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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, for that matter.
Google cleans up Gmail app with an all-white redesign
Google first unveiled its Material Design language back in 2014 (now called Material Theme), and last year saw an update to those design rules that removed the bold colors in favor of an almost entirely white look. A number of Google's most prominent apps and services have been redesigned over the last year, including Tasks, Photos, Calendar and Gmail -- the latter only on the web, though. That changes today: a redesigned Gmail for mobile starts rolling out today and will be available to all Android and iOS users in the coming weeks.
Google video teases all-white look for Gmail and other apps
Google has been revamping its Material Design guidelines for internal and third-party products. We've already seen previews of how the look of Google's own products will change, from Android to Gmail to Chrome. A video just surfaced showing a glimpse of what those redesigns may end up looking like: Clean, all-white interfaces, according to Ars Technica.
Google rolls out a simpler sign-in page
When Google announced last month that it's rolling out a new sign-in page, it promised a new interface with Material Design components as part of its efforts to give G Suite a more cohesive look. We'll have to wait a bit more to see it, though, because the one it's currently rolling out has a scaled-down Material Design theme. The tech giant didn't reveal if it came across issues that prevented it from releasing the redesigned sign-in page, but it's worth noting that the version hitting your accounts this week is already a month late.
Google's refreshed Chrome design is nearly here
Chrome's design has remained largely the same for a long time, but earlier this year Google started hinting at a complete "Material Design" overhaul. Now, we've got a better idea of what this might finally look like. As the company gets even closer to updating the browser's UI, it's today rolled out an update to Chrome Canary on Windows, Linux and Chrome OS that enables the new Material Design UI by default.
How Google's 'Material Theming' will change your Android experience
This week, Google announced a new set of tools called Material Theming that helps developers implement the Material theme across apps, including mobile and web. App-makers can choose from a variety of components and design transitions and Google even uses AI to make everything look coherent. Like the WYSIWYG HTML editors of yore, Material Theming makes it easier for developers to design apps their way while sticking to Google's design paradigm.
Gmail’s big redesign helps you spend less time in your inbox
We probably don't need to tell you that Gmail has become the email service of choice for innumerable people since it first went live in 2004. New features have been added at a steady clip ever since, but we haven't really seen a big redesign since 2011, though you could consider the addition of inbox tabs in 2013 a significant change, too. Whispers started cropping up earlier this month of another considerable overhaul, which Google is formally revealing today. What's immediately obvious is the new flatter, cleaner look intended to bring Gmail more in line with Google's Material Design principles -- the web version of Calendar got similar treatment last year. The bulk of what's new here, though, is a swath of features designed to make Gmail a more productive place for business users. But the updates apply to Gmail as a whole, so there's plenty for the personal user to play around with, too.
Google is reportedly testing a long overdue UI update for Calendar
Google Calendar might finally be getting a much needed update. The Next Web is reporting that some users' Calendars have a whole new user interface that's seemingly based on Google's Material Design language. Some of those with access to the redesigned desktop version have been posting to Reddit, providing screenshots of the UI and information about its functionality.
YouTube's latest redesign puts added focus on videos
Approximately 400 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. Soon, its desktop website will be getting a makeover to make combing through all those cute cat clips a bit easier.
Google tests a cleaner look for Search
Google has begun to test a new Material Design layout for its desktop search results. The company introduced Material Design in 2014 at its annual I/O conference during its Android Lollipop unveil, promising to spread the new grid-based look across Android, Chrome OS and the web. It's... taken a while to get there, and arguably the most important of Google's web properties -- YouTube and Search - still haven't made the switch. Last month, Google began testing a fresh look for its video streaming site, and now, we're beginning to see that familiar grid of floating cards show up in google.com search results.
Twitter's Android app gets the Material Design treatment
What was once a test is now official. Twitter is rolling out a new version of its Android app which adheres to Material Design, the paper-like visual language developed by Google. The app is now split into four tabs -- Home, Moments, Notifications and Messages -- which you can move between by tapping the icons at the top of the screen, or using a horizontal swipe. Dragging across from the left-hand edge will reveal a side menu with shortcuts to your profile, lists and Twitter highlights. The drop-down arrow at the top of the menu will let you switch accounts, meanwhile.
YouTube is testing a cleaner Material design
YouTube's basic design hasn't changed a lot over the years, but it could get a major cosmetic upgrade soon. Commenters on Reddit's YouTube forum discovered a new Material look that would bring it in line with the latest version of Chrome OS and Android Marshmallow. It's hidden in YouTube's code, but it's possible to unlock it from the Chrome browser's developer tools, as shown at the top of the Reddit discussion. As noted, you'll need to either sign out of your account or try it from Chrome's incognito mode.
Google's VP of design rips into Windows 10 on Twitter
Shortly after recording his first podcast, Google's vice president of design Matias Duarte has publicly slammed Microsoft and Windows 10 on Twitter. After the latest episode of Joshua Topolsky's Tomorrow went live, Duarte tweeted that he had tried the Surface Pro 4 with Windows 10 -- and that in his opinion, it felt like "XP with a flat design skin." Needless to say, this triggered quite a response from the Twittersphere, and Duarte quickly followed up with: "Windows 10? More like Windows 10 years ago!" The tweets were partly sent in jest, as he later described them as "overly clever tweetbait." However, Google's design lead clearly has some issues with the way Microsoft's desktop OS has evolved. Specifically, Duarte claims he has "no beef" with how Windows 10 looks, and is instead disappointed with how it works. As far as he's concerned, the functionality is similar to the now ancient Windows XP: "I understand that's a feature for many," he later tweeted. "Not for me!"
'Faster, sleeker and simpler' Hangouts arrives on Android
Google released its Hangouts 4.0 for the Android platform on Monday. First and foremost, the app now has been reskinned with material design. It also features a simplified compose button as well as a streamlined contacts list and file attachment function. What's more, the company has reportedly has even gotten the app to consume less power thanks to improved messaging speeds and "obsessively fixing bugs." They're basically the same set of UI and performance tweaks that we saw at the end of June when the iOS version updated to the new material design version. [Image Credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Google Hangouts for iOS gets a redesign, better performance
Frustrated with the Google Hangouts app on iOS from time to time? Us too. Mountain View updated the mobile software today with a refreshed UI and more. First, you'll likely notice the new coat of Material Design paint that tidies things up a bit. Heck, even the dialer got a redesign. There's also a new quick compose button that allows you to quickly send messages to the folks you chat with often. Access to images from the gallery, camera or emoji library is easier too, and you can now send multiple photos at once. The update includes the usual bug fixes and performance improvements, and the latter hopefully remedies a few of the headaches some of us at Engadget HQ have been experiencing lately. The goods are available now at iTunes, and the Android version is said to arrive shortly.
Google makes a Hangouts Mac app you'll want to use
Listen up, OSX users: with the new Hangouts update from Google you might actually want to use the official app rather than Adium. It consolidates your contacts on the left side of one window and puts your chats on the right as you'll see below. It's pretty simple and intuitive and is rocking Mountain View's Material Design style, and frankly the simplification feels a bit overdue. Google's Mayur Kamat writes that you can take advantage of the new features on Chrome OS, Linux and Windows too but you'll have to disable "transparent mode" first.
Chrome OS gets a new launcher and more Material Design
Early adopters have had access to a redesigned Chrome OS launcher since last month. Now, Google is making that feature available to all users of its web-based operating system. Today's fresh, stable update to Chrome OS also comes packed with a number of Material Design elements, bringing a new look to the Files app and the default typeface. Just as well, there's an updated calculator app, support for password-protected zip files -- plus, of course, the customary bug fixes and security revisions. So expect to see changes the next time you boot up your Chrome OS machine, some visible, others not so much. Either way, rest assured they are for the better, especially the Google Now-equipped Chrome Launcher 2.0.
Google's Android launcher lets you pretend you're using Lollipop
So you're still waiting for your Android phone's upgrade to Lollipop, and you don't want to look behind the times when your Nexus-toting friends show up. What to do? As of today, you only need to make sure you're using both the Google Now Launcher and a new version of Google's search app. The update gives you some of Lollipop's Material Design look in the Google search bar, app tray and some animations; previously, the launcher mimicked whatever version of Android you were running. This is largely a cosmetic tweak and won't really make you forget about all the Android 5.0 features you're missing, but it could tide you over for a short while.
Google gives its iOS search app a Material Design makeover
When Google vowed that its Material Design style would reach every corner of its business, it wasn't kidding. The company has just overhauled its iOS search app, and that layered look is everywhere -- in fact, the app resembles a simplified version of Android 5.0 Lollipop. There's a new recents section that uses Lollipop-style cards to show your past queries, and the new navigation bar makes it look like you picked up an Android phone instead. It's much easier to find your way around than before, however, and there's deeper Google Maps integration that lets you browse Street View panoramas without switching apps. Image searches now produce elegant mosaics, too. If you're a loyal iOS fan but spend a lot of time in Google's ecosystem, you can grab the new search tool today.
Google Maps gets a makeover with built-in restaurant reservations
At long last, Google Maps has received the Material Design revamp that many were expecting -- and it's more than just a skin-deep upgrade. New versions of Maps' Android and iOS apps focus on the super-flat graphics and lively animations that you'd expect from Google's new design language, but they also include built-in restaurant reservations through OpenTable. If you're in the US, you can now book a table right from a place page instead of visiting a website or launching another app.
