13-05-2025
Google changes its 'G' logo for the first time in a decade - can you spot the difference?
It is one of the most instantly recognisable symbols of any tech company.
But now, Google has updated its iconic logo for the first time in a decade.
In the new icon, the blocky red, yellow, green, and blue of the original 'G' has been replaced with a gentle gradient.
This subtle update brings the search engine's design more in line with the gradient used by Google's Gemini AI.
The new icon is now in use for the Google Search app on iOS and Google's Pixel phones with the Android operating system.
However, Google is yet to roll out the gradient further, and the new design isn't currently visible on other Android phones or on web browsers.
While some fans said they preferred the new look, many others roasted Google with memes mocking the subtlety of the change.
So, can you spot the difference?
For the first time in a decade, Google has updated its logo. Moving from the older icon with block colours (left) to a new version with a smooth gradient (right)
One commenter joked that the new logo looked as if they had taken their glasses off
On X, formerly Twitter, social media users joked that the new icon was so similar to the earlier design that it was almost impossible to spot the difference.
Commenters joked that it looked like they had simply 'taken my glasses off' and said the designs were identical.
Meanwhile, others took aim at the design process behind the updated look.
One commenter wrote: 'Imagine how many PMs, designers, meetings, committees, and time was spent on adding a gradient to Google's new logo.'
Another chimed in: 'Google app rebrand - Whatever you paid those designers, I would've done it for way less.'
While one commenter jokingly asked: 'How many millions did they spend on this?'
Likewise, some commenters simply found the new icon to be unattractive compared to the simplistic older design.
Another tech fan asked 'how many millions' it took to design the new icon
Commenters flooded social media with memes making fun of the newly designed icon
One asked: 'Are they messing with us?'
Another commenter bluntly added: 'The old logo is better.'
However, the redesigned icon already has a few fans who prefer the blurred design.
'The new Google logo is looking good,' one social media user wrote.
Another chipped in: 'Gradient looks better!'
While another added: 'I like the new logo better.'
The last time that Google updated its design was in 2015, when the company updated the full logo to a modern typeface called Product Sans.
This was also the first introduction of the block colour 'G' logo, which has been synonymous with the company for the last 10 years.
The new design did have some fans, who flocked to social media to defend the design choice
One tech fan said they preferred the new logo
At the time, Google said the decision to change the look was due to their rapid development of new products.
In a statement at the time, Google said: 'As you'll see, we've taken the Google logo and branding, which were originally built for a single desktop browser page, and updated them for a world of seamless computing across an endless number of devices and different kinds of inputs.'
This design is now the one which can be found on Google's physical signs at company offices and on Google devices like the Pixel 9.
Google has not commented on whether this latest design will be used more widely or if the gradient effect will be applied to other Google apps, such as Gmail.
Google did not respond to MailOnline's request for comment.
WHERE DID GOOGLE'S 'DON'T BE EVIL' PHRASE ORIGINATE?
For the last 24 years, the Silicon Valley giant has put the phrase 'Don't be evil' front and center in its code of conduct as a way of demonstrating that it wants Googlers to strive to do the right thing.
'Don't be evil' was first added to the company's corporate code of conduct in 2000 and was highly touted by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin over the years.
The firm dedicated several paragraphs to the phrase in its code of conduct.
But that has changed as part of an update to the code, made last month, which downgrades 'Don't be evil' to a single sentence at the bottom of the document.
Here are the original paragraphs explaining Google's 'Don't be evil' principle:
'Don't be evil.' Googlers generally apply those words to how we serve our users. But 'Don't be evil' is much more than that. Yes, it's about providing our users unbiased access to information, focusing on their needs and giving them the best products and services that we can. But it's also about doing the right thing more generally – following the law, acting honorably, and treating co-workers with courtesy and respect.
The Google Code of Conduct is one of the ways we put 'Don't be evil' into practice. It's built around the recognition that everything we do in connection with our work at Google will be, and should be, measured against the highest possible standards of ethical business conduct. We set the bar that high for practical as well as aspirational reasons: Our commitment to the highest standards helps us hire great people, build great products, and attract loyal users. Trust and mutual respect among employees and users are the foundation of our success, and they are something we need to earn every day.
So please do read the Code, and follow both its spirit and letter, always bearing in mind that each of us has a personal responsibility to incorporate, and to encourage other Googlers to incorporate, the principles of the Code into our work. And if you have a question or ever think that one of your fellow Googlers or the company as a whole may be falling short of our commitment, don't be silent. We want – and need – to hear from you.
