Google just dropped a teaser for its annual I/O developer conference, set for May 12—and the internet is already on fire. But not for the reasons the company hoped.
The promo video shows Android’s green robot mascot pulling a cord, turning off the lights and turning itself into a glowing, transparent glass creature. Sound familiar? It’s a dead ringer for Apple’s Liquid Glass interface, unveiled at WWDC last summer.
“Biggest. Android. Updates. Ever,” declared Android ecosystem president Sameer Samat in a social media post. “You won’t want to miss it.” The irony? His team clearly didn’t miss Apple’s design language.
Commenters pounced immediately. “Is that… Liquid Glassdroid?” one asked. “Please don’t tell me Android is going to have a Liquid Glass look,” another pleaded. A third bluntly said the update was “hopefully not [a] copy of Liquid Glass. I mean, stay original, Android…”
Samat fought back, personally replying to critics. When someone joked “Liquid Glass confirmed,” he shot back: “Not happening! Y’all are wild. 😂” The crying-laughing emoji screamed “I’m in on the joke, this is fun.”
Another user begged, “No, don’t copy Apple with glass everything, bruh.” Samat responded: “Don’t worry. Not happening!”
But the accusations kept flooding in. “Bro hopefully it’s not Liquid Gl(ass) 😭😭😭,” one wrote. “Please don’t copy Apple’s Liquid Glass,” said another. A particularly bold commenter shouted: “Please for the love of God don’t introduce Liquid Glass!!!!! It’s shit!” Samat, wisely, stopped replying.
Here’s the real kicker: we’ve only seen a 15-second promo video, not the actual interface. But the backlash raises a bigger question—why would Google even flirt with a look that Apple’s own users aren’t thrilled about? Liquid Glass has been polarizing from day one, with so many complaints that Apple had to add a toggle to tone down the transparency effects.
Is this all a deliberate hype play? Maybe Google knew exactly what they were doing—generating buzz by teasing the controversy. Whether it’s a copycat move or a brilliant marketing stunt, one thing’s certain: May 12 just got a whole lot more interesting.
