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 might 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 modification was a loud “NOOOOOOOO” that resonated throughout the interior 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 aren’t followers of this.

There are two distinct the reason why we don’t like this modification — or the thought of it because it hasn’t been carried out but.

Inventory Android has, for years now, put Fast Settings tiles and notifications in the identical drop-down menu. It’s essential know one gesture to manage most of your telephone’s toggles or examine the alerts coming out of your apps. In contrast to iOS the place a swipe on the fitting facet brings up the management heart whereas a swipe on the left facet reveals your notifications, Android doesn’t require you to be exact in selecting 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 means of sheer muscle reminiscence. Nicely, 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 nicely sufficient for years. I’ve taught the one 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 depart 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 potential on Android, by the best way, however we now have the joint notification shade and toggles to keep away from it.) The change would prohibit the Fast Settings entry to dual-handed operation because you gained’t get them with the one swipe notification drop-down. It’s bodily inconceivable to do a double-finger swipe-down with the identical hand you’re holding as we speak’s behemoth Android smartphones with — except you’ve 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 consequence of some minor Carpal Tunnel weak point. So this is able to put this gesture firmly within the non-accessible class for many individuals with much less finger dexterity.

Plus, even after 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 will be completely mad to cover away the toggles behind a really inaccessible and clunky gesture. It’s going to, most probably, find yourself adopting Apple’s strategy of two swipe-down areas: left for notifications and proper for Fast Settings.

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

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

For one, I do like the brand new smaller Fast Settings toggles. The present ones are simply means too massive for no good purpose. Having 4 essential toggles on high and lots of extra smaller ones beneath is ideal, so I wouldn’t need to swipe sideways throughout many screens to seek out all of the capabilities I allow and disable on an virtually every day foundation. That is one thing ASUS has supplied on ZenUI as an possibility for a few years, and I’ve all the time 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, are usually not associated capabilities 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 exhausting to show them new ones, it’s additionally true that they generally find yourself unintentionally turning off Wi-Fi or information or one thing essential on their telephone once they have been simply trying 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 let you know learn how 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 modification finally ends up being carried out in Android 16.

Oh and, if it’s nonetheless a dual-finger Fast Settings drop-down gesture in its last type, then I’m sticking to my weapons and never updating to Android 16. I’m at an age the place know-how newness is just not value cramping up my hand a number of occasions a day. You’ll be able to take Android 15 out of my lifeless chilly palms, Google, however at the very least they gained’t be contorted attempting to activate the flashlight.