Android 15’s first Feature Drop could make Do Not Disturb a lot more customizable

Key Takeaways

• Android 15 may bring Priority mode to supplement Do Not Disturb, offering more customization options.
• Google plans to eliminate the “Schedules” option in Do Not Disturb and instead rely on Priority Modes for scheduling.
• A new Quick Settings tile will help quickly toggle Priority Modes.

With the Android 13 Developer Preview 2, released in March 2022, Google rebranded Do Not Disturb mode to Priority mode. There were no other changes, but it continued Google’s tradition of tweaking how Do Not Disturb works in every Android release. However, the company eventually dropped its rebranding plans. Now, if the first Android 15 QPR1 beta is any indication, Google might bring back Priority mode, but this time to supplement Do Not Disturb rather than replace it.

In a report for Android Authority, Android expert Mishaal Rahman details finding several Do Not Disturb changes in Android 15 QPR1. Based on his digging, it appears Google wants to make Do Not Disturb more powerful and customizable. After successfully activating the new Do Not Disturb mode in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 1, he found several new customization options. These include toggles for grayscale mode, turning off the always-on display, dimming the wallpaper, and enabling dark mode.

In its current implementation, Do Not Disturb on Android does not allow you to customize these system settings; you are limited to making changes related to notifications and phone calls.

Use Priority Modes for creating Do Not Disturb schedules

More importantly, Google plans to eliminate the “Schedules” option in Do Not Disturb. You’ll have to create a custom Priority Mode to set up a schedule, which provides even more customization options. This includes the option to use a custom icon and name for the mode, activation trigger, notification settings, etc. It also features a simpler scheduling UI compared to Android 14.

Additionally, Google will introduce a new Quick Settings tile for quickly toggling Priority Modes. Once the feature goes live, Priority Modes will be tucked under the same sub-menu as Do Not Disturb in Settings > Sound & vibration.

Android 15 QPR1 Beta 1 does not come with the enhanced Do Not Disturb and Priority Modes enabled. So, there’s no clarity on whether Google will roll out the changes as a part of Android 15’s first Feature Drop. However, the report suggests the feature is almost ready for release, so there’s a high probability it will go live with Android 15 QPR1.