Android 13 Samsung tablets do not use the 2-bar notification shade

[ad_1]

Android 13 is rolling out to Samsung tablets and follows Android 12L earlier this year. The taskbar was the biggest addition of that update, and we were hoping to see more tablet UIs, namely the two-bar notification shade and lock screen, but that’s not the case with Samsung’s Android 13 update.

Samsung (the 11-inch Tab S8 shown below) continues to use a single-bar notification shade that starts with the time/date and status bar icons. Seven Quick Settings toggles are followed by a brightness slider and buttons for Device Control and Media Output. (Both of these QuickPanel layout buttons can be hidden from the initial swipe.) You’ll then get a notification feed in the lower right corner with shortcuts to Notification Settings and Clear.

By comparison, Google has – since Android 12L – featured a two-column layout with QS tiles on the left, and slightly more highlighted above. Below you’ll find a series of buttons to edit, switch profiles, open the Power menu and Settings. There’s a list of alerts on the right, the biggest behavior changer, and one swipe shows you everything.

The two swipes Samsung requires to start scrolling through all Quick Settings is more reflective of how those devices aren’t taking advantage of the larger screen available. Additionally, the dropdown list is still not centered in landscape.

Meanwhile, Android 12L introduced a two-bar layout on the lock screen, where notifications appear on the right, while the left is taken over for the clock and a large Android 13 media player — something Samsung has yet to adopt. In comparison, Samsung’s one-column phone feels like a stretched phone UI.

During the Android 13 cycle, Samsung prioritized faster OTAs. It would be nice if the tablets got a bigger update, especially since the taskbar in Android 12L suggested Samsung was on top of the ball with Android’s big-screen optimization push. Two updates in a row with new features would show great support.