If you’ve recently updated your Pixel device to Android 16 and noticed that your home screen shortcuts have transformed into mysterious blank gray circles, you’re not experiencing a hardware failure or a virus attack. This is a documented software bug that has affected numerous beta testers and early adopters. As an Information Technology Specialist with over five years of enterprise experience, I’ve analyzed this issue across multiple device configurations and Android builds to bring you definitive solutions that actually work.
This guide covers everything from Google’s official patches to manual troubleshooting steps, ensuring you can restore your home screen to full functionality regardless of your technical expertise level.
Related Reading: If you’re experiencing other Android 16 issues, check out our guides on How to Fix Android 16 Battery Drain Problems and Android 16 vs Android 15: Should You Upgrade?.
Understanding the Gray Circles Bug
The “blank gray circles” issue in Android 16 manifests when home screen shortcuts—particularly those created from Chrome web pages or specific app features—lose their icon rendering capabilities. Instead of displaying the expected app icon or website favicon, the shortcut appears as a generic gray circle, often making it impossible to identify which app or site it represents.
Example of gray circle shortcuts on Pixel 8 Pro running Android 16 QPR2 Beta 2
According to Google’s official release notes, this bug (tracked as Issue #440302367) was particularly prevalent in Android 16 QPR2 Beta versions, affecting Pixel devices enrolled in the Android Beta Program . The root cause relates to the Pixel Launcher’s icon rendering engine failing to properly cache or display shortcut icons, particularly when themed icons or Material You dynamic coloring is enabled.
Who Is Affected?
| Device Category | Risk Level | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pixel 6/7/8/9 Series (Beta) | High | Primary affected group during QPR2 Beta 1-2 |
| Pixel Fold/Pro Fold | Medium | Higher incidence due to launcher CPU usage bugs |
| Samsung Galaxy (One UI 7) | Low | Similar symptoms possible with third-party launchers |
| Other Android 16 Devices | Low | Depends on OEM launcher implementation |
Method 1: Install the Official Google Patch (Recommended)
The most reliable fix comes directly from Google. Android 16 QPR2 Beta 3, released in October 2025, specifically addressed the gray circles issue in its changelog . If you’re currently running an earlier beta version, updating to Beta 3.2 or later should resolve the problem automatically.
Step-by-Step Update Process:
- Open Settings on your Pixel device
- Navigate to System → System update
- Tap Check for update
- If Android 16 QPR2 Beta 3 or newer is available, download and install it
- Restart your device after installation completes
- Verify that shortcut icons have restored upon reboot
Home screen after applying the official patch – icons restored correctly
For Stable Release Users:
If you’re waiting for the stable release rather than participating in the beta program, Android 16 QPR2 reached platform stability in December 2025 . Navigate to the same System update menu and install any available security patches or feature drops dated December 2025 or later.
Pro Tip: Want to learn more about Android’s beta program? Read our comprehensive guide on How to Join the Android Beta Program Safely.
Method 2: Clear Pixel Launcher Cache and Data
If you’re unable to update immediately or the issue persists after updating, corrupted launcher data is the most likely culprit. This method forces the Pixel Launcher to rebuild its icon cache without affecting your personal data or app installations.
Detailed Steps:
- Open Settings → Apps
- Tap See all apps (or App info on some devices)
- Locate and select Pixel Launcher from the list
- Note: If using a third-party launcher like Nova or Niagara, select that launcher instead
- Tap Storage & cache
- Select Clear cache first (this preserves your home screen layout)
- Restart your device
- Check if gray circles are resolved
If the issue persists after clearing cache:
- Return to Settings → Apps → Pixel Launcher → Storage & cache
- Tap Clear storage (this will reset your home screen layout to default)
- Restart your device
- Re-add your shortcuts manually from the app drawer or Chrome browser
Important: Clearing storage removes custom widget placements and folder organizations. Consider taking screenshots of your home screen layout before proceeding if you have complex arrangements.
Method 3: Disable and Re-enable Themed Icons
Android 16’s enhanced Material You implementation can conflict with certain shortcut icon formats, particularly legacy web shortcuts created before the Android 16 update. Temporarily disabling themed icons forces the system to render original icon assets.
Implementation Guide:
- Long-press any empty area on your home screen
- Select Wallpaper & style from the menu
- Scroll to the Themed icons toggle
- Turn OFF Themed icons
- Wait 10-15 seconds for icons to refresh
- Check if gray circles have been replaced with proper icons
- If resolved, you may re-enable Themed icons—the fix often persists
According to Android Police’s analysis, Android 16 Beta 2 introduced specific complications with themed icon color palettes that could cause unresponsiveness in the Wallpaper & style menu . If you experience extreme lag when selecting color presets (requiring 25+ taps as documented in testing), use the alternative path:
- Settings → Wallpaper & style → System colors (accessed via three-dot menu)
Deep Dive: For a complete walkthrough of Material You customization, see our article on Mastering Material You on Android 16.
Method 4: Recreate Corrupted Shortcuts
When shortcuts appear gray with a small broken icon indicator in the corner, this indicates the linked app has been uninstalled, disabled, or the shortcut path has become corrupted. Unlike temporary rendering glitches, these shortcuts require deletion and recreation.
Process for Web Shortcuts (Chrome):
- Long-press the gray circle shortcut
- Select Remove or drag to “Remove” at the top of the screen
- Open Chrome browser
- Navigate to the website you want to shortcut
- Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) → Add to Home screen
- Confirm the shortcut name and tap Add
- Verify the new shortcut displays the correct favicon
Process for App Shortcuts:
- Remove the gray shortcut from home screen
- Open the app drawer (swipe up from bottom)
- Locate the original app
- Long-press the app icon
- Drag to desired home screen location, or select specific shortcut actions (if available)
- For apps with multiple activities, use Widgets section to find specific shortcut types
Method 5: Check Digital Wellbeing Restrictions
In some cases, gray icons indicate intentional system restrictions rather than bugs. Android’s Digital Wellbeing feature can gray out app icons when usage limits are reached or Focus mode is active .
Verification Steps:
- Settings → Digital Wellbeing & parental controls
- Check App timers section
- Verify if grayed apps have active time limits
- Review Focus mode status
- If the app appears in restricted lists, either:
- Wait until midnight for automatic reset
- Manually disable the app timer
- Turn off Focus mode temporarily
Method 6: Safe Mode Diagnostic
If gray circles persist across multiple apps and standard fixes fail, a third-party application may be interfering with the launcher’s icon rendering. Safe Mode disables all non-system apps, allowing you to isolate the conflict.
Entering Safe Mode on Android 16:
- Press and hold the Power button
- Long-press the Power off option on screen
- Tap OK when “Reboot to safe mode” appears
- Device will restart with “Safe mode” indicator in bottom-left corner
- Check if shortcuts display correctly in Safe Mode
If fixed in Safe Mode: A recently installed app is causing the conflict. Uninstall apps one by one, starting with the most recent installations, until the issue resolves.
If still gray in Safe Mode: The issue is system-level. Proceed to Method 7.
Method 7: Factory Reset (Last Resort)
When all other methods fail, a factory reset eliminates deep system corruption. This erases all personal data, so complete backups are mandatory.
Pre-Reset Checklist:
- Back up photos to Google Photos or local storage
- Verify contacts are synced to Google Account
- Export important SMS/MMS if needed
- Document app list for reinstallation
Reset Process:
- Settings → System → Reset options
- Select Erase all data (factory reset)
- Follow prompts to confirm
- Do not restore from backup during initial setup (this may re-import the corruption)
- Set up as new device, then manually re-add shortcuts
- If stable for 24 hours, you may selectively restore specific data categories
Critical Backup Guide: Before proceeding with a factory reset, follow our Complete Android 16 Backup and Restore Guide to ensure no data loss.
Prevention and Best Practices
To avoid recurrence of the gray circles issue on Android 16:
| Practice | Rationale |
|---|---|
| Keep system updated | Google patches icon rendering in monthly updates |
| Avoid creating shortcuts during beta updates | Install updates, reboot, then create shortcuts |
| Use Chrome’s “Add to Home screen” rather than third-party shortcut makers | Native implementation has better Android 16 compatibility |
| Limit third-party launchers during major Android version transitions | Pixel Launcher receives priority bug fixes |
| Regular cache clearing monthly | Prevents icon database corruption accumulation |
When to Contact Google Support
If you’ve exhausted all troubleshooting steps and gray circles persist, escalate through official channels:
- Settings → Tips & support → Contact us
- Or visit Google Pixel Support
- Reference Issue #440302367 in your support request
- Include your Android version (Settings → About phone → Build number)
For beta-specific issues, the Android Beta Program subreddit maintains active Google engineer participation for bug verification.
Conclusion
The Android 16 gray circles bug, while visually alarming, is fundamentally a rendering issue rather than data loss or security compromise. Google’s QPR2 Beta 3 and subsequent stable releases have largely eliminated the root cause for most users . For those still experiencing issues, the cache-clearing and shortcut recreation methods resolve the majority of remaining cases without requiring factory resets.
As Android 16 continues to evolve toward its final QPR releases, maintaining updated system software and using native shortcut creation methods provides the most stable experience. The enhanced Material You theming capabilities that occasionally trigger these rendering issues ultimately deliver a more cohesive visual experience once properly configured.
About the author–
Javed Ahmad is an Information Technology Specialist at Accenture with a postgraduate degree in IT and over 5 years of enterprise-level experience. He specializes in creating hands-on guides for B2B platforms, software tools, and FinTech, helping users solve complex technical problems with professional-grade accuracy. LinkedIn.