Google Apps for iOS to Switch to UIKit After Decade of Material Design

[MacRumors]

Google is winding down its Material Design custom UI for iOS apps to switch to pure UIKit, according to Google's design chief for Apple platforms Jeff Verkoeyen.

Google's suite of apps for iOS and iPadOS, including Gmail, Google Maps, Google Photos, Google Drive, and YouTube, have used custom user interfaces that mirror the experience on Android for almost a decade. The purpose of these Material Design guidelines was to unify software design as much as possible across desktop, mobile, and the web for a consistent experience.

In a recent Twitter thread, Jeff Verkoeyen explained that going forward, Google will switch to using the design of UIKit, Apple's framework for building interfaces in iPhone and iPad apps. Verkoeyen said that previously UIKit was not viable due to "gaps" in its design language, but a side effect of this was "drifting further and further from Apple platform fundamentals because those fundaments were also evolving year over year." The issue has also been complained about by some users who have felt that using Google's iOS apps offers a jarring and inconsistent experience with the rest of the OS.

With iOS 14 onwards, Google believes that UIKit's design has sufficiently improved to use it widely in its iOS and iPadOS apps. Since the start of 2021, Google's design team for Apple platforms "began a deep evaluation of what it means to build a hallmark Google experience on Apple platforms by critically evaluating the space of "utility" vs key brand moments, and the components needed to achieve either."

Users can expect to see far fewer custom components in Google apps, with elements such as switches, bars, controls, lists, and menus changing to Apple's system designs. The result should be Google iOS and iPadOS apps that look and feel much more native.

There will still be some of "the highlights of Google's design language," but married to "the best of UIKit." The "new direction" will "really make products feel great on Apple platforms," Verkoeyen commented. Google is also currently hiring designers for its Apple development team amid the change.

Article Link: Google Apps for iOS to Switch to UIKit After Decade of Material Design

 

[Serban55]

Better late than never google, as usual
But i still love you for not having anti-trust on ios monopol

 

[orbital~debris]

I seriously hope this change of tack means Google will re-write their YouTube app for tvOS and make it work like Apple's TV app.

 

[chris69]

It's about time

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

I hope they are seriously following privacy and security protocol. It’s about time they are having all in one.

 

[anshuvorty]

I guess Google's designers just got tired of supporting non-native interfaces using Apple's dev tools and decided that it is just easier to develop and support UI's that are native to the dev tools and the OS...WHO KNEW?!?!??!

 

[chucker23n1]

That seems to imply they won't be using Flutter any more?

(edit)

I skimmed the actual Twitter thread, and I think that's not what they're saying. Rather, for apps using UIKit with Material Design, they're now encouraging using pure UIKit. Apps that use Flutter don't seem to be affected.

 

[allpar]

I'd like to know why the article was written with the quotes proclaiming Google's vast superiority intact.

I'd drop the propaganda, personally.

 

[m4mario]

Common. Materials would have been a layer over UIKit for the most part anyway.
it’s not like they did their own version of the rubber banding effect and scrolling.

 

[chumps52]

I think this will be nice I use their Gmail and YouTube apps often on my iPhone, and whilst it wasn't a "major" issue for me it will be good to have them fit in better.

 

[MacinMan]

I'll have to wait and see what the UIKit changes bring to google's apps. I like the universal look cross platforms, so it's easier to use. However, I am open for changes and a more native interface as long as it will help long term instead of bring more confusion. I feel that only time will tell here.

 

[Textime]

With iOS 14 onwards, Google believes that UIKit has sufficiently improved to use it widely in its iOS and iPadOS apps

Says the student to the teacher..

 

[d5aqoëp]

Google’s all apps feel incompetent. Especially Google Pay. It struggles to do a basic task like smooth scrolling. Indian users will recognise this immediately.

 

[827538]

I’ve removed Google from my life but I’m glad to see this is happening. Google’s UI always felt off on iOS. I’m really not much of a fan of anything Google does.

 

[Kuckuckstein]

It's about time

Oh so arrogant.

Meanwhile Apple doesn’t appear on other platforms. If they would, their software would be 100% Apple styled and just as out of place. Just look at the last living attempt: iTunes on Windows.

 

[Minxy]

So this is about making Google's apps look and feel like native iOS apps. In practical terms is there really a big difference in how iOS apps and Android apps operate? Surely all the third party apps are unique and don't adhere to an Apple style, or do they and I just didn't notice?

 

[Superhappytree]

I hope they don’t change the YouTube app too much. I think it’s great in its current form and doesn’t feel that much different from any iOS app. I also really like the Google search app, it’s very slickly designed and feels modern. In some ways I like the look and feel of Google’s apps over Apple’s.

 

[mosh.jinton]

Really interesting. I'm a mobile developer currently designing an app for Android and iOS which we're building with Flutter. My background is Android and I've not used iOS regularly since before Material Design was a thing. My default approach for app design is very Material, so I'd be interested if anyone knows good examples of iPhone apps which keep something of Material Design but are also consistent with iOS Human Interface Guidelines are therefore feel 'native'?

 

[Orange Bat]

I’ve develop on both iOS and Android, and I never understood Google’s desire to make iOS look like Google/Android apps. That’s not how good UI works. You should make the app fit the system, not adjust the system to your app. It instantly makes dedicated users of iOS more confused because your app doesn’t work like other iOS apps.

Also, I bet the Google iOS developers have been pushing this for a long, long time. UIKit will make it much easier to develop and design apps and app updates. While creating your own design on iOS isn’t difficult, UIKit simplifies it nearly 10 fold.

(But no SwiftUI love? With iOS 15 it’s matured enough to finally begin a switch over.)

 

[dwaite]

Oh so arrogant.

Meanwhile Apple doesn’t appear on other platforms. If they would, their software would be 100% Apple styled and just as out of place. Just look at the last living attempt: iTunes on Windows.

Apple Music - Apps on Google Play

Stream over 100 million songs, all ad-free.

play.google.com

 

[MathersMahmood]

Excellent stuff cannot wait. I use Google services extensively.

 

[hagjohn]

I guess Google's designers just got tired of supporting non-native interfaces using Apple's dev tools and decided that it is just easier to develop and support UI's that are native to the dev tools and the OS...WHO KNEW?!?!??!

It is about having a constant look and feel across any platform, so you know instantly how to use the app instantly. Microsoft has done the same thing. Not sure if they are doing it now or not. Not that I care. I only use gmail for junk mail and YouTube.

 

[contacos]

Just give me System dark mode on YouTube already! I had it literally for one day after installing the app and then it disappeared again

 

[chris69]

Oh so arrogant.

Meanwhile Apple doesn’t appear on other platforms. If they would, their software would be 100% Apple styled and just as out of place. Just look at the last living attempt: iTunes on Windows.

Lol now who's being arrogant.

Besides, if Apple designs software that goes against an OS's feel and design principles they'd be in the wrong as well. iTunes is a great example of that.

Google doing wrong and Apple doing wrong are not mutually exclusive and nobody said they were.

 

[Substance90]

I seriously hope this change of tack means Google will re-write their YouTube app for tvOS and make it work like Apple's TV app.

The Youtube app for tvOS doesn't use Material Design.