Pull down notifications from the center of the screen in Android 5.1 on Sony Xperia On my previous phone (sorry, I didn't set it up myself, so I can't give any more details than "some kind of Android") I was able to pull down the notifications by swiping down from the center of the screen (or anywhere really).
On my new Sony Xperia running Android 5.1, the same can only be accomplished by swiping down from the very top of the screen, which is quite a stretch to make.

Is there a way to change this? I couldn't find anything in the settings.
If you are using the stock launcher, chances are there aren't settings for that.  I know that with a custom launcher like Nova Launcher, there are gestures that you can set up to do what you are looking for.

Nova Launcher on Google Play

Nova Launcher Prime on Google Play