Android's new design is bouncy and I'm all for it

Android Authority

3 days ago

Joe Maring / Android Authority
From blobs to bounce to bright colors, your phone is about to look and feel a lot different, with Google bringing more of an opinionated approach to its design than we've ever seen before. In the world of software design, many are used to looking to Apple for inspiration, but Google's Material Design bucks that trend with its boldest and most daring design strategy yet. Is Google's more playful approach going to be a hit and entice an entirely new type of consumer to give Android a try? Or is it just going to alienate longtime Android users?
In my time with the latest Android 16 beta, I've encountered some of these new design elements, while some are not yet implemented. Let's dive into a few of my favorite interactions.
Bringing Android to life with a bounce
There's a new bounce throughout Android as a whole. That's the best word I can think of to describe how it looks and feels, and it makes the OS feel more functional, playful, and interactive, bringing it to life in a way that previous versions did not. The changes are subtle but important, adding up to an overall design that feels fluid and fun.
The most obvious example of this is the new notification panel. Swiping to dismiss an alert now feels like you're peeling the notification away from the stack, in the best possible way. Swipe slowly to really see all the different aspects of this seemingly simple interaction all come together. The corners morph from slightly squared off to more round, the surrounding notifications move ever-so-slightly in the same direction as your swipe, and just at the right moment — about 10% of the way into your swipe — haptic feedback signals the point at which your chosen notification detaches from the stack, all while the remaining notifications bounce gently back into place. All of that comes together to create a really satisfying swipe gesture.
Before this change, a notification dismissal felt independent of the surrounding notifications. You'd swipe, the box would fly off the screen, and the stack would collapse together to fill the space. While it worked fine then, the whole experience just feels more cohesive and intentional now. And again, that snap — or haptic feedback, rather — when the notification detaches from the rest of the stack is super satisfying.
There's a new bounce throughout Android as a whole...and it makes the OS feel more functional, playful, and interactive in a way that previous versions did not.
Another example of Google's move toward motion is the increase in shape shifting with Material components. Google's updated design documentation now contains a ton of new tools and guidelines to create a more animated UI, like button groups, where the selected button morphs into a more oval-like shape, while the unselected buttons remain more squared off.
You can already see this shape shifting in the new Quick Settings panel. When you turn on the flashlight, for example, the button goes from a rounded oval to a rounded square. This is a nice way to quickly visualize which buttons are activated and which aren't. And of course, there's that bounce again. The surrounding buttons animate with a bounce with each tap of the flashlight button, again leading to a more cohesive experience.
Since we're still in beta, there are still a lot of new design elements on the way. You can check out the full list of Material 3 Expressive components in Google's documentation.
It only matters if Google cares enough
Google is making it clear: it wants Android and apps on the platform to come alive. And it means it, too, so much so that it includes an entirely new motion physics system in M3 Expressive, designed to allow developers to customize the physics of their apps more easily than previously possible. This is something I'm particularly excited about, and I really hope Google and third party developers alike implement this in tasteful ways, leading to apps that feel right at home in this new evolution of Android.
That's a really important point, though. All of this sounds great — and so far, from what I've seen, looks great — but will developers buy into this new design language? Will Google itself implement it into their own apps, thus taking the lead and setting the example for what M3 Expressive is all about? There are already traces pointing to some of Google's main apps implementing the new design language, but only time will tell if other developers will follow suit.
Based on what you've seen, do you like the added animations in Android 16?
1 votes
Yes, but I hope Google doesn't overdo it.
0 %
Yes, and I hope they continue to add more throughout the OS.
100 %
No, Android is already animated enough.
0 %
I don't use Pixel launcher, so I'll probably never see this anyway.
0 %
I've used Android for a long time now. Pixel 2 XL was my first Android device, though, so I know many of you have used Android a lot longer than me. This has me wondering what more tenured Android enthusiasts think of this design direction. Historically, Android didn't use nearly as much motion, which may be preferred by some longtime users. With the new direction, it appears Google is going for a more mass market appeal, and I'd argue this is the right move, positioning Google to appeal to a generation of users who are used to, say, the fluidity of iOS, but maybe they're looking at trying Android thanks to Google's promising AI features.
Google is making a huge bet here with Material 3 Expressive. The motion adds a fluidity that was lacking in previous versions of Android, a cohesiveness that now feels obvious, and a whole new way for developers to make their apps more beautiful and more functional. The goal is seemingly in the name itself — Material Design — and all these new animations definitely make your device seem more like a material you can feel.