Google has been releasing various beta versions of Android 16 for a while now, but the juicy stuff is often hidden away. We have confirmation that Google is going to show us new design changes at I/O this month, and some of those changes can already be seen in the latest and final beta release.
Android Authority has done the work to enable the hidden design features in Beta 4, showcasing a range of subtle and not-so-subtle changes to the UI. Because these changes are still “off” even in the final beta, it’s likely that they won’t be included in the first stable release of Android 16. Instead, Google might activate them in a quarterly update sometime down the line. With any luck, they’ll give us some more information during the upcoming developer conference.
The design changes highlighted by Android Authority include font changes, icon changes, and added blur effects. The Settings app and Quick Settings panel are getting major updates to make them more “expressive,” and the lock screen has also been shuffled around to make it more compact.
One of the most fun features hidden in the beta is the new icon shape options. Alongside the default circular app icon shape, it looks like we’ll also be able to choose from “square,” “four-sided cookie,” “seven-sided cookie,” “arch,” and “complex clover” shapes. Whichever shape you select will be visible on both the home screen and the app drawer. Since the shape names are a little odd, I’ll borrow Android Authority’s comparison photo to illustrate what they actually look like.
Since we don’t know when Google plans to launch this new design theme, it’s hard to say how close these hidden changes are to the final product. We also don’t know if there are more changes to come that didn’t make it into this beta at all. It’s just 20 days now until Google I/O 2025, so we can look forward to finding out more in just a couple of weeks.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.
Apple's next cheaper iPhone could get a brand-new processor while keeping its most stubborn display compromise. Digital Chat Station tips the iPhone 18e for a 2027 release with a 2nm A20 chip and a 6.12-inch OLED screen still limited to 60Hz.
The rumored camera setup includes a single 48MP rear camera and a possible 24MP selfie camera. There's new hardware to consider, but buyers hoping Apple would extend that upgrade generosity to smoother scrolling could be disappointed.