What you need to know
- The first Android 11 Developer Preview was released earlier this week.
- In it is evidence that the company is playing around with adding more colors to the Quick Settings panel.
- The colors that are currently being tested are blue, yellow, red, and green.
The Android 11 Developer Preview is finally available. And with each new release, the question that's on everyone's minds is: "What new features is Google cooking up?" Alongside a number of big changes, the company has also been making several smaller tweaks aimed at making the UI more pleasing.
Thanks to XDA Developers, we now know about two of them, which pertain to the Quick Settings panel. Not only is Google testing moving music controls to the menu, but it's also considering adding a splash of colors to the individual tiles.
While the changes aren't easily accessible even on the Developer Preview, XDA's Mishaal Rahman was able to tinker with the OS' code and manually change the colors for the various settings from the standard blue to a choice of green, yellow, or red.
So, Google is definitely working on this feature, though it remains unclear if the change will make it to the final builds of Android 11. What's also ambiguous is how the color options will be implemented.
One option would be to just let users manually change tile colors themselves. Another possibility is that Google's merely laying the groundwork for app developers to set what color their Quick Settings tile has, without necessarily giving users that choice.
We'll likely have to wait for the next few Developer Previews and betas to get a better idea, but one thing we can say is that the menu certainly looks nicer than before.
Have you listened to this week's Android Central Podcast?
Every week, the Android Central Podcast brings you the latest tech news, analysis and hot takes, with familiar co-hosts and special guests.
