Android 15 could soon bring back a popular home screen customization trick

• Android Home Screen icon shapes could soon be customizable
• The change has been spotted in the latest Android 15 beta
• Android did previously have this option back in Android 11

While Android 15 has now been officially pushed out – to Pixel phones, at least – there will be plenty more updates coming to the operating system over the next few months, and it looks as though an old customization feature could be making a return.

As spotted by tipster Nail Sadykov (via Android Authority), the latest Android 15 beta includes a hidden option to adjust the shape of the home screen icons from the standard circles. It’s a design tweak that’s not been available since back in Android 11.

It looks as though there are six different icon shapes to pick from, including the standard circle and square shapes, as well as a star-like shape. The customization doesn’t actually work right now, but the relevant screens can be enabled.

This is no guarantee that the feature will ever see the light of day, but it’s definitely something Google is considering. The option was previously banished with the arrival of Android 12 in 2021, as the customization settings were simplified.

Keep on customizing

Android has always been the mobile OS of choice for those who like tinkering with layouts and interfaces. You can even install an alternative launcher like Nova or Niagara if you want to reskin the entire look of the software.

In recent years though, iOS has been catching up: iOS 18 includes options for breaking away from the traditional home screen grid layout, and lets you tint the colors of the home screen icons to match the wallpaper. Perhaps Google has realized it needs to up its game.

There’s plenty more that’s new in the latest Android 15 beta, as outlined in the Android Authority report: we can look forward to improvements to the Do Not Disturb feature, as well as a native Linux Terminal app that will please the true Android enthusiasts.

As for when we’ll see it appear for everyone, that’s not clear. Pixel owners should get the update soon-ish – Android 16 is apparently only seven months away – but Samsung Galaxy phones aren’t getting the Android 15-based One UI 7 before next year.

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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.