LineageOS 23.2 switches to Material Expressive design and updates default apps accordingly

LineageOS, the open-source Android-based operating system, has released version 23.2 as its “halftime” milestone, arriving four months after LineageOS 23. In response to changes in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), the development team is moving to a six-month point release schedule. This adjustment will influence release planning and long-term support for users and contributors.

With this update, LineageOS is officially adopting Google’s Material Expressive design system. Users will immediately notice expressive new color schemes and more emotive interface elements. Core apps, including Twelve (the default music player), Deskclock, and ExactCalculator, have migrated to Material 3 Expressive, modernizing their appearance. The Updater app has also been completely redesigned, now featuring an improved interface, better update management, smoother animations, and several bug fixes.

Following these visual enhancements, the “Quick Settings” panel introduces a customizable tile-based layout. An expanded dark theme and enhanced file utilities for private spaces further refine system personalization and privacy controls. The team continues updating remaining default apps to align with the new design approach. For developers, this release adds six new development tools, introduces several deprecations, and incorporates other assorted changes.