Android users will finally get relief from constant notifications, but the feature only highlights how far Google is behind Apple on this front

Google is finally giving Android users the relief they’ve been begging for by preparing to roll out automatic, system-wide syncing of Do Not Disturb status across all their devices, as per Android Authority. If you own an Android phone, a tablet, and maybe even a Chromebook, the second you turn DND on the phone, the tablet starts buzzing like crazy, completely defeating the purpose of seeking silence.

This much-needed capability was discovered deep inside the code of Google Play Services version 26.02.31. The new code strings reportedly point to a system-wide toggle for DND syncing. The code includes a switch titled, “Do not disturb,” with a summary that states, “Sync Do Not Disturb across your devices.”

You won’t find this buried in the standard notification or sound settings, which is a nice change. Instead, the feature should live within the dedicated cross-device services menu, which Google has been steadily expanding. Once you flip that master switch, enabling Do Not Disturb on one device should automatically silence every other Android device you’re signed into, whether it’s a phone, a tablet, or a laptop.

Honestly, this is a top-tier feature that will vastly improve the daily lives of Android power users

But it really highlights how far behind Google is, compared to Apple, on the unified ecosystem front. Apple has offered synced Focus modes and DND across its entire hardware lineup for years now. It’s great that Android is finally catching up to offer this kind of seamless integration, but you’d expect this level of polish from Google already, especially since they control both the operating system and the services layer.

To be fair, Google does have some partial DND syncing today. For instance, certain Wear OS watches, like the Pixel Watch, can mirror the Do Not Disturb state of a connected Pixel phone. However, even that process requires you to manually dig into the Pixel Watch app’s settings to enable it. This new implementation appears much more comprehensive, designed to work automatically across phones, tablets, and potentially Chromebooks right out of the box.

This DND sync is just one part of Google’s larger push to make your ecosystem work better together. Right now, existing cross-device services already enable useful functions like Call Casting, which lets you move video calls easily between multiple Android devices, and Internet Sharing, which automatically connects nearby devices to your phone’s Wi-Fi and shares hotspot access.

The code teardown also revealed serious progress on two other crucial cross-device features that will make the ecosystem feel much snappier. First up is Universal Clipboard. The code includes strings for a “Clipboard” feature that promises to let you “copy and paste content across your devices.” This means you’ll soon be able to copy a block of text on your phone and instantly paste it onto your tablet or vice versa.

Second, Google is continuing work on “task handoff,” which is also expected to live under the cross-device and handoff umbrella. This feature will let you resume activities exactly where you left off when switching hardware. If you start filling out a long form on your phone and then pick up your tablet, the tablet will be ready to go, letting you continue without skipping a beat.

All of these features coming together are a huge win for Android users following a stream of promising Gemini features. It shows Google is finally prioritizing the cohesive experience, making it much easier to jump between devices without constant buzzing or friction.