The Android show: E / S Edition gave us our first overview of Android 16, but the breakdown of the separation of the parameters and rapid notifications was apparently absent. However, it seems that the functionality is still in preparation.
At first glance, the option is not available in the current Android 16 QPR1 version 1. However, Android authority discovered the hidden functionality in the code of the recent beta version during an APK disassembly.
According to the report, the code channels found in the files of the beta version indicate that Google plans to add a new option “notifications & fast parameters”. This addition will allow users to change the design of the current appearance panel, called “classic”, to the design of the split panel, which has been called “separate”.
The classic design allows users to simply slide from anywhere at the top of the screen to see a merged list of quick settings and notifications. However, the separate panel obliges users to slide down the upper side of the screen to access the fast and top left settings to access the notifications.
This is not the first that we saw Android try this, with divided notifications appearing for the first time last year in a beta version of Android 15. The change was abandoned when the operating system was launched, to reappear in the first Android 16 beta. However, after the Android show and the announcement of the new expressive design of material 3 did not include change, many thought that it had been deleted again.
Although this line of code indicates that this is not entirely the case, there could be a slight warning in which the devices have access to the new notification style / fast parameters. Android Authority has found a footnote that appears only on foldable phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 6, which indicates that the combined option is only available on the outdoor screen. This could, in theory, indicate that the separate design is therefore only available on the large interior screens of foldable phones, but there is not yet a clear indication in both directions.
Currently, there are still a good number of unknowns on functionality, including the moment when it is launched. It is possible that it can be launched as part of the public version of Android 16, which should arrive in June. Alternatively, it could appear as part of a subsequent update for Android 16, which is perhaps more likely by considering its current hidden status.
However, given the negative feelings of the option, we want to hear your thoughts. Do you want to go to the separate option, or are you going to stick to the combined screen?
