Key Takeaways
- Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 introduces Priority Modes, a feature originally believed to come out with Android 16.
- Priority Modes offer granular control over notifications, allowing users to create custom profiles for different scenarios.
- Priority Modes will be out in stable with the March 2025 Pixel Feature Drop.
If you follow the Android space, you most likely already know that Google is expediting its major OS releases, with Android 16 way ahead of schedule. For reference, Android 15 made its way to Pixel devices less than a month ago, and we’re already looking at Android 16 potentially coming out in the second quarter of 2025.
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With the “major SDK release,” we’re expecting Google to offer functionality that allows users to turn any app into a floating bubble, revamped (and separated) notification and Quick Settings panels, an option to toggle Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings with a single tap, and more.
Similar to the major OS update being expedited, a standalone feature that was previously expected to be available with Android 16 is also landing way sooner. Android 16 was supposed to bring a DND mode revamp — one that would introduce Priority Modes for specific situations. Well, with today’s Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1, Priority Modes are already here, and they’ll be out in stable with the March 2025 Pixel Feature Drop, as highlighted by Mishaal Rahman in a report for Android Authority.
Housed within Settings, the Modes menu will be where you head to when you want to create a custom Priority mode, complete with an icon of your choice, an option to set a schedule for the mode to automatically kick in, and notification filters to allow specific people, apps, and alarms/other interruptions to pass through. The mode you’ve selected will appear on the status bar, lock screen, and always-on display with the unique icon you’ve selected for it, alerting you about the currently-active mode at a glance without having to unlock your device.
It’s worth noting that, at its core, the new feature is essentially just a beefed up version of the DND mode. Users have always had the option to customize interruption settings, with schedules for DND to automatically be enabled/disabled at certain times of the day. Where the new mode does shine, however, is its granular and manual control over modes, allowing you to switch between different ones right from your Quick Settings menu.
It is also useful in situations where you want no notifications to come through at a certain time, while only letting a few pass through at a different time. For example, you can set a work mode and set it up to let notifications from family members and colleagues pass through, and a different sleep mode that blocks all interruptions.
