While I could have flashed my Nexus 5 to Android 6.0 Marshmallow a couple of weeks ago, I patiently waited around for the OTA update. And by “patiently,” I mean that I was mashing on “check for update” just about every chance that I got. Well, it finally got delivered yesterday and I’m discovering little nuggets, like how I can now move and remove the icons in the quick settings shade.

This was a feature that was mentioned, if I recall correctly, as far back as when Marshmallow was still known as Android M. The quick settings shade in Android is handy, but the lack of the customization was unfortunate. After completing the OTA update, I was anxious to move those icons around. I long-pressed an icon, since that’s usually how you move things, and it did nothing. What gives?

As it turns out, re-arranging your quick settings icons is more of an “advanced” feature and Google has decided to “hide” it for some inane reason.

quick-settings

The first thing you’ll need to do is unlock what’s called the System UI Tuner.

  1. Swipe down twice from the top of the screen to access your quick settings shade as usual.
  2. Hold down the “gear” icon near the top, next to your user icon. You’ll get a message that says the System UI Tuner is now unlocked and is available through the settings menu. It’s all the way at the bottom.
  3. Open the System UI Tuner. You’ll get the “warning” message saying that the System UI Tuner is “fun for some but not all” and that you should “proceed with caution.”

Inside the System UI Tuner, you get access to a few different settings. You can toggle which icons appear in your status bar, for example, and you can place a battery percentage number inside the status bar icon.

Of note here is the Quick Settings option at the top.

  1. Tapping on Quick Settings reveals a mockup of your quick settings shade.
  2. Tap and drag any icon to move it around.
  3. When you’re dragging it, you can also drag it near the bottom to the “delete” icon.
  4. You can re-insert any deleted icon by tapping the “add tile” button at the bottom.

One other thing that I need to mention is the “invert colors” icon. For some reason, while it appears in the System UI Tuner on my Nexus 5, it doesn’t actually show up in my quick settings shade. This messed up how I thought the quick settings looked, because every icon is bumped over one spot. If it doesn’t work for you, you may as well remove “invert colors” too.

In addition to this “secret” for moving your quick settings tiles around, Android 6.0 Marshmallow also now lets you check your camera and flashlight usage as it relates to battery consumption too. What other secrets and Easter eggs have you discovered?

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