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Yesterday, I found out my ChatGPT mobile app has changed their design.

Notice the difference? There are lots of floating components.
Floating navigations at the top, floating buttons, floating inputs, floating everything…
Then, I remember, my Youtube on Android TV has changed too.

At first, it was just the buttons on the video player. But, yesterday, I noticed they changed their side navigation to floating components too.

These changes makes me think of the new Apple Liquid Glass.
They feature cool glass-y appearance and LOTS of floating stuff!

Google also updated their Material Design system to Material 3 Expressive with more floating buttons

Floating design, the new “Flat Design” of mid-2020s

We remember back in 2015, Flat design took over every design system in your devices.
Now, here in 2025, Floating design has started to emerge.
And, I think it’s here to stay for long.

Are they preparing us for the next form of device: Smart Glasses?

My guess is that they’re preparing us for the next-generation form of device that’s gonna power our everyday lives: Smart Glasses.
The floating design is the natural interface of Augmented Reality in smart glasses, as we can see it’s already happening with the new display of Meta Rayban glasses

Will Apple and Google launch their own new smart glasses (that’s comfortable to wear daily) after getting us used to this interface? Let’s wait and see.

Personal Take

Personally, I dislike the design.
Everything seems to be popping out with this floating design, taking out the immersive experience of focusing on the main content.
People even have criticized these floating design (Floating Action Buttons) since a decade ago.

“While FABs (Floating Action Buttons) seem to provide good UX in ideal conditions, in actual practice, widespread adoption of FABs might be detrimental to the overall UX of the app.”
From a TechInAsia article

However, I think I will get used to this and I’m looking forward to the future of everyday smart glasses.