Android, objectively the leader of the two major phone operating systems in terms of notification management, is adding yet another notification feature.

Android Authority spotted hints of a new “Notification Rules” feature that could give users even more control over notifications from specific apps and people.

It is noted that within Android 17 Beta 3, Android Authority spotted strings for the new feature alongside some interesting rules for the feature:

Rules can be created for both specific apps and people
Users will be able to search for contacts and potentially apps.
Users can also quickly select all or none for these rules.

Once you have created a rule, you can specify the action that the system will take for notifications. So far, there are five types of actions: Silence, Block, Silence & Bundle Highlight, Highlight & Alert.

While the ability to silence and even block notifications from different apps has been around for a while, the ability to do the same thing for calls and texts from specific contacts would be new  (and very helpful for people with persistent exes or failed dates).

The best part is that Notification Rules will let you avoid blocking their number if you couldn’t do so in the first place.

Although Android Authority notes that it is unclear what “Highlight” means in this exact context, I imagine that notifications from certain apps or people could be shown towards the top of the queue and prioritized over other notifications. “Highlight and Alert” could presumably send a specific sound alert for a specific contact or app, and could be useful, especially when dealing with sick or elderly individuals.

Android Authority also notes that the strings were spotted in leaked builds of One UI 9, so this may not be a Pixel-specific feature. It hasn’t been confirmed yet for Android 17, but it might come to future Android versions.

Source: Android Authority 

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