Android 16 might overhaul notifications and Fast Settings

Google simply launched the supply code of Android 15 the opposite day, giving builders the chance to peek behind the curtains to see how all the brand new platform options work. Not each function that Google labored on this previous yr was accomplished in time for Android 15’s launch, which suggests we gained’t see these adjustments till one of many upcoming quarterly platform releases or subsequent yr’s Android 16 replace on the earliest. A kind of adjustments is a complete redesign of Android’s notification and Fast Settings panels.

The present design for Android’s notification and Fast Settings panels debuted in 2021’s Android 12 replace, which is when Google launched its Materials You design language. Within the present format, the notification and Fast Settings panels are unified. Knocking down the standing bar as soon as reveals the primary 4 Fast Settings tiles in addition to your entire notifications panel. Pulling it down once more reveals your entire Fast Settings panel plus a number of notifications. That is how Android — no less than the inventory model of it as seen in AOSP — has dealt with notifications and Fast Settings for years now.

Nevertheless, that’s not what number of forks of Android deal with these two panels. HyperOS, as an example, has separate panels for notifications and Fast Settings, which Xiaomi says an overwhelming majority of its customers favor. Separating the notifications and Fast Settings panels permits the previous to indicate extra notifications and the latter to indicate extra tiles and buttons, but it surely’s not a design selection that everybody appreciates, which is why rumors that Samsung and OPPO are going to repeat it sparked loads of on-line pushback. Properly, it appears Samsung and OPPO aren’t the one ones seeking to separate the notification and Fast Settings panels, as Google is testing a brand new twin shade design for Android 16.

Whereas tinkering with the most recent Android 15 QPR beta, I managed to activate a brand new model of the notification and Fast Settings panels that I consider is meant for the Android 16 launch. Knocking down the standing bar as soon as nonetheless brings down the notifications panel like earlier than, however the panel now takes up a few quarter of the display screen, reasonably than your entire factor. Whilst you can’t see any Fast Settings tiles anymore within the new notifications dropdown, you may see the app that’s beneath the panel.

Knocking down the standing bar a second time not brings down the Fast Settings panel. As a substitute, the Fast Settings panel is accessed by knocking down the standing bar with two fingers. That is the change that I anticipate would be the most controversial, because it requires you to place extra effort into accessing your Fast Settings tiles.

After pulling the Fast Settings panel down, you may swipe left or proper between pages to see all of your tiles. The brightness bar nonetheless seems on the high, however now has a textual content label and reveals the brightness degree as you regulate it, just like the brand new quantity sliders in Android 15. Most Fast Settings tiles have been made smaller so extra of them can match on one web page, which is a welcome change.

Right here’s a video that demonstrates the brand new notification and Fast Settings panels that I consider Google is engaged on for Android 16:

As you may see, this design overhaul remains to be fairly unfinished. Many issues are lacking, just like the consumer switcher, energy menu, foreground service activity supervisor, and icons for most of the tiles. Moreover, the panels don’t deal with mild mode very nicely for the reason that white textual content is inconceivable to see. The present design doesn’t even help mild mode in any case, so including mild mode help can be a welcome change.

One different factor you may need seen in these screenshots is the purple banner within the backside proper nook that claims flexi🥛. Flexiglass is the interior codename for the rearchitecting that Google is doing to SystemUI to make it extra secure; the corporate’s making use of the precept of separation of issues to show every important part of SystemUI into their very own standalone experiences referred to as “scenes.”

I don’t know whether or not Google plans to maneuver ahead with this specific design, but it surely’s evident it’s engaged on overhauling the notification and Fast Settings panel in an enormous manner. I’m actually hoping it finally doesn’t make us use two fingers for knocking down the Fast Settings panel, although, as a result of that will be annoying.