Android 16 could change how you access the Quick Settings screen, and not everyone will like it

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review front handheld
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Android 15 still hasn’t rolled out to any phones yet – though it will be coming to Pixel handsets very soon – but already we’re hearing about Android 16, and specifically a major change it could bring to the notifications and Quick Settings screens.

Digging around in the latest Android 15 QPR beta, Mishaal Rahman – writing for Android Authority – has managed to activate a new version of these screens, which they believe is intended to launch as part of Android 16.

Currently, if you have a Pixel handset then swiping down from the top of the screen will display all of your notifications, along with four Quick Settings tiles. This dropdown will also fully cover whatever app is running underneath.

If you want to access the rest of your Quick Settings tiles, then you’d have to swipe down a second time.

But with this new version that Rahman has found, swiping down with one finger will once again show the notifications panel, but this time you won’t see any Quick Settings, and the dropdown will only cover the top half of your phone’s screen, so you can still see whatever app you’re running beneath it.

To access the Quick Settings panel, you’d instead use a two-finger swipe, and then swipe left or right to access additional Quick Settings tiles.

Android 16 dual shade demo - YouTube Android 16 dual shade demo - YouTube
Watch On

You can see how this all looks in the video above, though note that this is an unfinished version of the feature, which for example doesn’t handle light mode well, since it makes the white text impossible to see. So if and when this change launches, it will presumably do so in a more polished form.

The gist in any case is that getting to Quick Settings no longer requires two swipes, but it instead requires a two-finger swipe. Whether that’s better or worse is rather subjective, but it could prove quite divisive, with Rahman for example describing the change as "annoying."

A Pixel-specific change

It also remains to be seen whether this change will launch at all, because while it’s clearly something Google is experimenting with, that doesn’t mean the company will decide to go ahead with it.

If we do see this, the most likely launch timing is with Android 16, which isn’t likely to be finished for around a year, though it’s always possible the change could come as part of a smaller software update in the meantime.

Oh, and if you don’t have a Pixel phone then you probably won’t get this change regardless, since most other manufacturers make their own tweaks to the notifications and Quick Settings screens anyway.

You might also like

TOPICS

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.

Read more
Android 16 logo on a phone
Android 16 will bring these 5 upgrades to your phone – including one I can’t wait to try out
Android 16 logo on a phone
The first Android 16 beta could land today – with a big change for your notifications
Android 16 logo on a phone
Android 16 Beta 3 has arrived – here are the 4 features I think will be the most useful
The Oppo Find N5 open to Google Maps
Android 16 brings a much-needed upgrade to Google Maps that iOS users already have
Google Pixel 9
Android 16 could bring an improved Samsung DeX-style desktop mode to more phones
Android 16 logo on a phone
The first Android 16 public beta is here – and it borrows a key iOS feature
Latest in Android
Android 16 logo on a phone
Android 16 Beta 3 has arrived – here are the 4 features I think will be the most useful
Google Pixel 9
Android 16 could bring an improved Samsung DeX-style desktop mode to more phones
Android 16 logo on a phone
Android 16 beta users are reporting major battery drain issues – but I’m not too worried about it
The Oppo Find N5 open to Google Maps
Android 16 brings a much-needed upgrade to Google Maps that iOS users already have
A hand holding a phone showing the Android Find My Device network
Android's Find My Device can now let you track your friends – and I can't decide if that's cool or creepy
Android 15 logo on a phone, in a hand
Google is working on its own version of Apple’s Hide My Email, and you might soon be able to try it yourself
Latest in News
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic
Knights of the Old Republic remake developer Saber Interactive states all its projects are 'still in development'
Circular smart ring
Circular's new smart ring is getting blood pressure and blood glucose monitoring before the Apple Watch
iPad mini 2021
Huawei might have beaten Apple to the folding phone finish line by creating a foldable 'iPad mini'
Google Pixel 9 in green Wintergreen color showing AI features on screen
Multiple hands-on Google Pixel 9a videos have emerged, days ahead of the likely launch
A man getting angry with his laptop.
Windows 11 bug deletes Copilot from the OS – is this the first glitch ever some users will be happy to encounter?
Teams on iPhone and Mac
Microsoft Teams has a whole new way for you to talk to (or annoy) your co-workers