Apple’s Liquid Glass redesign of its platforms, especially iOS, has been divisive to say the least but, thankfully, Google’s President of Android says that it’s “not happening” on this side of the walled garden.
Sameer Samat, Google’s President of the Android Ecosystem, said directly on Twitter/X this week that Liquid Glass is “not happening” on Android. This was in response to a mockup that showed what Liquid Glass might look like on Pixel.
This news shouldn’t come as a huge surprise – Google has invested heavily in its Material Design language on Android over the years, with its latest Material 3 Expressive evolution delivering a unique look and feel that Google found actually worked better for end users.
Other Android brands, though, seemingly just want to follow Apple’s lead.
Major names such as Oppo/OnePlus, Xiaomi, and even Samsung have tweaked their particular flavors of Android to incorporate a lot of the design changes found on iPhone. Oppo’s ColorOS, for example, is packed full of glass-like UI elements, while Samsung has adopted many of the floating button placements and menu designs of Apple’s updated design standards.
Google is expected to introduce more blur to Android 17, but blur and Liquid Glass don’t go hand-in-hand – Apple’s Liquid Glass design is more than just UI blur.
“The Android Show” is likely where we’ll see more about the future of Android design and functionality, with Google teasing that this year’s show will be “one of the biggest years for Android yet.” Stay tuned for our full coverage on May 12.
Follow Ben: Twitter/X, Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Leave a comment