"Big refresh" seems like an exaggeration compared to the overhauls Android has gotten in the past. These are pretty subtle design tweaks. Which is fine; I don't think Android particularly needs a huge overhaul at this point.
Android and Wear OS are getting a redesign
11–20 of 144 posts
Re: Android and Wear OS are getting a redesign
#12So many people I work with (in tech) were on Android for years, and all eventually switched to iOS. My biggest issue with Google is they aren't convicted in anything they do. They just guess, or try 5 different things, and see what sticks. That makes it a mess for users, as the UX constantly changes. I also can't understand why Google decided a circular face made sense for Wear. It's good for analogue watches, and ga…
I like circular face on my Garmin Venu. Almost all their watches are round and circle'ish UI flow is used a lot in their OS.
Re: Android and Wear OS are getting a redesign
#13I wish Google would stick with a design paradigm for a bit for once. It's not just their own apps that need updating, it's everyone else's, too. Most of which will never happen, so users are stuck in a hodgepodge of several generations of different design paradigms. Material was fine. So was Material 2. So was Material 3. So is Material 3 Expressive, I guess. Just stick with something!
They've been copying iOS for years, time to bring some of that Windows "consistency" into the mix.
Re: Android and Wear OS are getting a redesign
#14The number one issue I have with Android is that while this looks cool, because of the fragmentation of the OS delivery between vendors- I have no idea which phone or timeframe when I could see the rollout of Material 3 Expressive. More than 10 years later, shopping for an Android phone with the latest OS is a nightmare. Android leadership keeps on getting shuffled around, Google changes priorities every 6 months it…
Buying a Pixel phone seems pretty easy? I rarely upgrade and stopped looking at the others.
Re: Android and Wear OS are getting a redesign
#15The number one issue I have with Android is that while this looks cool, because of the fragmentation of the OS delivery between vendors- I have no idea which phone or timeframe when I could see the rollout of Material 3 Expressive. More than 10 years later, shopping for an Android phone with the latest OS is a nightmare. Android leadership keeps on getting shuffled around, Google changes priorities every 6 months it…
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Re: Android and Wear OS are getting a redesign
#16The number one issue I have with Android is that while this looks cool, because of the fragmentation of the OS delivery between vendors- I have no idea which phone or timeframe when I could see the rollout of Material 3 Expressive. More than 10 years later, shopping for an Android phone with the latest OS is a nightmare. Android leadership keeps on getting shuffled around, Google changes priorities every 6 months it…
If you care about always having the latest software with the latest Google features just get a Pixel. 7 years of OS and security updates: https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/4457705?hl=en
Google doesn't control what other vendors do; that's the beauty of open source. (You can argue how open Android really is these days but it's still more open than iOS.)
Re: Android and Wear OS are getting a redesign
#17The number one issue I have with Android is that while this looks cool, because of the fragmentation of the OS delivery between vendors- I have no idea which phone or timeframe when I could see the rollout of Material 3 Expressive. More than 10 years later, shopping for an Android phone with the latest OS is a nightmare. Android leadership keeps on getting shuffled around, Google changes priorities every 6 months it…
> I have no idea which phone or timeframe when I could see the rollout of Material 3 Expressive.
Not a problem with a pixel
> More than 10 years later, shopping for an Android phone with the latest OS is a nightmare
Not a problem with a pixel
> They will need to improve on their ecosystem commitments
Not a problem with a pixel
Re: Android and Wear OS are getting a redesign
#18So many people I work with (in tech) were on Android for years, and all eventually switched to iOS. My biggest issue with Google is they aren't convicted in anything they do. They just guess, or try 5 different things, and see what sticks. That makes it a mess for users, as the UX constantly changes. I also can't understand why Google decided a circular face made sense for Wear. It's good for analogue watches, and ga…
The thing that made me switch, funny enough, is the 'budget phone' category. The Moto G line and low-end Pixel line completely abandoned the "small, 200-300 dollar phone" segment. And so I got a brand new iphone SE for $200. Havent gone back, and probably wont at this point now that I've moved over and use the family plan for apple one etc.
Re: Android and Wear OS are getting a redesign
#19So many people I work with (in tech) were on Android for years, and all eventually switched to iOS. My biggest issue with Google is they aren't convicted in anything they do. They just guess, or try 5 different things, and see what sticks. That makes it a mess for users, as the UX constantly changes. I also can't understand why Google decided a circular face made sense for Wear. It's good for analogue watches, and ga…
I like circular face on my Garmin Venu. Almost all their watches are round and circle'ish UI flow is used a lot in their OS.
Yeah, I agree. I have a Pixel Watch 3 and generally like the circular form factor. I wish they did more with it at times, but I feel like that's kinda what I'm seeing from the previews in the OP blog post
Re: Android and Wear OS are getting a redesign
#20So many people I work with (in tech) were on Android for years, and all eventually switched to iOS. My biggest issue with Google is they aren't convicted in anything they do. They just guess, or try 5 different things, and see what sticks. That makes it a mess for users, as the UX constantly changes. I also can't understand why Google decided a circular face made sense for Wear. It's good for analogue watches, and ga…
Google gave out the HTC Evo at I/O in 2010, which was what got me to switch to Android. At the time, it had a much bigger screen than an iPhone and gave you more control over the device. It could play Flash games/apps, and let you use the apps/keyboards/etc you wanted without a company's blessing. Apple is a lot more open now than they used to be, in ways that might have driven power users to Android before.
They are, but I'll not be fully convinced until there's a Graphene OS equivalent for iOS.