So bad, is it good? Google joined in on the disco ball icon fun on every home screen on Friday. After Spotify’s ephemeral new mirrorball app icon released to commemorate its 20th anniversary drew massive backlash online (and some kudos for those who like a little kitsch!), Google decided to get in on the joke and rolled out a custom set of similar mirrorball-themed Android app icons.
“Your wish is our command. Starting today, the disco icon will be available on Pixel…Are you sure you want this?” Samir Sammat, Head of Android Ecosystem, posted on X.
His post included a screenshot of a Pixel smartphone decorated with a glittery icon that resembles a disco ball. It looks and looks just as bad (incredibly??).
The new icons are available through Pixel’s relatively new Custom Icon feature, which lets users choose app icons from a variety of AI-generated styles. Previously, users could only customize icons by changing the color to match their phone’s wallpaper or theme.
The custom icon feature was rolled out in March with Pixel Drop (Google’s term for regular feature updates for Pixel smartphones), which introduced hand-drawn “doodle”-like app icon templates. The gold exterior is called a “treasure.” A colorful painting style called “easel”. And others.
Earlier this week, Samat jokingly tweeted, “Should we bring this icon pack to Android?” It’s next to the Chrome icon, which has turned into a mirror ball.
It may be stupid, but Google actually did it.
Many people complained that Spotify’s icon was ugly, so the company reminded them that it was just a temporary thing. “Okay, I know glitter isn’t for everyone,” the streamer wrote.
Google apparently doesn’t agree with this. The disco-themed icons are off-brand, but there’s also the quirkiness of turning your entire home screen into a shimmering landscape of tiny apps. (And in case you missed it, the Gilenials are currently into whimsy, reports the New York Times, describing their “playful response to a difficult world.”)
“When you get bottle service on your home screen,” quipped X user and former Pixly co-founder Race Johnson after seeing Google’s release. Another said: “That’s terrible. I’ll take it!”
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