The Material 3 Expressive update has slowly arrived to different apps and services within Google’s ecosystem, giving us a visual overhaul that’s more modern, easier on the eyes, and in some cases, improves functionality. It’s just a start, and with the Made by Google event just around the corner, there’s no doubt that we’ll hear and see more of what Google has up its sleeve going forward.
For the most part, the visual updates have been a welcome change, streamlining Google’s design language, making products more cohesive, while also making them easier to use. So it should come as no surprise that Google Contacts is now seeing an update, giving us a new look that doesn’t stray too far from what we’re used to.
Not too much has changed, but we’ll take it
The news comes from the folks at 9to5Google, sharing that the Material 3 Expressive update for the app is now rolling out to everyone. So if you’re someone that hasn’t dabbled with the beta, you should see this new change rolling out to your Pixel phone right now.
While there are subtle changes here and there, the major changes can be seen are with the new pill-shaped outline that surrounds each contact. This is quite a bit different from the old UI, which didn’t really have any highlighted border, making it a bit more ambiguous about what could and couldn’t be clicked.
You can see these changes applied to the Contacts, Highlights, and Organize sections found in the Google Contacts app. The page for contacts also gets a small change as well, with action commands like Call, Message, and Video icons being enclosed in a more oblong shape versus the circle icons.
Again, we’re not seeing anything drastic here, but this is something that needs to happen if all of Google’s apps are to look like they come from the same period. As stated before, we should hear more news about Material 3 Expressive during Google’s event that takes place on August 20. In the meantime, you can update your Google Contacts app to see the most recent changes.
