When Google released Android 16, it also introduced its new Material 3 Expressive design language. This involved the use of a lot of blur to help UI elements stand out. Now, with the upcoming Android 17 build, it looks like blur being used in the UI is expected to continue in an even bigger way .
Android 17 will feature more blur in UI
According to the folks at 9to5Google , they have managed to take a look at the internal build of Android 17, and from what we can tell, blur in the UI is going to be a continuing theme. From what they found, it suggests that Android 17 will be able to switch between solid light and dark backgrounds. It also adds a blur effect so you can see behind the component that you’re interacting with.
The publication gave an example of the volume bar. The pill-shaped container that houses the slider and other elements will be translucent. They also point out how the blurs will also be tinted by your Dynamic Color theme. That being said, overall, 9to5Google says that while there will be some refreshes to the UI, for the most part, it shouldn’t look too different from last year’s release.
We can’t say we’re too surprised. Even companies like Apple only undertake major UI refreshes every few years. Changing up the UI so often will only lead to confusion, especially among long-time Android users. We expect that Google will continue refining Material 3 Expressive for a while , and maybe after a few years, introduce something completely brand new.
When will Android 17 be released?
At the moment, there is no definitive date on when Android 17 will be released. However, back in 2024, Google announced a shakeup to its launch plans. Typically speaking, major Android updates are released towards the later part of the year starting with Pixel devices . However, in October 2024, Google announced it will release major Android updates earlier in Q2.
Assuming that nothing has changed, we can expect Android 17 to be released somewhere around June. That also means that the Android 17 Canary builds (which replaced Developer Previews) soon. Like we said, Google hasn’t confirmed any dates yet. This means we’ll just have to wait and see.
