Google officially introduced its new design language for Android, Material 3 Expressive

After being accidentally leaked by the company last week, Google has officially introduced Material 3 Expressive as the new design language for both Android and Wear OS. Building on Material You from Android 12, Material 3 Expressive targets a younger audience, as some of you previously pointed out, through the use of bolder shapes, vibrant colors, playful animations, dynamic color options, responsive components, enhanced typography, springy animations, and tactile haptic feedback.

Key Google apps such as Google Photos, Fitbit, and Gmail will soon incorporate Material 3 Expressive elements. Live Updates, Android’s version of Apple’s Live Activities, shows persistent, time-sensitive notifications for food delivery, navigation, or rideshare across the lockscreen, always on display, status bar, and notification shade. Android’s quick settings will also let users resize and rearrange tiles, similar to iOS. Designers can also access new icon shapes, revised type styles, and a broader palette for app customization.

For Wear OS, Material 3 Expressive optimizes the interface for round displays, adding curved scrolling animations, shape-shifting elements, and glanceable buttons along the display edge. Dynamic Tiles enable faster information access, and Wear OS 6 promises up to a 10% increase in battery life. Material 3 Expressive will roll out later this year to Android 16 and Wear OS 6, starting with Pixel devices, with an Android 16 beta update expected later this month.