Whenever Mishaal Rahman posts an Android news story, it’s worth checking out because the analyst does a magnificent job of uncovering potential features and the countless details Google is working on. That’s why when I discovered Android’s notifications and quick settings overhaul this week and read about it in depth, I shook my head. In short: for To access the quick settings, we will have to use a two-finger gesture.
Yes, it is true that notifications would still be a tap away and that they more information will be seen on the screen, but at what cost: that of making less rapid adjustments by implementing a change which goes against the uses, inertia and the reason for being of the gestures themselves.
If something works, don’t change it. Quick settings and notifications are the best example
Just so we understand each other. Until now, to access both notifications and quick settings, it was enough to swipe from top to bottom. As a personal iOS user (where you need different gestures), I This seemed like a big goal for the entire Android team.the maximum expression of simplicity and efficiency.
In fact, this way of solving everything has been present since Jellybean 4.1 of 2012, more than a decade (although there are manufacturers like Xiaomi and Honor who had already separated it). This implies that You use it on multiple phones and have internalized it. If you also work testing terminals like me, you will see how much this is assumed in our gestures and muscle memory. We do it without thinking and now it is time to relearn.
I think of those tutorials I make for my parents so they can learn any small task and how much it costs them to change a chip. They It will cost them even more and I think that is a mistake..
You might think that well, yes, it will cost us a little and that’s it. But it also has an important consequence: one-handed operation. I usually use my phone with one hand and anything that can be done without losing my hand seems very important to me. Especially if we are talking about something that is touched as much and has as much relevance as quick settings or notifications.
How many times a day do I check this notification summary? How often will I turn off Bluetooth, turn on power saving mode, or turn on airplane mode? Before I did it with one hand, now I will need both. And this will sometimes be a problem, for example when you walk down the street with a full hand (walking the dog, with a bag, with the keys…).
My big hope is that what we saw never becomes the stable version of Android 16 and Google decides to address this need to provide more information. to a bad, You will still have to do it the iOS way: first slide up and down with one finger and from there slide to one side or the other as desired. At least the essence will remain and I will still be able to use one hand.
Cover | Mockuphone and photo by Chris Appano on Unsplash
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