Gmail users on Android are about to get a much cleaner experience. Google has begun rolling out a redesign of the Gmail app to its Android users, and it brings the app much more in line with other Google products.
The update includes a range of tweaks to the Gmail for Android app. For example, there is the new Google Sans font throughout the app, as well as a new search bar at the top of the app that replaces the older red menu bar.
In general, the redesign of Gmail for mobile brings many of the features and design elements from the Gmail redesign for desktop last year. Like that website, the app now has a stark white background — meaning that the classic, familiar red menu bar has been removed. On top of that, things like photos, documents, and other attachments will be displays in the conversations list — making it much easier to access them. Even the button to compose an email has changed — instead of the red pencil icon, you will now get a multi-colored “+” icon.
As noted by 9to5Google, there are a number of advantages to the all-white redesign. For example, the new design means that the colors used in labels stand out much more easily. Ultimately, the way the new Gmail app works isn’t all that different compared to previous versions — but the look and feel of it is definitely a little more modern.
Google has been working on redesigning its apps for some time now. The company has given relatively new apps, like Google Tasks and Podcasts, updated designs, but has also started bringing the new look to older apps. Notably, the Android Messages app recently got the all-white look, doing away with the older blue menu bar. The app also got a dark mode.
The update will eventually roll out to iOS users, too — though we don’t know exactly when that will happen. That said, it makes sense that Google would bring the new design to the Android app first. We expect Google to bring the new look to other apps as time goes on — though we don’t really have a timeline on when that will happen.
If you have Gmail on your Android phone, it should get the redesign in the near future. If you can’t wait, you can try opening the Google Play Store and updating the app manually.
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