(Credit: Google)
Google I/O is days away, meaning a stable release of Android 16 is right around the corner. Naturally, Google hasn't revealed the upcoming operating system's full scope of updates and improvements, but it gave the world a glimpse via an Android Show: I/O Edition stream. The most eye-catching addition is Android 16's Material You interface overhaul, Material 3 Expressive, which will bring more customization options to Android phones than any Google OS before it. Here are the five features I'm itching to try when Android 16 releases in June.
(Credit: Google)1. Smoother Animations
The first thing I noticed during the Android 16 reveal was the smooth, bouncy animations across the user interface. The UI elements tangibly interact with one another, so swiping a pill notification makes adjacent pills subtly react, too. These little interactions permeate the entire OS, popping up when you adjust the volume slider, dismiss apps, or perform other actions. They're satisfying to see in action, and they add a level of polish I haven't seen in previous Android versions, including the excellent Android 15.
Oxygen OS on OnePlus smartphones is renowned for its superbly slick and smooth animations compared with the base Android OS (which OxygenOS is based on). Google appears to have taken inspiration from it by making eye-catching animation a core aspect of the Android 16 experience, and I'm very excited to get my hands on it.
(Credit: Google)2. Expanded Color Palette
Android's color suggestions offer excellent customization options that let you mix and match elements on the Home and Lock screens. These suggestions are generally quite good, but their color schemes are notably muted. Material 3 Expressive eases off the desaturation by giving you a much more vibrant palette for personalizing the UI. However, Google is also updating the system to ensure a clearer distinction between primary, secondary, and tertiary tones, so a dark surface is paired with appropriately light text label colors, for example. This means you'll have more creative freedom to customize colors when Android 16 hits compatible phones later this year.
(Credit: Google)3. Live Updates
Android 16's Live Updates will make it easier to track real-time progress from apps like Google Maps or Uber Eats. It places an app's status alert in an easy-to-access pill at the top, similar in style to the Dynamic Island notification feature on iPhone 15 and newer Apple headsets. You can also pin Quick Settings and other controls to it for swifter access. Lastly, Notifications now feature a cool, subtle background blur effect that gives your phone's screen more depth, making it easier to navigate.
(Credit: Google)4. Enhanced Typography
This may sound initially underwhelming, but Material 3 Expressive is overhauling Android's typography by introducing new type styles to make the OS more legible and attractive. These updates are available to developers to utilize, which means you should see Android apps leveraging the visual options soon after Android 16 arrives. Of course, these changes also apply to Google's apps, so we should see the improvements as soon as Android 16 drops.
(Credit: Google)5. Awesome, Evolving Visuals
As mentioned earlier, Material 3 Expressive introduces new animations that make the Android 16 experience far more polished than any OS update preceding it. A major factor in this is the motion physics system. The lively, energetic interactions are all heavily influenced by a spring system, which attributes values to motion behavior. They directly control damping, initial velocity, and stiffness, and can be used in a variety of situations, such as button effects, gestures, and transitions.
This system creates a unified foundation for Android 16's visual components, but also gives developers the tools to customize apps and icons in a much more dynamic fashion. This means that these visual touches will only get better as Material 3 Expressive matures and developers adapt to the new tools. It's a promising new future for Android, at least visually.
Look for Android 16's Release in June
Android has stronger UI customization features than iOS, thanks to its Material You design language. Instead of a singular, standardized design, it gives you the tools to customize colors and visual elements on your Android device. These are just a few little details that caught my eye, but these changes add up to a big Android visual shift. Material 3 Expressive should roll out on Pixel devices later this year, following the stable Android 16 release in June.