Google introduced actionable quick settings toggles from the notification bar in Android Lollipop, but Samsung devices have had this feature for much longer. In the most recent version of Samsung's software (now called Samsung Experience, though most of us still think of it as Touchwiz) based on Android 7.0 Nougat, users are able to customize the button layout of the quick settings tiles.

By default, you are able to switch between a 3x3, 4x3, or a 5x3 quick settings tile layout. If you're like me and rely on a ton of tiles to quickly access your favorite apps and shortcuts, then you may find that these layouts don't show enough quick setting tiles for you. If that's the case, then here's a quick tip to modify the button layout to whatever size you want using a few simple ADB commands.


Modify the Quick Settings Layout Size on Samsung Galaxy Devices

As mentioned before, we're going to be using ADB commands to modify the size of our quick settings button layout. If you already have ADB setup, skip the next section. If not, then here's a quick guide.

Setting up ADB

First, download the ADB binary straight from Google for your particular OS and extract it to a separate directory on your computer. Next, install the proper driver for your particular phone. Then, enable "USB Debugging" in Settings --> Developer Options. If you don't see Developer Options, then you will need to enable it by going to Settings --> About Phone then tapping on Build number 7 times. Finally, ensure that ADB is working by starting a command prompt in the same directory as the ADB binary (right-click --> "open command prompt here") and run the following command:

        adb devices
    

If you see your device's serial number (and it doesn't say unauthorized), you're golden. If you see a pop-up on your phone asking you to grant your computer ADB access, then say yes. If you don't see either happen, then try rebooting your computer/phone and re-plugging it into your computer. Otherwise, try re-installing the driver.

Sending the ADB Commands

Once you've confirmed that ADB is working on your device, it's time to modify the settings. There are three settings we can modify, each taking an integer value. The three values to modify are as follows:

  • qs_tile_column - number of quick setting tile columns
  • qs_tile_column_landscape - number of quick setting tile columns while in landscape mode
  • qs_tile_row - number of quick setting tile rows (only affects portrait mode)

For instance, if I want a 6 column by 4 row button layout in portrait mode, I would have to enter the following commands in the command prompt:

        adb shell settings put secure qs_tile_column 6

adb shell settings put secure qs_tile_row 4

Once these commands are entered, the layout should immediately change to reflect your input. If I want to have a 2 column by 2 row layout, I would enter these commands:

        adb shell settings put secure qs_tile_column 2

adb shell settings put secure qs_tile_row 2

You can play around with these numbers until you find a layout that you like. There are two caveats you should be aware of before you mess with these values, however.

  1. The number of rows in landscape mode is always fixed at 2.
  2. If you enter 0 for both the column and row, SystemUI will start crashing. To stop it from crashing, just enter any value > 1 for either setting.

Try these ADB commands out and let me know what button layout you prefer!