Google got a bit ahead of itself and accidentally published a blog post about the massive upcoming Android redesign. It looks fresh, modern, and playful—perfect for the current design trends. But there’s a big problem: will enough people actually get to see it?
“Material 3 Expressive” was supposed to be announced at Google I/O this month, but the blog post that has since been pulled gave us an early look. This may be the biggest redesign Android has seen since Material Design launched with Android 5.0 Lollipop. It looks to be geared toward young people, and they’d probably really love it. That’s not enough, though.
Google Doesn’t Control Android’s Aesthetic
Many Android fans are excited about the Material Design 3 leak. It’s bright, bold, splashy, and fun in a way that’s very different from other modern operating systems. Google is going all in on modern design trends. The problem is this isn’t the new design for Android—it’s the new design for Android on Pixel phones.
Samsung’s One UI is another modern operating system, and while it’s based on the same version of Android that Pixel phones use, it looks completely different. One UI subtly adapts to each new version of Android, but the overall picture is very clearly a Samsung product. For the most part, Google’s design choices stay on Google devices.
The thing is, it’s always been this way, and yet we still talk about it as if it will affect the platform as a whole. All the headlines about “Android’s New Design” aren’t intentionally misleading, but they’re inaccurate nonetheless. Google doesn’t decide what Android looks like on Samsung Galaxy phones, Motorola phones, OnePlus phones, or any other device without the Google “G” logo on the back.
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Pixel Phones are Still a Minority
None of this would matter if it weren’t for one very large elephant in the room: market share. Android is the operating system on over 70% of mobile devices worldwide, compared to 27% on iOS. That’s phenomenal, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.
As of April 2025, Samsung accounted for around 23% of mobile devices sold worldwide, putting them only behind Apple at around 27%. Where was Google and its Pixel devices? All the way down around a measly 2%. Practically every other company making mobile devices was ahead of Google.
The story isn’t much better for Google in the U.S. Google sits at 4.5%, while Apple has a much larger piece of the pie at around 58%, and Samsung is holding steady at 23%. The fact of the matter is that very few people are seeing Android as Google envisions it. All those headlines about “Android New Design” would be a better fit for the new update to Samsung’s One UI.
Google is Fighting an Uphill Battle
The harsh reality is that Google’s intentions to attract young people to Android with a bright, splashy, modern design are doomed before even reaching the runway. Google is battling something that app-makers constantly deal with: the “network effect.”
This is something we often see with messaging and social media services. When a product gains a large number of users, the quality of its features begins to matter less. People start to feel “locked in,” and regardless of how much better something else might be, the act of moving becomes a deterrent.
Google can design the best-looking operating system in the world—maybe it already has—but that only goes so far. Will a purple theme and fun fonts get someone to ditch iMessage? Will squiggly progress bars and stretchy clocks convince someone to leave the comforts of a Samsung Galaxy phone?
On the bright side, Material Design 3 looks fantastic—and I don’t often use that word. Sure, I think calling it the new look of Android is unrealistic, but great design doesn’t go entirely unnoticed. Maybe it gets a few more people to reach for a Pixel instead of a Galaxy phone in carrier stores. Whatever the case may be, Google is shouting from the rooftops, and I just can’t help but wonder how many people are listening.
Source: 9to5Google
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