Earlier this month, we reported how the At a Glance widget is getting a big Material You redesign. Google is still actively working on this new At a Glance, including the ability to customize the widget.
About APK Insight: In this “APK Insight” post, we’ve decompiled the latest version of an application that Google uploaded to the Play Store. When we decompile these files (called APKs, in the case of Android apps), we’re able to see various lines of code within that hint at possible future features. Keep in mind that Google may or may not ever ship these features, and our interpretation of what they are may be imperfect. We’ll try to enable those that are closer to being finished, however, to show you how they’ll look in case that they do ship. With that in mind, read on.
The new At a Glance will be available in three widget styles. The background options are Solid, Semi-transparent, and Transparent. That last one is the most distinct of the bunch with the pill-shaped container using a thin outline, while Semi-transparent allows your wallpaper to shine through. Solid being white instead of conforming to Dynamic Color is interesting, but could be something coming down the line.
These upcoming At a Glance options are similar to how you can customize the Google Search bar widget today. (This is available in Google app settings by searching for “widget.”) Options there include logo, shape, color, and shading (transparency).
One small tweak from earlier is how the overflow menu can be vertically centered based on what’s being shown. Google is implementing a thumbs up (Useful) or down (Not useful) system for the “Current content” in the At a Glance settings sheet. You can edit the “Style” from here and “Customize” other features as well.
These options likely won’t satisfy people who want the ability to remove At a Glance entirely, but it’s better than nothing. Meanwhile, the ability to rate the current At a Glance suggestion could be Google trying to improve relevance and utility.
Thanks to JEB Decompiler, from which some APK Insight teardowns benefit.
Dylan Roussel contributed to this article.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments