Arguably one of the most useful pack-ins for Android, the addition of Media Widgets in the Quick Settings pane is a relatively new feature. As are widgets in general, especially in Android 12. Summarily, this widget provides one pane that’s available at a swipe down from the notifications. Effectively showing all media that’s playing on the device. Whether that’s music from an app or a website in Chrome. With each app occupying its own pane, accessible via either left or right swipes on a single widget.
But that doesn’t mean everybody is thrilled to see the widgets make an appearance. In fact, beyond the potential for embarrassment — do you really want everybody to know you’re listening to that song? — the pane takes up a lot of space in the UI. Which can lead to additional swipes and gestures, just to get where you need to be.
Well, if you’re one of those bothered by the Media Widgets in the Quick Settings panel, look no further. That widget can be customized, in so far as the fact that it’s removable. Regardless of whether you’re on an Android phone or tablet. Since the process is the same in either platform. And that’s exactly what this guide aims to address.
Here’s how to dismiss Media Widgets from the Quick Settings temporarily
Now, there are actually two ways to deal with the Media Widgets that appear in the Quick Settings menu from the pull-down shade. This method, of the two, works best if the Media Widgets are only bothersome some of the time. The steps below will temporarily dismiss the playback widget, allowing more granular control over them. But it won’t remove them completely or permanently. This is useful if, for instance, you’d just like to hide the playback of a specific media item temporarily.
Accomplishing that isn’t out of reach. In fact, as with many of our how-to guides, it’s very easy to do.
- While music or other media is playing and the widget appears, swipe down twice to reveal the full Quick Settings menu. You may be able to swipe down just once, depending on the media that’s playing and how your OEM has set up the notification shade.
- Long-press the widget showcasing the playback you’d like to dismiss. If more than one media file is playing or streaming, you’ll need to swipe left or right on the widget to select the appropriate playback. Then long-press the widget, once the right media is visible
- Within the resulting context menu, select the “Dismiss” option. However, it is worth noting that the option will not be available while the media is still playing. At least not actively. You can press “Cancel”, in that case. And then the “pause” icon, prior to long-pressing the widget again. Pausing the media will make the “Dismiss” option visible and available
- After selecting “Dismiss,” the widget will temporarily be removed from its place. So it will no longer be pinned just below your Quick Settings. It may return later on but the returning widget can, if needs be, be dismissed again by following these steps
- Conversely, you can also follow these same steps to temporarily dismiss more widgets. That is, of course, if there is more than one you’d like to get rid of
Here’s how you can remove media widgets entirely
Compared to the above-mentioned method for removing Media Widgets from Android’s Quick Settings, this method is permanent. It also applies more broadly to all Media Widgets, offering a less granular way to deal with those.
- Follow the steps used above through step 2. Then, instead of selecting “Dismiss,” choose the option labeled “Settings”
- Within the Settings menu, the option you’re looking for is labeled “Pin media player” and should be at the top. Select that option to deactivate its toggle and remove the pinned UI from your notification shade entirely
- Also found in this menu, Google has a second toggle for recommended media suggestions. Those don’t necessarily appear too often but if you’d like to turn them off entirely, reactive the toggle option next to “Show media recommendations” before exiting the Settings page using the back arrow at the top-left-hand side of the UI
- To get the widgets back, you’ll need to navigate to Settings, and then search for “Media.” The option you’re looking for is held in the “Sounds & vibration” — or similarly named — menu. Then, scroll down and select the “Media” option, near the middle of the page. Finally, use the toggle to re-activate the “Pin media player” option
