We’ve seen a lot of significant changes to Android over the past decade. However, for the first time in a long time, Android 12 really feel like a whole new smartphone experience.
That’s because Android 12 is the first version of Android in years to introduce sweeping changes to the front-end look of the software. New material that you design standards represent a giant evolution to know what Android looks like and how to use the device running the operating system.
Overall, that evolution is a good thing. But with any progression there are certain quirks that don’t always align with your everyday desires.
For many people, one such factor is Android 12’s tweaked approach to Quick Settings – you know, the quick access panel you can reach by swiping down from the top. your device screen. That was definitely the case for one of these Android Intelligence Platinum member, who recently reached out to me on my Platinum Helpdesk with a desperate plea for a creative solution to help her customize her phone’s Quick Settings and undo the ” improvements” that Android 12 introduced.
Well, here’s the good news – and the same thing I told her: As with most things in Android, power determines how Friend want your device to work last must be located in your hand. (Nice concept, no?) And if Android 12’s Quick Settings setup doesn’t work for you, let’s tell you: You have a breathtakingly simple way to flex your power owner’s muscles voice and control.
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Allow me to explain.
Android 12 Quick Settings conundrum
As you may know, being an intelligent and particularly attractive lizard, Android’s Quick Settings area actually exists in two different forms. There’s the full Quick Settings panel, which you find by swiping down twice from the top of the screen (or swiping down once with two fingers side-by-side). And then there’s the partial Quick Settings view, which shows up above your notifications when you swipe down Single time from the top of your suspiciously greasy screen.
Enter earlier Android version, that partial view lets you see and interact with six great keyboard shortcuts – whichever Quick Settings tile is in the first six places in that area:
JR However, on Android 12, the tiles are convex. And so you can only see four shortcuts in the same amount of space.
JR Is it it? Yeah sure. But from a function point of view, it’s hard to deny that having quick access to only four items instead of six in the same amount of space is a bit backwards.
Now, you can adapt well to the change and not be bothered by it after a while. But if you really don’t feel like the larger, less dense Quick Settings arrangement that Android 12 introduces, there’s a very effective way to get rid of it.
The trick revolves around an extremely useful app called Shade of power. It’s a thoughtfully designed tool that allows you to replace the entire default Quick Settings area of your device with a highly customized replacement of your own – like a custom android launcher, only for Quick Settings instead of your home screen.
And in fact, going back to pre-Android-12, the smaller Quick Settings style couldn’t be much easier. If you fire up Power Shade and leave it with the preset options available, it will give you a shiny new Quick Settings panel that looks a lot like the old Google style – almost like what you’ve got. use from Android 11 and earlier:
JR Strange, isn’t it? And here’s where things get especially handy: If you want, from there, you can tweak and edit practically every pixel imaginable of the Power Shade interface to make it look and work the way it should. any way you want.
I mean, this app has options for everything:
JR Oops, you can even expand the panel go beyond that standard first six swipe shortcuts and uniform display than in that first single swipe view!
JR I say not too shabby. So yeah: The frustrations caused by Android 12 aside, this can deliver some nice little improvements both in terms of visual appeal and efficiency in ways you wouldn’t even expect.
Speaking of customization, one practical tweak that I highly recommend you make is tapping into Power Shade’s additional Quick Settings gesture capabilities. That makes it easier for you to access your phone’s Quick Settings panel without having to do the always awkward smartphone hand yoga routine, and it helps with the occasional problem of Android’s default Quick Settings panel popping up behind replacing the Power Shade (which is annoying, it seems to happen sometimes with this arrangement).
All you have to do to enable it is:
- Open Power Shade.
- Tap “Edge Trigger” in its main menu.
- Tap “Left” (if you tend to hold your phone with your left foot) or “Right” (if you usually hold your phone with your right hand).
- Turn the switch next to “Enabled” to the on position.
Once you’re done, you can simply swipe down with your thumb along the side of the screen – at whatever exact spot you’ve selected in that same setup area – to activate the new Quick Settings panel your fancy without having to reach the top of your screen.
Capisce? Capisce. Now, before we call it a day and go back to our respective snack mix consumption routine, let me mention a few important asterisks for this:
- First, most of the Power Shade basics will work for free. There’s an optional premium upgrade if you want to unlock all the advanced options of the app, but it’s completely optional for the basics we’re talking about today.
- Second, take note: Use a third-party setup like this will asks you to forego the Material You theme for Android 12 that looks nice in your Quick Settings area – how part of the interface automatically adjusts its colors to match your current wallpaper you at any given time. An app like Power Shade could eventually link to that system and act like the default system-level setup, but for now, that’s not going to happen.
- And finally, in essence, an app like this requires a fair amount of permissions to function – nothing to be alarmed about, but a level of access you’re comfortable granting or not. . When you first set up Power Shade, you’ll be prompted to allow it access as an Android accessibility service and give it the ability to read your notifications. The app wouldn’t be able to do what it’s doing without both, and its privacy policy is absolutely clear that nothing is ever collected, stored, or anything like that. Power Shade has also been around for a long time and has overwhelmingly positive ratings on the Play Store. However, it does warrant a mention that those permissions are there and it is subject to Friend to weigh them.
And with that, oh my goodness: Quick settings on your Android phone are now exactly the way you like them – the recent design changes are damned. Surely it’s great to be in control of your own mobile tech experience, isn’t it?
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