Android Design Guidelines

Android Platform Design Guidelines — Material Design 3

1. Material You & Theming [CRITICAL]

1.1 Dynamic Color

Enable dynamic color derived from the user's wallpaper. Dynamic color is the default on Android 12+ and should be the primary theming strategy.

// Compose: Dynamic color theme
@Composable
fun AppTheme(
    darkTheme: Boolean = isSystemInDarkTheme(),
    dynamicColor: Boolean = true,
    content: @Composable () -> Unit
) {
    val colorScheme = when {
        dynamicColor && Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.S -> {
            val context = LocalContext.current
            if (darkTheme) dynamicDarkColorScheme(context)
            else dynamicLightColorScheme(context)
        }
        darkTheme -> darkColorScheme()
        else -> lightColorScheme()
    }
    MaterialTheme(
        colorScheme = colorScheme,
        typography = AppTypography,
        content = content
    )
}

<!-- XML: Dynamic color in themes.xml -->
<style name="Theme.App" parent="Theme.Material3.DayNight.NoActionBar">
    <item name="dynamicColorThemeOverlay">@style/ThemeOverlay.Material3.DynamicColors.DayNight</item>
</style>

Rules:

• R1.1: Always provide a fallback static color scheme for devices below Android 12.
• R1.2: Never hardcode color hex values in components. Always reference color roles from the theme.
• R1.3: Test with at least 3 different wallpapers to verify dynamic color harmony.

1.2 Color Roles

Material 3 defines a structured set of color roles. Use them semantically, not aesthetically.

// Correct: semantic color roles
Text(
    text = "Error message",
    color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.error
)
Surface(color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.errorContainer) {
    Text(text = "Error detail", color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onErrorContainer)
}

// WRONG: hardcoded colors
Text(text = "Error", color = Color(0xFFB00020)) // Anti-pattern

Rules:

• R1.4: Every foreground element must use the matching on color role for its background (e.g., onPrimary text on primary background).
• R1.5: Use surface and its variants for backgrounds. Never use primary or secondary as large background areas.
• R1.6: Use tertiary sparingly for accent and complementary contrast only.

1.3 Light and Dark Themes

Support both light and dark themes. Respect the system setting by default.

// Compose: Detect system theme
val darkTheme = isSystemInDarkTheme()

Rules:

• R1.7: Always support both light and dark themes. Never ship light-only.
• R1.8: Dark theme surfaces use elevation-based tonal mapping, not pure black (#000000). Use surface color roles which handle this automatically.
• R1.9: Provide a manual theme override in app settings (System / Light / Dark).

1.4 Custom Color Seeds

When branding requires custom colors, provide a seed color and generate tonal palettes using Material Theme Builder.

// Custom color scheme with brand seed
private val BrandLightColorScheme = lightColorScheme(
    primary = Color(0xFF1B6D2F),
    onPrimary = Color(0xFFFFFFFF),
    primaryContainer = Color(0xFFA4F6A8),
    onPrimaryContainer = Color(0xFF002107),
    // ... generate full palette from seed
)

Rules:

• R1.10: Generate tonal palettes from seed colors using Material Theme Builder. Never manually pick individual tones.
• R1.11: When using custom colors, still support dynamic color as the default and use custom colors as fallback.

2. Navigation [CRITICAL]

2.1 Navigation Bar (Bottom)

The primary navigation pattern for phones with 3-5 top-level destinations.

// Compose: Navigation Bar
NavigationBar {
    items.forEachIndexed { index, item ->
        NavigationBarItem(
            icon = {
                Icon(
                    imageVector = if (selectedItem == index) item.filledIcon else item.outlinedIcon,
                    contentDescription = item.label
                )
            },
            label = { Text(item.label) },
            selected = selectedItem == index,
            onClick = { selectedItem = index }
        )
    }
}

Rules:

• R2.1: Use Navigation Bar for 3-5 top-level destinations on compact screens. Never use for fewer than 3 or more than 5.
• R2.2: Always show labels on navigation bar items. Icon-only navigation bars are not permitted.
• R2.3: Use filled icons for the selected state and outlined icons for unselected states.
• R2.4: The active indicator uses secondaryContainer color. Do not override this.

2.2 Navigation Rail

For medium and expanded screens (tablets, foldables, desktop).

// Compose: Navigation Rail for larger screens
NavigationRail(
    header = {
        FloatingActionButton(
            onClick = { /* primary action */ },
            containerColor = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.tertiaryContainer
        ) {
            Icon(Icons.Default.Add, contentDescription = "Create")
        }
    }
) {
    items.forEachIndexed { index, item ->
        NavigationRailItem(
            icon = { Icon(item.icon, contentDescription = item.label) },
            label = { Text(item.label) },
            selected = selectedItem == index,
            onClick = { selectedItem = index }
        )
    }
}

Rules:

• R2.5: Use Navigation Rail on medium (600-839dp) and expanded (840dp+) window sizes. Pair it with Navigation Bar on compact.
• R2.6: Optionally include a FAB in the rail header for the primary action.
• R2.7: Labels are optional on the rail but recommended for clarity.

2.3 Navigation Drawer

For 5+ destinations or complex navigation hierarchies, typically on expanded screens.

// Compose: Permanent Navigation Drawer for large screens
PermanentNavigationDrawer(
    drawerContent = {
        PermanentDrawerSheet {
            Text("App Name", modifier = Modifier.padding(16.dp),
                 style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleMedium)
            HorizontalDivider()
            items.forEach { item ->
                NavigationDrawerItem(
                    label = { Text(item.label) },
                    selected = item == selectedItem,
                    onClick = { selectedItem = item },
                    icon = { Icon(item.icon, contentDescription = null) }
                )
            }
        }
    }
) {
    Scaffold { /* page content */ }
}

Rules:

• R2.8: Use modal drawer on compact screens, permanent drawer on expanded screens.
• R2.9: Group drawer items into sections with dividers and section headers.

2.4 Predictive Back Gesture

Android 13+ supports predictive back with an animation preview.

// Compose: Predictive back with BackHandler (androidx.activity.compose)
BackHandler(enabled = true) {
    // Called when back is confirmed; navigate back in your nav controller
    navController.popBackStack()
}

// Compose: Predictive back progress animation using predictiveBackHandler modifier
// (androidx.activity:activity-compose 1.8+)
Modifier.predictiveBackHandler(enabled = true) { progress ->