My Quick Settings went from 4 basic tiles to a productivity powerhouse in minutes

Quick Settings is perhaps the most useful, yet most forgotten about, Android feature. We use it every day, but I found that I was only using it for basic actions like opening Bluetooth settings.

I was barely scratching the surface of what Quick Settings is capable of. But by exploring native Android settings and installing a third-party app, I supercharged my Quick Settings panel and turned it into the best part of my Google Pixel phone.

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Posts 4
By  Anu Joy

There are far more tiles in Quick Settings than I thought

Unlock your car from Quick Settings

The last time I delved into my Quick Settings menu was when Google overhauled the interface for Android 16. But I've since fallen back into using a fraction of the feature's potential.

Wi-Fi, Mobile Data, Bluetooth, Do Not Disturb, Flashlight, and Airplane mode. All are useful tools I use regularly.

However, there's more that can be done through Quick Settings. For example, I can disable all my phone's sensors, including microphone and camera access.

These are the default Quick Settings tiles for Android. All are useful, but I can use the space better.

The first thing I did was minimize the size of my tiles. While some tiles have a secondary action if tap the lighter area, this action can be triggered by long-pressing the tiles.

Next, I removed tiles I don't need. Alarm, Wallet, Device controls, and Cast are tools I don't need quick access to.

This left me with six single spaces, or three double spaces.

Everyone's needs vary, but I knew exactly what I could fill these with. TV remote is the fastest way to control my TV (unless I happen to have left the remote where it belongs), Focus mode stops distractions, and I always like to have my VPN on hand.

So with a few tweaks, I packed more useful settings into my Quick Settings menu by using native Android tools.

But eagle-eyed readers will notice that the VPN app is a third-party app. Any app developer can create a Quick Settings tile, but few do.

That's why I turned to a powerful free app that doubled the number of tiles at my disposal.

Toolkit Tiles adds all the utility I need

But bugs make for an inconsistent experience across devices

Toolkit Tiles adds more Quick Settings tiles. It's that simple. There are no settings, not even a standalone app icon.

After installing the APK, the Quick Settings edit menu is updated with new tiles. There are too many to go into here, but I'll touch on some of my favorites.

Add, Remove, Reset, Coin Flip, and Dice Roll are fantastic. The first three act as a basic counter. Coin Flip and Dice Roll do exactly what they say on the tin.

Add and Remove must be expanded to show the counter, but the other three can be minimized.

The next group is Level, Temperature, Lux Meter, and Memory. These tiles provide a handy way to measure their respective values. The Level tile is particularly effective and told me that, thanks to the camera bar, my Pixel 10 Pro always rests at a 1-degree angle.

There are many more tiles, like lock screen and USB debugging shortcuts. However, the app isn't perfect.

I tested it on a Google Pixel 10 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE, and I noticed that the app performed differently on each device.

Download Toolkit Tiles from its GitHub page.

For example, on my Pixel 10 Pro, the Temperature tile refused to work, and the Level tool stopped working after a few seconds. However, the Level tile worked perfectly on my Galaxy Tab.

So, depending on your device, your experience may vary. Fortunately, the app is free to download and use and is still being updated.

However, we can go further with custom tiles.

Trigger unique actions with automation apps

Save even more space by chaining together tiles

MacroDroid and Tasker can be used to assign specific triggers to custom Quick Settings tiles. These can chain actions together or trigger app launches.

Most utilities are covered by the default Android settings and Toolkit Tiles, but macro apps are necessary to create custom tiles.

The best use I've found is to chain privacy settings together and to enable a work mode that silences notifications and opens Slack.

Quick Settings is packed with useful tools

While third-party apps like Toolkit Tiles and MacroDroid are necessary to get the most out of the Quick Settings space, there's a lot to do with the existing edit options. Even actions like digital car keys are included by default.

However, I can't live without apps like Toolkit Tiles now. There are still some rough edges, but the extra utility is worth a few bugs.