Robert Triggs / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Xiaomi has explained why it only offers separate panels for notifications and quick settings.
- The company claimed 90% of users chose separate panels when it allowed users to choose between the two styles.
- Samsung is expected to adopt separate panels in the upcoming One UI 7 update.
Samsung is apparently planning to implement separate dropdown panels for notifications and quick settings as part of One UI 7. This would be a massive change, as many Android phones have long offered a unified shade for both notifications and quick settings.
The Galaxy maker wouldn’t be the first major Android OEM to adopt this iOS-style option, though. A couple of years ago, Xiaomi’s MIUI allowed users to choose between separate and unified notification shade styles. Unfortunately, the company’s recent HyperOS software only offers separate dropdown panels.
Xiaomi Vice-President of Mobile Jin Fan outlined the manufacturer’s reasons in a recent interview with Android Authority:
So, in the beginning, we weren’t quite certain which one was the best solution, so we retained both solutions for users to choose from. And we realized that 90% of our users choose to use the separated style.
“We realized that the control panel has become more powerful in terms of features and functionality, and it’s difficult for users to adapt to having a mixed style in both (sic). So we decided to remove the mixed style and just stick with one,” Fan continued, adding that they’d continue to monitor user feedback and sentiment.
Does this figure tell the whole story?
We do wonder about this claim, though. For one, we’re not sure if this 90% figure refers to all users or just Chinese users. This is an important distinction as many China-specific Android skins have historically aped iOS in some ways, ostensibly due to regional preferences.
It’s also worth noting that when Xiaomi’s MIUI allowed users to choose between a split and unified notification shade, the former was the default option anyway. Users weren’t asked about their preferred notification shade style during the setup process. This suggests that 10% of users are actively changing their phone’s default behavior. We’d imagine that this figure could change if users were asked during the setup process.
Do you prefer split or unified notification/quick setting panels?
39 votes
In any event, recent leaks suggest Samsung could offer separate dropdown panels for notifications and quick settings in One UI 7. So this change could be coming to your own phone in the near future if you don’t have a Xiaomi device.
We’ve asked Xiaomi for more clarity on this claim and will update the article as soon as the manufacturer gets back to us. Do you prefer separate or unified panels for notifications and quick settings? Let us know in the poll above.
