Material Design

Compared to the last design language revamp, Google’s rollout of Material You is happening at a much faster pace. That Material You app update blitz comes amid a barrage of Pixel 6 advertising and that’s no coincidence. It’s the sign of a well-under-way vision at Google that has been sorely missing.

Outside of Workspace apps, Google Camera, Clock, Contacts, and Phone have already been updated with the company’s new design language. Google Photos is the latest app to get Material You, though it’s a work in progress.

The Material You rollout continues with Google One getting a redesign that leverages Dynamic Color. However, the bigger update is a dark theme that replaces the previous bright look. 

New Pixel phones released in the fall usually launch with exclusive software features that later become available on older Google phones. The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro will be the first to feature Material You weather widgets powered by the Google app. 

Compared to other redesigns, Material You for Google Calendar is very straightforward, but the widgets do benefit from one handy tweak.

Last week, Google rolled out the latest version of its browser and kicked off the new four-week release cadence. Chrome 94 is now widely rolling out on Android, and it brings along Material You, as well as Dynamic Color on newer devices. 

Google today opened submissions for the 2021 Material Design Awards. Now in its seventh year, the company is looking for apps with great dark theme, large screen, and motion implementations.

Following the big update in August, Google Podcasts for Android is getting a straightforward Material You redesign, though it’s not yet widely rolled out.

After redesigning the Weather app, Google’s next step is introducing Android 12 homescreen widgets. We enabled the first one last week, and the second Google widget coming is straight from the Pixel 6’s Material You advertising. 

Last week, Google’s new design language started widely rolling out to Gmail for Android in some countries. As part of that launch, Google notably shrunk down the Material You bottom bar in Gmail.

Gmail on the web is set to get a navigation revamp this summer, while the Android app is now beginning to roll out a Material You redesign. 

In announcing that Keep is getting a Material You redesign, Google yesterday failed to mention that new widgets were also inbound. We’ve since enabled them, and they’re absolutely fantastic. 

Google’s various Material You revamps just keep coming, today with the arrival of Google Duo’s redesign.

Last week, Google announced that Material You is actively rolling out to the key Workspace apps on Android, including Drive. The Google Drive redesign also brings along new widgets including a quirky and large X-shaped one.

After debuting Material You revamps for other Workspace apps earlier this month, Google is today announcing that Google Keep is next in line for the update.

Android 12 brings a renewed focus on widgets with Google Photos and Clock — just this week — serving as key examples. YouTube Music is working on a Material You widget, and we’ve enabled a preview of it.

Following the Gmail redesign last week, Google today showed off Material You for the key Workspace apps on Android 12. This includes Google Calendar, Drive, Docs, Gmail, Meet, Sheets, and Slides.

Google officially announced the Play Store’s Material Theme in August 2019, while a dark mode came that October. Since then, pages like “Manage apps & devices,” settings, and navigation have been significantly revamped. A Material You redesign with Dynamic Color is what’s next for the Google Play Store, and here’s an early look. 

In June, Google redesigned Discover to be “more streamlined” by removing article descriptions and making other visual tweaks. On Android 12, the Google Discover feed to the left of the Pixel Launcher has added more Material You flourishes.

Ahead of the broader Material You redesign, Google is rolling out a small tweak to one particular important and frequently used component in apps. The time picker UI across Google’s Android apps are getting updated to a new, more touch-friendly design.