Google app tests a Material You 3 bottom bar, again

Key Takeaways

• The Google app's bottom navigation bar has received a Material You 3 makeover on both Android and iOS.
• The refreshed app is currently only available in beta (version 15.40) but looks as if it will be rolling out soon, perhaps with Android 15.
• This is the second time the Google app has received a refresh in the past several months.

The Google app is finally getting a Material 3 makeover, or at least the bottom part of it. The bottom bar of the app looks less cluttered thanks to pill-shaped icons and a lack of labels. However, it's currently only available on the Beta release.

Related

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It looks like this change might be here to stay (via 9to5Google). The Google app underwent a refresh last summer before the entire project was seemingly ditched, but there's good reason to believe it will be permanent this time around. The refresh matches what we've seen with other Google apps.

Material You 3 is Google's modern design language

Source: 9to5Google

Google updated its aging Material Design standard to Material You in 2021, the same year it launched the refreshed Pixel 6. The company has tweaked the standard every year to stay modern, and right now we're on Material You 3 (also known as Material 3). It's the perfect design language for the Pixel 9 .

This updated design focuses on ease of use, accessibility, and a more streamlined, uncluttered interface. One of the key elements of Material You 3 is a redesigned bottom navigation bar across all of Google's apps. Other Google apps, such as Gmail, Google Photos, and Google Drive, have received the Material 3 bottom bar treatment. Now it looks as if Google's main app is getting the same.

Interestingly, the new Google app's bottom bar lacks dynamic color theming, which is one of the key elements of Material You 3. The bottom bar is also shorter than the redesigned bottom bars found on Google's other apps, although the iOS app has a taller bar with more tabs.

Google recently updated its core app with revamped shortcuts below the search bar, while the iOS app received a Gemini tab on a top tab bar. Now it looks as if the Google app's final form has been achieved, although there is still no official announcement from Google.

It's impossible to know when Google will release an updated Google app to the public. Right now, it's only available to beta testers in version 15.40. With a bit of luck, we'll see this redesigned app when Android 15 drops in the coming days.