In the spirit of new year, new you, Google announced on its blog Tuesday that Gmail’s mobile app is getting a sleek makeover to tie it more closely to the rest of the G Suite apps. And unlike those new bangs you’ll probably grow out by spring, Gmail’s new palette—which ditches red highlights for more white space, and a cleaner aesthetic—isn’t changing with the seasons.
Gmail Product Manager Nikolus Ray told Fortune via email that the Google has been “working on the redesign of the Gmail mobile app over the last year, and it is a continuation of a larger effort to make G Suite look and act like a family of products, designed in Google Material Theme with ease-of-use in mind.”
New year, new look. Learn more about our updated design, including features to quickly view attachments and easily switch between personal and work accounts → https://t.co/bt10EUVutd pic.twitter.com/nR2d7DQ8cx
— Gmail (@gmail) January 29, 2019
Google first introduced its Material Design in June 2014 to create a consistency in aesthetics and functionality across the brand. “We’ve already updated the web experiences for Gmail, Drive, Calendar, and most recently Google Docs and Sites. More G Suite mobile apps will follow later this year,” Ray said.
This is the first full redesign of Gmail in several years. Incremental changes were made in 2013, when the inbox was redesigned, and 2016, when both Gmail and Google Calendar got new looks.
While the most noticeable change on the Gmail app is its look, there have also been adjustments for functionality.
For example, there are now shortcuts for viewing attachments, like photos and documents, on mobile. Similar to the desktop version, Ray said, “Attachment chips help you take action even quicker because now you can see and click attachments in your inbox before ever opening a thread.”
This mobile update complements Google’s redesign of the web version of Gmail last April, and creates consistency across the UI experience.
Users can expect to see the new version of Gmail on Android and iOS in the coming weeks.
