Top 8 Material Design Apps iPhone

Now, we all know at this point how big Google’s Material Design has become among Android developers, but how do these apps stack up on the iPhone? There are one or two apps that practice this approach to interface design for the Android app but the iPhone app looks entirely different- just why is that, exactly? And which of Google’s own apps are worth considering as the best examples of Material Design? We hope to answer most if not all of these questions in this countdown of the best Material Design apps for the iPhone, including but not limited to Google apps such as Chromecast and Calendar, but also featuring plenty of other unrelated apps who have taken the principles of MD on board. Of course, we’re not experts when it comes to interface design, so these apps represent what we believe to be the best overall examples of apps that use Material Design, rather than ranking them based on their merits in this specific area. And it’s all subjective of course, so why not check out our picks below and then suggest some of your own in the comments section?

8. Chromecast (Free)

To kick things off with a Google app, I think that one of the best examples of Material Design on the iPhone is the Chromecast app. The Chromecast devices allow you to stream media directly to your TV from your phone, tablet or laptop so it’s not as if a terribly efficient or visually striking app is needed here but the Chromecast app ticks both of these boxes. It’s great how Google has managed to maintain this visual consistency between apps that are so different. – Download from iTunes

7. BuzzFeed (Free)

So, this is where we at Top 8 admit to being hooked on BuzzFeed for all its latest must read content. The site has something of a reputation for being anti journalism, or at least bringing down the overall tone of journalism on the web but I’d hasten to disagree. These day BuzzFeed has its finger on the pulse of popular cultre like few other sites of its kind on the web, with serious content that is well worth keeping up to date with. Now they also have a serious looking app, and one that perfectly practices the base principles of Material Design very well indeed. We of course are the kind that regularly hang around the tech section of BuzzFeed for its original content and community, but there is a lot more to find besides that. – Download from iTunes

6. CBS Sports (Free)

I’ll admit here that I’ve never been the biggest CBS Sports fan and generally try to avoid the NFL games it broadcasts; no one will ever compare to the Al Michaels and John Madden commentator partnership, but NBC’s current duo of Michaels and Cris Collingsworth is pretty good. One thing that CBS does have going for it however is a nicely designed iPhone app which takes on board the principles of Material Design to create an app that is never striking but is effective in its simplicity. We’ve all been in that position before where simply checking the scores can lead to annoyingly long loading times and menus that you simply aren’t interested in traversing. Thankfully the CBS Sports app arranges it all efficiently enough, and will keep you updated via notifications throughout the day.  – Download from iTunes

5. Coinbase (Free)

Back in January, Coinbase launched their redesigned iOS and Android apps with a lot of blue and a distinctly Material Design look. While Mint will always be our money management app of choice, there’s a lot to say for Coinbase currently and this interface overhaul presents everything in a neat case that is just satisfying to browse around. For those unaware of Coinbase, it’s basically an app to manage your bitcoin with your iPhone or Android device, allowing you to instantly buy and sell bitcoin in 19 countries and of course to shop with merchants that accept this virtual currency. I won’t go into the merits of bitcoin here but it is worth reading up on if you’re not yet in the know, and there’s an excellent article on the redesign of this interface on Coinbase’s blog.  – Download from iTunes

4. Pushbullet (Free)

We recently ranked Pushbullet up there among the most useful in terms of apps that will actively save you time throughout a given week, shaving of minutes in the day and hours in the week to become absolutely indispensible. These days, there are few apps that I could truly not do without and Pushbullet is one of those. Their recently revamped interface is one with a Material Design flavor, making it that much more satisfying to push things around your device and increase your productivity. For those who have not yet tried Pushbullet, it’s a great way to painlessly send images, files and links between apps and devices and the ability to manage these individual pushes is what makes the app so inventive and impressive. – Download from iTunes

3. Facebook Messenger (Free)

Facebook’s move to change its Messenger app into something more clean and readable was a fairly notable one, but few will have put two and two together to realize that yes, this app does now practice a Material Design approach to its interface. The app itself is now a lot quicker, I’ve noticed, on your average iPhone and just the generally clean nature of the interface is a big plus in my book. It’s the perfect app if you’re the kind of Facebook user that cares little for useless status updates and instead wishes to simply chat with friends.- Download from iTunes

2. Pocket Casts ($3.99)

Pocket Casts is one of those apps that you don’t really consider in terms of its interface, since there’s so much else going on, but it’s precisely because of this that we believe it should be ranked highly on this list. The menu is simple enough but it’s the use of space that impresses us the most, turning what can be difficult and cluttered pages on other podcast apps into something that is a lot more elegant. The tiled album artwork is great to see, and the individual profile page for each podcast is very useful. – Download from iTunes

1. Google Calendar (Free)

I guess that no list about Material Design apps would quite be complete without another mention of a Google app, and I’d say that my favorite of all those that Google have produced in the past couple of years is probably the Google Calendar app. Now, I’ll concede some ground here and point out that in no way will this app ever have the power to compete with the likes of Sunrise Calendar in terms of functions and features, at least at this particular moment. But it’s so bright and inventive and colorful, and we love the little illustrations that are consistent with what you might have seen in Gmail. It’s great if you’re an existing Google user and are looking for an app that will integrate with other Google services, and is loaded with nice touches such as the ability to embed maps and graphics into events. – Download from iTunes