In its midlife crisis, Android rubs its stubble
When it comes to looks, Android has historically provided tons of customizability. Take monochromatic theming: whether you have it turned on for certain apps to cut down your screen time on them or you just like the minimalism of it all, you’re certainly not alone. But with Android 13 QPR2 Beta 1, we’re learning of a new way to get all grayscale up on your home screen — that is, without having to having to go grayscale on your entire experience.
As surfaced by Mishaal Rahman, Google seems to have introduced (but not activated) a new color profile to Material You’s dynamic styling engine called MONOCHROMATIC. Users can turn it on by enabling the associated feature flag.
As mentioned, users would find the new theme under the Basic Colors carousel in the Styles & Wallpapers settings. Turning it on would mean turning your notification shade, the buttons and icons there and on your home screen, and the various system-generated interfaces across your Android 13 device either black, white, or a shade of gray in between.
The launch of Android 13 meant the introduction of new Material You dynamic profiles including TONAL_SPOT, VIBRANT, EXPRESSIVE, SPRITZ, RAINBOW, and FRUIT_SALAD. Despite the implications of some of these descriptors, you probably won’t come across any vomit-inducing combos. The addition of black and white (and grey) would be a fairly safe choice if it comes to pass.
