Google appears to be working on a new notification tool called Pixel Glow. An APK teardown of the latest Android 17 Beta release has reportedly included hints about this feature, which is likely to be designed to light up for alerts and notifications instead of the ringer when the Pixel phone is lying face down. The Pixel Glow feature is expected to debut in the upcoming Pixel 11 series. The brand may add RGB LEDs to upcoming Pixel devices to enable the functionality.
Pixel Glow Spotted in Android 17 Beta 4 APK Teardown
As reported by Android Authority, an APK teardown of Android 17 Beta 4 includes references to a new feature codenamed “orbit.” It is said to mention an upcoming notification feature called Pixel Glow, which is designed to use “subtle light and colour” to alert users when their phone is placed face down. The phone could light up for incoming calls. The feature was reportedly previously referred to as “Light animations”.
Screenshots shared in the report show the feature with a description that reads: “Stay in the moment without losing touch. Pixel Glow uses subtle light and colour on the back of your device to inform you of important activity when it’s face down.” The codes also indicate that Gemini will have a major role in Pixel Glow functionality.
Google offered a Flash Notifications feature with Android 14, which uses the display and camera LED for alerts. The Pixel Glow is expected to be different from this functionality. The code references “The device must have hardware lights”, which indicates that upcoming Pixel Smartphones, possibly the Pixel 11 series, will include dedicated RGB lighting hardware to support this feature. The code suggests that there could be lighting effects when interacting with Gemini.
However, early renders of Pixel 11 have not included any design changes offering lighting effects. Google is expected to launch the Pixel 11 in August this year with upgrades over the Pixel 10 lineup. The vanilla Pixel 11 is likely to feature a 6.3-inch LTPO AMOLED display, a Tensor G6 processor, and a MediaTek M90 modem.
