I tried one of the first Material 3 Expressive apps so I could see the future of Android

Ever since Google announced Material 3 Expressive in May, I’ve been looking forward to getting my hands on Android’s new design language. However, with Android 16 QPR1 not rolling out until later this year, and Google still in the testing phases of Material 3 Expressive redesigns for its apps, it’s going to be a while before we really feel the impact of Android’s big redesign.

Thankfully, it’s now possible to get a little taste of what it’ll be like. Last week, the folks behind the excellent wallpaper app Backdrops launched their version 6.0 update, which includes a new Material 3 Expressive redesign.

It’s one of the best ways to try Google’s new design language on your phone right now, and after playing with the update myself, I’m more excited than ever for Android’s M3E future.

If you’ve used Backdrops before, the app’s core design is basically the same. However, so many aspects of it have been given a proper Material 3 Expressive refresh, and they make the app feel alive and responsive in a way it didn’t previously.

One of the best examples of this is the carousel at the top of the Explore page. As you swipe through it, wallpapers in the carousel are squished and expanded as you slide them in and out of view. The animations are excellent, and it’s wonderfully satisfying to spend a few seconds just swiping through it.

If you refresh the page to check for new wallpapers, the pull-down to refresh gesture now shows a delightful squiggly line animation as the page updates. You only see it for a second or two, but it’s endlessly charming nonetheless.

The new Search page has received similar treatment. You can still browse wallpapers by category, color, and tags like before, but the new, bold icons for everything are just wonderful. The new oversized text is particularly eye-catching, especially for the colors section.

There are also plenty of “expressive” animation updates, as you’d expect from a Material 3 Expressive redesign. When you tap a wallpaper, it pops into view to take over the screen in a really pleasing way. The Save and Set buttons now slightly morph when you tap them, and if you tap the checkmark next to a Backdrops exclusive wallpaper, it vibrates and spins to register your touch.

At the end of the day, this is the same Backdrops app I’ve used for years. However, little flourishes like the new carousel, refresh animation, and search page go a long way in giving Backdrops a welcoming and playful identity. And after spending some time with this new version of the app, I love it.

Stepping back a bit, if this is the future of Android apps we’re headed toward, it’s a future I’m looking forward to — one where our apps are familiar and work how we expect them, just with more character and charm than they had before.

That’s ultimately what we’ve seen from early looks at Material 3 Expressive redesigns of apps like Google Docs and Google Keep, but to see it fully formed and in action with a third-party app like Backdrops is exciting.

It’ll still be a while before every app on your phone receives the Material 3 Expressive treatment, but having seen what it looks like on Backdrops, I can’t wait for that day to come.