Google updates AppCompat so developers can bring Material Design to pre-Lollipop devices
When Google first unveiled their fresh new Material Design interface for Android 5.0 Lollipop (then known as Android L), we just about flipped. A mixture of colorful, clean UI and gorgeous animations, we’ve never seen Android look so beautiful and full of life. Since then, we’ve seen bits and pieces of Material make its way to Google’s core apps like Google+ and more recently the Google Play Store.
Now, in an update to AppCompat (V21), Google is looking to provide developers with the resources they need to bring the Android 5.0 look to older Android versions still running on the vast majority of devices (and will be for some time). They’ve also updated the RecyclerView, CardView and Palette libraries, which should be of some use.
Google is also introducing the Toolbar widget which they say supports a more focused feature set than the Action Bar. The Toolbar can contain elements like a navigation button, branded logo image, title and subtitle, one or more custom views, and an action menu with optional overflow menu for additional actions (see above).
By giving developers the resources they need to beautify their apps with Material, Google is creating a more unified look to the apps that are made available in the Play Store. Getting developers to use these new tools, however, is another story. For more details on getting your pre-Lollipop apps updated with a Material Design, hit the link down below.