Google’s Material 3 Expressive Design Leaked Ahead of I/O 2025

Google appears to have accidentally unveiled its next major Android redesign—Material 3 Expressive—through a now-deleted blog post, first spotted by 9to5Google. The post, described by Google as showcasing its “most researched” interface overhaul yet, outlined efforts to make Android’s visual experience more intuitive, vibrant, and accessible.

According to the post, which remains accessible through the Wayback Machine, Material 3 Expressive is the result of 46 rounds of design research involving over 18,000 participants. The new design system leans heavily on visual elements such as colour, motion, shape, and size to improve usability and enhance user interaction. Google is expected to spotlight this new design language during a dedicated session at Google I/O later this month.

Google’s research went deep, studying how users visually navigate interfaces—measuring where people looked first, their comprehension speeds, and emotional responses to various UI elements. The company even tested details like which progress bars made waiting feel shorter and how button sizes impacted user tap speed without overwhelming other screen items.

The results? Google claims that users were able to locate key interface elements up to four times faster than with the previous Material 3 design. Interestingly, the redesign also bridges the generational usability gap:

“Material 3 Expressive seems to level the playing field for users of all ages,”says Google, noting that individuals over 45 identified interface features as quickly as younger users.

Meanwhile, leaked UI changes—including redesigned status bar icons, a new clock font, and a revamped quick settings menu—are already hinting at Android’s visual evolution. Updates are also reportedly coming to the Google Clock app.

While the blog post has yet to be republished, the cat’s out of the bag. Google’s Material 3 Expressive may be officially unveiled at Google I/O—but for now, this leak offers a promising preview of Android’s more expressive future.