Android’s Settings are getting a ColorOS Makeover

Summary: Google is quietly preparing a major visual overhaul for the Android Settings app, bringing bold new colors and a more expressive design — and it looks a lot like ColorOS. While it’s not live in Android 16 Beta 4 by default, hidden flags reveal a redesigned layout with color-coded sections that could debut alongside Material Design 3 at Google I/O. This marks one of Android’s most playful visual updates in years, signaling a broader push toward personalization and UI flair in future Android releases.

Google is apparently getting ready to give the Settings app in Android a nice makeover. Making it look a bit more like ColorOS, actually. Mishaal Rahman has found evidence of Google preparing to introduce updates to its “expressive redesign” that it is developing for the Settings app. The icons in the Settings app are now going to be different colors.

From the screenshots that Mishaal has shared, it appears that different sections of the main Settings page will have different colors. For example, the Network & Internet and Connected Devices are the same color blue, with Apps being a different color blue. Notifications, Sound & Vibration, and Modes are a pink color, etc.

Since the icons are all different colors, it doesn’t seem likely that these icon colors come from the Material Design feature that uses the colors from your wallpapers, which is how it works in OnePlus’ OxygenOS.

This is not actually live in Android 16 Beta 4, but you can enable it with the other expressive design changes, which we could see debuting at Google I/O next month.

Google is set to debut Material Design 3 at I/O

Earlier this week, Mishaal also reported that Google was preparing to release Material Design 3, likely at Google I/O next month. This would be a more expressive design, versus the Material Design 2 that we already have on Android. Android Authority also noticed that there was a code change on the Google I/O website, which indicates that Google might have a talk about this new Material Design theme next month. Though given the fact that many of the expressive design elements we’ve seen in Android 16 are a work in progress, this likely won’t be ready for Android 16, since we are now on the last beta.

Material Design 3 could be coming in Android 17, at least partially. That would give other teams at Google, as well as third-party developers, time to get their apps ready for this design change. Though they likely won’t be forced to adopt Material Design 3.