Google started rolling out a Material Design update to the Google Account section of the Android settings app, with the deployment being global in nature and starting at some point in the last 24 hours. The change is being introduced through a server-side switch seeing how the menu itself is effectively displayed as part of an in-app browser, as has been the case for many years now. The new look has been in the works for at least several months, having first been sighted earlier this spring, though Google only now resolved to enable it on a global level.
Besides making the Google Account settings experience more consistent across all platforms, the Material Design aesthetic also does a better job at highlighting crucial information than the previous menu did, particularly in regards to privacy controls. The change is hence likely related to the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation, a strict privacy law introduced in the European Union late last month which mandates digital companies approach the act of collecting and managing user data in a much more transparent and conscious manner than what was the case before. While the legislation doesn’t apply to data management practices outside of the European political bloc for obvious reasons, many major Internet juggernauts resolved to implement GDPR compliance on a global level as doing so was deemed less expensive than splitting their offerings into two and simultaneously enforcing different privacy policies.
The revamped Google Account settings are more fluid in regards to how their elements are organized, with the most obvious example of that free-flowing design being the behavior of one’s profile image that will now shift from the top-center part of the interface to its upper-right corner depending on how you navigate through the menus. The change should be live for all Android users by the end of the week.
