Spotify wanted to celebrate its 20th anniversary with a disco ball app icon. The internet said absolutely not.
But Google looked at the backlash and said, "Watch this." The tech giant just rolled out custom disco ball-themed icons for Pixel phones—pure chaotic glee.
Sameer Samat, Google's Android ecosystem head, posted the reveal on X: "Your wish is our command. Disco icons available on Pixel as of today. Are y'all sure you still want this??" The screenshot showed an entire homescreen bedazzled in sparkly, glittery app icons.
This was premeditated trolling. Just days earlier, Samat had asked, "Should we make this icon pack happen on Android?" while showing off a Chrome icon transformed into a disco ball. The internet collectively said yes as a joke. Google took it as a mandate.
The disco pack joins Google's custom icon feature, which debuted in March's Pixel Drop with other styles like Scribbles (hand-drawn), Treasure (gold), and Easel (painted). The disco ball is the one everyone's discussing.
Spotify had already apologized for the chaos, tweeting that the temporary icon was "just a temporary sitch." Translation: we heard you screaming. Google seemingly disagreed and decided to lean into the glitter instead.
The internet's reaction split between "it's awful, I'll take it" and pure appreciation for the audacity. X users are losing it over the homescreen transformation, with former Pixly co-founder Race Johnson quipping, "When your home screen gets bottle service."
Is it tacky? Absolutely. Is it available right now on Pixel? Yes. That's the most on-brand move Google could have made in this saga.
