Although Android 15 doesn’t bring sweeping visual changes, Google is working on subtle but welcome UI improvements for the next mobile OS update.
Android 15 should arrive with a refresh of the status bar icons. That omnipresent strip of icons at the top of every Android screen hasn’t had a major design update in almost ten years. Icons for main system indicators, such as Wi-Fi, cellular signal, and battery level, have remained largely unchanged since Android 5.0 Lollipop introduced Google’s Material Design language in 2014.
However, leaked images of the Android 15 Developer Preview reveal that several status bar icons are finally getting a visual overhaul better aligned with the company’s modern Material You design system that debuted in Android 12.
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New icons for the status bar arrive with Android 15
In particular, the signal icons for Wi-Fi and mobile data seem to revert to a segmented style reminiscent of the days before Material Design. The battery indicator can also integrate percentage levels directly into its icon rather than having the number on the side.
The new design looks cleaner and more compact compared to Android’s existing status bar icons. The redesigned Wi-Fi indicator, in particular, provides better visibility of signal strength at a glance.
Beyond aesthetic tweaks to icons, Google is also integrating additional haptic feedback elements into core Android user experiences. In particular, users can expect Fast vibrations when expanding quick settings tiles and adjusting volume sliders.
These seemingly minor additions could provide a bit more physical responsiveness and tactility when users navigate elements of Android’s visual interface. The haptic system has become increasingly sophisticated in recent years, thanks to improved vibration hardware, so these differences should especially be felt on high-end smartphones. As a reminder, Android 15 is still only in the second Developer Preview version, and should go into beta next month.