Run a lit cell round the loading grid instead of a diagonal wave
The loading grid now runs a lit cell round its ring, step by step, instead of sliding a gradient across.
The 3×3 grid on the busy line moves one cell at a time. A lit cell runs clockwise round the outer eight cells, with a short fading tail. The centre pulses once a lap. Each cell holds its level for a whole step, so the grid reads as cells, not a gradient. Under reduced motion it stays still.
In the app