Google is reportedly working on an expanded theme system on Android 12 that will not only allow users to change the primary color and accent colors of the system UI, but also apply those colors to supported third-party applications.
Today, the theme is quite basic on Pixel devices. You can switch between the light and dark themes of the system and you can also change the accent colors in some of the configuration menus. Android 12 is supposed to expand the areas where these themes can be applied, according to 9to5Google.
The deeper theme options for Android 12 probably vary from brand to brand, as manufacturers provide users with their own custom colors. However, you will not be able to create your own unique color scheme. The colors you choose can be reflected in Android apps, but only if the developers decide to support them. This means that your favorite apps may not conflict as much with the chosen theme.
Image: 9to5Google
On Android 10 and later, apps can respond to changes in the system’s light or dark modes. But even so, it’s up to the apps to decide exactly what their light or dark theme should look like. Sometimes application developers choose a dark gray or even a dark blue instead of a completely dark theme.
As an example of what themes in Android 12 might look like, we can look at the Substratum theme engine. If you have a rooted device, you can force applications to respect a specific color scheme. This works because Substratum themes use Android’s built-in theme system, called Overlay Manager Service (OMS), which was contributed to AOSP by Sony. Developers can build overlays that target application resource values, thereby injecting their own colors or layouts. Android today does not allow third-party overlays to be installed on a rootless device because of security implications, but it appears that Google is reaching a compromise by exposing colors selected by pre-installed themes to third-party applications that want to opt-in.
In addition, it is said that Android 12 will also offer theme suggestions based on your wallpaper. This means that your system can change perfectly as soon as you choose a new wallpaper.
9to5Google warns that rumors of Android 12 theme features may be ruled out as software development continues. Last year, Google released the first preview version for Android 11 developers in mid-February, so it’s possible that we can see an initial version of Android 12 in just a few weeks. Whether it includes more robust theme features is yet to be seen, but it would definitely surpass the light and dark options that are currently available.