Although we do not encounter the boat animation as often, it is still a part of the core experience of Android and should be consistent with wider design choices. A subtle tweak, but with Android 10, even the mobile home screen of Pixel phones got a dark background that would automatically be used when the system theme was set to dark mode. In the future, it may not be able to switch between the two modes at all.
A new commitment submitted to the Android Source Project suggests that this behavior is now being adjusted. While the initial boot (initial setting or after a factory setting) will use the traditional boot screen with a white background, each subsequent one will be in dark mode.
The reason for this change is that scheduled updates, which take place at night and need to be recharged, will no longer bother users. We’m not sure when this commitment will be merged and rolled out to Pixel phones, but owners will no longer have control over the theme for the boat animation once that happens.
Although small, this development is appreciated, but I think Google could go even further and use a dark background for the initial startup to cover everyone who goes through the setup process at night.
