Holo (design language)

Last updated
Holo
Developer Google
Initial releaseFebruary 22, 2011;14 years ago (2011-02-22)
Platform Android
Predecessor Android Honeycomb User Interface
Successor Material Design

Holo is a discontinued design language developed by Google for the Android operating system. It was described by Google as a theme rather than a design language though. [1]

Contents

Holo first appeared in Android Ice Cream Sandwich evolving from the user interface introduced by Android Honeycomb but the same futuristic aesthetics of Android Honeycomb were used in favor of flat design with neon blue accenting, hard edges, and drop shadows. Holo also introduced a new default system font, Roboto; designed to replace the Droid font family, Roboto was primarily optimized for use on high-resolution mobile displays. [2]

Google discontinued Holo in 2014 and it was replaced by its successor Material Design used in Android 5.0 Lollipop and later. [3] Material Design is also used in Google Workspace applications. [4]

Updates

Android 4.4 KitKat

Android KitKat's user interface further downgraded the Holo interface appearance used on 4.0 and later until 4.3, replacing most instances of blue accenting with greys and white.

The appearance may deviate in custom vendor distributions such as TouchWiz.

References

  1. ↑ Powell, Adam (2012-01-03). "Holo Everywhere". Android Developers Blog. Retrieved 2025-11-26.
  2. ↑ Topolsky, Joshua (2011-10-19). "Exclusive: Matias Duarte on the philosophy of Android, and an in-depth look at Ice Cream Sandwich". The Verge. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  3. ↑ "Android Lollipop". Android Developers. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  4. ↑ "Material Design for Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Sites on Web". Google Workspace Updates. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
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