Google’s toying with the idea of swapping Android’s notification icons out for regular app icons

It hasn’t quite landed yet, but Android 15 is set to arrive to phones sometime in the next couple of weeks. And while the anticipation runs high thanks to all the exciting changes the new update will bring, like support for Channel Sounding. With that said, we can already start looking forward to features potentially launching with future updates, thanks to hints found in the source code for the OS that was pushed to AOSP towards the beginning of the month.

Mishaal Rahman of Android Authority has been digging through the source code, discovering a wealth of new features and changes that aren’t quite live yet, but are also quite interesting, like a newly redesigned notification and Quick Settings panel. In addition to that change, it looks like there’s also the possibility that Google is experimenting with new notification settings that could bring a more vibrant and more importantly glanceable experience to Android.

A small change could make a big difference for some

Source: Android Authority

While we typically see subdued icons for notifications, it appears that there are flags currently in the OS that enable the use of the app’s main icons, which provide more color for notification icons compared to what we see now. Not only does this appear in the status bar, but it can also be enabled for use in the always-on display (AOD) and other areas as well.

You can see examples of how this will look in the images above. Now, if you’re not a fan of seeing full color icons in your notifications and AOD, then there also appears to be an option that will show a monochrome icon set as well. While it isn’t the best visually according to Rahman, it is an option, and apparently also gets a small tint of color depending on the theme.

Of course, none of this is live yet, so it’s unclear whether it will ever be a future feature of the OS. But it’s interesting to see Google at work here, trying to improve something that many already find quite usable and satisfying. But having the option to change to something more colorful could be beneficial to some, especially those that need a clearer indication at a glance.