If you’re like me, you’re probably juggling multiple audio apps throughout the day. I listen to audiobooks on Audible, switch to Music on SpotifyCheck out Podcast on PocketcastAnd there’s always something on YouTube in the background. Normally, switching between audio sources means opening an app, finding the playback function (or the media itself), and pressing play whenever you want to hear something new. With Android 17 (Currently in beta), Google is giving us a more advanced version that lets you easily switch between playback sources from the notification panel. New Now Playing Media Switcher is rolling out on Android 17 QPR Beta 3 users worldwide, and should be part of a stable release in a few months.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Now, technically speaking, this isn’t a completely new feature: it’s an update that no one really uses. In Android 16, you can swipe up on the Now Playing panel in the notification shade to access previously used apps and media. But these gestures are often buggy, and you’ll often end up swiping right on the media scrubber. There’s also no clear indication that you can switch between playback sources in the panel.
The new design in Android 17 fixes all of this, and makes it a feature I can actually see myself using every day. When you’ve recently used multiple media apps, you’ll now see two tiles next to the Now Playing bar in the notification shade. Tap a tile, and it shows the source with the title, background image, and your last listening position. From here, you can tap the big one play button to switch to source. Swiping between tiles also works. And this works even on the lock screen, so you can switch between audio sources without even unlocking your smartphone.
You’ll only see two other tiles at once, but the feature works with four recent audio sources. All you have to do is swipe to see the fourth in the Now Playing bar. However, there is a downside. When you have two other sources, the playback tile itself shrinks and you lose horizontal space. YouTube titles, in particular, are brutally cut off. But in my time using the switcher, I didn’t find it particularly annoying. The added functionality outweighs the reduced readability. Also, this feature is still in beta testing, so things may change before the official release.
What do you think so far?
The redesigned Now Playing bar is one of many new ones Features Coming to Android 17. For example, Google recently announced “keep going“, which brings Apple’s Handoff feature to the Android universe.
