A leaked redesign of Gmail has surfaced, and it shows integration with Google Docs, Chat and Meet. Something that Gmail should have had all along. Even before Chat and Meet were created.
These slides were found on a presentation being given at the Cloud Next ’20 event. So Google isn’t exactly hiding this redesign, and that likely means that it is going to be available in the not to distant future.
The leaked design shows that Google wants a single hub for Gmail, Docs, Chat & Meet
The redesign, particularly for mobile, shows that Google wants to bring Gmail, Docs, Chat and Meet all into one app. And that is going to be glorious.
In the mobile version of the app, you can see tabs at the bottom for each app. Though there’s no tab for docs at the bottom, there are tabs for chats, rooms and meet (video chats). So you can easily separate individual chats from group chats. And that’s really going to come in handy. Especially if you have a lot of different chats going on.
You’ll also be able to pin rooms at the top of the list, so those rooms that you use a lot more often, can be front and center for you.
The tabs also make their way to desktop
The setup will be slightly different on desktop, mostly because on desktop you have a much larger space. But the same tabs will be along the side of the app on desktop. So you and still access chat, rooms and meet all from Gmail. Currently Google Meet is already integrated into Gmail, but Chat is not as Hangouts is still there.
So it’s likely that this redesign will roll out around the same time that Google gets rid of Hangouts. Which is supposed to be this year.
Integrating it all into Gmail makes plenty of sense. Especially as more and more of us are working from home, due to the ongoing global pandemic. By integrating Docs, Chat and Meet into Gmail, it’s going to allow you to be more productive. And Google is marketing this as a one-stop shop for all of your productivity needs.
Google hasn’t yet announced this design, so it could be a little while before we actually see it roll out to devices. But our guess is later this year, just before or even after Hangouts sunsets for good. As that is still integrated into Gmail.
