TL;DR
- Material 3 Expressive is coming later this year to refresh Android’s look.
- Google’s already been previewing those changes through announcements at I/O 2025, as well as its Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1.
- When Material 3 Expressive finally rolls out, existing apps using dynamic color theming will automatically be able to use the enhanced palettes.
Google’s latest Material 3 Expressive design language is coming to give your Android device a fresh new look, and with the release of Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1, users are already getting an early taste of those big changes. Even if you’re not ready to test out that in-development release, though, there’s still plenty to check out, and we’ve already seen lots of previews of what to expect as apps start responding to Google’s changes. This week at I/O 2025, we’re learning a bit more about how this colorful upgrade is coming to our phones.
So far, a lot of the big components of Material 3 Expressive’s changes have felt centered around shape and layout: how UI elements are formed, and where they’re placed across apps and the system itself. But we’re also due some enhancements when it comes to color, and Android’s support for dynamic theming is getting bolder when it comes to its color choices, selecting vibrant tones that still complement each other, but also stand out a bit more.
As Google UX designer Andrew Lu puts it:
…themes get richer and more diverse because we’ve upgraded dynamic color to unlock more variation and higher chroma across all hues. That means a greater range of style and personalization for users whether they prefer soft neutrals or juicy vibrance.
Maybe the best part here is how it’s going to roll out, and Lu clarifies that apps already taking advantage of dynamic theming will automatically pick up these improved color palettes — we’re not going to have to wait around for every dev under the sun to update their code.
Sure, we’re still going to have to wait for not just Android 16 to hit stable, but then most likely also for QPR1 to finish development and land as a future drop. Just know that the day when all your existing dynamic apps suddenly start looking a whole lot better is out there, and will probably be here before you know it.
