Grouped notifications look WAY better in the new Android 11 build

Android 11 Developer Preview 2 just dropped today, and with it comes a slew of tweaks and changes, one of which includes Androids 11’s improved notification grouping.

Android 11 DP1 already divided notifications up into “Alerting,” “Conversations,” and “Silent” sections with a small black bar and the section label. The latest beta update simply introduces a larger gap between sections, offering a cleaner look all around. Android 10 and earlier simply order notifications chronologically.

The screenshot on the left shows the new separated notification sections in Android 11 DP2. The one on the right highlights what Android 10’s current notification layout looks like. Unfortunately, we are certain many of you probably won’t like this change. Some people will likely prefer the current chronological approach to notifications.

Read also: How to install Android 11 Developer Preview 2 — a step by step guide

Overall, we think this is a welcome addition to the platform. Segmented notifications like this could very well make mass amounts of notifications more digestible in Android 11. We think that’s even more true now that the overall notification UI looks cleaner and more organized.