How-to
How do you change the wallpaper and system colors on a Pixel with Android 12?
In short
Long-press the home screen, open Wallpaper & style, pick the wallpaper, then choose a color combination. The system colors adapt.
Step by step
- Press and hold the home screen briefly. A small menu appears.
- Tap Wallpaper & style in the menu.
- In the first step, change the wallpaper and pick a new color or a new image. You see a preview for the home screen and the lock screen.
- Pick one of the preset color combinations. The system color, including that of Google's own apps, follows it.
- Switch on the dark theme if you like.
- Switch the themed icons on or off if you like. It is still in beta in the settings and colors the Google apps to match the wallpaper.
This is the new design language of Android 12, where sliders, switches and apps adapt their colors to the wallpaper. That makes every device look different.
On Android 11, there was a separate menu item for this in the settings. On Android 12, Wallpaper & style leads to the same menu as long-pressing the home screen. In this first version, Jen still missed the option to customize the shape, color and font of individual app icons.
As of: video from Oct 25, 2021. Menus and labels may change with later software updates.