Many Google apps could pick up a fresh gradient icon redesign

Google appears to be ditching the flat, minimalist style that has shaped its apps for years. Now, it’s introducing a vibrant gradient redesign. We’ve already seen this gradient icon style in Google Photos and Maps, and now it looks like it’s coming to Google’s Workspace apps too.

The company could be launching a bold, gradient-focused redesign for Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Meet, and more, according to 9to5Google. The strict rule that every icon had to use all four Google colors is gone. The uniform page backgrounds that made your app drawer look like a rainbow blur are gone too. Now, the icons finally stand out from each other.

Let’s start with Gmail. The familiar ‘M’ envelope shape remains, but now it’s mostly red with only small touches of yellow, green, and blue. Meanwhile, Google Drive has dropped red completely. Its well-known green, yellow, and blue now appear inside a rounded, almost bulb-like triangle.

Docs keeps its vertical paper icon, but Sheets and Slides switch to a landscape layout. It’s a smart reference to how people actually use those apps. Furthermore, Google Calendar drops the four-color container and goes back to a simple, blue-focused flip-style icon.

Meanwhile, Google Meet switches to a bold yellow, which is a big change from its current look. It’s not clear yet why they chose yellow, but it definitely stands out. Chat is also changing, now using a green, pill-shaped bubble.

Google Keep has removed the page background, so the light bulb icon is now the main focus. Tasks keeps its checkmark inside what looks like a button you can tap. Google Voice now has a more rounded phone shape, and its light green color still connects it to Chat.

Google hasn’t started releasing these changes yet. There’s no server-side update or beta version available. For now, all we have is Google’s promise that the updates are on the way.