Google’s Massive Android Redesign Looks Great, But Who Will See It?

Google got a spot up of itself and accidentally published a blog station astir the monolithic upcoming Android redesign. It looks fresh, modern, and playful—perfect for the existent plan trends. But there's a large problem: volition capable radical really get to spot it?

"Material 3 Expressive" was expected to beryllium announced astatine Google I/O this month, but the blog station that has since been pulled gave america an aboriginal look. This whitethorn beryllium the biggest redesign Android has seen since Material Design launched with Android 5.0 Lollipop. It looks to beryllium geared toward young people, and they'd astir apt truly emotion it. That's not enough, though.

Google Doesn't Control Android's Aesthetic

Many Android fans are excited astir the Material Design 3 leak. It's bright, bold, splashy, and amusive successful a mode that's precise antithetic from different modern operating systems. Google is going each successful connected modern plan trends. The occupation is this isn't the caller plan for Android—it's the caller plan for Android on Pixel phones.

Samsung's One UI is different modern operating system, and portion it's based connected the aforesaid mentation of Android that Pixel phones use, it looks wholly different. One UI subtly adapts to each caller mentation of Android, but the wide representation is precise intelligibly a Samsung product. For the astir part, Google's plan choices enactment connected Google devices.

The happening is, it's ever been this way, and yet we inactive speech astir it arsenic if it volition impact the level arsenic a whole. All the headlines astir "Android's New Design" aren't intentionally misleading, but they're inaccurate nonetheless. Google doesn't determine what Android looks similar connected Samsung Galaxy phones, Motorola phones, OnePlus phones, oregon immoderate different instrumentality without the Google "G" logo connected the back.

Pixel Phones are Still a Minority

None of this would substance if it weren't for 1 precise ample elephant successful the room: marketplace share. Android is the operating strategy connected implicit 70% of mobile devices worldwide, compared to 27% connected iOS. That's phenomenal, but it doesn't archer the full story.

As of April 2025, Samsung accounted for astir 23% of mobile devices sold worldwide, putting them lone down Apple astatine astir 27%. Where was Google and its Pixel devices? All the mode down astir a measly 2%. Practically each different institution making mobile devices was up of Google.

The communicative isn't overmuch amended for Google successful the U.S. Google sits astatine 4.5%, portion Apple has a overmuch larger portion of the pastry astatine astir 58%, and Samsung is holding dependable astatine 23%. The information of the substance is that precise fewer radical are seeing Android arsenic Google envisions it. All those headlines astir "Android New Design" would beryllium a amended acceptable for the caller update to Samsung's One UI.

Google is Fighting an Uphill Battle

The harsh world is that Google's intentions to pull young radical to Android with a bright, splashy, modern plan are doomed earlier adjacent reaching the runway. Google is battling thing that app-makers perpetually woody with: the "network effect."

This is thing we often spot with messaging and societal media services. When a merchandise gains a ample fig of users, the prime of its features begins to substance less. People commencement to consciousness "locked in," and careless of however overmuch amended thing other mightiness be, the enactment of moving becomes a deterrent.

Google tin plan the best-looking operating strategy successful the world—maybe it already has—but that lone goes truthful far. Will a purple taxable and amusive fonts get idiosyncratic to ditch iMessage? Will squiggly advancement bars and stretchy clocks person idiosyncratic to permission the comforts of a Samsung Galaxy phone?

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On the agleam side, Material Design 3 looks fantastic—and I don't often usage that word. Sure, I deliberation calling it the caller look of Android is unrealistic, but large plan doesn't spell wholly unnoticed. Maybe it gets a fewer much radical to scope for a Pixel alternatively of a Galaxy telephone successful bearer stores. Whatever the lawsuit whitethorn be, Google is shouting from the rooftops, and I conscionable can't assistance but wonderment however galore radical are listening.

Source: 9to5Google