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Android's volume slider could start looking less goofy on bigger phones
Code commits point to a scalable volume menu
The volume slider in stock Android and AOSP-based ROMs is anchored to your phone's volume rocker — it's a nice touch that makes the software feel like it compliments the hardware, as the volume dialog expands from where your finger pressed the physical button. Trouble is, the volume menu has a static height, so the realism of this effect is somewhat dampened when you have a phone with a larger screen, making the volume slider look relatively tiny as a result. Thankfully, this appears to be changing.
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Android 12 is in for some huge design changes as part of Google's new design language Material You, and while we like most of them, a few parts just aren't looking too great. The new volume slider originally launched in Beta 1 was certainly included. With a finger-wide width, it looked comically huge. Thankfully, it seems Google agreed this design wasn't meant to last, as slimmer volume controls are now included in Beta 2.
The volume slider wasn't really something that people had been complaining about in previous versions of Android, but Google has gone and changed it anyway. The slider is now vertical, moving to the side of the screen. It's technically more intuitive, but it'll probably take some time to get used to. There are also several new features.