Instagram's next big thing: Unpacking the excitement around dynamic theming
Delhi : During the same time last year, Android 13 gained popularity for its dynamic theming functionality, which was a logical step forward for home screen customization following the release of Material You dynamic theming for significant UI elements in Android 12. It appears that Instagram is finally here.
The Android Instagram app icon was unaffected by the forced dynamic theming, but Meta had not expressed interest in maintaining this functionality. But according to a recent update sent on Telegram by Apex Android expert Mishaal Rahman, the Instagram Android app has now adopted dynamic theming for its icon, as shown below in version v307.0.0.0.30:
After updating to this version, users will notice that the Instagram icon on their home screen smoothly changes colors according on the background they are currently using.
Though Rahman notes that Instagram has now caught up, Meta's journey with app icon updates is far from finished, particularly with the prominent bright blue symbol of the main Facebook app. The switch to themed icons has already been made by X, Twitch, Reddit, Discord, Mastodon, LinkedIn, and Threads, among other services.
In reality, what is dynamic theming?
Before this trend peaked, several well-known applications, including those from Google, swiftly adopted it. Surprisingly, though, a number of prestigious social networking programs failed to include this icon theming functionality. One such app was Instagram, although it is now updating its Android app icon.
Icons with a theme are created with the Material You design philosophy in mind. The basic colors of a user's selected wallpaper are found and combined using Android's Monet theming process to create a harmonious yet eye-catching color scheme. Then, this style is carried through to other UI components, such as the toggles for Quick Settings, the notification menu, and even applications.
This harmony of colors was expanded to include app icons with Android 13. However, other programs were hesitant to use this new style. An option to force the theme was added to the Android 13 beta version in response to this issue, guaranteeing a unified look even if certain apps performed slowly. Although this modification worked well overall, there were a few little problems with it as well.
It's about time Meta updated the Facebook symbol, as a few outlier icons among a plethora of vibrantly designed ones might detract from the overall aesthetic attractiveness. Users still have the option to utilize forced dynamic theming until such upgrades are implemented for all applications. The Wallpaper & style application's Home Screen section provides access to this capability.
The way Android's dynamic theming has developed shows how dedicated the tech industry is to maintaining visual coherence and user customisation. It's clear that the desire for a unified user experience is more than just a passing fad as popular programs like Instagram at last adopt this strategy. Giants like Meta still have a responsibility, though, to make sure that every program in their portfolio supports this goal. The visual language of the digital world should change along with it.
