Leaked images give us our first look at Android 4.4 KitKat

Since releasing Android 4.0 back in 2011, Google has been pretty slow to improve their UI and UX design on new versions of Android. Subsequent versions of the operating system, including Android 4.3, which was just released alongside the new Nexus 7 in late July, have consisted mostly of under the hood improvements and relatively minor feature additions. Fortunately for Android users, going on a couple of newly leaked photos, it appears as though Google is getting ready to update their quickly aging Android design with their upcoming version of the popular mobile operating system, Android 4.4 KitKat.

The photos, which have been published by the reputable 9to5Google rumor site, depicts a newly redesigned versions of Android’s Phone application as well as its Messaging application. Both new designs are notably flatter, with nary a drop shadow or gradient in sight. What’s more, Google appears to be adopting specific color schemes to their applications – green for Messages, blue for Phone – which extends all the way from the notification bar to the bottom of the screen. Apple has adopted a similar visual style with their recent iOS 7 update.

Though these leaked photos don’t reveal any real groundbreaking changes or improvements to the Android platform, they do show that Google may be looking to add a little bit of spit and polish to a design that has been mostly stagnant for quite some time. Though Google has yet to officially drop an expected delivery date for Android 4.4, recent rumors have suggested that Google is planning on launching their new update alongside the rumored new Nexus 5 handset in October. Of particular interest, Google has recently sold out of their last batch of Nexus 4 devices on Google Play, suggesting that a new handset is indeed coming sooner rather than later.