If you are an Android geek, you must be well aware of System UI Tuner options. System UI Tuner is a set of experimental features hidden in Android and it debuted with Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The good news is, it’s a part of Android N as well and it comes with a new bag of tricks. So, what are the new options it brings and how to unlock it on Android N? Well, here’s how:
Enable System UI Tuner in Android N
Firstly, you will have to enable System UI Tuner on Android N to unlock the cool tricks it offers. To do it, go to Quick Settings, available at a swipe down from the notification shade and press hold the Settings cog icon for around 5 seconds. Once you release the press hold, you will get a message saying “Congrats! System UI Tuner has been added to Settings“. You will then find the System UI Tuner at the bottom of the Settings page.
After you have enabled System UI Tuner on Android N, here are a few options you can try:
Note: As Google puts it, these are experimental features, so they might not work as well as expected. To remove it, you can again press hold the Settings cog and select “Remove” when a prompt comes up.
1. Turn on Night Mode
The Night Mode aka Dark Mode that was part of Android M Preview is back and it’s part of the System UI Tuner options. You can enable it via the Quick Settings or go to System UI Tuner->Color and appearance->Night mode. The dark theme for Android now comes with the ability to turn on automatically depending on your location and time of day. You can also adjust the theme’s tint and brightness.
2. Calibrate display
If you are unhappy with your display’s colors, you can calibrate it with Android N. To calibrate your device’s display, go to System UI Tuner->Color and appearance->Calibrate display. You can then change the three bars that say Red, Green and Blue. The feature does not work in real time at the moment and you will have to hit “Apply” to see the changes. If you like what you see, you can select Ok, otherwise the settings will be reset.
3. Activate gesture to enable split screen
Split-screen multitasking is the biggest draw of Android N, as it finally brings true blue multitasking to the OS. While activating the multi window mode is easy enough, System UI Tuner includes an option to enable a gesture to start the mode. To enable the gesture, go to System UI Tuner->Other and turn on “Enable split-screen swipe-up gesture”. Once enabled, you can start the split-screen mode by swiping up from the recents/multitasking button and it looks darn cool.
4. Show Battery Percentage
Android N shows you your device’s battery percentage when it’s charging but if you want to see battery percentage at all times, there’s an option for that in System UI Tuner->Status Bar. Just scroll down below and tap the Battery option. Then. select “Always show percentage” and you will see the battery percentage being shown at all times.
5. Change clock style in status bar
Don’t like the clock style in Android N’s status bar? You can change it by going to System UI Tuner->Status Bar->Time. You can choose to show seconds along with the hours and minutes or you can even hide the clock icon. In this page, you can even hide any of other system settings icons from the status bar like WiFi, Bluetooth, Cellular Data etc.
6. Turn on/off ‘Do not disturb’ with volume buttons
Do not disturb is one feature we use often and you can even turn it on or off with the volume buttons. To enable volume buttons configuration with Do not disturb, go to System UI Tuner->Do not disturb and enable “Show with volume controls” and “Volume buttons shortcut”. After you’ve enabled it, you will see an enable ‘Do not disturb’ button when you press the volume button and you will be able to Turn On ‘Do not disturb’ by press holding the volume down button.
7. Show ‘full importance settings’ to set priority of notifications
While we are yet to unlock its full potential, “Full importance settings” do allow you to set priority notifications. You can enable it in System UI Tuner->Others. Once you enable it, swipe a notification slightly and tap the settings cog you see. You will then see a bar, which will let you set the priority of notifications from low importance to urgent importance.
SEE ALSO: Android N Vs. Android Marshmallow: What Has Changed?
Tried these System UI Tuner options in Android N?
These System UI Tuner options in Android N might be experimental features but they do bring in added functionality, which comes in handy. They also seem to work surprisingly well, contradictory to the ‘experimental’ tag. So, if you have installed Android N on one of the Nexus devices, go ahead and try out System UI Tuner and let us know what you feel.
Abubakar Mohammed
