WhatsApp Android 13 themed icon makes its way to a beta
WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.22.18.16 introduces the new icon, bringing consistency with themed app icons in the newest operating system for Android phones, Android 13.
Android adapts the icon of the app to match the current wallpaper or theme with themed icons, making your phone uniquely yours and color-coordinated across the board (that unified look was first brought by Android 12’s Material You redesign, which had the OS adapt to the colors in your wallpaper).
In order for WhatsApp to add support for themed icons, it has to add a monochromatic app icon, and it now has done just that for beta users on Android 13.
As you can see above, WhatsApp’s icon now looks different and matches the other icons, when the themed icon option is enabled within the system settings of an Android 13 device (with a WhatsApp beta, for the moment). It is colored to match the predominant shades and hues of the wallpaper or the theme of the device’s OS.
As this is still a beta version, we expect soon to see it official for users running Android 13. But there’s still time, given the fact that the new OS is available now only for Pixel phones (Pixel 4 or newer). The other manufacturers will catch up in the coming months with their Android 13 and new skins. And, we hope by that time, WhatsApp to have completed the necessary debugging so the feature will be available from the start (or at least, soonish after it).