Android 15 Improves Home And Lock Screen In Landscape Mode

So far, the landscape format display of the home screen on Android 14 has not been optimized in many places. The lock screen cannot currently be rotated at all. Android 15 will change that and use the available space much more effectively.

Android 15 with many new features

More and more information is emerging about new features that will be available with the release of Android 15. Among other things, we have already reported on the possibility of wirelessly charging devices via NFC, the return of widgets on the lock screen, and the ability to send messages without cell phone reception via satellite connection.

Improved landscape format display

Now Android Authority writes that the new operating system brings significant improvements to the display in landscape mode. This affects the lock screen as well as app and system notifications.

Previously the lock screen could not be rotated at all. It was only displayed in an upright orientation, i.e. in portrait mode. With Android 15, rotating the display should be possible.

The notifications also receive an optimized display when the smartphone is rotated. Until now, in such a case, the display was simply moved to the middle of the screen. That leaves a lot of space unused, since two-thirds of the screen is dedicated to notifications, which only take up about half the width of the area.

Also, only a maximum of four elements of the quick settings are visible, which are displayed at the top of the screen. No other buttons are simply displayed.

From Android 15 onwards there is a much more effective screen layout. Quick Settings now takes up the left half of the screen, while notifications are on the right. This is also the case on the lock screen.

Work not yet completed

Although Google has been working on the new interface for some time, there are still some issues with it. In several situations, it happens that elements overlap and are only partially visible.

Nevertheless, the development of the new landscape interface for the home and lock screens is believed to be completed by the announcement of Android 15 at the next Google I/O on May 14, 2024. These improvements could then also be incorporated into Samsung’s One UI 7.0 and make Galaxy phones more usable in landscape format.