Android and Wear OS are getting a redesign
82 comments
·May 13, 2025ndneighbor
Ajedi32
If you care about always having the latest software with the latest Google features just get a Pixel. 7 years of OS and security updates: https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/4457705?hl=en
Google doesn't control what other vendors do; that's the beauty of open source. (You can argue how open Android really is these days but it's still more open than iOS.)
aucisson_masque
Pixel have other issue, quality control and run on Samsung exynos hardware with bad performance and connectivity.
I'd argue that Android is technically more open than iOS but in practice it isn't. Google have dark pattern and elaborated ways to get Android user to stay in the 'walled Google play service garden'.
Like when you install a third party store and Google play protect warns you it may be insecure.
Or having to press install for every app installed outside of the store, over and over.
The fact you can't get push notification without enabling the Google play services, which is the core framework of the Google data collection happening on every Android.
int0x29
I have fdroid installed on a pixel and I didn't hit any warnings beyond needing to enable side loading. As for push notifications, if you are developing an app, you can build your own infrastructure for that or rent it from someone else.
Both of the above either don't exist on iOS or only exist in the EU.
Personally I've never had issues with Samsung modems and I am honestly confused what people are doing with their phones that require high power CPUs.
II2II
> Pixel have other issue
Every product is going to have issues in one form or another. The question is which issues affect your personal use of the product. I'm too new to Pixel to comment on whether switching to it is a good or a bad thing in my case, but I have been happy with the trade-offs so far. Ironically, one of the reasons why I went with a Pixel was to avoid much of the Google software ecosystem.
ranger_danger
> that's the beauty of open source
Many would argue that that kind of fragmentation is also its biggest downfall.
malfist
What happens when one of those updates bricks your battery so it only lasts an hour or so off charger?
alright2565
They replaced my battery free of charge when they did that.
FreakyT
Not sure why you're getting downvoted, considering that this actually happened:
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/01/google-pixel-4as-rui...
karlgkk
> I have no idea which phone or timeframe when I could see the rollout of Material 3 Expressive.
Not a problem with a pixel
> More than 10 years later, shopping for an Android phone with the latest OS is a nightmare
Not a problem with a pixel
> They will need to improve on their ecosystem commitments
Not a problem with a pixel
bigstrat2003
A headphone jack is unfortunately a problem with a pixel. Otherwise I would still own one. I had a Pixel 1, then a pixel 3a, then Google decided to get rid of a basic feature that every phone should have. So I stopped buying them.
vvillena
For everyday use, wireless headphones offer a superior experience simply due to the lack of a cable, and for the cases where an audio output is desired, it should be easy to connect the phone to an audio interface. Is any of this a problem in the Android ecosystem?
yjftsjthsd-h
Also no microSD slot. Decent internal storage, but the ability to expand, swap, and pull from a dead phone shouldn't be underestimated.
AndrewDucker
Same here. Would still have a Pixel, but I'm not giving up my choice of headphones.
inquirerGeneral
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jsheard
The problem with a Pixel is the hardware is always a step or two behind what other vendors are doing at the same price point, and they tend to be weirdly buggy for a first-party device. For example the bug where Pixel phones are randomly unable to call emergency services has been happening for years and keeps regressing again and again.
2021 https://www.vice.com/en/article/google-pixel-bug-prevented-u...
2022 https://old.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/y039zn/i_compi...
2023 https://www.androidauthority.com/psa-google-pixel-911-emerge...
2024 https://old.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/1ano09x/pixel_...
karlgkk
Not a problem with an iphone
skybrian
Buying a Pixel phone seems pretty easy? I rarely upgrade and stopped looking at the others.
_old_dude_
> at least I know that the phone will be supported for at least 4 years
It's 4 (mid) to 7 years (flagship) for Samsung.
https://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-android-updates-114...
mattlondon
Just get the Google Pixel phones?
If you buy something from some other random manufacturer that is using the open source android code then yes you are going to have a different experience since they want to add their "special touch" which invariably is shite.
inquirerGeneral
[dead]
nullpoint420
I actually thinks this looks great as a current iOS user. Apple's latest software quality (or lack of it) has made me want to try out Android again.
jsnell
> You can now customize Quick Settings to squeeze in more of your favorite actions like Flashlight and Do Not Disturb.
I feel I'm missing something. Hasn't customizing the quick settings been possible forever?
In fact the only thing preventing me from having the single tap Do Not Disturb in the quick settings is that these same UX people removed the option in the latest version of Android, and buried it in a "Modes" menu for no reason at all.
Super happy to have that back, but good grief, trying to pitch a rollback as an innovative new feature is pretty audacious.
skiman10
You can expand or shrink every tile now instead of only being able to swap position of the tiles. So more tiles per page.
saubeidl
I wish Google would stick with a design paradigm for a bit for once.
It's not just their own apps that need updating, it's everyone else's, too. Most of which will never happen, so users are stuck in a hodgepodge of several generations of different design paradigms.
Material was fine. So was Material 2. So was Material 3. So is Material 3 Expressive, I guess. Just stick with something!
wiseowise
They've been copying iOS for years, time to bring some of that Windows "consistency" into the mix.
idontcareatall
It's astonishing that anyone can say this with a straight face. Just unbelievable the effect Apple has on some people. Gruber finally getting disenfranchised. Eeven my most annoying/obsessive iOS-fan friends have admitted that they are jealous of my camera, my ability to do real multi-tasking, upload photos with the screen off, have the audio and BT audio work reliably. It's just stunning what some iOS users don't know.
saubeidl
To be fair, as of late, iOS has been copying Android more than the other way around - think notifications and widgets.
kridsdale3
Those were both more than 10 years ago.
jsheard
An article that's not even 600 words long immediately offering to use AI to make itself even shorter has to be up there on the useless-AI-shit-for-the-sake-of-it leaderboard.
brailsafe
[delayed]
jadbox
The Wear OS looks the most exciting here. I'm looking forward to a Pixel 4 Watch with a better battery life, having google maps and android app support.
crawsome
Google is allergic to normal interfaces nowadays. Everything about Material when it rolled out rubbed me the wrong way, Rounded edges? Extra real estate? Everything is bubbles.
I'll take cold, basic, and data-full interfaces instead of the wasted real estate in the era of CSS-ifying every user interaction to death.
Ajedi32
"Big refresh" seems like an exaggeration compared to the overhauls Android has gotten in the past. These are pretty subtle design tweaks. Which is fine; I don't think Android particularly needs a huge overhaul at this point.
ivm
Android Kiki to Android Bouba evolution:
From square icons and sharp Roboto to blobby amoeba-shaped designs and rounded fonts.
Also, Chile mentioned!
bigstrat2003
Given how much of a downgrade the last visual refresh was (Android 12 I think?), this is news I do not welcome. Anyone else remember the lock screen being a giant two line clock with no way to customize it, or the way the settings buttons got way bigger for no good reason? It was awful. I don't look forward to seeing what they will screw up this time.
eitally
Related to that lock screen "quirk", the latest UI/UX "feature" that bugs me no end is the fact that on Pixel phones you can't remove the Google search bar on the home screen... yet there is now a Gemini widget available that does much more useful things, so in order to use it, you'd have two full width horizontal bars on your home screen. I assume this is going to evolve with Android 16 releases, but it's a really dumb feature.
brap
Looks good. I’m happy. Now if they can please change their apps icons to not all look the same, that would be really nice.
The number one issue I have with Android is that while this looks cool, because of the fragmentation of the OS delivery between vendors- I have no idea which phone or timeframe when I could see the rollout of Material 3 Expressive.
More than 10 years later, shopping for an Android phone with the latest OS is a nightmare. Android leadership keeps on getting shuffled around, Google changes priorities every 6 months it seems. Despite Apple flubbing the ball on AI, at least I know that the phone will be supported for at least 4 years.
They will need to improve on their ecosystem commitments if they'd like people like me to switch back.