Since Android N was announced earlier today, details have continually been coming through in regards to the changes that are on offer. Most of the big changes were detailed by Google during their initial announcement and include aspects like split-screen, picture-in-picture and Data Saving. However, since then much of the smaller and unannounced changes have started to come to light as well.
One of those changes which did already come through is the changes to the Quick Settings menu. Namely, that the toggles are now much smaller and more varied in the notification shade. The main Quick Settings menu also now includes an “Edit” button which looks to offer a quicker route to changing, adding or disabling the various Quick Settings tiles. However, it seems the list of quick settings tiles is not finite though, as more details are now coming through on the availability of third-party developer Quick Settings tiles.
According to the paperwork which was released along with the developer preview, Google has now introduced an API which allows developers to define their own Quick Settings Tiles. This means that developers can now put together their own tiles as a means to offer users a greater ability to control specific elements of their apps. However, Google does note that these tiles are not meant to act as shortcuts to third-party apps and instead should focus more primarily on “urgently required or frequently used” features. So while this API might not prove useful to most apps, for those few apps, it could be a nice way to add a quick turn on / turn off for certain app features. As to be expected, these will be optional from the user point of view, as once a third-party Quick Settings tile has been introduced to Android N, it will reside in the main Quick Settings tile section, where the user will have ultimate control of whether it is included in the main drop down menu or not. Those interested in reading more about the API or its deployment can head over to the relative Android documentation through the source link below. Those interested in seeing what the current layout of the Quick Settings menu looks like, check out the images below.
