Survey suggests a small Android Auto design change is proving surprisingly divisive

Android fans will have noticed that Google seems rather fond of wavy progress bars these days. They’re part of the company’s broader Material 3 Expressive design, and you can find them across Google’s apps and interfaces — including Android Auto. But as we’ve seen the squiggly design make its way to more places, we’ve had less of an idea of what users actually think of it. Until now, that is.

Last month, the Android Auto wavy progress bar mysteriously reverted to a straight line for some users, at least when playing music through Spotify in full-screen mode. It wasn’t the first time the feature had disappeared, but it gave us a good excuse to ask readers whether they actually liked the wavy design or preferred the classic straight line. Apparently, a little squiggle can inspire quite a bit of interest, with more than 1,300 readers voting and some surprisingly strong opinions in the comments.

Here’s how the voting played out.

As you can see, Google can claim a marginal victory for the design tweak, with fans of the change beating those preferring the classic look by 53% to 47%. But what’s perhaps more interesting is how close the result was. It was a relatively minor design change, so maybe the most surprising thing of all is how many people bothered to vote in the first place. But having ignited the debate, you’d maybe expect Android Auto users to broadly come down on one side rather than the other.

That wasn’t the case, and you only have to look at the comments section of our September article to see how divisive the wavy progress bar in Android Auto is proving.

There was some support for the wavy design, with Rcastles declaring “Long live the wave.” But as is often the case in the comments, those opposed to the squiggle had rather more to say. Wvm2nd called it “ridiculous,” while RoccoProbe added, “That was dumb anyway. Don’t miss it at all.” Billy Simms was also unimpressed, arguing that Google should prioritize useful features over cosmetic changes. After suggesting some improvements to the media player, they summed up their position with, “Make it FUNCTIONAL, not PRETTY.”

Of course, some commenters pointed out what many of you are probably thinking: Let’s not get worked up over a line that tells you how far through a song you are. Ken Oberle offered a healthy dose of perspective, saying, “It’s a progress bar on a song. Pay attention to the road.”