Which component in Android provides lightweight feedback messages?

The component that provides lightweight feedback messages in Android is the Snackbar. Snackbar is specifically designed to show brief messages at the bottom of the screen, usually in response to user actions. It can contain a text message with an optional action button, offering a way for users to respond quickly without interrupting their current workflow.

The beauty of the Snackbar lies in its behavior; it provides subtle feedback that appears and disappears without requiring the user to dismiss it, making it an excellent choice for brief alerts about actions taken, like deleting an item or saving changes. It also tends to be more user-friendly than a Toast because it allows for a more interactive experience with its action button, giving users the opportunity to undo an action, for example.

Other components, while they can provide feedback, do not match the lightweight nature of Snackbar. Toasts are simple notifications that appear temporarily and are not interactive. Dialogs are more modal in nature, requiring user interaction to dismiss them, making them more intrusive. Notifications are used to alert users of events outside of the app itself, typically in the notification bar, which is also a different level of engagement compared to the immediate context provided by Snackbar.