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Google Updates Icons for Messages, Contacts, and Phone Apps with Gradient Design
Key points
- Google Messages, Contacts, and Phone apps are receiving new gradient icons.
- The redesign aligns with Google's broader app aesthetic, seen in Workspace and Pixel apps.
- Messages icon now includes purple in its gradient and darker blue in the background.
- Icons feature updated curvature and sharper, clearer edges.
- The update is visual only; app functionality remains unchanged.
- Google Messages is testing a redesign for pinned chats in beta.
- Pinned chats will appear above all other conversations with large contact photos.
- The search function is moving to a centered floating action button.
- The search button appears as a pill-shaped button when scrolling.
- Phone by Google beta version 246 introduces a redesigned app icon.
- The Phone app's new icon has a larger handset and removes the darker blue shade.
- The Phone app's new icon uses gradients for the earpiece and mouthpiece.
New Gradient Icons for Core Google Apps
Google is introducing updated app icons for its Messages, Contacts, and Phone applications. This redesign incorporates a gradient aesthetic, following a trend previously applied to Google's Workspace and Pixel apps over the past year.
The new icons are described as having sharper and clearer appearances on homescreens, featuring a subtle but crisp gradient with easily readable edges. The general shapes of the communication apps remain consistent, but the curvature and coloring have been updated to align with Google's broader app design language.
Messages Icon Specifics
The Google Messages app icon, specifically, now includes a purple color in its gradient 'glow' section, with a darker blue moved to the background of the design. This updated icon is currently available in the latest Google Messages beta (messages.android_20261030_00_RC00.phone.openbeta_dynamic).
Rollout and Availability
The new icons for Messages, Contacts, and Phone are rolling out over the coming weeks via the Play Store. While the Messages icon is already live in its beta version, the stable track for all three apps is expected to receive the update soon. The new icons should also appear on web interfaces like contacts.google.com and messages.google.com/web.
No Functional Changes
Google has emphasized that these updates are purely visual. There are no functional changes to the Messages, Contacts, or Phone applications as a result of the new icons. Users will experience a sleeker, more cohesive visual look on their home screens.
Updates
- Phone by Google beta version 246 introduces a redesigned app icon.
- The Phone app's new icon has a larger handset and removes the darker blue shade.
- The Phone app's new icon uses gradients for the earpiece and mouthpiece.
- Google Messages is testing a redesign for pinned chats in beta.
- Pinned chats will appear above all other conversations with large contact photos.
- The search function is moving to a centered floating action button.
- The search button appears as a pill-shaped button when scrolling.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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How outlets covered it
Phone by Google beta version 246 introduces a redesigned app icon featuring gradients and a flatter appearance. This update aligns the icon's visual style with other Google ecosystem applications.
Google Messages is testing a redesign for pinned chats, elevating them above all other conversations with large contact photos. The search function is also being moved to a centered floating action button, appearing as a pill-shaped button when scrolling. These changes are currently in beta and not widely rolled out.
Google is updating the icons for its Contacts, Messages, and Phone applications, following earlier redesigns for Workspace and Pixel apps. The new icons feature gradients, updated curvature, and coloring to align with Google's broader app aesthetic. This visual change is rolling out over the coming weeks via the Play Store, with no functional changes to the apps themselves.
Google Messages is rolling out a new gradient app icon in its latest beta update, aligning with a design trend Google has applied to other applications over the past year. This update changes the icon's color scheme, incorporating purple into the gradient and shifting darker blue to the background. The new icon is currently available in the beta version and is expected to reach the stable track soon.