Android Q Beta 5 brings more control over lockscreen notifications

Every main Android replace adjustments the way in which notifications work in a number of methods, however these of us who observe Beta revisions to the OS know Google experiments with even more momentary modifications earlier than selecting a ultimate model. We’ve already coated the brand new naming, grouping, and snoozing options for notifications in Android Q Beta 5, however one other side has been tweaked as effectively: lockscreen notifications.

The quick model is now you can get silent notifications to indicate up on the lockscreen, and you’ll nonetheless pressure delicate content material to indicate when the telephone is locked however the default is to have it solely show when the gadget is unlocked.

Above, left: Android Q Beta Three and earlier. Above, right: Q Beta 4. Below, each: Q beta 5.

The detailed rationalization is that Q Beta 5 has two menus for lockscreen notifications. One of them enables you to select if you would like no notifications in any respect on the lockscreen, solely alerting ones, or each alerting and silent ones. On Q Beta 4, there was no distinction between these two varieties of notifications and solely alerting (then known as “prioritized”) ones ever confirmed up on the lockscreen. So the principle profit right here is with the ability to pressure silent (beforehand known as “gentle”) ones to show as effectively. This will be nice you probably have minimized and silenced some alerts, however nonetheless need to see them with out unlocking your telephone.

The second menu is a toggle for delicate content material. This is unrelated to the significance stage you’ve got set every notification to (alerting/silent) and relies upon solely on whether or not private info could possibly be gleaned from a notification. It impacts apps like Gmail, Messages, WhatsApp, Telegram, and so forth. Until Q Beta 3, displaying the total content material of those delicate alerts was a sure or no setting, however Beta Four launched an “only when unlocked” setting. Thanks to it, you could possibly preserve these notifications’ content material hidden, then show it in case your telephone will get unlocked with Smart Lock (when it acknowledges your face for instance). With Q Beta 5, the selection remains to be there however will get somewhat reworded. By default, delicate notifications will not present when the telephone is locked, however you possibly can pressure them to take action.

The finish result’s more control over lockscreen notifications, even when the settings and the variations between them are somewhat exhausting to understand for newcomers.

• Thanks:
• Ramit Suri,
• Kieron Quinn