Several users reported on Reddit and Google’s IssueTracker page that Google Assistant only displayed the dark mode theme in Android 13 even when their phone was set to the light mode theme. The light theme for Google Assistant was previously available for Android devices, so users initially thought it was a bug and expected it to be fixed soon. However, Google has now officially announced that this change is not a bug and was done on purpose. Google has confirmed that its voice assistant on Android only supports the dark theme, even if the dark theme is turned off in the phone’s settings. This change only applies to smartphones with Android 13 and is similar to the Google Assistant available on other devices such as smartwatches and TVs. The light mode theme for Google Assistant is no longer available on Android devices, and the company says the change is intentional.
Why was this change made?
In a comment posted on the IssueTracker page (via Gadgetsnow), Google confirmed that its voice assistant would only support the dark theme for smartphones in the coming days (first spotted by AndroidPolice). The tech giant also explained that this decision was made to unify the Google Assistant experience across multiple devices. Google TV, WearOS smartwatches, Android Auto and Nest Hub smart displays are some of the devices where Google Assistant shows a dark theme by default. Google Assistant on smartphones supports an optional lighting mode, but that is changing because the company wants Android 13 to offer a similar experience to its voice assistant on other devices.
