One week from the Google I/O, the web giant officially unveils Android 16, the next big update of the most used operating system in the world. It introduces a new visual identity: the expressive material 3. On the program: animations, transparency, personalization and lots of colors.
For the first time in its history, Google organizes a pre-conference before its annual I/O event. On the program for the company’s first “Android show”: new features for Android and Gemini. This pre -recorded conference was broadcast on May 13, 2025 on youtubewhile waiting for the real I/O live on May 20.
The greatest novelty of this presentation: Material 3 expressive, which had already leaked a week before. This is the new design of Android 16, which will be deployed later in 2025 (probably with the Pixel 10 smartphones). The Material 3 expressive is led to integrate all Google services and products, with a more modern new style.
A new visual identity in Android 16: Google offers a makeover to smartphones
On the program of this great aesthetic revision (the first from Android 12): a lot of animations and haptic returns, to make the phone more alive. Google puts a new typography, a library of 35 shapes and a more colorful interface, in order to give a real identity to Android. The system logos also evolve, with indicators similar to those of iOS for the network, the Wi-Fi and the battery, at the top right of the phone. (On the other hand, the home screen and the icons remain the same).
Google will also offer more personalization to its users, with a shortcut center that is easy to reorganize. The company indicates that Android 16 regulates the alignment problems of previous versions, with better cohabitation between icons and widgets.
Another important change: the arrival of “live updates”, which correspond to notifications permanently accessible on the locked screen or from a shortcut at the top of the screen. An adaptation to the Google sauce of the Now Bar de Samsung, which had itself imitated the Dynamic Island and the Live Apple activity.
In addition to Android 16, many applications should be entitled to the expressive Material 3 (Gmail, Google Photos, etc.), with moved buttons to save time for the user. The new design will also be applied to Wear OS 6, the watches system, which will gain a system for choosing the dominant color.
To design Material 3 expressive, Google says it has relied on 46 studies and the returns of 18,000 participants. Its laboratory tests indicate that users perform the important elements of the interface four times faster, which would drastically improve the user experience.
When will Material 3 Expressive arrive on Android smartphones?
Strangely, the first version of Android 16, which is expected to arrive in June, will not introduce new design. Google indicates that it will publish it “Later this year” With an initial exclusivity to Pixel smartphones. The brand had announced its Pixel 9 on August 13, 2024, we can therefore expect Pixel 10, with the Material 3 expressive, around August 2025. The old pixel should also be entitled to it.
What about other brands? The expressive material 3 is intended to integrate all Google applications, which will undoubtedly push Android manufacturers to follow Google. A development kit is made available to brand partners, who will be able to prepare the future of Android together. It is nevertheless unlikely that Samsung or Xiaomi do exactly the same thing: they will probably recover several ideas, such as animations and forms, but will keep their own interfaces.
In the meantime, everyone should be able to take advantage of the few new features of Android 16 like the “Find Hub”, a new application to locate its tags or manage its satellite connectivity.
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