Rita El Khoury/Android Authority
TL;DR
- Android 17 beta 4 gives internal reference to an in-development notification tool called Pixel Glow.
- Pixel Glow uses “subtle light and color” to let you know when your phone is facing down.
- The hardware lights requirements could mean that Google is adding RGB LEDs to upcoming Pixel devices.
Android 17 beta 4 has just arrived, bringing us closer than ever to Google’s upcoming stable release. At this late stage, we’re not seeing Google making too many user-facing changes — but that doesn’t mean progress isn’t moving quickly under the hood. As we delve deeper into the new build, we’ve managed to uncover a little secret that could perhaps hint at a major hardware change for the Pixel 11 series.
In Android 17 beta 2, we first identified development efforts on a feature for “Light Animations.” At the time we weren’t too sure what Google was doing here, and we didn’t have many details other than a reference to something called “Orbit”, which seemed like a possible codename. But now in Beta 4, the picture is finally starting to come together.
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For starters, we’re looking for a new name to go with it. Google now calls it “Light Animation” instead pixel brightness. But more than just getting that new name, we’re also seeing some text that starts to clarify (without any fluff) what this feature actually does. First of all, we’ve got this screen:
assembledebug/androidauthority
Let’s take a second to understand this: We’re talking about something that uses colored lights on the back of your phone and has Pixel branding.
Google gave us flash notifications in Android 14, using light from your screen or your camera’s LED to let you know about an incoming call. As you can see here, Pixel Glow will exist as some kind of alternative version – thought not to be able to be fully used at the same time.
code
Whether subtle lights should be shown when the user's favourite contracts call them (when the Pixel Glow feature is enabled)
Subtle lights when your favorite contacts call you
Calls from favorites
Hands-free interactions using visual feedback
Whether subtle lights should be shown when interacting with Gemini (when the Pixel Glow feature is enabled)
Speaking with Gemini
Allows the user to configure the Pixel Glow feature which uses subtle light and color to inform the user while the device is face down
Use subtle light and color to stay informed when your device is face down
Whether the Pixel Glow feature is enabled. This feature uses subtle light and color to inform the user while the device is face down
Use Pixel Glow
Pixel Glow, lights, effects, glow, notifications, calls, alerts, favorite contacts These strings establish that Gemini will play a key role in Pixel Glow, which would certainly fit in with the rainbow glow that Google has been emphasizing when talking up Gemini.
But how will this actually work? Sure, Google keeps hitting “subtle” again and again in this text, but will the Pixel 11 actually have some kind of gaming-phone-style RGB lights? Well, here’s another text string for you:
code
"The device must have hardware lights."We’re sure no obvious rear light (beyond the camera flash) is seen in the published Pixel 11 renders, but it’s entirely possible that those CAD-based renders won’t reveal such a new component — especially if it’s hidden somewhere within the camera bar.
Right now we’re here – we’ve got Some? Answers, of course, but they have only given rise to new, much more interesting questions. This leaves us with no option but to just watch. Thankfully, this is what we do best, so we’ll keep it straight and share any future updates with you.
⚠️ One tearing apk Helps to predict future features of a service based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to the public release.
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