Google has started rolling out its latest batch of Android 16 features to beta testers, including expanded support for dark mode and themed app icons. The QPR2 beta 1 was announced yesterday alongside Google launching the Pixel 10 series, and is expected to get a full public release sometime in December, according to Google’s release timeline.
The beta includes a new dark theme option that will “intelligently invert the UI of apps that appear light despite users having selected the dark theme” when enabled, according to Google’s announcement, forcibly making apps that don’t natively support the feature to appear darker. Google says this is “largely intended as an accessibility feature” for users with low vision or photosensitivity, and will also automatically darken app splash screens and adjust status bar colors to match the darker theming.
Another feature will allow users to forcibly apply themed icon colors to apps that don’t natively support them. Android’s icon theming currently only works if app developers have provided a monochrome version of their app icon that can be adjusted, which is annoying for users who want to apply a consistent aesthetic across their entire home page. Auto-themed app icons spare developers from adding this capability manually, removing the hassle for users to customize their phone’s theme.
A new “Parental Controls” option is being added to Android Settings to make it easier to manage built-in controls and Google Family Link. The on-device controls are pin-protected, and allow parents to set screen time limits, downtime schedules, block apps, and filter out mature content from search engines.
There are also a bunch of improvements that make migrating data between Android and iOS devices more secure and reliable, expand support for annotating and editing PDF documents, integrate Personal Audio Sharing for Bluetooth LE devices directly into the system’s output switcher, and more. You can check out the full feature list on the Android developers’ blog.
The QPR2 beta 1 update should automatically be available for Pixel users who are enrolled in the Android beta program. Anyone else will have to wait for the official release later this year to play around with the new Android features.
