Android Q Beta 5 is adding a dark-themed Pixel boot animation

Damien Wilde | Jul 9 2019 - 4:19 am PT

While dark modes are en vogue, they do offer less eye-straining bonuses as well as potential battery life extensions. Google is slowly and steadily increasing its core apps to include proper dark themes, but it appears that has extended to the Pixel boot animation with Android Q Beta 5.

Splash screens are often the last place that are updated when an app gets the dark mode treatment. So it’s really awesome to see Google adopt a dark Pixel boot animation to help stop eye scorching when powering on your Pixel. Given that AMOLED displays also don’t need to power on display pixels to show black, this change should also help reduce some power usage when you turn your Pixel back on.

Initially spotted by XDA Developers, it appears that this will work as soon as you toggle the system-wide dark theme, available in the notification shade. If you aren’t a fan of the dark theme/mode, then it will retain the retina-blazing white theme.

XDA also notes that on the Pixel 3a, the boot animation is completely black, although this might not necessarily translate perfectly to the number of other devices that are part of the Q Beta program. With Q Beta 5 expected to drop soon, fans of a true system-wide dark theme will be stoked.

Check out the video below to see the new dark Pixel boot animation in action.