Android app should follow Material Design, not iOS patterns
The recent Android update (12.4.*) introduces design elements directly ported from iOS, creating a non-native experience that ignores platform conventions and reduces usability.
Core issues:
Platform-inappropriate navigation
The fixed bottom tab bar (Chats / Contacts / Settings / Profile) wastes screen space on rarely used sections. Settings and Profile are accessed only occasionally, yet occupy permanent space. This reduces chat visibility and forces extra scrolling—especially problematic on smaller screens and during one-handed use.
Material Design addresses this with navigation drawers or contextual bottom sheets, showing relevant actions only when needed instead of always displaying everything.
Reduced information density
New borders, spacing, and visual effects in chat lists add visual clutter without functional benefit. Users scan dozens of chats regularly—extra noise slows this down and reduces the number of visible conversations per screen.
Inconsistency with platform expectations
Android users expect Material Design patterns because they are consistent across the OS and well-designed apps. Deviating from these creates cognitive friction and makes Telegram feel like a lazy cross-platform port rather than a thoughtfully designed Android app.
Why this matters:
iOS enforces Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines through App Store review. Android does not mandate Material Design, but this freedom should be used to create better native experiences—not to copy-paste iOS designs that don’t fit the platform.
Suggestion:
Design the Android UI according to Material Design principles. Use platform-appropriate navigation patterns, respect Android’s visual language, and optimize for different screen sizes and interaction models expected by Android users.
The desktop and web versions also deserve platform-native designs or their own Telegram style rather than a universal iOS aesthetic.
The first thing I did was install the 12.1 version, which doesn't have all this shit from iOS. Don't you know Google is moving to Material Expressive? Why choose iOS guidelines for the system, primarily designed for Material?
ب
بهرام
It's lame and add unnecessary steps for doing anything.
R
Reaper TV
My opinion is . It too early and sudden step . User and i can't handle new ui it too uncomfortable and.. just not like it.
1:- this is good for some users but not many 2:- give us a option that we can change ui in settings
Someone
I really hate it, sudden change and it just looks ugly overall, the least they can do is to give us the option to choose between the old version visually or this one.
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It's horrible design
Ihor Voronin
I had to rollback to an older version using adb command and disable auto update. Now I am stuck with this version as I refuse to switch to a new awful design.
B̵̂͜r̸̨͋e̸̲̽e̵̯͝n̵͖̑ẑ̷̤y̴ 🇦🇺🐸
Absolutely awful design. Please rollback.
Ухилянт
I completely support this. I also wrote a post about this problem: Why do I need two Settings pages? Why do I have to change my avatar in two different places? Why are there bugs on the Contacts page: when I try to quickly select multiple contacts, the selection randomly gets cleared from one of them. Why do we have a mix of standard Android back gestures and Telegram’s own back gestures: because of this, when leaving the Archive it sometimes closes the app instead of going back to the main screen. To add media to text I’ve already typed, I have to reach up and tap twice to attach media — that’s absurd. Why are there two “Forward” buttons when selecting a message (one at the top and one at the bottom)?
×͜× мลяเи๏ • ลℓקђ๏иรэ ×͜×
Yes use material 3 expressive design instead of ios clone design
Ago
Android app should have coherent Android design. If I wanted iOS design, I'd have bought an iPhone
A
Alexander
Impale clown who guessed that it may be any better or useful. Durov bring the wall back 2.0
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1:- this is good for some users but not many
2:- give us a option that we can change ui in settings
Why do I need two Settings pages?
Why do I have to change my avatar in two different places?
Why are there bugs on the Contacts page: when I try to quickly select multiple contacts, the selection randomly gets cleared from one of them.
Why do we have a mix of standard Android back gestures and Telegram’s own back gestures: because of this, when leaving the Archive it sometimes closes the app instead of going back to the main screen.
To add media to text I’ve already typed, I have to reach up and tap twice to attach media — that’s absurd.
Why are there two “Forward” buttons when selecting a message (one at the top and one at the bottom)?