Personalization on devices with the Android operating system is an important part of the appeal of these products, although the possibility of changing the background and fonts of smartphones or tablets are not the only modifiable options. Selecting a theme is also a way for users to personalize their devices.
However, the possibility that people have to modify the appearance of the screens of their devices brought with it a new challenge: making the applications that are displayed on the screen maintain the harmony and aesthetics that are shown. With the new Android 13 update, more and more applications will modify their icon for this reason.
Material Design in Android 12
This functionality is also available in the current version of the Android operating system, but in a limited way because when changing the theme (wallpapers and screen colors), only some applications changed their appearance depending on the device on which it was done. . Google apps change only on Pixel devices, and Samsung apps change only on Samsung devices.
Although this idea, called Material Design, was launched on devices for the first time in 2014 with Android 5.0, it will not be until version 13 of the operating system that applications other than those of the manufacturer’s brand will change its appearance. Among them are WhatsApp, Telegram and Spotify, as reported by the media 9to5google. They join:
Signal, Microsoft Edge, Beeper, Opera Browser, American Express, ESPN, Fotmob, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Pocket, Reddit, among many others. In total, there are around 49 external applications that will have the ability to modify their appearance in the new Android 13 update.
“You can customize non-Google apps to match your phone’s wallpaper theme and colors, making your home screen more cohesive and unique in style,” explains Google from the official statement that announced this feature for the new OS update.
Changeable Google and Samsung icons
The Google applications that are currently capable of modifying their appearance in Android 12 are:
Files, Android Auto, Digital Wellbeing, Camera, Calculator, Settings, Fitbit, Google, Gmail, Phone, Nest, Google Calendar, Google Chat, Google Contacts, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Duo/Meet, Google Fi, Google Fit, Google Home, Google Lens, Google Maps, Google Meet, Google Messages, Google News, Google One, Google Photos, Google Play Store, Google Play Books, Google Podcasts, Google TV, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Translate, Google Voice, Google Wallet, Pixel Tips, Gmail, GPay, Recorder, Keep Notes, Clock, Safety, Wear OS, YouTube, YouTube TV and YouTube Music.
For their part, Samsung applications are also capable of being modified only on their devices:
Bixby, Calculator, Calendar, Camera, Contacts, Settings, Galaxy Shop, Galaxy Store, Galaxy Wearable, Gallery, Game Launcher, Messages, My Files, PENUP, Phone, Samsung Free, Samsung Global Goals, Samsung Health, Samsung Members, Samsung Notes , Samsung TV Plus, Clock, Samsung Smart Switch, SmartThings, Tips and AR Zone
What’s new in Android 13
In addition to being able to change the color of application icons, from the moment of its launch, Android 13 will allow you to set the language of each application separately instead of having to set the system language for that.
As part of its health functionality, Google’s Digital Wellbeing and Clock app will be able to listen to the sound of snoring and coughing while users sleep, so the quality of their sleep can be monitored.
These are just some of the new functions and features that Android 13 is known to have before its launch, which could take place in the final months of 2022.
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