What Are Android 11’s New Media Controls?
Android 11 changes how media controls are displayed. Up until now, these always appeared in the notification tray. Android 11 now offers the option to move controls to the Quick Settings, as a way to make space for its new dedicated Conversations notification section. In addition, the new controls allow users to make the transition from phone speakers to Bluetooth speakers by virtue of a few taps. The feature is incredibly useful and you can now try it yourself, provided you have a phone running Android 5.0 Lollipop or above.
How to Get Android 11’s New Music Controls on Your Phone
Download the Power Shade app from the Google Play Store and install it on your device. Launch the app and make sure to give the permissions that are necessary for running the app. This includes Accessibility and Notifications. Ignore the dual SIM option if you don’t have a dual SIM smartphone. As soon as you do that, you’ll notice that your Quick Settings have a new look. For starters, the toggles have been given a visual makeover and the brightness slider now resides at the top of the display. Now go back to the app and check out the main menu. Tap on the Extras tab at the bottom, scroll down and check to see if the Integrate media players in quick settings toggle is on. If it’s not, turn it on and then go back.
Making Use of the New Music Controls
Open your usual music app (for example Spotify) and play a song. You’ll notice that the media controls no longer appear in the notification drawer. Instead, a smaller-scale Quick Settings panel now houses them. Like before, you’ll be able to play, pause or skip the tracks, the same as you would in the old format. The new media controls also allow users to quickly switch between their phone’s speakers and other Bluetooth speakers. To do so, simply swipe down once on your status bar to show your new Quick Settings. There’s an additional button in the top-right corner of the window labeled Phone Speaker. Tap on it, and you will be able to choose the option to stream music through another device. Keep in mind that you’ll need to connect a Bluetooth speaker (or another media output device) to your Android prior to attempting this action. For those who use multiple streaming services, the new controls allow you to simply swipe left or right to switch between them as well. If, for whatever reason, you feel like you want to go back to the old way of displaying media controls, you can easily achieve this. Just turn off the Running toggle in the main menu area of the app. The Power Shade app is extremely handy in other areas of customization as well. For example, you can change the background color in Quick settings or select different icon shapes for toggles. It’s really worth digging deeper into. If you want to continue tweaking your music-listening experience on your phone, you may want to check out how to turn your Android into a Hi-Res audio player and learn about the best Android music player apps.
