Human beings are creatures of habit, and they like familiarity in most aspects of their lives. Smartphones are no exception, and there's definitely something comforting about being able to look at your phone and know where everything is. So it's no surprise that redesigning the software always seems to be as well-received as a punch in the face. iOS 26's switch to the Liquid Glass aesthetic was no exception to that trend.
Often, we see rival phone makers brazenly following Apple, and Liquid Glass has been swiftly copied by various companies. Vivo has adopted a similar design on its own phones, and the likes of Oppo and Samsung have added more glass-like elements to their UI. But do you know who won't be mimicking Apple's style on its phones? Google.
Sameer Samat, President of the Android Ecosystem at Google, has explicitly said that Liquid Glass is not coming to Pixel 11. It seems that some people saw the teaser for the upcoming Android Show: I/O Edition, featuring the Android mascot turning translucent, as confirmation that some sort of Liquid Glass-like effect would be coming to Android, too.
Not happening! Y'all are wild. 😂May 5, 2026
But that is not the case. "Not happening!" Samat said on X before adding, "Ya'll are wild." That's pretty definitive and doesn't leave a lot of room for any misinterpretation. An Android-ified version of Liquid Glass isn't coming to Pixel 11, and presumably won't be arriving on any other Google handset either.
As to why the Android mascot turns translucent, with that colorful light show going on inside it? I have no idea. If I were to guess, I'd say that it's probably something to do with Gemini and AI, since various versions of the Gemini logo use similar colors — in addition to the traditional Google hues.
Considering how hard Google has been pushing AI over the past few years, it's guaranteed that Gemini is going to continue playing a huge part in Android going forward. So it makes sense that there would be a lot of emphasis on artificial intelligence throughout the Google I/O developer conference.
It's impossible to say how well Liquid Glass has been received by the masses, because people are far more likely to complain online than sing its praises. But considering some of the criticism Apple has received for implementing Liquid Glass, and the fact that customization options were only added months later, it would be crazy for Google to copy the design — especially so quickly.
We don't know what Google has planned for I/O, aside from a heavy focus on AI, but you can read up on what we expect to see in our Google I/O hub.
The Android Show is set to take place on May 12 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, while the I/O conference itself kicks off with a keynote address at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.
