A new divided search bar leaves room for more buttons
Summary
- Google has been working on visual updates to its Contacts app, and the search bar is the latest.
- The search bar is getting revamped to resemble the one in the Play Store, with a smaller bar that doesn’t span the full width.
- Multiple app design changes hint at a larger overhaul Google might plan for its apps.
Google has been working on some redesigned elements in its Contacts app for a while now. The next element in line for a revamp seems to be the search bar at the top. Google is currently testing a redesign that brings it more in line with the Play Store. The new look hasn’t rolled out just yet, though, so it may take some time to arrive on your phone.
Your Google Contacts could look a lot less messy soon
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The redesign makes the search bar smaller, removing the account switcher and the plus button from it. Instead, these options sit beside the search bar, which now only includes a new three-dot overflow menu on the right. In the past, the search bar incorporated both the account switcher and the plus button, though for some people, there has always been an overflow menu in place of the plus button. The new design separates the different features more clearly, making it easier to understand what each interface element is in charge of.
Source: TheSpAndroid
The redesign isn’t live yet and is still hidden behind flags, which can only be activated on rooted Android devices. It was spotted under development by AssembleDebug writing on TheSpAndroid. Since the new design looks pretty complete, it may only be a matter of time until Google pushes it live, but as with any development like this spotted early, the company may also just scrap it altogether if it isn’t happy with it.
The redesign might be a hint at a broader strategy
Google’s apps gradually all received the signature search bar stretching across the whole top of the app, but it looks like the company is slowly moving away from this design. A similar small search bar has long been live on the Play Store, and the Google Messages app removed the search bar altogether in favor of a more branding-friendly header with the signature G icon in the top left.
It’s possible that Google has bigger updates planned for its app design, now that Material Design 3 and Material You have been around largely unchanged since Android 12. We may hear more about Google’s plans at Google I/O in May.
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