As we monitor Android 13 QPR3 Beta 3 for hints of what’s to come for June’s Pixel Feature Drop, we’re all eagerly anticipating what Google has planned for Android 14 in the autumn. Separate ringtone and notification volume controls have been a long-requested feature: while many Android phones (including Samsung phones) offer them by default, Pixel users have been without. It appears that Google will address this issue with Android 14.
A December 2021 post on the Google Issue Tracker requesting the separation of the volume sliders is now designated as “fixed.” In addition, a Google employee affirmed in the same thread that this feature will be added to the operating system in a future update, although they did not specify when.
Separating the currently combined volume controls is an ongoing project for the company.
In fact, 9to5Google reports that Android 13 QPR3 Beta 3 and Android 14 Beta 1.1 have not yet undergone any modifications. The company may bundle this with an upcoming Android 14 beta, paving the way for the separated sliders to début with Android 14 stable.
It is important to note that the separated adjustments debuted in Android 14 DP2 in March, although they were not immediately visible after the update. Mishaal Rahman of Esper noted at the time that discrete sliders have been in development since Android 13 QPR2 Beta, although enabling a flag was required to access the feature.
With Android 14 DP2, however, it appeared that Google enabled the flag remotely, causing them to automatically appear without user intervention. Despite the decoupling of the two sliders, it was discovered that setting the phone to vibrate muted both the ringtone and notification decibels.
A cursory examination of the remaining comments on the issue tracker reveals that the majority of Google’s users are perplexed that it took so long to implement such a fundamental feature. However, it is better late than never, as the saying goes.