Google Messages' Material 3 Expressive revamp is reaching more users
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR Google has started rolling out the Material 3 Expressive redesign for its Messages app on the beta channel.
The beta release brings design changes for the app's homepage, chat interface, settings menu, and more.
Although Android 16 has yet to hit the stable channel, Google has already started updating its apps in line with its new Material 3 Expressive design language. After releasing a few redesigned UI elements in Gmail, Google Messages, and Google Photos to select users over the last few days, the company has now started rolling out the Google Messages redesign to more users on the beta channel, and it isn't limited to the revamped chat interface.
User reports on Reddit and Telegram reveal that Material 3 Design changes for Google Messages' homepage and search, chat interface, New chat screen, and settings are now live in the latest beta. However, the rollout seems inconsistent. While some beta users have reportedly received the updated chat interface, others have only received the revamped settings menu.
The staggered rollout suggests that Google is testing these changes with a small subset of beta users before a wider release, but it gives us a clear idea of what's to come. As you can see in the attached screenshots, the Material 3 Expressive redesign for Google Messages introduces a rounded border at the top of the homepage and pill-shaped buttons on the search screen.
The rounded border extends to the chat interface, clearly separating the buttons at the top from the message thread. A similar border appears below the text box when the 'plus' menu is open. The menu now features bigger pill-shaped buttons for all the options, and they no longer have colorful backgrounds. The emoji menu has also received pill-shaped backgrounds for the Emoji, GIFs, Stickers, and Photomoji tabs.
The New chat screen also has several rounded elements, including a pill-shaped text input box at the top, a bigger Gemini button with rounded corners, and a rounded background for contacts. The Create group button is the same shape as before, but it now extends the entire width of the screen. Similarly, the options in the Settings menu have received a contrasting background with rounded corners at the top, along with a new toggle design.
As mentioned earlier, these Google Messages interface changes are only live on the beta channel, and not all users have received the Material 3 Expressive design elements across all sections of the app. However, since Google has started testing the new design, it shouldn't be long before it rolls out widely.
What do you think of Google Messages' new look? Let us know in the comments.
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