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.
New design is so terrible in so many ways. Please revert to previous one, it was one of the best UI in messengers, ever.
D
Dave Gagnon
Totally agree, new design is awful. We should not get iOS app designs on Android.
T
Tg
absolutly useless buttons in the bottom. and no way to fast change accounts
S
Steve A
Have reverted to 12.3.1 whilst Telegram play this stupid game.
Alessio
Totally agree! Please revert
Bashir
revert or give us an option to revert
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𝓛𝓪𝔂𝓪𝓷 ᥫ᭡
The new design is awful.
Ievgen Yelisieiev
Whoever approved the redisign should be promoted to janitor
Oleh Avramets
I am using Android precisely because I do not like iOS UI. Please revert this.
A
Alex
The unusable island at the bottom and Reply/Forward buttons at the bottom that you can miss and select another message are the pinnacles of bad redesign. Bad. Very bad.
Anya K
I really hate it. It's ugly. But more important it's frustrating — especially how the search button is in one place when you down the scroll list but it moves to another place when you scroll all the way up. I keep locking my app all the time because of this.
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