In addition to the new app icon, Google Messages for Android is testing a big homepage redesign that has three core components.
Update 11/7: Instead of pinned chats just appearing at the top of the list, Google Messages is trying a redesign that significantly elevates them above all conversations.
This redesign takes advantage of the existing background layer that’s currently just home to the logo/wordmark, search, and account menu.
You’ll see large contact photos appear above all chats, which pushes the list of other conversations down the page. Like iMessage on iOS, this layout has the downside of not showing any history or last sent information.
Meanwhile, Google is testing another change where search becomes a centered floating action button (FAB) alongside new chat. When you’re scrolling down the page, you’ll see “Search” in a pill-shaped button, with the other button minimized.
Otherwise, you’ll see a circular magnifying glass icon and “Start chat” in the pill. The animation that accompanies this change looks nice and feels alive, while boosting one-handed usability.
Google has replaced the Gemini FAB with a button in the top-right corner next to your profile image. This matches the design leveraged by Workspace apps on desktop and mobile.
These updates are currently in the beta channel and not yet widely rolled out to all testers. Some users have all aspects of the redesign, but it appears that Google is rolling out the various components in a piecemeal fashion.
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