Google released Android 17 QPR1 Beta 3 just a couple of days ago, and it comes with some changes to the UI. One notable update is the media app switcher – it’s no longer a carousel.
New media app switcher in Android 17
While Android 16’s current media app switcher that shows up in the notification shade requires you to swipe left and right to switch between active media apps, Android 17 will bring a new, more convenient and obvious switching style.
In the new UI, Android minimizes the other media apps into tiny cards that expand when you tap on them. This makes it not just more convenient and minimizes the possibility of a mistake, it also makes it a lot more obvious, especially for new users, to see that they can switch between media apps on the fly.
On the other hand, the minimized audio apps take up more space, forcing the active music app tab to become smaller and consequently smaller player controls.
But that’s what beta versions are for. It’s a working prototype, but we might see changes to the media player switcher before the stable Android 17 hits the market.