One UI 9 Might Introduce Smarter Notification Controls Like Never Before

Notifications are one of those things that get overwhelming fast. Android already does notifications better than most platforms, mostly better than iOS. It has already added tools like notifications channels, cooldown, and priority alerts. But they still require a lot of manual setup, and it looks like Google us preparing something to make notifications even better.

A smarter way to manage notifications is coming with One UI 9 (Android 17)

Hidden inside Android 17 Beta 3, found via an Android Authority, Android could soon introduce something called “Notification Rules”. This might be one of the biggest upgrades to notification control in years. Moreover, this new feature would let users create custom rules for notifications, based on apps or even specific people.

That means instead of manually tweaking settings for every app, you could just set rules like: Silence notifications for certain apps. You could also block alerts from specific contacts and highlight important messages so they stand out. In other words, it’s basically automation for your notifications.

From what’s been spotted, Android is working on five ways to handle notifications once a rule is applied: silence, block, silence and bundle, highlight, and highlight and alert. Some of these already exist in basic form. However, the key difference here is granularity, especially when it comes to specific people. For example, you could mute someone’s notifications without blocking them entirely. Or you could make sure certain contacts always break through the noise.

Not just apps, but you can manage notifications from people too

This is where things get interesting. Android already lets you manage app notifications pretty well, but this feature goes further by targeting individual contacts as well. So instead of silencing your entire messaging app, you could mute one person. You could also prioritize another or completely block notifications from someone, without affecting others. That’s something Android hasn’t really offered in this way before.

There’s another important detail here. The same feature has reportedly been spotted in One UI 9 builds, which also means we may get a look at these features once the Galaxy Z8 foldables debut. And that also means it won’t be Pixel-exclusive.

Yet, nothing is set in the stone. Google hasn’t officially announced the feature, and there’s always a chance it could change, or never ship at all. Still, the fact that it’s already in testing suggests Google is serious about making notifications even smarter in future Android versions.