With Android 10, Google introduced a dedicated dark mode to reduce eye strain and just look cooler. For Android 12, Google is working to bring a much deeper theme system, capable of recoloring compatible applications.
On Google Pixel phones today, you have the ability to select one of several colors to be used as a highlight in some places, such as quick setting blocks and the brightness slider. In addition, the main way to customize the colors of your phone is to switch between the light and dark theme.
According to the information displayed by 9to5Google, Android 12 is working to bring a native theme system, which allows you to select a primary color and an accent color, and see those colors reflected across Android – where supported, more on that soon. The primary color you choose should even affect things like the background color for notifications and the Quick Settings area.
We created some rough model images showing what it is could seems to have a theme enabled. In the first mockup, I borrowed the blue tone “Dim” from Twitter for Android and combined it with the highlight color “Space” of the Pixel. In the second model, I used some colors from a green Material Design color palette.
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This is Android 11 -
This is a model! -
This is a model!
The actual colors available to choose from vary from brand to brand and possibly even model to model, as each phone manufacturer will likely have their own color sets. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be an option to create your own unique color scheme or to be installed through the Play Store.
What really makes the Android 12 theme system special, however, is that the chosen main and highlight theme colors will also be accessible to Android app developers. This means that if your developers choose, their favorite Android apps can better match the theme chosen for your phone.
In comparison, apps developed for Android 10+ simply know whether you’re in light or dark mode and can adjust to what the app considers a dark theme. However, the dark mode is a very subjective issue, with many having different opinions about which scheme is the best. Some prefer a dark gray or even dark blue base, while others dispute that true “AMOLED black” is the only correct dark theme.
Instead of developers having to design multiple color schemes to suit their customers, individuals can choose their own color scheme and potentially have it respected by applications. This level of deeper customization that can affect third-party applications, such as Android 12, appears to be bringing in previously a rooted device and Substratum, a theme system created by the community.
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Swift Black Substratum Theme -
Death Red Substratum Theme
A fundamental difference between the Android 12 theme and the substrate is that the substrate forces individual apps in a particular look, while Android 12 just offers your theme colors selected for applications as part of the Android API.
Interestingly, the colors of the Android 12 theme should also be chosen automatically based on the current wallpaper. When you change your wallpaper, Android should be able to seamlessly switch to new colors similar to your wallpaper’s color palette.
As Android 12 is still in development, it is still possible for Google to remove this new theme system before launching later this year. We will probably learn more as soon as we have the Android 12 Developer Preview in our hands, which could happen as early as next month.
Dylan Roussel contributed to this article
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