Notifications Getting a New Look in Android 12

Google is changing the way notifications look in landscape mode, but some people might be unhappy with the tweak once they install Android 12.

Spotted by @Futur3Sn0w on Twitter, notifications in landscape mode will now display in the center of the screen instead of taking up the entire width. 

While some may view this visual change as an improvement, it limits the number of Smart Replies you see under incoming messages, according to 9to5Google. Introduced in 2018, the Smart Reply feature uses artificial intelligence to suggest responses based on your recent messages. 

If you tap on one, it's automatically sent to the other person. Since the responses are auto-generated by an AI, they can often be generic or lack the proper tone, but they can be time savers if all you want to send back is a quick "Thanks!" or "See you soon!" People who rely on the feature may not appreciate getting fewer choices while viewing notifications in landscape mode.

The change could also be an issue for people who own phones with smaller displays, or anyone who prefers larger text and viewing areas for accessibility reasons.

Android 12 is currently in beta and is rumored to arrive in the fall. It's biggest new feature is a complete visual overhaul dubbed Material You. Google is promising more colors, more animations, and a lot more customization options. It's also tweaking how quick settings look, going for rectangular icons instead of circular. Just like the landscape notifications change, it's visually more appealing, but the bigger icons mean there will be less options on the screen at once. Other new Android 12 features include privacy upgrades, a new one-handed mode, new widgets, and a lot more.