History of Android design: 2008-2021 🤓📱

Android has been around since 2008, and in that time, its UI has been reinvented several times over. As we enter the fourth design era of Android, with Material You in Android 12, it's time to revisit the past 13 years in Android UI and remember how we got here.

And follow us on social media:

LINKS

#MaterialDesign #MaterialYou #HOLOYOLO #33b5e5

[Mithinco]

This takes me back! Android sure has evolved! Makes me wonder how it would look like in another decade

[corntall]

Android back then : dark mode already...
Android now : lemme introduce you dark mode...

[somedayitsgonnamakesense]

meanwhile at Apple: should we put calculator in the M1 iPad Pro?

Tim: NO

[Slixbrah]

I want to see someone port gingerbread, ics, jellybean to newer smartphones and see how it runs

[abesh]

Material Design is still so fresh and cool! Can't wait for Android 12 anymore!

[duybachvu]

Seeing the design of old Android versions makes me miss Windows Phone even more :( Metro really looked great

[Devo_gx]

I miss the CRT Screen Off animation in Android 2.3

[Aman-xoyx]

Old Android kitkat days when I was excited for Android tablet my father used to bring for me

[ShippoHsu]

Fun fact: Roboto was redesigned in Android 5.0

[OriginalBoondocksXVIII]

Been here since the MyTouch 3G and I've loved every step of this UI journey.

[yoman]

back in 2014, Android Lollipop was the most beautiful thing android fans had ever seen.
It's hard to bring back the same amount of excitement nowadays.

[hafuridotus]

Feels like a full circle seeing Samsung / Google team up again for the Pixel 6 & Pixel 6 Pro. Can't wait to get my hands on this phone!

[Sandraisbored]

Man, live wallpapers really take me back lol

[krisvaras]

been an android user since 2.1, damn. holo really takes me back..

[Strikerage]

Fun fact: Nearly all the cool features you're used too were on WebOS first...

12 years ago.

[chaabimonta]

Android 5 Lollipop was a peace of art, it was a huge jump to the android interface and shape, specially on samsung

[NizarNoor]

I still love the look of that first Material Design showcase. I wish I could have that on my phone today.

[r.RyN.]

Nougat's Material Design was my favorite, when it wasn't all white. Oreo and up just look bland. Hopefully 12's Material You will be the next great thing. Also, when will Google or Custom ROM devs (like LineageOS team) and app devs make the dark theme more unified across the entire system? I mean, I can have the Settings and System UI in pitch black, but the Dialer is a dark grey instead, and Messaging is a lighter shade of that dark grey, while 3rd party apps have their own shades of dark grey. Substratum is no longer an option for me.

[prafullajha]

I prefer android 5.0 "Lollipop" as the major overhaul and the best design language till now.
Wish they could kept that material design still.

[phs]

My first smartphone was a gingerbread. When I was jealous of my ICS friends...
Then I got a kitkat,
Then lollipop,
Then nougat
Then the updates didn't seem to have any visual differences.
It's all the same to me now.
I don't even know which version I have now...