For the longest time, scrolling in Google Docs for Android would awkwardly dock the search field underneath the system status bar. An update today finally fixes this visual bug.
Previously, Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides for Android had a transparent status bar. When scrolling through the documents list, the search field moves to the very top of the screen and gets docked underneath the status bar.
As such, the clock is in front of the hamburger button, while the account avatar and “Open from” menu awkwardly appear behind the status icons. The “Search Docs” text gets obscured by any notifications. On some devices, the field randomly gets cut in half, while screenshots don’t show how this conflicts with the corner radius of some displays. This problem is more apparent with the system dark theme enabled.
Old vs. new
Google Docs 1.25.252.00.90 is rolling out today and finally fixes this visual annoyance by simply making the status bar solid.
Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets share the same version number, with this status bar/search field update not yet widely rolled out for those two other apps.
Transparent vs. solid
In other miscellaneous development news, Google shared at I/O 2025 last month that Docs is using Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP), which “enables sharing code across mobile, web, server, and desktop platforms.”
The initial step in this journey is the rollout of the Google Docs app for Android, iOS, and Web, which leverages KMP for shared business logic, validating its readiness for production use at Google scale. The Google Workspace team is thrilled to continue exploring the possibilities of KMP across its product suite, aiming to enhance productivity and deliver seamless experiences to users on all platforms.
Business logic is the “parts that are most agnostic to the user interfaces,” with KMP is a “long-standing investment for the team behind Google Workspace, allowing for flexibility and speed in delivering valuable cross-platform experiences.”
The Google Workspace team is enthusiastic about KMP’s potential as the direction for its multi-platform architecture investment, confident in its ability to meet performance expectations for various workloads.
More on Google Docs:
- Gemini coming to Google Docs for Android
- Gmail getting personalized smart replies as Google Vids adds AI avatars
- Google announces ‘Workspace Flows’ automation with Gems, audio in Docs, and more Gemini
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