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Summary
- A dedicated one-tap Do Not Disturb tile is back in Android 16 Beta 4, after Google replaced it with a Modes tile in Android 15 QPR2.
- Google’s removal of the original tile outraged users, who just wanted a simple way to silence notifications.
- The return of the DND shortcut shows Google is listening to user feedback, even if its removal was unannounced.
People were angry when Google removed the Do Not Disturb shortcut and merged it into “modes.” The original tile was quietly replaced during the March 2025 Pixel Feature Drop with a new system called Modes that made users jump through hoops to get some peace and quiet. Well, it seems the backlash caught Google’s attention.
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A newly discovered tile in Android 16 Beta 4 brings back the one-tap Do Not Disturb shortcut, just the way users remember it (via Android Authority). While Modes offered more customization, it also forced users to take two to three taps to enable Do Not Disturb. The return of a dedicated shortcut only makes sense.
Google taketh away, Google giveth again
Source: Android Authority
Google quietly took away the dedicated Do Not Disturb tile with Android 15 QPR2 and replaced it with a new “modes” tile. Tapping this tile opens a panel of predefined modes: Bedtime, Driving, and the renamed Do Not Disturb. This extra step irritated nearly every Pixel owner. We didn’t need personalized schedules and just wanted to silence notifications with a single tap.
People took to Reddit to express their confusion and frustration with the unannounced change. One user commented “It’s like they hate Quick Access being quick.”
Another user even went so far as to make their own app to recreate the quick access Do Not Disturb function, with dozens of Redditors praising their work.
Google listened and the old Do Not Disturb tile looks like it is coming back. At the very least it is being tested in Android 16 Beta 4. Tap once, and DND is enabled. No menus or modes required, just a clean toggle. It coexists with the current Modes tile, and appears to also still be active as a Mode. It is unclear if that will carry over to the final Android 16 release.
Google hasn’t announced the return of the DND tile, but then again, it didn’t announce its removal, either. Still, it is fully functional in the latest beta. If it doesn’t make the Android 16 stable release, it could show up in QPR1 later in the year.
A small win for the people
We Android users don’t ask for much. We’ve been with the platform through all of its growing pains, its victories and dramas. All we want is an experience that works for us. A dedicated Do Not Disturb tile seems like a no-brainer. It’s a little comforting to see Google is listening, although why the company thought to remove the tile in the first place is a mystery.
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