Google is progressively rolling out the Material 3 Expressive redesign for its Messages app, aiming to provide a more engaging and user-friendly interface. This update introduces significant visual and functional changes to both the conversation interface and the app’s homepage.
Expanded Rollout of Material 3 Expressive Design
Initially introduced to a limited group of beta users, the Material 3 Expressive design is now becoming accessible to a broader audience. Users with beta version 20250602_05_RC00 are beginning to experience these enhancements. To activate the new design, users may need to force stop the Google Messages app from the App Info settings.
Key Features of the Redesign
The redesign brings several notable changes:
– Conversation Interface: The top corners of the chat bubbles are now rounded, creating a distinct separation from the app bar. The previous subtle, bubbly backgrounds have been replaced with solid colors or designs, offering a cleaner look.
– Media Picker Enhancements: The ‘plus’ menu and pickers for Emoji, GIFs, Stickers, and Photomoji are now housed in rounded containers that match the top bar’s background color. The actions within these menus are presented in pill-shaped buttons without colorful backgrounds, and the grid layout is less dense, improving usability.
– Expressive Media Picker: This feature introduces a connected button group where the active tab is highlighted as a pill, enhancing navigation and user experience.
Homepage Redesign
Some users, particularly those with foldable devices, have reported seeing the Material 3 Expressive redesign on the Google Messages homepage. In this layout, the conversation list is housed in a container, and the Google ‘G’ logo is placed within a circular container, contributing to a cohesive and modern aesthetic.
User Feedback and Future Prospects
Early feedback from beta users indicates that the Material 3 Expressive redesign enhances the visual appeal and functionality of the Google Messages app. As Google continues to refine and expand this update, users can anticipate a more immersive and intuitive messaging experience.
