Your Android device might not yet be running Lollipop (and you might be glad of that with recent reports of Lollipop woes), but you’ve probably noticed that many of your apps are sporting the new Material Design look. (Anyone else amused when an Apple app gets updated to a Material Design look, to match the Android version?) Update: Removed because a reader pointed out my throw-away comment was incorrect.

Moon+ Reader Pro is one of the first eReader apps to sport the new design. (Thanks to reader Jon Jermey for pointing it out to me.) Play Books obviously has the new look, but others like FBReader, Aldiko and Mantano Reader don’t yet. (At least Mantano finally added full screen mode for KitKat.)

Check out some screen shots from the updated Moon+ Reader Pro.

Screenshot_2015-01-06-09-35-43 Screenshot_2015-01-06-09-35-26 moon+ reader pro

I think it looks pretty good. It will be interesting to see when the other app developers adopt the new look.

9 COMMENTS

  1. “(Anyone else amused when an Apple app gets updated to a Material Design look, to match the Android version?)”

    Moon+ Reader isn’t an iOS app. I can’t think of any iOS apps using a Material Design other than those made by Google.

    Have you actually experienced this juvenile schadenfreude in reality or is it an extra special schadenfreude schadenfreude that only occurs in your mind?

    • @Tim, I know that Moon+ is not an iOS app. However, other apps I use, such as Lose It, have recently received an iOS update in line with Material Design. Sorry. Should have made my point more clearly.

  2. To clarify (and presuming the above is the correct Lose It! app), the iOS version does not use Material’s grid system. From the screenshots, it doesn’t use Materials layering system (there are no drop shadows of any kind). The app uses standard iOS tabbed content controls and a seemingly standard tab control bar at the bottom. It uses a custom toggle control that’s neither iOS 7/8 design or Material but is a poor copy of pre-iOS 7 toggle controls. The app uses a fairly standard iOS navigation control at the top.

    So… I’m baffled by your understanding of what Material design is and would love to know of these “other apps” that are now using Material design according to you because you haven’t provided such an example yet.

    • @Tim, my apologies. On a quick comparison between the app on my Android phone and my husband’s phone they looked similar enough that it seemed obvious they were going for a similar look. Taking a closer look, you are correct.

  3. No worries, appreciate your apology.

    And while I suspect that there are very few apps making such a change, I would still appreciate you listing any apps you think are blurring the territory, maybe trying to uphold both platforms design guidelines but meeting in the middle for a more consistent cross-platform experience… I think you jumped too soon but it’s a possible trend worth keeping an eye on.

    • @Tim, I have noticed apps aiming for a similar look across platforms. Pocket and Feedly used to have different fonts and, while having the same functions, a slightly different look on Android and iOS. Now they look almost identical (although neither has a Material Design look yet on Android.) Lose It used to be completely different on the two platforms, both in look and in functions. Attractive and easier to use in iOS. Honestly, ugly, though in some ways more functional, on Android.

  4. Both Pocket and Feedly has a more unified cross-platform look to their content display but both still use iOS design elements in the iOS version and likewise for Android — just look at the upper nav bar.

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