Summary
- Google’s Android 16 QPR1 beta is being accompanied by Material 3 Expressive design updates to many core Google apps.
- Google Messages beta users are seeing certain parts of the app get the new interface elements, but not everyone has all the changes yet.
- Many other core Google apps are also in line for not just Material 3 Expressive updates, but also practical, new features.
Rumor has it Google plans to drop Android 16 on the world any day now. That means the bleeding-edge updates contained in the operating system’s Quarterly Platform Release 1 (or QPR1) package — which Pixel users will eventually see in the form of a Pixel Feature Drop — are ready for public beta testing. One of its most anticipated features is the relatively broad Material 3 Expressive design update, the biggest such overhaul since Google introduced the Material You style with Android 12.
In conjunction with QPR1 Beta 1.1 launching, Google is also pushing visual updates to some of its most popular core apps. Google Messages’ interface is one such recipient, and the way Google’s delivering the redesign implies developers are paying close attention to how people interact with it, and how it affects the user experience (via Android Authority).
Early adopters to the rescue
Bugs? Never heard of ’em
Source: Android Authority
Software development would be a lot harder if people didn’t volunteer as guinea pigs for testing unfinished products. Those eager to try out the latest Android features can do so only if they’re willing to deal with the errant glitch here and there, and if they’re able to join the beta program before it fills up. A multitude of beta testers gives companies like Google plenty of opportunity for A/B testing, where some users get new features and others don’t, or some get different potential updates to features simultaneously.
That appears to be how Google’s approaching the Material 3 Expressive launch, at least within the Messages app. A few days ago, users alerted 9to5Google of Messages’ limited update rollout, which appears to be much more widely available now. Reports of an updated settings menu — but no other new elements — have emerged, in addition to evidence of the new chat interface landing. A staggered rollout like this helps developers measure how people interact with an updated interface, as well as track any new bugs and where they originate.
A multi-stage rollout within a single app may not be the norm, but it’s not entirely uncommon, either. Google did something similar when testing AI mode as an I’m Feeling Lucky replacement. In other words, don’t wonder or panic if you’re only seeing bits and pieces of Material 3 Expressive design in your Android 16 QPR1 beta. You’ll see all the updates eventually, and if you don’t, that means they probably weren’t ready to go live, after all.
An incoming flood of core app design updates
As you might imagine, Messages is far from the only app getting the Material 3 Expressive makeover. Google Photos looks to take the opportunity to add even more useful, intuitive video controls. For that matter, Messages, too, could add more convenient functionality that would bring it in line with other recently refined Google apps. Google Translate is in line for an overhaul, too, largely focusing on enhanced AI integration.
So, while the current QPR beta and its seemingly cosmetic changes may not rock the boat too much, they do lay the groundwork for continued UI refreshes to deliver the most user-friendly, frustration-free experience possible.
