Google’s December Pixel Feature Drop introduced a bug that caused dark mode icons to appear light. Although a fix was available, the issue persisted, leaving users confused about the intended behavior of the update. However, with the January 2025 security update, Google has finally resolved the problem, restoring dark mode icons to their proper appearance.
The issue affected Material You themed icons in dark mode, causing them to display in light mode after updating. Users initially discovered a workaround by toggling between different Material You themes in the Wallpaper & style app, which temporarily restored darkness to the icons. However, the issue persisted even with this fix, with some users reporting that the icons appeared lighter than before.
Google acknowledged the problem and released a fix in its January 2025 security patches, citing an “issue with Pixel launcher themed icon color display in certain conditions.” It appears that both light mode and darker icon issues have been resolved, restoring balance to the user experience.
Source: https://www.androidpolice.com/google-pixel-themed-icons-dark-mode-fixed