Summary

  • Android 16 Beta 3’s stable release brings final app-facing changes.
  • New split quick settings panel design isn’t enabled in Beta 3, but is in progress.
  • Latest design split may not be incorporated until a later update.

Android 16 Beta 3 is rolling out today. The update brings Google’s latest smartphone software into platform stability, meaning that all app-facing changes are final: developers can now start finalizing their changes targeting Android 16 without having to worry that they’ll have to make big changes after a future beta update. As with other Android betas, Android 16 Beta 3 brings a number of behind-the-scenes changes — including more complete code for a new Quick Settings panel design.

Writing for Android Authority, Mishaal Rahman shares that he was able to get a new iteration of the updated quick settings panel up and running using the third Android 16 beta that landed today. We’ve seen versions of this design before: in January, AA shared that, with the coming redesign, certain quick settings tiles would expand in a new way. The design cropped up again in February, when we got a peek at a new interface for removing tiles.

According to Rahman, the updated design will split notifications and quick settings into two separate panels, similarly to the way it works on iOS and Samsung’s One UI 7. In its current implementation, you can swap between the two views by either tapping chips in the top left and right corners of the display, or by swiping on certain parts of the display. You can see the setup in the video below, though I don’t think those swipe gestures will end up making it to the final version in their current form.

Probably not coming to Android 16 right away

While Rahman was able to get this new layout up and running on a device running Android 16 Beta 3, the new look isn’t an official Beta 3 feature; you won’t get it if you update your phone to the latest version. It’s possible the new design will be part of the Android 16 stable release in June, but given its current rough state, it seems more likely that it’ll come later — potentially in Q4, when we’re expecting a second major Android 16 update that should include more new, user-facing features.