Summary
- Android 16 is potentially redesigning the volume slider and panel UI, moving away from the thick, pill-shaped sliders introduced in Android 15 to thinner, continuous sliders with distinct handles.
- Other visual changes include repositioning the music note icon to the bottom of the slider (from its previous volume-dependent placement) and slightly reducing the size of the three-dot overflow menu icon.
- These changes were discovered in Android 16 Developer Preview 2 and are not guaranteed to make their way to the final Android 16 stable release.
It’s been less than three months since stable Android 15 was released on Pixel devices, and we’ve already learned so much about Google’s next major Android release. Android 16, which is already in Developer Preview, is scheduled to reach Platform Stability in March 2025, followed by a stable release sometime in Q2 2025.
Thanks to Google’s new expedited pace for Android releases, this is probably the first time in several years that we’re privy to so much information about a major upcoming release as early as January.
Related
Android 16 timeline revealed: Platform Stability in Q1, rollout in Q2
Beta releases begin in January
For reference, we know that Android 16 might let applications opt out of AI text rewriting, enable screen-off fingerprint unlock for eligible phones, give Gemini access to control other apps on your phone, and more. Now, as highlighted by Android expert Mishaal Rahman in a report for Android Authority, it looks like Android 16 might also revamp the volume slider and volume panel UI, soon after the UI was tweaked for Android 15.
According to the report, the new UI was activated in Android 16 Developer Preview 2, and it highlights that Google might be done with thick, pill-shaped volume sliders. Instead, the tech giant might be opting for thinner, continuous sliders with distinct handles, akin to the slider seen on the Google Search widget’s Transparency customizer.
Subtle changes all around
As seen in the screenshot above, the change will make its way to the horizontal volume sliders found within the dedicated overflow menu and in the standalone vertical volume slider that surfaces when you increase/decrease your device’s volume with ther physical volume buttons. Elsewhere, eagle-eyed users would also have spotted that the Quaver/Eighth music note icon now sits at the bottom of the slider, which marks a departure from its previous volume-dependent placement. Additionally, the three dot icon that triggers the overflow volume panel also appears to have undergone a slight reduction in size.
Rahman suggests that this is a preliminary leak that could only be spotted by tinkering with Android 16’s second Developer Preview. Hence, there’s no guarantee that the UI tweak will make its way to the final Android 16 stable build. If the UI makes its way to the first Android 16 public beta build, which is expected to land sometime this month, it will be a strong indication that Google does intend to ship the new design.
Related
