The Android UI hasn’t seen drastic changes since Material You was introduced, including the new animations from Android 12, which Google has been refining ever since. With the upcoming reveal of Material Design 3, a major Android UI overhaul is expected, and it looks like new animations will be part of the update as well.
Android is set to introduce new animations as part of the upcoming Material Design 3 update. According to Android Authority’s Mishaal Rahman, these animations currently apply to key areas of the UI, such as Quick Setting tiles, the long-press Power button, dismissing notifications, Recents, and the Volume slider.
The common theme of these animations is that they not only affect the element you interact with but also the one next to it. For example, when dismissing a notification, sliding it partially or fully creates a subtle horizontal bouncing effect on the other elements.
The same effect applies to the Recents menu, where sliding an app up to dismiss it adds a slight bounce to the adjacent app. Quick Settings is also getting a major revamp, complete with new animations.
Unlike previous tiles that only featured animated iconography, toggling Quick Settings in upcoming Android versions will also affect the shape of the tile. When turned on, the tile transforms into a rounded rectangle, subtly nudging the adjacent tile as well.
Lastly, there’s a squeeze animation when pressing the power button, and a new waveform animation appears when adjusting the volume while playing music. Additionally, the lock screen clock will feature a new animation that adds a bit of fidgetiness to it.
It’s unclear when these changes will arrive on Android, but since they seem significant, we anticipate they’ll be rolled out with Android 17. However, we may learn more about these updates during the upcoming Android Show scheduled for May 13.
What are your thoughts on Android’s upcoming redesign and the new animations? Share your views in the comments below!
