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.
Up for this request Everything said in the topic start post is true
🅰️nimeCoder
RoLlBaCK!
ㅤㅤㅤ「𝐊𝐀𝐘」
New ui - piece of dog shit, roolback or leave the option to choose ffs.
Trminator Michael [Berlin 🇩🇪]
Fully agree with this, and that's even after the worst got caught by plus messenger flags... Give us back the left side sliding menu and get rid of the hovering bottom menu for those without plus. It's ios patterns that should not be pushed on android users.
Artyom Ionov
Totally agree. Android is following completely different design philosophy than iOS. At least leave us with the old design instead of this.
Luis Alvarado
When the new "design" has folder groups or even used in an android phone that has the system buttons at the bottom (back, home, close) then thanks to this horrible design probably recommended by AI and not an actual UX designer, we end up with 2 layers at the bottom of the phone now instead of the one Android uses only. So now there is even less space for the actual interactive parts of the chats. More information about this here https://www.reddit.com/r/Telegram/comments/1r1w80m/telegram_new_theme_2026/
E
Eddy
I completely agree—Telegram's new design is confusing and unintuitive... Plus everything looks smaller and more disorganized."
D
Deleted Account
Bring back the side panel, it's better than the new design!
V
Vladislav Kosovskikh
Give me my money back. I didn't pay for it
Fromix
I agree. Rollback please
Валентина Колобова
I ask you to return the old design. The new one is terrible
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Everything said in the topic start post is true