Android owners blast ‘horrible’ phone makeover they’re comparing to iPhone and moan it’s ‘impossible to think it’s good’
ANDROID users are slamming Google for switching up a useful feature, with some pledging to refuse an incoming update.
Quick Settings is an Android feature that allows users to access the settings menu without launching the application itself.
If you want to toggle Wi-Fi or turn on your phone’s flashlight, you can simply swipe down and view your notifications in the process.
However, the Android 15 source code indicates these menus might become harder to access.
The current design debuted with Android 12 in 2021, meaning it has gone unchanged for years.
Currently, pulling down the status bar once shows the first four Quick Settings tiles and the entire notifications panel.
Pulling it down a second time shows the entire Quick Settings panel plus some notifications.
However, the code alludes to changes.
A single swipe down will only show notifications, and users must use two fingers to view Quick Settings.
The notifications panel has also shrunk to fill about a quarter of the screen rather than the whole thing.
While you can’t see any Quick Settings tiles in the new notifications dropdown, you can view the app underneath the panel.
Effectively, users are being asked to put more effort into accessing their settings menu – and while it may seem like just a slight change, it could be enough to deter customers in a market full of competitors.
Enraged Android fans flocked to Reddit to rail against the change, with some deeming the update “horrible.”
“This must be a crazy concept that accidentally made it into the Android 15 beta,” one Redditor raged.
“It’s impossible for anyone to think this is a good idea.”
“Nope nope nope please don’t do this Google. Changes like this make the OS worse for no benefit,” another wrote.
One user claimed Google was “trying to go iPhone” by designing the feature for users who don’t rely on the Quick Settings menu and only look for notifications.
“Ooo, awesome. Are they going to take away more settings?” another Redditor quipped.
In response, another seemed to take shots at Google‘s aggressive AI push, which has been infiltrating existing services like Google Meet and Gmail.
“You get one big button. What it does is determined by AI and machine learning,” that user wrote.
The tech firm has already started the Android 15 rollout on Pixel devices, so there is still time to see if changes pan out.
The update isn’t anticipated to arrive until one of the upcoming quarterly platform releases, or even next year’s Android 16 update.
Some users are even saying the change could spell the end of line for their relationship with the company.
“If they really do this I won’t update,” one Reddit user pledged.
Google Pixel phones – a timeline
Here are the key dates...
- Google Pixel / XL – October 20, 2016
- Google Pixel 2 / XL – October 17, 2017
- Google Pixel 3 / XL – October 18, 2018
- Google Pixel 3a / XL – May 15, 2019
- Google Pixel 4 / XL – October 23, 2019
- Google Pixel 4a – August 20, 2020
- Google Pixel 4a (5G) – November 5, 2020
- Google Pixel 5 – October 15, 2020
- Google Pixel 5a – August 26, 2021
- Google Pixel 6 / Pro – October 28, 2021
- Google Pixel 6a – July 21, 2022
- Google Pixel 7 / Pro – October 13, 2022
- Google Pixel 7a – May 10, 2023
- Google Pixel Fold – June 20, 2023
- Google Pixel 8 / Pro – October 12, 2023