Upcoming Telegram Android UI overhaul proves some developers still prefer Apple's design language over Google's

If you recently opened the latest Telegram beta on Android and felt something’s off, you aren’t imagining things. It seems the messaging giant is finally tired of maintaining two separate design identities. In the latest experimental version (12.3.0), Telegram is ditching the classic Android hamburger menu for a UI that looks suspiciously like it was ripped straight from iOS.

Gone is the side-drawer navigation we’ve used for a decade. In its place, as highlighted by X user @Devoid_5, is a floating, translucent bottom navigation bar. It screams “Apple,” abandoning Google’s solid Material Design principles for that blur-heavy “Liquid Glass” aesthetic that Cupertino loves so much.

The reaction from users is all over the place too. In a separate post showing off the redesigned navigation bar on Reddit, users like Ninja404Notfound argue the new look feels “really good” and akin to Samsung’s One UI, the die-hard Android purists are furious.

@Devoid_5 shared their frustration, claiming Telegram “copied the design from iOS, only three times worse,” while Reddit user gh0stofoctober pointed out that the new blocky context menus clash horribly with the rounded, floating interface. It’s a mess of conflicting design languages.

I can’t say I’m surprised, though. This feels like the inevitable conclusion of a trend that I’ve noticed for a long time. Just a couple of weeks ago, Parth Shah at Android Police nailed this phenomenon, noting that major Android manufacturers (and now app developers) are increasingly favoring Apple’s design directions over Google’s.

Shah pointed out that while Google pushes its unique Material 3 Expressive language, the industry is busy copying Apple’s translucent menus and “Liquid Glass” effects.

Telegram seems to be the latest casualty in this war on Material Design. By adopting these translucent, floating elements, they are prioritizing visual uniformity with the iPhone over platform consistency on Android. It’s frustrating for those of us who actually like Android for being, well, Android.

Right now, the redesign is still in beta, so there’s a slim chance Telegram might walk it back before a global rollout. But considering how quickly other apps are adopting this faux-iOS look, I wouldn’t bet my chat history on it.

Featured image credit: Durov’s Code / Telegram

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