Twitter tests out Material Design tweaks in latest Android beta
A few users have been graced with a new version of the app that brings a floating action button, material animations, and a redesigned navigation menu.
I saw the update hit late Monday, probably thanks to the fact that I’m on the Twitter for Android beta. The main navigation area is finally in line with what Google outlines in its Material look: a large navigation space with a label for Home and an overflow menu for other areas of the app, like your settings or profile. When you scroll down, the menu scales back to reveal just the essential icons.
When you swipe between sections you have a subtle animation and can then interact with the tweets just as you would before. A floating action button is also here, which lets you fire up a new tweet right from the stream.
The overhaul clearly isn’t complete, as the profile and other areas of the app still hold on to the older look. By all accounts the update appears to be a server-side push, so you’ll just have to wait for it to show up.
Why this matters: For such an important app, Twitter has been rather slow to implement Google’s design guidelines. This may finally be happening, although the initial foray is clearly in the experimental stage. But after this first leap, there’s bound to be more Material-friendly work to be done in future udpates.