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Wallpaper-based dynamic theming could make its way to more Android 12 devices soon
Google might soon require all OEMs to ship a Material You-style dynamic theming system with the Android 12 updates for their devices.
Google may soon require all Android OEMs that ship devices with Google Mobile Services to offer users a Material You-style dynamic theming system. The company is reportedly looking to make this mandatory for Android phones and tablets that ship with Android 12 or are getting an Android 12 update.
Substratum Hub
Substratum is a theming tool that can apply system-wide themes with or without root. This is a hub for everything you need to know about Substratum.
If you're interested in giving your Android phone a brand new look, there are few tools as powerful as Substratum. With just a few simple steps, you can completely change the look of the UI on your device. This hub has everything you need to get started with Substratum.
Sony Xperia XZ2's full theme engine ported to older Xperia devices
The Sony Xperia XZ2's full theme engine has been ported to older Xperia devices. Check it out here and see if your device is compatible.
The Sony Xperia XZ2's theme engine was one of the best available on Android phones. As part of stock on Marshmallow or Nougat on older Xperia devices, you could theme nearly everything. When the Android Oreo update came, though, many of these older devices lost their theming abilities. Only the wallpapers, accent, and home launcher were able to be themed. That's in comparison to what was previously possible, which was basically the full SystemUI. However, on the Sony Xperia XZ2, Sony brought back this complete theming functionality. Thanks to XDA Recognised Developer/Themer niaboc79, you can now re-activate this lost functionality on older Xperia devices.
Rootless custom themes on Android P are over as Google confirms restrictions are intended
Google confirmed that changes in Android P that block installation of custom overlays are intended, meaning rootless custom themes are no longer possible.
Android P (Android 9.0) is an exciting release for Android enthusiasts because of the many changes it's bringing to the user interface and user experience. Thanks to Google's work on Project Treble, the latest Android release is available in beta for not only the Google Pixel and Google Pixel 2 devices but also phones like the OnePlus 6, Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S, Sony Xperia XZ2, Essential Phone, and more. One not-so-exciting change in Android P, however, is the restriction the OS places on installing custom overlays. Overlays are used to modify the resources of an app and they're what the Substratum Theme Manager uses to make rootless custom themes possible on Android Oreo. Now, Google has confirmed that the restrictions are intended behavior, which means that rootless, system-wide custom themes will no longer be possible on Google smartphones and smartphones without existing theme engines moving forward.
Theme Your Phone With Substratum
Substratum is one of the hottest theme engines out right now for your rooted Android phone. Watch this video on how to get started with it.
Substratum is one of the hottest theme engines out right now. This video is a bit of an introduction to this theme engine and an explanation of what it can do. Follow our expanding playlist of videos focused on homescreen design here.