Summary
- Google Meet is getting Material 3 Expressive, featuring updated visuals for recent activities and larger in-call buttons.
- This UI refresh is part of a wider effort by Google to integrate Material 3 Expressive across Android and its applications.
- The changes are primarily visual and do not alter Meet’s core functionality, though there is no clarity over when it’ll be available for users.
We are only a few hours away from the Android 16 release, albeit only Pixel users will get it on the launch day, without the much-talked-about “expressive” UI elements. The changes in UI are part of Google’s effort to introduce Material 3 Expressive not only to Android but all its apps. While Google I/O 2025 showed us a glimpse of the Material 3 Expressive design, we knew how it would impact certain apps well before Google gave us a preview.
We’ve already seen what Material 3 Expressive looks like on some of the popular Google apps like Calendar, Photos, and Files. Now, courtesy of Android Authority‘s APK teardown of 308.0.763202464.duo.android_20250525.16_p0.s of Meet, we just got an early look at how Material 3 Expressive is giving a new appearance to the Meet app.
What Google Meet with Material 3 Expressive interface looks like
Upon opening the Google Meet app, you see all your recent activities, which include all your recent meetings and video calls. The new Material 3 Expressive doesn’t change any of that; instead, it only enhances the view of those contacts. Each of these contacts on the history page is now available in a white rectangular container with rounded corners. The “Join a meeting” screen also features a similar level of design makeover for an improved UI experience.
After you select a meeting or call, another major change you’ll notice is bigger buttons. The sizes of “Join,” “Call,” and even “Cancel” buttons appear significantly bigger than what you see right now. The “preview screen” has also gotten bigger, and so have its important control options like the mic and video buttons.
Since this is an early phase of testing, Google might introduce more changes to the interface before release. But for now, these are the noteworthy changes you’ll likely see in the future version of the Google Meet app.
Currently, there is no clarity whether we’ll start seeing Material 3 Expressive designs in its apps before the release of Pixel Feature Drop, with which the new design will debut later in the year. Either way, all these changes don’t fundamentally alter how Google Meet works, but behind the scenes, Meet calling will replace legacy Duo calling in September this year.
