The Do Not Disturb mode is about to be significantly improved on Android.
Good news for those who own multiple Android devices: Do Not Disturb settings can finally be synced between them. This is a feature Apple users have long benefited from, but on Android, it's a bit more complicated. Android Authority has discovered some code in Google Play Services 26.02.31 that suggests this may soon change.
How the Do Not Disturb sync feature currently works
Currently, Android's Do Not Disturb system is excellent, but its synchronization capabilities are very fragmented. Generally, you need devices from the same manufacturer, and even then, most don't offer this functionality – currently, only Pixel and Samsung, and only between phone and watch. So, you need both a Pixel phone and a Pixel watch, or a Galaxy phone and a Galaxy watch. Any other combination won't work.
This isn't an ideal situation. Typically, when you want to mute notifications, you want to mute them on all your devices. Muting your phone while leaving your watch or tablet ringing isn't very practical. In fact, this means most Android users have to manually enable Do Not Disturb on each device. This is cumbersome and quickly becomes tedious.
Apple, as expected, does a great job with this. You can customize Focus modes on your iPhone, and they'll sync across all your Apple devices. Once you activate a mode on one device, it'll be activated everywhere, no further prompting needed.
How the Do Not Disturb sync feature will work with the new updates.
Seamless synchronization
With these new changes, the entire process will be much simpler. In the multi-device services menu, a new Do Not Disturb toggle button will be added. Toggle this button on one device will automatically toggle the feature on all other Android devices you're logged into. Then, when you update the Do Not Disturb status on one of your devices, it will automatically sync across all the others. This includes phones, watches, and tablets, regardless of the manufacturer.
After these updates, a simple on/off button will suffice.
There are two key differences regarding this feature: its ease of activation and the fact that all your Android devices comply with it. Currently, even devices with this functionality make using it more complicated than necessary. For example, if you have a Pixel phone and a Pixel watch, you have to manually set up this feature on both devices – too many cumbersome steps. After these updates, a single button press is all that's needed.
Other multi-device features are coming soon.
Will Android eventually become a more unified ecosystem?
Do Not Disturb sync isn't the only multi-device feature Google is developing. The Google Play Services update also mentions a shared app copy/stop feature and task transfer, both of which make switching between Android devices much more convenient. Multi-device app copy/stop is useful and technically already available, but only through third-party tools. This new feature will be built into Android, making access easier. Task transfer will allow you to start an activity on one device and continue it on another – again, something Apple has offered for years.
There is currently no information on when these features will be released, but they are expected to be rolled out with the official Android 17 release in June.
