Gmail

Android rolling out on Google’s radical Gmail redesign is finally

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.

The Material Design Gmail app is rolling out to Android and iOS now

Google’s revamped Gmail app for Android is now rolling out to everybody, with iOS users also starting to see the Material Design update too. The new version of the email app was announced last month, bringing elements of the desktop web interface design to Google’s mobile apps for iPhone and Android devices.

Material Design, as you’ll undoubtedly know if you’ve followed Google’s aesthetic progression in recent years, is a more pared-back, cleaner look. In the case of Gmail, that means saying goodbye to the bright red accents which have long been a part of the Gmail mobile app, with empty white space instead.

It means Google can use splashes of color for highlights and alerts instead. For example, if Gmail flags an email as potentially being malicious – such as trying a phishing attempt, or having a virus attached – it can now add a bright red warning box at the top of the message to caution about that. It could well mean you’re less likely to click on dangerous links and attachments.

For those attachments you do want, there’s now an attachment preview. That allows them to be accessed and opened without opening the email first; it also pulls all the attachments out of a long message chain, making them easier to find. Similarly helpful, there’s a search bar embedded into the app’s header, and jumping between multiple accounts is swifter since you can just tap the account icon to cycle through them.

Messages themselves will look different as well. Google is bringing its new Google Sans font, as seen on the recent Pixel phones, to the Gmail app as well. Some of the more extraneous design elements have been removed, leaving the whole interface less cluttered.

What hasn’t changed is the Gmail app’s core competencies. That includes organized categories for social, promotions, and other messages, potentially leaving your core inbox less overwhelmed, together with offline support. It can also handle non-Gmail email accounts, such as Outlook.com, Yahoo Mail, and other IMAP/POP accounts, so even if you’re not a Gmail user or you have multiple emails with different providers, you can still pull them all together in this one single app.

Back in January, Google promised that the new Gmail for mobile app would be rolling out on iOS and Android “in the coming weeks,” and it turns out that means now. Just in time for Mobile World Congress 2019, and a whole host of new Android phones, the updated app is hitting the Google Play store. If you’re an iPhone or iPad user, meanwhile, you may have to wait a little longer. For iOS, the update is beginning to roll out, but it won’t necessarily arrive on every device at the same time.

Gmail's cleaner, brighter mobile app rolls out to everyone this week

If you notice that Gmail suddenly looks different on your phone, you're not the only one. Google has confirmed to Engadget that its email client's Material Design makeover is available to all Android users now, and should reach all iOS users by the end of the week. As we mentioned back in January, this is mostly about dragging Gmail's aesthetic into the modern era. The familiar red title bar is gone in favor of a full-length search bar with a more accessible account switcher, while the overall look is brighter and more spacious. You'll see Google's latest in-house font everywhere.