Rumors of Google splitting the Quick Settings panel and notification shade have been floating around for over a year now. While these changes appeared in early Android 16 beta builds, they didn’t make it to the final OS release. Behind the scenes, though, Google appears to have continued working on the revamp, with a new leak offering a glimpse at the progress so far.
Chinese Android skins offer an option to separate the notification shade and Quick Settings panel, similar to how it works on the iPhone. Google also seems to be heading in that direction, though, if a previous report is anything to go by, the company will at least provide an option to keep the classic combined notification and Quick Settings layout.
In the latest internal Android 17 build, codenamed CinnamonBun, Mystic Leaker says Google has made two notable changes, alongside ironing out several visual and functional bugs.
On foldabes, the classic combined Quick Settings and notification shade will only appear on the outer cover display. The larger inner screen will always use the split layout, with no option to fall back to the classic view. That means swiping down from the left side of the display will bring up the notification shade, while a swipe down from the right opens the Quick Settings panel.
Many users may not appreciate this change if Google goes ahead with it. Admittedly, though, a separate Quick Settings panel and notification shade make more sense on devices with a bigger screen, like tablets and foldables.
Separate Wi-Fi and mobile data tiles also on the cards
On the bright side, the internal Android 17 build also contains a long-requested improvement. There is finally an option to separate the Wi-Fi and mobile data toggles. When enabled, a separate mobile data tile will appear in the Quick Settings panel, tapping which will allow users to turn mobile data on or off with a single tap.
Google is yet to release the first Android 17 Developer Preview build. These changes may be a part of the first build. If not, they could appear in the first beta later in the year.
