Google just leaked Android’s new design language

Google just accidentally revealed its next big Android redesign: Material 3 Expressive. In a now-deleted blog post spotted by 9to5Google, the company describes the change as the “most researched” update yet, with the goal of making its interface more appealing and easier to use.

You can find an archived version of the deleted webpage on the Wayback Machine, and 9to5Google has published some of the images not saved by the site. As outlined in the post, Google says it developed Material 3 Expressive after conducting 46 rounds of design and research with over 18,000 participants. The design uses color, shape, size, and motion to make a product “more usable.” It will also have its own session at Google I/O later this month,

As part of its research, Google studied things like where participants focused their attention in a design, how they reacted to different looks, and how quickly they understood an interface. The company also evaluated individual elements, like “which progress indicator made the waiting time feel faster” and “how big a button can be for positive improvements in tap time without overwhelming other items.”

Google says its Material 3 Expressive design allowed people to find key elements in the interface up to four times faster when compared to the existing Material 3 design. It also says Material 3 Expressive “seems to level the playing field for users of all ages,” as the design helped people over 45 years old spot interface elements just as fast as younger users.

Over the past several days, we’ve seen reports suggesting that Google is planning to roll out changes across Android’s user interface, including redesigned status bar icons (like the one for the battery), a new clock font, and a reworked quick settings menu. Other leaks have shown changes to the Google Clock app as well.

At this time of writing, Google still hasn’t republished the blog post, and it’s not clear when the company intended to officially announce Material 3 Expressive. The Verge reached out to Google with a request for more information but didn’t immediately hear back.