What you need to know
- A massive leak shows glimpses of what Android 16’s redesign could look like, which involves a more blurred/transparent notification panel.
- Google’s code shows it has plans to revamp its lock screen with a new font and a new position for its date/temp and a few “geometric” app icon choices.
- Android 16 is expected to debut in Q2 2025 and I/O 2025 could very well hold a more detailed look at what’s to come.
Google is fast-tracking its next major OS update, and a recent leak claims to have unearthed its potential redesign.
This suspected look at Android 16’s redesign comes from Mishaal Rahman for Android Authority. These UI changes were reportedly found while sifting through Android 16 Beta 4. To begin, Rahman found Google’s work to revamp the selection of available icon shapes in the Pixel Launcher. The post states the OS could bring more “geometric” shape options, as well as the standard circle.
Rahman found choices like a square, a “four-sided cookie,” and a “seven-sided cookie.” It also seems that, if a new design is chosen, users would find it on their home screens and the app drawer.
Elsewhere, the notification panel seems in line for an overhaul. Android 16 Beta 4’s code showed that the panel may adopt a blurred/transparent approach. Currently, Android offers a basic black background when the panel is pulled down completely. Even when pulled down partly to view notifications, Android 16 is showing a blurred design that isn’t so bleak.
Moreover, several UI components have changed, such as the panel’s tiles. The tiles appear a little more bubbly, with even rounder corners. The icons within them are more square, which Rahman states could indicate Google’s “one-tap” function for enabling/disabling Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Android 16’s UI refresher
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Another key change appears to involve Android 16’s volume sliders. In the quick settings panel, the bar is no longer pill-shaped with rounded corners. Instead, Rahman observed a long rectangular bar with soft corners. Additionally, the end of the bar (that marks its position) features a vertical bar. This change was spotted in the full volume panel, too.
Other major changes concern the lock screen for Android 16. Rahman’s snapshots show Google may alter the font of the clock while moving the date and temperature beneath it. If there are notifications, the clock will still move to the top left; however, the date/temp information will be featured on its right side, not under it.
Some other smaller UI changes feel more like refreshers as Android 16 could implement colored icons in Settings. The status bar may also update its icons for Wi-Fi and 5G, as well as a swap in font for the clock. What’s more, the battery icon may see a pop of color as Google could drop the old vertical colorless icon for a horizontal battery with its percentage and a color-coded background.
Rahman’s disclaimer states these changes were forced into the open as Google didn’t have them readily available in Beta 4. So, while they exist, it’s not clear when users could see them all.
Looking Ahead
The company’s Android 16 Beta 4 update arrived for Pixel users last week amid the software’s “Platform Stability” milestone. Essentially, developers and Google are putting their last-minute touches on things before its eventual rollout in Q2 2025. Other OEMs have also started their betas for Android 16 as the software crosses a crucial development point.
In other news, Google’s I/O 2025 event is coming up, slated to run from May 20-21. Android 16 is expected to be a major part of it, considering we’ve already crossed into Q2. The company revealed its sessions list recently, which teased we’d see details about its Material 3 “Expressive” UX redesign for Android.
