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If you've launched Gmail and noticed a colourful new design, you're not alone. Google has started to roll out its stylish new Material 3 Expressive redesign to Gmail, bringing a raft of lovely visual changes to the most popular email client on the planet.
Google has been quietly testing this Material 3 Expressive look with a few users since June, when Android 16 was first announced. But if you weren't one of the lucky few, this will be the first time you've seen this new look.
And you're in for a real treat.
Emails now sit in rounded containers with much softer edges, making the whole interface feel more modern and polished. Those sharp, angular buttons you're used to? They've been replaced with pill-shaped ones that feel much friendlier and touchable. It's part of Google's bigger push to refresh how Android apps look and feel.
If you're familiar with the recent refresh to Google Messages, Gmail now looks much closer to that.
The subject line and app bar sit in their own rounded container at the top, making everything feel more organised.
Swipe actions to quickly triage your inbox — archive, delete, mark as read/unread, etc — have been treated to a gooey animation that adds a touch of fun to an otherwise dull bit of digital admin. As soon as you touch-and-hold and then begin dragging an email in the main inbox view, the new animation springs into view, providing you with immediate feedback that your swipe has worked as intended.
Hat tip to the team at 9To5Google, who first spotted the visual overhaul coming to Gmail users worldwide
|9TO5GOOGLE | GOOGLE
Reply and Forward shortcuts now have a solid colour that pops against the toolbar that runs along the bottom of the app at all times. Google has ditched those old outlined buttons for a cleaner, more modern look. The colour of these prominent buttons will adapt and change based on what you've set across your operating system.
This is one of the biggest new additions to Material 3 Expressive. Dubbed one of the "biggest updates in years", Google has doubled down on the personalisation first introduced in 2021 with the Material You design aesthetic that arrived with Android 12. Improved themes will now roll out to every corner of the operating system, and Google has introduced new font options too.
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The Californian company confirmed that it's "working to bring these visual choices across Google apps like Google Photos, Fitbit and Gmail" too, so when you select a new theme, you'll see the visual changes across the Android operating system and your favourite applications.
For those who don't know, the clever theme option built into Android leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) to choose complementary hues from your chosen wallpaper and paint this colour across the operating system, from the incoming notifications to the settings menu and core applications like Messages.
Third-party developers weren't always keen to adopt this system, so don't be surprised if Facebook keeps its trademark shade of blue throughout its applications, no matter what shades you've picked for your Android operating system.
We'll have to see if that changes as Material 3 Expressive rolls out across more Android apps.
Don't worry, though — none of this coat of paint has changed how your Gmail app actually works.
You'll still find all your favourite features exactly where they've always been. It's purely a visual refresh, though Google hasn't updated the compose screen or homescreen widget yet. Those updates will likely arrive in future versions as Google continues rolling out Material 3 Expressive across its apps.
Google has added playful animations and haptics throughout Android 16, including a "springy" new look when you swipe-to-dismiss a notification | GOOGLE PRESS OFFICE Google Messages is getting its own Material 3 Expressive makeover too. Your chat screen now features cleaner pill-shaped buttons when you tap the plus menu, replacing those old circular icons. The emoji picker's been tidied up with connected buttons that make switching between emojis, GIFs and stickers much smoother.
This fresh look isn't limited to these two Google-designed apps. Baked into Android 16 from the ground up, Google's bringing Material 3 Expressive to loads of its apps – you'll spot it in Calculator, Clock, Keep, and even Google Wallet. The design philosophy focuses on making everything feel more natural and playful, with those springy animations and rounded containers creating a friendlier experience across your phone.
If you've upgraded to the brand-new Google Pixel 10 lineup, you'll have access to Material 3 Expressive already. Other Android handsets will unlock access to the new look in the coming weeks and months.
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