brands, including Motorola's Razr Fold and Motorola Edge, and the Nothing Phone 4a. However, not everyone uses AI daily, and the author of this story initially found the AI button on their HONOR 600 Pro to be an unnecessary feature.
The AI button was often accidentally triggered, and the author usually exited the AI assistant immediately. The author decided to explore their phone's settings and discovered that the AI button could be programmed to perform a range of non-AI tasks. The software offered options for different gestures, such as a long press, double press, and single press.
Among the features available were functions like unlocking the flashlight, activating the camera, and switching the phone's sound mode. Additionally, the quick services feature allowed users to launch apps and specific app features with the AI button. This discovery transformed the author's perspective on the AI button, turning it into a powerful shortcut key.
They now use it for various tasks, such as launching their favorite productivity app, creating a new event in Google Calendar, starting a song recognition search in Deezer, or opening the password manager in Firefox. The author found the versatility of the AI button on the HONOR 600 Pro impressive and hopes other phone manufacturers will allow users to customize these buttons as versatile shortcut keys, rather than keeping them locked down with limited functionality.
Written by urgent.news from Android Authority's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
