Google has made a small but noticeable change to its Gmail app. The latest version of Gmail for Android comes with a redesigned floating action button located at the bottom-right corner. It now comes in oblong shape with a pen icon and the word “Compose.”
When scrolling through the email list, the button minimizes to a circular shape with just the pen icon inside it. The button extends back to its oblong shape when swiped back up. Earlier, it was a circular shaped button featuring a multi-colored plus icon that matched the colors from the Google logo.
Gmail for Android now features bigger compose button
In addition, the icon and text inside the newly designed button comes in tinted red which matches the color of the Gmail logo in the sidebar. The older design was introduced in 2018 with the Material Design update. However, it is still visible in other G Suite apps like Drive and Docs.
The new compose button design change is visible in the Gmail for Android app with version 2020.05.17.313130477. Earlier, the button was quite small and can be seen in the bottom right corner. With the latest update, the button placement remains the same but comes in a much bigger size and is quite noticeable.
The color of the button still matches the background
The floating action button can also be found in other popular apps like Twitter and WhatsApp. While the button color on Gmail matches the background, most other apps use contrasting colors for easy identification.
The earlier release added new security features that allow the app to show warnings when messages aren’t secure or sent from suspicious senders. It also supports adding non-Gmail accounts like Yahoo or Outlook email accounts to your Gmail app. The new quick settings menu also shows the changes in real time before applying.
On the web, the compose button is placed at the top left corner and the new design is yet to be reflected. Even Gmail for iOS still has that old circular Plus button for composing new emails. Google recently integrated the Google Meet video conferencing service into Gmail on the web. It sits above the Hangouts section in the sidebar.
Also, it is available for both G Suite and consumer accounts. The user can either “start a meeting” or “join a meeting” directly from Gmail in a browser. Gmail app users on iOS and Android have to install a separate app to use Google Meet services.