I’ll by no means replace to Android 16 if this notification change is actual

“By no means” is a robust phrase, however so are my emotions about this potential Android 16 change. This week, my colleague Mishaal Rahman revealed that Google is engaged on an fascinating (learn: horrible) redesign of Android’s notifications and Fast Settings drop-down menu. The change would separate these into two menus: notifications which can be nonetheless accessible with a one-finger swipe-down and Fast Settings, which require a two-finger swipe gesture.

My preliminary intestine response to this alteration was a loud “NOOOOOOOO” that resonated throughout the inner Android Authority Slack channels. That was adopted by just a few GIFs of desk flipping and exploding head emojis and my colleagues’ pile-ups starting from, “That is the worst day within the historical past of Android. I can’t imagine this,” to some colourful expletives that my boss would fireplace me if I repeated right here. Suffice it to say, we’re not followers of this.

There are two distinct explanation why we don’t like this alteration — or the thought of it because it hasn’t been applied but.

Inventory Android has, for years now, put Fast Settings tiles and notifications in the identical drop-down menu. You’ll want to know one gesture to regulate most of your telephone’s toggles or examine the alerts coming out of your apps. Not like iOS the place a swipe on the correct facet brings up the management middle whereas a swipe on the left facet reveals your notifications, Android doesn’t require you to be exact in choosing a facet. Or to consider what you want earlier than swiping.

It’s a straightforward gesture; it has labored for over a decade since Jellybean 4.1 in 2021; and everybody has realized it by way of sheer muscle reminiscence. Effectively, virtually everybody. Xiaomi and HONOR have already break up up the notifications and toggles of their Android skins, and rumor has it that Samsung and OPPO shall be splitting the notification shade of their upcoming software program variations, too.

The iOS-ification of Android irks me, particularly when it occurs gratuitously with a function that has labored properly sufficient for years. I’ve taught the only swipe to my mother and father, and now I’m supposed to inform them that they should swipe in another way to entry notifications or Fast Settings?

However worse but, it’s the truth that Google simply can’t cease messing with the notification shade. Somebody ought to launch a problem to Google’s product managers and designers to go away that space alone for 2 consecutive variations of Android. However no, we needed to undergo the toggles that may be long-pressed to go to their respective settings menu, then the long-press was disabled, then it was reenabled however solely to set off a small pop-up for some toggles, then the toggles have been made wider, then there have been fewer of them, and so forth. Simply depart this alone for as soon as, please, Google?

The present implementation that Mishaal was capable of set off requires you to swipe down with two fingers to get to Fast Settings. (That is at the moment doable on Android, by the best way, however we’ve got the joint notification shade and toggles to keep away from it.) The change would limit the Fast Settings entry to dual-handed operation because you gained’t get them with the only swipe notification drop-down. It’s bodily unimaginable to do a double-finger swipe-down with the identical hand you’re holding at the moment’s behemoth Android smartphones with — except you may have contortionist fingers.

Even whereas holding my telephone with one hand and utilizing the opposite to set off the double-finger swipe-down now, I discover that my palm cramps up as a result of some minor Carpal Tunnel weak point. So this might put this gesture firmly within the non-accessible class for many individuals with much less finger dexterity.

Plus, even once I do my finest to do a double-finger swipe-down, it’s virtually a coin toss as as to if it’ll work or not. That’s seemingly as a result of I’ve a case on and dragging from the very high of the standing bar with two fingers is simply impractical.

I don’t see how this two-finger swipe may ever come to a steady model of Android in its present implementation. Even when Google decides to maneuver ahead with the change, it could be completely mad to cover away the toggles behind a really inaccessible and clunky gesture. It should, most probably, find yourself adopting Apple’s method of two swipe-down areas: left for notifications and proper for Fast Settings.

Hear me out, for a second, although. This variation isn’t all that dangerous, in concept.

After calming down, placing my pitchforks away, and straightening the tables I had flipped once I first noticed this, I watched the total video to see the way it’s presupposed to look and took a couple of minutes to replicate on it.

For one, I do like the brand new smaller Fast Settings toggles. The present ones are simply approach too large for no good purpose. Having 4 fundamental toggles on high and plenty of extra smaller ones under is ideal, so I wouldn’t need to swipe sideways throughout many screens to search out all of the features I allow and disable on an virtually day by day foundation. That is one thing ASUS has provided on ZenUI as an possibility for a few years, and I’ve at all times thought it was nice to have that alternative.

Two, I can see some advantages to having separate notifications and Fast Settings areas. The 2 options, to be honest, aren’t associated features from a Consumer Expertise (UX) viewpoint. It’s simply that Android reveals them each within the standing bar, and dropping that down reveals all of the notification particulars and all of the quick toggles. So, from a purely logical UX perspective, it’s not that foolish to maintain them separate. Plus, going again to my mother and father’ argument, whereas it’s true that they’ve realized a single gesture and it’ll be arduous to show them new ones, it’s additionally true that they often find yourself unintentionally turning off Wi-Fi or knowledge or one thing essential on their telephone after they have been simply making an attempt to see their notifications. Perhaps separating the 2 would trigger fewer accidents and irked calls to assist, “Rita, my telephone is all black now!” “Why sure, Dad, it’s referred to as darkish mode; let me inform you the best way to flip it off.”

Anyway, my level is that there’s a little bit of purpose behind the insanity, however I simply hate that I’d need to erase 12 years of muscle reminiscence and begin anew if this alteration finally ends up being applied in Android 16.

Oh and, if it’s nonetheless a dual-finger Fast Settings drop-down gesture in its closing type, then I’m sticking to my weapons and never updating to Android 16. I’m at an age the place expertise newness isn’t value cramping up my hand a number of occasions a day. You’ll be able to take Android 15 out of my useless chilly palms, Google, however not less than they gained’t be contorted making an attempt to activate the flashlight.