[Updated] Google Assistant stuck in dark mode after Android 13 stable update even with light theme enabled

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on August 19, 2022) follows:

Google Assistant is Google’s voice assistant just like Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri. It is available on multiple devices including Android smartphones, Android TV, Google Nest and so on.

But lately, Google Assistant is automatically switching to dark mode for many Google Pixel users after the stable update to Android 13 (1, 2, 3). The issue persists even when the light theme is enabled on the devices.

Users find it quite unusual for only Google Assistant to switch to dark mode when everything else is light-themed. We’ve added a couple of reports about the issue below for reference:

For the past month, maybe more, I’ve noticed that my Google Assistant is always black as if it’s in dark mode. Is this a feature or a bug?
Source

Issues related to Android 13 stable update don’t really come off as a surprise. We had recently witnessed Gboard haptic feedback functioning erratically after the update.

However, the issue with Google Assistant being stuck in dark mode isn’t exactly new. It was also there during the beta testing days.

Yeah, I noticed that since last week on my S22 Ultra on Android 13 beta, I first thought it was the beta, but then I saw it on the Pixel as well
Source

Even though the issue was passed on to the development team during beta testing, it seems it wasn’t fixed in the stable release. The status of the bug in Google’s issue tracker still appears as “Assigned”.

That said, there’s no official word from Google as to when the issue will be addressed. Unfortunately, we have also not come across a workaround that can help deal with the issue temporarily.

Hopefully, the issue with Google Assistant being stuck in dark mode gets fixed soon, or at least gets officially acknowledged.

We will keep an eye on further developments and update this article accordingly. Meanwhile, check out our Google Pixel Android 13 bug tracker for more insights into other issues.

04:57 pm (IST): Google has acknowledged the issue where Google Assistant is stuck on dark mode after Android 13 update and said that they are investigating it.

Hi Artem. Thanks for your feedback. We’ve asked our product team to take a look at this and we’ll get back to you with more information as soon as we have it. Stay tuned! (Source)

01:11 pm (IST): Google support has confirmed that Google Assistant is not stuck in dark mode, but its an intended behavior. That means the light mode for Google Assistant is no longer available. Here’s the full statement:

Google Assistant regularly tries new ideas to see what works and what could work better. This includes ways to make our products look and feel consistent throughout our product ecosystem.

To offer a more helpful visual experience across all your devices, including Pixel Watch and Google TV, when you engage with Assistant on mobile Light mode is no longer available – it will now have a dark appearance, even if you have Dark theme turned off in your phone settings. (Source)

NOTE: There’s more related coverage in our virtual assistants section.

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