design overhaul Archives

AppWizard

September 24, 2025

The Pixel Watch app gives Android users their long-awaited M3 Expressive makeover

The latest Material 3 Expressive update for the Pixel Watch app is being rolled out through a Play Store update, introducing a bolder design and a refreshed app icon. This update features a vertical, pill-shaped row highlighting key Pixel Watch features, including Fitbit, Personal Safety, Gemini, and Google Wallet. The app layout prioritizes essential features like Watch Faces and Tiles, with new containers and subtle line separators enhancing the user experience. The update began on September 24, and while it may take time for all devices to receive it, users can expect widespread changes throughout the week. The redesign enhances visuals and animations, complementing the circular face of the Pixel Watch. Wear OS 6 also introduces new watch faces and improved media controls.

AppWizard

August 14, 2025

Google Translate app tipped to add ‘Practice’ for learning new languages

A user on Telegram has revealed a new feature called "Practice" currently being tested for the Google Translate app, which may include guided listening and speaking practices, as well as quizzes for language learners. Screenshots show a "Practice Spanish" menu with user goals, daily activities, and practiced words. There are also indications of a design overhaul for the app, featuring a "more translations" header, "Regional Variants," and "Ask a question" options, aimed at enhancing the translation experience using advanced AI. The feature's official rollout timeline is uncertain, but it appears to be nearing completion.

Winsage

July 12, 2025

Windows 11 Build 27898 introduces taskbar icon scaling and system recovery improvements

Microsoft has released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27898 to the Canary Channel, introducing several new features aimed at enhancing usability and recovery. Key features include: - Taskbar Icon Scaling: The taskbar will automatically reduce icon sizes when it reaches capacity, with three customizable options for users regarding icon size. - Quick Machine Recovery: This feature allows automatic recovery from boot issues using the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), connecting to the internet for targeted fixes from Windows Update. - Accessibility Enhancements: Users can add custom words to the voice access dictionary, and a new Screen Curtain feature for the Narrator screen reader enhances privacy by blacking out the display. - Energy Saver Feature: An adaptive energy saver mode is being rolled out for battery-powered devices, managing energy saver settings based on power state and system load. - Sharing Features: The Windows share window now shows visual previews of shared content and allows users to select compression settings for images. - Performance Improvements: Enhancements have been made to file extraction for large archives, and the Snipping Tool now has a shortcut for launching the text extractor. - Default Browser Management: Users can set their default browser to handle PDFs and pin it to the Start menu and taskbar. The build also addresses various issues within File Explorer and Settings, although some known problems remain, such as display distortion in Remote Desktop on Arm64 PCs.

AppWizard

June 16, 2025

Android 16 is sprucing up the Pixel Camera app with a slick new look

Google is implementing its Material 3 Expressive design across various applications, with the Pixel Camera set to undergo a transformation. The Settings menu has been updated with warm brown tones, white accents, and rounded controls for a more inviting interface. The new toggle design features a checkmark for the “on” state and an “x” for “off.” The Pixel Camera app will align with other apps like Gmail and Google Messages that have already adopted this design. An official launch date for the updated Pixel Camera has not been announced, but it is expected to coincide with the rollout of Android 16 later this year.

AppWizard

June 3, 2025

Google Unveils Exciting Enhancements Coming to the Native Phone App for Android Users!

The latest update to the Phone by Google Android app includes larger text and images for callers, redesigned oval buttons, and the removal of the "Call from" text during incoming calls. The caller's phone number remains visible even after the call is answered, and the end button has been redesigned into a pill shape to reduce accidental presses. These changes aim to enhance usability and create a more intuitive user experience.

AppWizard

June 2, 2025

Google’s Phone App Is Getting a Makeover in Android 16

Google is preparing to release Android 16, which will feature a redesign of its Material Design language, now called Material 3 Expressive. The Phone app will allow users to choose how to answer calls, with options for "Answer" and "Decline" buttons, as well as horizontal swipe gestures. The redesign will also include larger, pill-shaped buttons that change shape when tapped and a new animation for caller profile photos. Other Google applications, such as Google One, Google Meet, and Google TV, will also receive updates in line with the Material 3 Expressive design.

AppWizard

May 20, 2025

Android 16 QPR1 delivers a colorful Settings app redesign [Gallery]

Android version 16 QPR1 introduces a redesigned Settings app featuring a vibrant palette of pastel colors, moving away from the previous monochromatic gray interface. This update aligns with Google's Material 3 Expressive design language, enhancing user experience through bold aesthetics. The lock screen has also adopted a bolder appearance. Each category in the Settings app is now represented by unique hues, aiding navigation, although color assignments do not follow a strict logic. The functionality of the app remains unchanged, with the redesign aimed at creating a more inviting user environment.

AppWizard

May 19, 2025

Files by Google is also getting a fresh coat of Material 3 Expressive (APK teardown)

Google is testing its Files app with new Material 3 Expressive components in a beta version. The beta version, Files by Google v1.7528, features repositioned Quick Share and File Scanner floating action buttons to a centralized location, larger thumbnails for recent files, and a redesigned image viewer with updated Edit and Circle to Search FABs. The sidebar has undergone changes in padding and sizing, and the progress bar has been moved to the center of the screen with a new wavy design. These features are still under development and may not appear in the final public release.

AppWizard

May 13, 2025

Google unveils the most massive Android redesign ever

Google's new design language for Android, called M3 Expressive, focuses on enhancing user experience through color, shape, size, motion, and containment. This design aims to create a deeper emotional connection between users and their devices. M3 Expressive is described as Google's most rigorously tested design system, developed through 46 rounds of iterations and feedback from over 18,000 participants. The design allows users to identify key interface components up to four times faster than the previous Material 3 design, effectively bridging generational gaps in usability. Google will unveil this design transformation at the I/O developer conference.

Winsage

March 31, 2025

Microsoft overhauls the dreaded Blue Screen of Death

Microsoft is testing a redesigned Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) for Windows 11 insiders, featuring a more streamlined user interface that aligns with Windows 11 design principles. The new design will remove the frowning face and QR code, and may adopt a darker color reminiscent of Windows updates, with a green version currently being previewed. These enhancements are part of a broader effort to refresh various elements of the Windows interface, including sign-in screens. The updates are being rolled out to Windows insiders on version 24H2 across Beta, Dev, and Canary Channels, with potential public release expected in the coming months or alongside Windows 11 25H2.