Pixel devices are about to get more animated with Material 3 Expressive updates

Your Google Pixel phone’s interface is about to look a little different in the near future.

During The Android Show event on Tuesday, May 13, Google officially revealed Material 3 Expressive, a new look for its user interface that will launch with Android 16 later this year. As a name, Material 3 Expressive does leave something to be desired (its predecessor was called Material You design), but the update itself looks impressive enough. Whereas previous Google and Android aesthetics have favored “clean design” principles, Material 3 Expressive is, well, more expressive.

It’s coming to Pixel devices first, though we don’t know exactly when, and it’s a big refresh of the UI you’re used to seeing on Pixel devices. Material 3 Expressive will also be bringing visual changes to WearOS and Google Pixel smartwatches.

So, what kind of changes can you expect?

Material 3 Expressive adds new features like deeper color customization, but in terms of day-to-day changes, it just looks livelier than previous Android builds. There are new animations, such as the rest of the notification row moving a little bit when you clear out a push notification. In general, UI elements also look more rounded than before. There’s also a new Live Updates feature that will give you up-to-the-minute updates on things like food deliveries.

Material 3 Expressive is also coming to Pixel Watch devices, where the rounded UI elements look natural due to the circular shape of the Pixel Watch’s display. It’s not the most massive Android upgrade we’ve ever seen, but UI improvements are always welcome.

Here are some additional looks at the new UI experience coming with Android 16:

Expect more color, more animations, and more rounded edges.
Credit: Google

The rounded shapes will fit in perfectly with Pixel Watches.
Credit: Google

Preview of the new visual language coming with Android 16, dubbed Material 3 Expressive.
Credit: Google