Cool new wallpaper theming for Android 12 surfaces on tweeted photos

Last week, Google dropped the first Android 12 Developer Preview. The Beta releases for the public start in May. Platform stability will be reached with a Beta release in August followed by the arrival of the final version of Android 12 in September. One feature that didn't appear on the first Developer Preview is the new advanced theming for Android 12. But even though it didn't show up with last week's release, an Android developer with the Twitter handle kdrag0n was able to make this feature appear on the first Developer Preview.

One of the new theming tools automatically adjusts the UI's color scheme to match the predominant color scheme of the phone's wallpaper. For example, screenshots posted on Twitter by kdrag0n show purple and orange wallpaper along with the adjustment made to the Android 12 UI to match those colors. The adjustments are made to the buttons and sliders in the settings menu, the Quick Settings feature, and notifications. According to 9to5Google, the feature is codenamed "monet" and some of the files needed for "monet" to work completely were not included with last week's update and might first appear in May. That is when the first Android 12 Public Beta will be released.

Starting in May, Pixel users will have a tough decision to make. They can decide to join the Android 12 Beta program allowing them to install the latest Beta version of Android 12 on their phones. This choice will be offered to owners of the Pixel 3 and newer models. Just keep in mind that until the final beta version appears in August, these are unstable releases and should not be downloaded on your Pixel if it is your daily driver. That's because while in Beta testing, certain apps might not be working and battery life might be diminished. Other Android phones will also be compatible with the Beta updates when the Android 12 Beta program begins. Once we know which phones will be included, we will let you know.

Speaking about Betas, it seems that Google is changing the Voice Search UI for the Google Search app. The Voice Search, found on the top of the Search app among other places. seemed ready to be replaced by the more ambitious Google Assistant feature. Instead, Google is keeping Voice Search which responds to simple tasks for the the timer and alarm. Other queries are answered by Google Search.

9to5Google reports that while the new UI continues to show the four-color waveform when a question is asked or a task requested, there is a new animation that shows how users can talk to their phone. There is no new functionality associated with the animation, but Google has added it anyway. Voice Search also has a feature that will allow users to hum a song and the app will name the tune. But Google has also added this feature to Assistant which pretty much reveals that any new capability added to Voice Search will most likely also be found on Google Assistant.

The new Voice Search UI is not yet showing up on everyone's Android phone, but it has surfaced for some Google Search Beta testers. To become a Beta tester, open the Play Store app and look for the listing for Google (as the app is officially known). Scroll toward the bottom of the listing and you should see a prompt asking if you want to become a Beta tester for the app. Follow those directions. Keep in mind that even if you do become a beta tester for the Google app on Android, there is no guarantee that you will see the new Voice Search UI.