- Google is developing a new, optional split design for Android’s Quick Settings and notifications panels, separating them into distinct pages.
- This “separate” view will require swiping from the top right for Quick Settings and top left for notifications, contrasting with the current “combined” view.
- While the feature’s release is uncertain, it’s actively being developed and might appear in a future Android 16 quarterly update.
Google is set to roll out a major overhaul to Android’s user interface this year, introducing the company’s new Material 3 Expressive design to the OS. As part of this redesign, Google is revamping Android’s Quick Settings panel to add Material 3 Expressive flair and deliver several functional improvements. The company showcased these Quick Settings changes earlier this month, even inviting users to test them in the Android beta program. However, Google didn’t reveal that its work on the Quick Settings panel isn’t finished, as it plans another significant revamp, possibly slated for an upcoming quarterly release of Android 16.
During The Android Show: I/O Edition, Google showcased the Quick Settings revamp slated for release later this year. This updated Quick Settings panel introduces background blur, resizable tiles, one-click toggles for Bluetooth and Modes, a cleaner tile editor, and a redesigned brightness slider. The revamped panel is live in the Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1 update that Google released last week, but this is only part of the picture. Google is actually quietly working on an entirely different version of the Quick Settings panel: one that’s separated from the notifications panel.