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Google Says Pixel Phones Won't Get Apple's Liquid Glass Design

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The Android operating system for Pixel smartphones is not going to take design cues from Apple and adopt a Liquid Glass aesthetic, Google Android president Sameer Samat said recently (via 9to5Google). In response to a social media mockup of an Android device with a Liquid Glass design, Samat said, "Not happening! Y'all are wild."

Photos-App-Icon-Liquid-Glass.jpg

The mockup was in response to a teaser video for The Android Show: I/O, which depicted the Android mascot pulling a light switch and turning translucent. The teaser led Android users to believe that Google would adopt an iOS-like design for Android.

Google's Pixel devices use its Android operating system, but Google also allows other smartphone makers to use Android. Companies like Oppo and Xiaomi have variants of Android that have been updated with similarities to Apple's Liquid Glass, and even Samsung has mimicked some of Apple's design elements.

Apple introduced the Liquid Glass design in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26, with a unified design across all of its software platforms. The new design has been a major change for Apple users, and it is not universally popular.

Google has been using its Material Design since 2014, though it has been updated several times since then. Google introduced Material 3 Expressive in 2025, adding more natural, springy animations and dynamic color themes.

Though Samat said Google is not adopting Liquid Glass, rumors suggest it is going to embrace translucency. Google is rumored to be adding more blur in Android 17, offering a flatter, more frosted glass look. Google will reveal more about Android 17 on May 12.

Article Link: Google Says Pixel Phones Won't Get Apple's Liquid Glass Design
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/05/06/google-pixel-no-liquid-glass/
realLucaR said:
Hate me all you want, but I still think that Liquid glass looks great. The rounded corners and the corner radius are still horrible, sure, but I much prefer the Liquid Glass design in macOS Tahoe over the non-Liquid Glass we had before.
Click to expand...

I'm glad we can agree about the ridiculous corner rounding.

I really hope they walk that back. It's comically too much.
 
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"Though Samat said Google is not adopting Liquid Glass," We're not adopting "Liquid Glass"

"rumors suggest it is going to embrace translucency. Google is rumored to be adding more blur in Android 17, offering a flatter, more frosted glass look. Google will reveal more about Android 17 on May 12." We are adopting [insert definition of Liquid Glass" but call it something different.
 
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On a side note, looking at third-party app icons on iOS 18, some of which have changed to a liquid-glass look, you can see which developers have taste and which have not.
 
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