Wallpaper-based dynamic theming could make its way to more Android 12 devices soon
Google may soon require all Android OEMs that ship devices with Google Mobile Services to offer users a Material You-style dynamic theming system. The company is reportedly looking to make this mandatory for Android phones and tablets that ship with Android 12 or are getting an Android 12 update.
According to Android Police, a reliable source with access to internal Google documentation has revealed that the company will require all new Android 12-based software builds submitted for Google Mobile Services (GMS) approval to feature a dynamic theming engine. This change will reportedly go into effect on March 14. The source further reveals that Google has laid down some guidelines for the dynamic theming engine to help OEMs implement a consistent solution.
As per these guidelines, the dynamic theming engine should be able to use a single source color to generate five tonal palettes (each comprising of 13 colors) that can adapt on the fly, three access palettes, and two neutral, much like the Material You dynamic theming system on Pixel devices. The consistency will help third-party developers who wish to add dynamic theming support to their apps.
Since Google’s Monet theming engine will go open source with Android 12L, OEMs will likely implement it on their custom Android skins instead of developing their own theming engine. As Mishaal Rahman points out, several OEMs, including Xiaomi and Motorola, have already started implementing Monet in their Android 12-based updates and we expect the others to follow soon. It’s worth noting that while Samsung’s One UI 4 update also features a dynamic theming system, Android Police notes that it is not powered by Monet.
Irrespective of whether OEMs choose to implement Monet or not, you should expect more devices to offer dynamic theming support soon. This might further give third-party developers enough incentive to bring dynamic theming support to their apps. For more details on Google’s Monet theming engine and how it works, check out our detailed explainer.
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