You can now try Android’s bold new Material 3 Expressive design in Android 16 QPR1 beta

During last week’s The Android Show: I/O Edition, Google introduced Material 3 Expressive, its latest design language, promising a bold, fluid, and more engaging UI. Material 3 Expressive brings new physics-based animations, upgraded app components, fresh color themes, background blur effects, and more. Google didn’t specify when we’ll see the new Material 3 Expressive design in Android, only that it won’t appear in next month’s stable release of Android 16. However, you don’t have to wait for a future unspecified release to try out Android’s big redesign; it’s already live in the new Android beta that Google released today.

Google released Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1 today, offering our first glimpse of what to expect in Android 16’s first quarterly release, scheduled to roll out this September. This beta includes many of the major design changes we previously covered, most notably the big Quick Settings revamp featuring resizable tiles, one-click toggles for Internet and Bluetooth, and an improved tile editor experience.

The update also adds:

• Background blur to the Quick Settings panel, app drawer, and recents menu
• Springier animations for dismissing notifications and recents tasks
• Newer and bolder status bar icons
• Cleaner, more compact lock screen layout
• Less bubbly volume panel design
• More expressive Settings app

Essentially, all the design changes we detailed at the end of last month are now live in Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1. Unfortunately, Google apps haven’t yet received their Material 3 Expressive updates, so we’ll need to wait for those to fully experience the new design. The good news is that these updates are confirmed: Google has announced Material 3 Expressive redesigns for Fitbit, Gmail, and Google Photos, and our APK teardowns have uncovered similar plans for other Google apps.

If you want to try Android’s Material 3 Expressive redesign on your Pixel device, you’ll need to sign up for the Android beta program. However, be aware that installing Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1 on your Pixel means you won’t receive next month’s stable Android 16 release.

Considering the anticipation and excitement surrounding these design changes, it’s likely many of you are eager to sign up for this beta anyway. If you do, let us know in the comments below what you think of Android’s UI overhaul!