Google Meet is making Android better by updating the interface with Google’s new Material 3 Expressive design language. According to 9to5Google, this update adds a search bar and unifies Workspace apps like Drive and Gmail.
This update’s first change is the new search app bar. The text field used to take up the whole screen, but now it’s smaller. The hamburger menu and profile switcher icons have been moved out of this bar.
This change makes the layout of the homepage look cleaner and less busy. The “Code” button in the search bar for typing in meeting IDs has been improved. It doesn’t have a text label anymore, and the edge is now curved so that it fits perfectly into the container.
This change to the look of Google Meet affects more than just the search function. The app’s main screens, like the meeting history list and the in-call interface, had already gotten some of the M3 Expressive design in a previous update.
The server side is now implementing this change, and many users can now access version 341 of the app. This indicates that Google is trying to make all of its products look and work the same way.
The vision of a unified workspace and Google Meet
This Android update for Google Meet makes the Google Workspace suite look more like one unit. With this change, most of the main Workspace apps, like Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and Drive, now use the same search bar.
This makes it easy for people to switch between different productivity tools at work without getting confused. The change to Material 3 Expressive for Google Meet is part of Google’s plan to modernize its services. This month, Google Meet will also completely replace the older Duo Legacy calling system.
This change was supposed to happen in late 2025, but it was pushed back. Most Workspace apps now use this design standard, but Google Calendar and Google Voice are two notable exceptions. Each has a different reason for not following the standard, which has to do with how their interfaces work.
Disclaimer: The data in this article comes from sources that are open to the public and an official report from 9to5Google. It’s possible for feature rollouts, especially server-side updates, to happen slowly, and not all users may see the changes right away. As of the report’s release, the information given is only for your reference.
