Google launched its new Android design language, Material 3 Exprandive, on the Android Show ahead of Google I/O on Tuesday. The tech giant says the update is designed to make your phone more customizable and fluid.
Material 3 Express brings new elastic animations that Google says make your phone smoother. For example, when you delete a notification, you see a separate transition and feel a tactile rumble. When you disband the app on the recent app screen, get fussy, or drag it towards the shadow, you will see similar animations and feel the touch.
The update also cleverly blurs the background to provide a sense of depth so that you can maintain context while navigating your phone.
“In 2021, we’ve taken the material to a huge leap in design, with experiences like dynamic colors as the theme around the user’s identity,” said Mindy Brooks, vice president of product and UX at Android Platform, in a briefing with reporters. “Now, we are building the principles of materials to update our latest design (called Material 3 expressive). The expressiveness of Material 3 is to expand new components and features, designed to add emotion to the product UI, provide a more advanced and engaging experience, easier to use at critical moments, and create happier fun at critical moments.”
Android also gets updated dynamic color themes and emphasizes typography to allow users to customize the style and preferences of their phones. Additionally, these visual customizations will be applied on Google applications such as Google Photos and Gmail.
Additionally, you can now customize the quick settings to add more actions you like, such as flashlights, and don't bother.
Android's new live update feature will also help you easily track progress notifications from selected apps. For example, if you place an Uber Eats Order, you will get a satisfying real-time update to see the real-time progress of your order. This feature is similar to iOS's live event features.
“We’re going to be real-time updates as a new feature that highlights what you need to know so that you can focus on what you care about,” Brooks said. “We’ve all been there. You’ve placed an order and you’re trying to pay attention to the conversation on the desk. With the removable, live updates, you can easily track orders and re-restore real-life. These real-time updates come from your favorite delivery, ride-sharing and navigation apps and will be a redesign later this year.”
All these new design improvements will be first given to Pixel devices using Android 16.
As for wearing the operating system, the Material 3 Exprandive is designed more smoothly, and scrolling animations can track the circular display. Just like on your phone, the new design language will bring a sense of depth.
Additionally, Google is updating daily experiences, such as using a PIN board and media that controls media with motion and responsive feedback. There will also be a smoother transition, as well as a dynamic color theme for the watch, so that the theme you choose for the hand surface is suitable for the device.
"We are pleased to announce that we are bringing color themes to the watch," Brooks said. "Now the theme you choose for the watch face can be the entire system in the Google app so you can make it yourself. And, when it comes to doing it, Glanceabiality is one of the most important considerations. For Watch, we created a button system that really embraces the display, making them more poundable and using the underlying polar grid for efficient and efficient space."
Tiles will also become more attractive, making it easier to quickly access information or actions, such as texting your favorite contacts or starting a workout.
The changes will be launched later this year with the Pixel Watch using Wear OS 6.
See how to watch more live viewing and more information on Google I/O.