Google Assistant spotted with a colorful makeover ahead of Android 12

Android 12 could bring some colorful themes to Google Assistant.

What you need to know

• A user managed to get a couple of new Google Assistant features working on his device.
• One feature seems to be related to Android 12’s rumored theming system.
• The user also managed to get the “My Actions” shortcuts working.

Since the first Android 12 developer preview was released for phones like the Google Pixel 5, a form of system-wide theming has been spotted as a colorful new way to customize your smartphone UI. One user may have just uncovered how deep the themes will go, showing how Google Assistant will appear with different colored backgrounds.

In the screenshots (via XDA-Developers), the Google Assistant background appears in blue and different shades of green with a few accent colors. While it’s likely that the background colors are related to Android 12’s “monet” theming system, the user apparently enabled them on a Sony Xperia phone running Android 11.

At the moment, it’s unclear how the user managed to make the colors appear. Android 12’s theming system is said to change the background of certain UI elements based on the dominant color of the device wallpaper. And while the theming has been previously spotted in the settings app among other areas of the Android 12 UI, this is the first time it’s been seen extending to Google Assistant.

Another feature that the user managed to enable on his device is the “My Actions” shortcuts for Google Assistant. It’s a feature that gives users the ability to add one-tap actions for Google Assistant, foregoing the need to speak the command. It’s not unlike how Google allows users to set up and manage Google Assistant routines, which can be created as home screen shortcuts.

The My Actions shortcuts will live on the Google Assistant panel, as shown in the screenshots above. The user has already managed to implement an action to set their volume at 50%, suggesting that any single action that Google Assistant can perform can also be set as a shortcut.

While the Google Assistant theming may be related to Android 12, My Actions shortcuts don’t appear to be. That said, with Google I/O 2021 less than a week away, we may not have to wait long to get more information on these features, such as how Google might plan to implement better theming on some of the best Android phones outside of its own Pixel devices.

The early-adopter

Google Pixel 5

$650 at Best Buy
$675 at Amazon

Get Android 12 first

The Google Pixel 5 is one of the best value flagship smartphones. It has exceptional cameras, fast updates, and is usually the first to gain the latest features arriving on Android. If you’re an early adopter, this phone will be the best choice to try Android 12 before most people.