News
Google goes for the glitter with disco-ball icons: ‘Are y’all sure you still want this?’
So bad, it’s good? Google on Friday joined in the disco ball icon fun taking place on home screens everywhere. After Spotify’s temporary new disco ball app icon, released to celebrate the company’s 20th anniversary, drew extensive online backlash (and a bit of praise for those who like a little kitsch!), Google decided to get in on the joke and rolled out a custom set of Android app icons sporting a similar disco ball theme.
On X, Android ecosystem head Sameer Samat posted, “Your wish is our command. Disco icons available on Pixel as of today…Are y’all sure you still want this?”
His post included a screenshot of a Pixel phone fully decked out with sparkly, disco-ball-inspired icons, which looks just as terrible (incredible??) as it sounds.
The new icons are available through Pixel’s relatively new custom icons feature, which allows users to choose from different AI-generated styles for their app icons. Before this, users could only customize their icons by changing their colors to match the phone’s wallpaper and theme.
The custom icons feature rolled out in March’s Pixel Drop — Google’s term for its periodic feature updates to Pixel phones — introducing app icon templates like a hand-drawn “Scribbles” aesthetic, a gold look called “Treasure,” a colorful, painted style dubbed “Easel,” and others.
Earlier this week, Samat had jokingly tweeted, “Should we make this icon pack happen on Android?” alongside a Chrome icon turned into a disco ball.
Silly as it may be, Google actually made it happen.
Many people had complained about the Spotify icon, calling it ugly, prompting the company to remind them it was just a temporary sitch. “Alright, we know glitter is not for everyone,” the streamer wrote.
Google, seemingly, disagrees. As off-brand as its disco-themed icons are, there’s also something whimsical about turning your whole homescreen into a sparkly landscape of little apps. (And, in case you missed it, the Zillennials are really into whimsy right now, The New York Times reports, describing their “playful response to a difficult world.”)
Upon seeing Google’s release, X user and former Pixly co-founder Race Johsnon quipped, “When your home screen gets bottle service.” Said another, “Omg it’s awful. I’ll take it!”
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The outcome of the Osun State governorship election has been described as more than a victory for Governor Ademola Adeleke and the Accord Party, with the result also presenting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with an important test of his administration’s commitment to democratic competition.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Adeleke the winner after he polled 511,067 votes, defeating his closest challenger, APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji.
For supporters of President Tinubu’s democratic credentials, the outcome carries significance beyond the immediate political fortunes of the APC.
The argument is straightforward: a president does not strengthen democracy by ensuring that his party wins every election. Rather, democratic confidence is strengthened when voters are allowed to make a different choice and that choice is respected.
That is why the Osun result could become an important reference point as Nigeria begins to look increasingly towards the 2027 general elections.
President Tinubu has repeatedly spoken about the importance of credible elections and the power of the ballot. Against that background, an opposition victory in Osun provides an opportunity to assess those principles beyond political speeches.
The result also offers a counterpoint to the long-standing perception that the party controlling the Federal Government must necessarily dominate elections across the states.
In Osun, voters have produced a different outcome.
Adeleke, seeking another term, secured the mandate after a closely watched contest in which the APC sought to reclaim the state. INEC’s final declaration has now put the people’s verdict on record.
The political significance could extend beyond Osun.
With political parties already positioning themselves for 2027, the election may fuel a broader conversation about the independence of the electoral process, the ability of opposition parties to compete and the extent to which voters can determine outcomes regardless of which party controls Abuja.
For Tinubu, therefore, the Osun election can be viewed from two perspectives.
Politically, his party has lost an important governorship contest.
Democratically, however, supporters of his administration can argue that allowing the electorate’s decision to stand is itself a victory for constitutional democracy.
The bigger question is whether this standard will continue to define future elections across Nigeria.
For now, the people of Osun have spoken, and INEC has announced their choice.
Adeleke gets another term.
The APC gets another lesson.
And Nigerian democracy gets another test passed—provided the people’s verdict continues to be respected.
Congratulations to the winner. Tough luck to the losers.
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