I finally gave in to Google’s Material You dream after Meta’s icon updates, here’s why

(Image: Google)

The result is a messy and inconsistent experience. Turn it on and you’ll see a mix of themed and regular app icons on your home screen – far from the harmonious colour palette that Google showed off in its Android 12 promo images in 2021.

That’s why I never bothered to enable dynamic theming on any of the devices I’ve used so far. Google also doesn’t force apply dynamic theming to icons like some OEMs like Nothing has done as a workaround. And since I value convenience over aesthetics, I didn’t bother to keep my home screen free of non-Material You-compliant icons like some of my customisation-obsessed friends have done.

But things are changing. Meta has finally caved in and brought themed icons to Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger on Android. Instagram always disturbed the Material You vibe whenever I switched it on, so I avoided turning it on altogether. But with this problem solved, I was tempted to give Material You another chance.

(Image: Zohaib Ahmed/The Indian Express)

I decided to go with a soothing maroon-coloured wallpaper for my Google Pixel 8, matching the colour of the case I chose. Who doesn’t love matching colours? The Pixel 8 also has a Cinematic wallpaper option that adds some 3D and motion effects to static wallpapers, making them more lively  – so obviously, I turned it on.

(Express image)

As someone who shunned Material You because of its chaotic nature, I was pleasantly surprised by how much it improved since its launch. My eyes can’t get used to how good the uniform colours of the material icons look, and I have no desire to return to the regular ones anytime soon.

It seems that Google’s vision of a personalised and adaptive interface is slowly becoming a reality, and more and more apps are joining the bandwagon – even if it’s just in the icons department.

So what do you think? If you have been dodging Material You so far like me, have the icon updates to Meta’s fleet of apps finally convinced you to hop aboard?