Custom icon shapes might return to Pixel phones with Android 16

Key Takeaways

Custom icon shapes for Pixels may be making a return after being removed in Android 12.
The option was spotted in an Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 update and posted on a popular Telegram channel.
Google may also be redesigning the Wallpaper & Style app in response to user feedback.

Google giveth and Google taketh away. And sometimes, Google realizes it made a mistake, and giveth again, at least in the case of

custom home screen
icons for Pixels.

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Custom icon shapes for Pixel phones were spotted in the latest Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 update and posted on the Telegram channel Google News. This is a beloved feature Google removed way back with Android 12, along with custom status bar icons and fonts. At least one of those things is coming back, although there appears to be a limit.

Details emerge of new customization options

Screenshots of the new custom icons on side-by-side Pixel phones.

There’s a new option called ‘App Shape, Layout’ in the latest beta update, Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1. This option allows users to change the shape of icons on the home screens of their Pixel devices. However, only six shapes are available. Whether more shapes will be added remains to be seen.

People were disappointed when Google took away a lot of customization options in Android 12, including custom home screen icon shapes. The return of custom icons is a welcome change for a community of users who love to individualize their devices by tailoring every aspect of their home screen.

Is a redesigned Wallpaper & Style app on the way?

But Google may not only be considering back one small customization feature. This ‘App Shape, Layout’ item in the Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 suggests Google is working on redesigning the Wallpaper & Style app. This is particularly interesting because it shows Google may finally be listening to user feedback. Customization has always been what set Android apart. Google tried to emulate Apple with the Pixel line, but thankfully seems to be stepping back from that.

The current beta offers only six icon shapes. There is a circle, a square with rounded corners, a star, and a few star-like squiggly-lined icons. More could be added as Google continues to refine the new features in the redesigned app. Or it might not launch at all. This is a beta update, after all.