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 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.
M
Michiel
Like Alex and Anya said... Also the bottom floating island obscure message flow, contains rarely used buttons and miss-touching happens now. Please move all functions to a three-line menu botton at the right-top.
D
Dmitriy Kamish
Please revert
Andrea.
I am using Android precisely because I do not like iOS UI. Please revert this.
I am using iOS and I hate the “new” media player design it looks like html ones
Josh
If this isn't fixed it will be the final push to convince my family to switch to signal.
J
JMc
+1 for this issue, I hate the liquid glass ui, now I have to use third party telegram clients because the official one is so ugly
N
Nico C
Make Telegram Blue Again
🆁🅼🅶
I do not need an entire "kebab" with useless buttons I, personally, pressing only once a month. It is using a screen space and "burger" menu were a lot more handy. And search bar doesn't need to be always opened. Magnifying glass icon was more than enough, not to mention that always opened search bar is using screen space too. Also, why I, a premium user who is giving you money, CAN't choose whenever I need that awful and unusable re-design or not? Why I DON'T have a choice? At this point I want to either revert to older version neither download and install a FORK of the "Telegram". Say "thanks" to your "useful" GUI re-design team that you paid real money for this worst update in the "Telegram" history.
L1ke (Свят)
at least add switch back to old option, this shit is awfull
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