Google is finally tackling Android’s Do Not Disturb problem

Despite steady improvements to Android’s cross-device features, Google still lags behind the iPhone when it comes to system-wide syncing. Several basic actions, including enabling Do Not Disturb, must be manually done on each device. This may finally change this year, with the company working on fixing this annoyance.

If you own multiple Android devices, you must manually enable Do Not Disturb on each of them. The only alternative is to set up a Do Not Disturb schedule, but even that must be created manually on each device. Plus, it requires following a fixed schedule.

Google appears to be finally working on solving this problem. In the latest Google Play Services v26.02.31, the Android Authority team has discovered code strings relating to Do Not Disturb syncing across Android devices.

Right now, Android only syncs Do Not Disturb with Wear OS watches, but even that only works with select wearables. In comparison, in Apple’s ecosystem, if you enable Do Not Disturb or a specific Focus on your iPhone (or iPad or Mac), every device linked to your Apple ID automatically enters the mode as well.

Presumably, the feature would work the same way on Android, automatically syncing Do Not Disturb across all devices linked to your Google account when it’s enabled on any one of them. If you own multiple Android devices, cross-device DND syncing will make your life much easier.

Whenever the feature goes live, it will appear in the Handoff settings, where other cross-device features like call casting and internet sharing are listed. Hopefully, Google’s implementation is comprehensive enough to work across all devices — phones, tablets, and even watches — and across brands. Limiting it to specific device types or keeping it Pixel-exclusive would significantly reduce its usefulness.

Cross-device syncing on Android needs work

Cross-device Do Not Disturb syncing would pair perfectly with cross-device notification syncing, a feature Google was first spotted working on back in September 2024. However, it seems to have pushed development of that feature to the back burner.

Additionally, the Play Services build contains more references to Universal Clipboard, a feature that should debut with Android 17 later this year.