Android 12 can extend the theme system with the ability to recolor apps



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Google is reportedly working on an extended theme system in Android 12 that will not only allow users to change the main color and accent colors of the system UI, but also apply those colors to supported third-party apps.

Today, theming is pretty basic on Pixel devices. You can switch between light and dark system themes and you can also change the accent colors in some of the settings menus. Android 12 will allegedly expand the areas in which these themes can apply, according to 9to5Google.

Android 12’s more in-depth theme options will likely vary from brand to brand, as manufacturers provide users with their own custom colors. However, you will not be able to create your own color scheme. The colors you choose can be reflected in Android apps, but only if the developers choose to support them. This means that your favorite apps may not clash as much with your chosen theme.

Android 12 system theme

Image: 9to5Google

In Android 10 and later, apps can respond to changes in light or dark modes of the system. But even then, it’s up to the apps to decide exactly what their light or dark theme should look like. Sometimes app developers choose a dark gray or even dark blue theme rather than a pure dark theme.

To illustrate what the theme can look like in Android 12, we can check out the Substratum theme engine. If you have a rooted device, you can force apps to adhere to a particular color scheme. It 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 create overlays that target the resource values ​​of applications, thereby injecting their own colors or layouts. Today, Android does not allow the installation of third-party overlays on a non-rooted device due to security implications, but it seems Google is finding common ground by exposing the colors selected by the preinstalled themes to apps. third parties who wish to opt -in.

Besides, it is said that Android 12 will also offer theme suggestions based on your wallpaper. This means that your system can change seamlessly once you choose a new wallpaper.

9to5Google warns that Android 12’s theme features may be phased out as software development continues. Last year, Google released the first preview version of Android 11 for developers in mid-February, so there’s a chance we might see a first version of Android 12 in a matter of weeks. Whether it includes more robust theme features remains to be seen, but that would certainly beat the light and dark options currently available.

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