AndroidLiquidGlass

What the library is

Backdrop, also presented as Liquid Glass, is a customizable Liquid Glass effect library for Compose Multiplatform. The README is short and states the purpose in one line: a customizable Liquid Glass effect library for Compose Multiplatform. The effect is the frosted, refractive backdrop style associated with recent operating system UI, and this library ports that look into the Compose Multiplatform toolkit so it can be used across the platforms Compose supports. The project is published to Maven Central under the coordinate io.github.kyant0:backdrop, and the README shows a Maven Central badge linking to the artifact on the Sonatype site. There is a documentation site hosted on GitBook that the README links to for full usage detail. The README does not include a version number, a changelog, or a list of supported platforms beyond the Compose Multiplatform scope, so a developer should check the Maven Central page or the docs for the current release and the minimum Compose version. The library is presented as a visual effect component rather than a full UI framework, and the README keeps the description minimal. With 3438 stars in the metadata, the project has a large following for a small effect library, which suggests the look it provides is in demand among Compose developers who want the glass aesthetic without building the shader and blending logic themselves.

Components and demo

The README clarifies an important design point: the library does not ship high level components, so the developer builds their own and uses the effect as the backing visual. To make that concrete, it links to example components in the repository source, including LiquidButton, LiquidToggle, LiquidSlider, and LiquidBottomTabs, each referenced by a path under the app catalog in the common main Kotlin source set. These examples show how the effect can wrap common interactive elements, and they serve as a starting template rather than as a finished widget set. The README also points to a demo in the form of a Backdrop Catalog, with a release APK for the Android app linked from the repository. A screenshot of the catalog app is included so a visitor can see the effect applied across several sample surfaces. The split between a thin library and a separate catalog app means the reusable code stays small while the examples live in a runnable app that demonstrates the look on a device. A developer adopting Backdrop would read the GitBook docs for the API, then copy one of the catalog components as a base. The README does not describe the parameters that control blur, tint, or refraction, so the documentation site is the place to learn how to tune the appearance.

Adoption and project shape

The project's shape is that of a focused open source UI library: a small core artifact on Maven Central, a GitBook documentation site, and a sample catalog app in the repository for hands on exploration. The README's brevity is consistent with that scope, and it avoids claims about performance, compatibility with specific Android versions, or support for iOS versus desktop targets under Compose Multiplatform. A team evaluating Backdrop should confirm the supported targets and the Compose version from the published artifact metadata, because the README does not state them. The Apache 2.0 license recorded in the metadata lets the library be used in closed source products as long as the license notice is kept, which is the usual expectation for an Android oriented component. The large star count indicates strong community interest, but the short README means the documentation site carries the real usage detail. For a Compose Multiplatform developer who wants the liquid glass look, the path is to add the Maven Central dependency, read the GitBook docs, and adapt one of the four catalog components as a starting point. The project is best understood as a visual effect primitive with examples, not as a batteries included component kit with a long feature list.

Editorial conclusion

The library is licensed under Apache 2.0 and its most recent commit was on 2026-08-26.