Google Material 3 Expressive design officially unveiled

As part of The Android Show: I/O Edition, Google officially announced a visual update to the Android interface called Material 3 Expressive. The new style will be part of the Android 16 operating system, which is expected to be released at the end of the year.

The updated design emphasizes flexibility and personalization of control elements. “Spring” animations have been added to the system, which should make interaction smoother and more realistic. For example, when changing the volume or brightness level, a tactile feedback will be felt, and the movement of the interface will resemble the physical properties of materials.

As part of the new concept, the size of headings and key elements has been increased, which, according to the developers, should improve readability. Dynamic color schemes have become brighter, and application developers are offered 35 new shapes and templates for flexible customization of the interface appearance.

Material 3 Expressive will first appear on Pixel devices – smartphones, tablets and Pixel Watch watches. In the latter case, the update will be implemented as part of Wear OS 6. The interface will receive adaptation to a round screen and new animations that take into account its geometry.

Google emphasizes that as part of the new approach, interface elements will receive a more rounded shape, and users will be able to adjust the size of individual components.