Google’s Material Design 3 Expressive, often called M3 Expressive or just Material 3 Expressive, is the latest update to their design style for Android, set to be a big focus at Google I/O 2025 (May 20–21). It builds on Material Design 3 (also known as Material You, started in 2021 with Android 12) by making user interfaces more lively, emotional, and engaging.
M3 Expressive wants to make Android screens less dull and more fun to use. It uses bright colors, bold shapes, smooth animations, and smart layouts to highlight important parts, making things easier to use and more appealing. Google says it’s about “sparking emotion, showing purpose, and helping users get things done.”
Google Pixel 9 - Unlocked Android Smartphone with Gemini, 24-Hour Battery, Advanced Camera, and 6.3"...
- Google Pixel 9 with Gemini gets the best of Google AI first, so you can take amazing photos, make edits like magic, and get things done even easier
- Unlocked Android phone gives you the flexibility to change carriers and choose your own data plan[1]; it works with Google Fi, Verizon, T-Mobile,...
- The award-winning Pixel Camera includes a 50 MP main sensor for incredible image and video quality, and a new 48 MP ultrawide camera for stunning...
Unlike the big change from Material Design 2 to 3, M3 Expressive is a tweak of Material Design 3, not a total redo. Some call it “Material 3.5” online, meaning it’s small improvements, not a huge shift. Google says it’s their “most-researched design update ever,” with 46 studies involving over 18,000 people. Tests showed users found key screen elements up to four times faster with expressive designs, and it was liked across ages, especially by younger users (80% of “Zoomers” loved it).
You’ll see bright colors, bigger buttons, and different shapes (like rounded squares for action buttons) to make screens stand out. For example, a leaked email app had a colorful, larger “Send” button above the keyboard for easy spotting. Seen in Android 16 betas, it has smaller fonts, more white space, arrows for submenus, and colorful icons similar to OPPO’s ColorOS.
Leaked images show a refreshed look with a slimmer bottom bar, renamed tabs (like “Clock” to “World Clock”), and a new font. It’s made using Jetpack Compose, Google’s modern design toolkit. Emotion-based themes and personalized touches (like changing colors based on the time of day or user’s mood) use Gemini Nano and new APIs.
While M3 Expressive will be shown at I/O 2025, it might take months to fully roll out in Android 16 (expected later in 2025), like past Material Design updates. Some parts are already in Android 16 betas, but it’s not clear if the final version will fully use the new design.
[Source]
