Google's Android 17 may take inspiration from Apple — but don't call it Liquid Glass

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It's more of a "blur"

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review.
(Image credit: Tom's Guide / John Velasco)

Google may be taking a page from Apple's Liquid Glass look when it updates Android later this year. According to a new report from 9to5Google, the Mountain View giant is planning to add more translucent and frosted glass aesthetics to the menus of Android 17.

The change is part of Google's ongoing Material 3 Expressive redesign that debuted with Android 16. It continues this with more "blur" in the visual design.

iOS 26 developer beta running on iPhone showing Liquid Glass interface.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

In the above image, you can see how the icons are translucent with a frosted look; you can still make out the background.

For those who dislike(d) Liquid Glass, 9to5Google claims the Google version is more "subtle" than the look of iOS 26.

Apparently, the new blur effect is not part of the Material 3 Expressive design for apps. For now, it appears limited to the core operating system but won't translate to apps.

When will Android 17 arrive?

Android apps

(Image credit: Lukmanazis/Shutterstock)

We don't have an exact date for Android 17's release, but Google pushed up the launch of Android 16 last year to June from its normal fall release. At this point, we expect Android 17 to follow a similar schedule after being fleshed out during Google I/O in May.

What will be interesting is if Google releases its new Android 'Aluminum' OS that is supposed to merge Android and ChromeOS into a single platform. Google has more or less confirmed this is coming, but has yet to provide a timeline for its release.

We are expecting it to debut this year, and again, will probably find out more at Google I/O. However, occasionally, Google hosts separate Android showcases later in the year, so a fall announcement is equally likely.

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Scott Younker
Scott Younker
West Coast Reporter

Scott Younker is the West Coast Reporter at Tom’s Guide. He covers all the lastest tech news. He’s been involved in tech since 2011 at various outlets and is on an ongoing hunt to build the easiest to use home media system. When not writing about the latest devices, you are more than welcome to discuss board games or disc golf with him. He also handles all the Connections coverage on Tom's Guide and has been playing the addictive NYT game since it released.

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