Google dropped the latest Android 17 QPR1 Beta 3 update right after the Google I/O 2026, with quite a few changes and lots of bug fixes. One of them was the uniform blur in more elements across the UI. However, one addition that went unnoticed from our radar is the new Media Controls, which have now been revamped.
Android Media Player Switches from Carousels to Cards
Spotted first by Android Authority, Google is revamping the media player on Android from carousels to pill-shaped cards that sit neatly on the sides of your primary, active media player. This new media player layout will appear when users have more than one media source playing from apps. Here's a before and After.
In comparison, Android 16 nested all the media sources in the same main media player, where the rest of the sources were only visible when users swiped right or left. In the new media player design, while you can still swipe through them, the design makes it obvious that users can tap on the side cards to instantly bring a different app media to the forefront.
This solves a long-standing problem with the Media Player, where it was hard to know which media players were active. As with previous Android versions, these players are intelligently arranged by priority. The locally playing media takes centre stage, followed by media casting to remote devices and the pas resumable listening sessions.
The update fixes a common UX frustration with the element, as, in the older layout, swiping to switch apps often interfered with the media player's interactive seek bar, resulting in users accidentally skipping or rewinding their music. The new design should eliminate such mishaps.
The new design also presents a minor inconvenience because the UI now shows pills on the right and left sides, and the main player itself had to be shrunk a little. All in all, this is a wonderful change, not just aesthetically but also usage-wise.
Since this change is rolling out in the Android 17 QPR1 Beta 3 update, we don't expect to make it one of the Android 17 features. If anything, the new layout should appear in the future Pixel feature drops, if Google deems it worthy of inclusion. Until then, stay tuned.
