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Android 12 is easily one of the biggest updates to the OS in years, complete with an overhauled interface and some rad color-shifting abilities. But while the system arrived Material You-ready from the start, some of Google's dozens of apps sure have taken their time in catching up. Ones like Google Maps have yet to get a taste of dynamic theming at all, while others like the Play Store have gained only partial support — just enough to pass. Chrome's another example of work-in-progress theming support, and though many UI elements stubbornly hold on to their bland defaults, the new Chrome 100 Beta is adding a couple welcome splashes of color.
How to use Repainter to improve Android 12's Material You themes on Pixel and Galaxy phones
Android 12 custom themes just got a whole lot better
Android 12 introduced an excellent new system-wide theme engine that works in real-time across all supported apps. Many Google apps already use the new theme design, but we're still getting a slow trickle of third-party developers joining in. Much like what Google did with Android 10 and dark mode, the bigger picture does take some time to truly realize. The default Android 12 custom color options may be somewhat limited for now; however, there's a way to create your own unique user-defined themes with a little extra effort.
Android 13 may offer four different styles for Monet's colorful dynamic themes
A spritz of new colors
Android’s beautiful new dynamic theming is the very epitome of chic design. But “monet,” as the feature was called in development, could get an even more carefully crafted upgrade with Android 13. Google is developing four new color combinations for that dynamic theming, covering a range from exaggerated vibrance to muted desaturation.
Material You's dynamic theming might not be exclusive to Pixels for long
Google is poised to add it to AOSP after the initial release of Android 12
One of the headline features of Android 12, at least on Pixel phones, is the new Material You design language and its core component, the "Monet" theming system. It takes a quite unconventional approach to Android theming, automatically assembling a color palette based on a user's wallpaper and applying it all over the UI. That's fine for Google's own phones, but what about those from other manufacturers? Although this theming system won't hit AOSP in time for Android 12, it now looks like Google is planning to make dynamic theming open-source for a future Android release.
Android 12 follows up on its last Easter egg with a new Paint Chip widget
Turns out Material You is perfect for would-be designers
If you thought Android 12's Easter egg felt lacking compared to the offerings from years past, you probably weren't alone. While the fancy Material You clock was fun enough on its own, it seemed like it was missing some special touch to compete with Google's previous hidden secrets. With the latest release candidate, Google added a little something extra to its Easter egg, though you'll need to know where to look to find it.
With the latest Android 12 beta, we're one step closer to the finalized stable build shipping sometime this fall. Along with reaching a new milestone, today's update also includes one of the most important traditions in our annual smartphone refresh: the Easter egg. After an early preview appeared in Beta 3, you can finally try it out for yourself.
Chrome gets even more colorful with its big Material You revamp
A recent Canary update for Chrome on Android adds dynamic color theming everywhere
Google announced Material You at this year's I/O conference, and this post-Material Design chapter looks like it's arguably the company's most ambitious move yet. Material You is all about embracing emotion and expression, using humanistic principles like soft shapes and dynamic color theming that adapt to your wallpaper. We've seen Google's radical new design language trickle down to its apps over the last few months — one of them is Chrome, which saw a sprinkle of color extraction when we covered it last month. Now it looks like Google is going all in with Chrome's Material You makeover.
Catch a preview of Android 12's Material You-themed Easter egg
It's not live in the Betas, but you can get an early glimpse
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Android 12 hasn't reached "stable" yet, but we may have our first glimpse of at least a part of the release's Easter egg. While things could still change before release, Mishaal Rahman and the folks at 9to5Google have dug up what they claim is a preview of the upcoming Easter egg, which takes advantage of the recent Material You changes for a bit of colorful "pop."
Get a glimpse of Chrome's Material You theme on Android 12
The latest Chrome Canary release is prepping rudimentary support for Monet theming
Google has introduced a new take on Material Design during Google I/O this year, Material You. Its highlighting characteristic is its wallpaper-based dynamic colors, making for beautifully composed interfaces. So far, only a handful of apps have been updated to support these themes, but it looks like Google is hard at work updating its first-party applications to take advantage of the new theming mechanisms. Among them is Chrome, which has just received the first few wallpaper-based elements in the latest under-development version, Chrome Canary v93.
Google Messages is working to support Android 12's fun new themes
Get ready for a splash of color with your communications
One of the coolest changes in Android 12 so far is the new Material You dynamic theming system, which changes system colors to match your background in a way that's downright beautiful — or, at least, way less boring than before. Eventually, apps will take advantage of it too, but they'll need to be updated to accommodate it, and the first signs of such support are starting to appear in Google Messages.
Android 12 beta 2 debuted the new operating system's much-anticipated automated theming system, which adjusts the colors of your phone's entire interface to match and complement the background wallpaper of your choice. We've been playing with it for the last day, but for a perfect example of why you'll want to check it out, we turn to Ars Technica Reviews Editor and Android Police alumnus Ron Amadeo.
Android 12's app switcher now has a boring opaque background
At least the color still matches your home screen, sort of
Themes are a big part of Android 12, offering all-new ways for customizing your phone as much as you want. Unfortunately, there are a couple of places where it seems like Google has locked everyone into a single visual element. In Android 12 Beta 2, the Recent apps page has replaced your wallpaper with a new solid backdrop that uses Monet to pull colors from your wallpaper.
Android 12's wallpaper-based Material You themes are finally here
Beta 2 debuts Monet's color-matching theme system
Android 12's long-awaited "Monet" wallpaper theming system is a big part of the Material You redesign we've been anticipating, and as of Beta 2, it's here. Change your wallpaper, and system colors and accents change pick up on its cues to build you your very own unique matched theme, changing everything from background colors for certain UI elements to stronger accents and even some icons.
Android 12's dynamic theming will still let you choose your own awful colors if you insist
For optimal Demon Chocobo vibes
Among the bigger changes coming to Android 12 is the new "Monet" dynamic theming system that pulls colors from your background. It's not user-facing in the beta releases yet, but there was already some concern that you'd have to simply accept whichever colors it chose from your background. Thankfully, Google tells us that you'll be able to select your own colors instead if you prefer.
Here’s what Android 12's wallpaper-based themes will look like
A developer managed to reverse-engineer and activate theming
Before the first Android 12 developer preview landed last week, a leak suggested that the upcoming release could sport a significant redesign with colors based on the active wallpaper. And while the initial Android 12 release doesn't look too different from its predecessor, there are quite some changes hidden beneath the surface, like a redesigned lockscreen and notification shade as well as UI elements dunked into baby blue — initial evidence of advanced theming options. Thanks to some digging by ROM developer @kdrag0n on Twitter, it looks like the leak is correct.