Google is giving its Messages app on smartwatches a stylish new upgrade.
As part of the ongoing rollout of its Material 3 Expressive design language, the refreshed look is starting to show up on Wear OS devices-most notably spotted on the new Pixel Watch 3 by a Telegram user.
The new design introduces subtle yet significant changes. Message bubbles now feature soft color tints, buttons are filled in with vibrant colors, and the overall interface feels more fluid and modern. List options are more intuitive too-some have combined icon-and-text buttons, while others visually suggest scrolling through content, aligning with the Material 3 aesthetic.
At the moment, the update doesn’t appear to be widely available. While some users on the latest Google Messages version have already noticed the revamp, others haven’t, suggesting Google is rolling this out server-side and perhaps limiting it to certain hardware like the Pixel Watch 3 or newer models running Wear OS.
This isn’t just about smartwatches. Material 3 Expressive is gradually spreading across Google’s ecosystem. On Android phones and tablets, a similar redesign is in testing for Google Messages beta users. Google Keep has been updated with a chunkier search bar and larger icons, while Google Phone now includes rounded cards, a reworked dialer, and improved gesture navigation.
Google’s staggered rollout approach contrasts with Apple’s more unified updates. Apple’s iOS 26 and watchOS 26 introduce their new Liquid Glass UI in one sweep across devices, emphasizing translucent visuals and smooth transitions. Google’s path is slower, with feature gates and device-specific deployments, but it underscores a different philosophy-more customization, more color, and more shape variety.
While not revolutionary, the update shows Google’s ongoing commitment to evolving Wear OS. In a competitive landscape with Samsung’s One UI Watch and Apple’s slick watchOS, even small visual enhancements can improve the overall experience. For users embedded in the Google ecosystem, Material 3 Expressive brings a unified and more visually pleasing interface across all their devices.