Andy Walker / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Android 16’s QPR2 update could include new color palettes for the Google Search widget.
- The newly spotted color palettes enhance contrast and make the widget easier to use.
- The icons for mic, Lens, and AI mode also appear bigger.
The November Pixel Drop arrived recently, replete with several visual upgrades for both new and old Pixel devices. Around the same time, Google also released the latest edition of Android 16’s QPR2 beta, though primarily focusing on under-the-hood improvements. With the stable QPR2 update expected in the coming weeks, we’re learning about a slight visual upgrade it brings, adding a splash of vivid colors to the homescreen on Pixel devices.
The persistent Google search bar, part of the Pixel launcher, may be getting radiant colors that better match your wallpaper, as 9to5Google notes. With this change, we could see new colors take over and replace older ones, as seen with Android 16’s QPR1 stable release.
The colors around the search bar could seemingly appear less saturated when the device’s dark theme is active. This would help create a visual divide between the padding and the interactive space on the widget, practically guiding your thumb to the right place.
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Similarly, the colors used alongside the light theme could also be more saturated, lending greater contrast than before. Meanwhile, the individual icons for the mic, Google Lens, and AI Mode could be slightly larger and have a subtly different hue, making them much easier to aim for.
Based on the screenshots shared by 9to5Google, some colors currently don’t achieve the desired effect — while they enhance contrast, not all colors look appetizing. This might be fixed in subsequent beta updates or the stable release of Android 16 QPR2. If all goes well, we should expect QPR2 to arrive in December.
In addition to this subtle addition, Android 16 QPR2 is expected to bring forced icon theming, which will hopefully also be available in the stable channel subsequently.
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