Google I/O 2021 showcased the near future of smartphones, and some useful features of Android 12 were announced under the radar during the event. Testers got their hands on a beta version of Android 12, and some interesting changes to the OS that Google has not talked about publicly emerged.

One of them, which surfaced during the teardown of the beta search app, is a way to turn off the phone using Google Assistant. Saying "turn off" will either take you to the power menu or shut down the device; as 9to5 Google points out, it's not yet clear which. Still, Google has added one party trick to Android 12 that iOS does not yet offer.

This feature seems to coincide with the ability to access the Assistant using the phone's power button, which Google has confirmed will be a baked-in feature in Android 12. Apple and Samsung have been offering similar options for voice assistants on their devices for some time, so in a sense, Google is playing catch-up.

One of the side effects of using the power button to activate Google Assistant is that you probably can't even turn the phone off. In all likelihood, it would be either way. However, there still seems to be a way to physically turn off the phone.

Pressing the volume up button at the same time as the power button brings up the power menu. This feature is not present in the current Android 12 beta, but when it becomes available, it will take advantage of the best of both worlds.

It is unclear whether the option to turn off the phone in Google Assistant will be exclusive to Android 12 or to Pixel devices; it would be nice to see Google extend this option to older versions of Android. It would be especially helpful for accessibility for those who have difficulty holding down buttons on their phones; using the "Hey Google" command to control their phones may allow them to switch off completely hands-free.