Google has ultimately chosen to reinstate the feature that allows users to swiftly turn their Wi-Fi connection on and off with a single tap of the QS toggle in Android 17 Beta 3.
Approximately five years after the launch of a unified “Wi-Fi” button with Android 12, the recent Android 17 Beta 3 update for compatible Pixel devices reintroduces the more straightforward and logical single-tap feature for switching your onboard Wi-Fi connection.
Starting with Android 12, tapping the Wi-Fi QS tile presents a pop-up that displays nearby Wi-Fi networks, additional options, and the ability to enable or disable the Wi-Fi connection. This change has transformed what used to be a single-step process into a two-step process.
It is understandable that numerous Pixel users were frustrated by this situation, and until this modification occurred, the Pixel was among the limited devices that enforced this feature in Android. However, it appears that common sense has finally triumphed, allowing us to simply tap once to turn Wi-Fi on or off.
This feature operates in a few different ways. If you possess the 2×1 QS tile, tapping the left Wi-Fi icon will toggle the onboard connections. By tapping the right side, where your currently connected network is displayed, you will see the previous pop-up. When this option is turned off, the text will scroll, indicating whether local networks are accessible. With a 1×1 tile, it reverts to the traditional single-tap method. A long press will bring up the complete Settings menu section for ‘Internet.’
If you are familiar with this Wi-Fi toggle behavior, this is precisely how the Bluetooth Quick Settings tile was modified in Android 16 QPR1. Although it is a welcome change, it is surprising that it took so long to reinstate a feature that existed for nearly a decade before the release of Android 12. Nevertheless, it is a positive development and one that many users will be happy to see back.
