Google Just Unveiled a New Look for Android
Google has unveiled a major update to its Material 3 design language , which defines the look and feel of apps on Android and the web . The new look, called Material 3 Expressive, is intended to make the software “more attractive and easier to use” and is a significant departure from what came before.
It’s not easy to summarize what Material 3 Expressive is, but you can see some example Google screenshots included in this article. Google says that expressive design is design that “makes you feel something” when you use it. “Expressive interfaces have an emotional impact by strengthening connection, evoking a feeling or mood through visual design and interaction,” says the official blog post .
What this actually looks like are bolder colors, more creative use of typography, more flexibility in terms of shapes, and animations that are now more natural and fluid. You can expect Material 3 Expressive to start showing up in Google’s own apps, and that’s encouraging app developers to adopt the look as well. We should also hear more about the update at Google I/O 2025 , which takes place on May 20.
As you can see from the attached images, a new batch of text styles have been introduced to help give apps some flair and draw your attention to important features and functionality – be it a record button or an unread message. There are also dozens of new forms and new morphs to switch between.
Meanwhile, animation effects should look more realistic and logical than before. Colors have been updated to be richer and more dynamic, and as with other improvements, the idea behind the new color schemes is that users can better navigate apps and see where key features are located.
Google encourages app developers to combine these colors, shapes, text styles and animations to be more creative in their projects. “Creators have more flexibility with M3 than ever before, so we encourage you to play with these elements and see what works for you,” Google says.
Backed by user research
Material 3 Expressive’s updated design covers most aspects of the software interface, including navigation bars, progress bars, app controls, carousels, and floating action buttons (known as FABs). However, Google has explicitly stated that this is not a generational leap to Material 4, but rather an evolution of the existing Material 3 aesthetic.
The original idea behind Material 3 Expressive was apparently to “enhance the feel” and make mobile and web apps less homogeneous. While there’s plenty of guidance here for developers, Google is also keen to see more variety and experimentation, including “heroic moments” that “deviate from predictable or uniformly applied design ideas.”
And there’s a lot of research behind the new look. According to Google , Material 3 Expressive is based on 46 different studies covering more than 18,000 participants who were asked to rate visuals in categories including playfulness, energy, creativity, friendliness and modernity.
To make Material 3 Expressive look the way it does, a combination of surveys, experiments, and even eye-tracking tests were conducted. This is also an update that’s been three years in the making, so the shapes, colors and text you see here have been changed and refined over a long period of time – and will no doubt remain the same for several years before we get the next comprehensive visual update.
According to Google, the new look appealed to users of all ages. According to the study, new design guidelines make interfaces easier to use and result in apps that users are more likely to switch to. Key UI elements are apparently four times easier to spot in apps that follow Material 3 Expressive patterns.
Whether or not you’re a fan of the Material 3 Expressive’s look, it’s coming soon to Google’s suite of apps for mobile and the web. Google has now released design kits for developers to start experimenting with too, so third-party apps should also start implementing the visual update in the near future.