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.
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
Dear NekoBox Team, I have been a consistent user of NekoBox, but recent updates have left me dissatisfied, primarily in the following areas: 1: Suboptimal design experience: The new interface fails to accommodate all user preferences. I earnestly request the addition of a theme switching function to restore the previous design. 2: Pop-up update notifications: The previous version displayed update prompts upon every launch, severely disrupting the user experience—particularly when I had no immediate intention to update. I would appreciate the option to disable automatic update checks.
M
Mario
Who thought this was a good idea? Is it to unify designs and have less trouble with it? smaller buttons in favour of gaps, overlapping layers... I really don't want to sound like a hater, but I don't see the good choice here. Please let people select UI. Don't think "they'll get use to it" because... I gave myself a chance but can't help it after weeks. Is telegram already suffering what Messenger died of? Time will tell.
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I have been a consistent user of NekoBox, but recent updates have left me dissatisfied, primarily in the following areas:
1: Suboptimal design experience: The new interface fails to accommodate all user preferences. I earnestly request the addition of a theme switching function to restore the previous design.
2: Pop-up update notifications: The previous version displayed update prompts upon every launch, severely disrupting the user experience—particularly when I had no immediate intention to update. I would appreciate the option to disable automatic update checks.