Google’s Android 17 Beta 4 came with a surprising new feature that requires slightly different hardware than what’s available on current Pixel models.
After some digging, Android Authority discovered a ‘Light animations’ feature called Pixel Glow. The Pixel Glow setting explains that it “uses a subtle light and color on the back of your device to inform you of important activity when it’s face down.”
AA has learned through finding this feature and digging through strings of code that if Pixel Glow is on the next generation of Pixel smartphones, the handset will have some sort of hardware lights (likely beyond the camera flash) that will act as some sort of notification light. Additionally, Gemini will reportedly play a role in Pixel Glow, which might match the rainbow colours you see when you interact with Gemini.
It’s possible that Pixel 11 might have some sort of hardware lights around or in the camera visor or elsewhere, but I’m looking forward to seeing what Google has up its sleeves.
I love notification lights; they used to be the norm, but have become rarer as other technology has become more popular. But we’ve seen notification lights make a comeback in recent years, thanks to creative implementations from brands like Nothing.
Source: Android Authority
