Google is preparing to make Android settings a little more colorful

Earlier this week, we found that Google has introduced an expressive new content design theme at the next month’s Google I/O Developer Conference. Although many mention and potential examples of this new subject have been revealed, the nuances of the updated structure are unclear. However, in the latest Android beta recently released, we saw new evidence, stating that color icons may be part of Google’s updated design guidelines.

While the fourth Beta major UI of Android 16 does not bring the UI change, Google introduced updates for the expressive redesign developed for settings. In particular, the settings homepage (first page displayed when opening the app) is receiving colorful new icons for each entry. Currently, these entries have simple gray, borderless icons on the left side of the text. In the expressive redesign, however, these similar icons are now attached within circles of different colors, adding some visual nature on the page.

Settings homepage here currently looks like the latest Android 15 release:

And here what the settings homepage looks in Android 16 Beta 4, in which the expressive redisine is enabled:

The entry ‘Digital Welling and Paternal Control’ retains its gray icon as it is supplied by separate digital welding apps, not from the Settings App. This incompatibility shows that Google still has to work before rolling the expressive redigation. As a result, we do not expect this new design or color icon to appear in the initial stable release of Android 16. Instead, the possibility of the update settings look will begin in the latter Android 16 quarterly release, or perhaps it will be held back to Android 17 next year.

It is possible that this new design can be officially replaced before rolling out. Currently, there is no clear argument behind the specific background color options for each icon, although some related entries share the same color.

What do you think about these colorful new icons in Settings app? Are you a fan, or do you like the old Grassscale look? Let us know in the comments below!