Android is copying one of the vital underappreciated iPhone options

We have recognized for a while that Google has been working on incorporating a system-level LED depth slider into the Android OS, and it seems like the corporate is continuous to shine up the function previous to formally launching it to the general public.

In its earlier pre-release incarnations, this new flash slider interface lived inside Android’s Fast Settings panel, accessible by long-pressing on the flashlight tile. That is nonetheless the case now, however the slider itself has been upgraded from a easy coloured bar UI to a stylized depiction of an precise real-world flashlight.

This small-but-noticeable person interface tweak, which was first noticed by the oldsters over at Android Authority, is contained inside the newest 2510 Canary channel launch of Google’s flagship cellular working system.

Google first rolled out this new, devoted Canary channel again in the summertime, with it serving as a alternative for Android’s earlier developer preview program. Canary is a separate pre-release channel that the corporate makes use of as a testing mattress for in-development working system options, prior to creating them publicly out there in beta testing kind.

iOS’ flash depth slider is an underappreciated software program gem

Exterior the Apple orchard, there’s room for an additional flashlight depth slider UI

When Apple first launched its redesigned flashlight adjustment interface again in iOS 18, I used to be shocked by the eye to element positioned inside such a seemingly innocuous nook of the OS. The function got here collectively completely, with its easy animations, its Dynamic Island integration, and its granular management over not solely LED brightness, but in addition beam width.

Whereas Android’s upcoming riff on this iPhone function is not fairly as technically superior (for now, solely brightness stage is adjustable), I nonetheless recognize that Google is prioritizing each utility and aesthetic enchantment on this upcoming replace.

As for when the all-new flashlight adjustment slider may hit normal availability, Google has but to light up us with any official timeline particulars. The function is not current in the latest beta build of Android 16 QPR2, which makes it extra seemingly that it will ship alongside Android 16 QPR3 someday in March 2026 on the earliest.