After weeks of smaller updates across the app – like refreshed startup branding and some design tweaks – Google is giving its Messages app one more major visual overhaul, bringing the Material 3 Expressive design straight to the main chat screen. This is where most users spend their time, so it makes sense that Google is finally putting the focus here.
According to a new report, the first thing you’ll notice is the “plus” menu in the message bar. Gone are the colorful circular icons for Gallery, GIFs, Stickers, Magic Compose, Files, and more. In their place are clean, pill-shaped buttons organized neatly in a grid. The menu now blends with the background of the Messages bar, giving the interface a unified, less cluttered feel.
The old design on the left vs the new one on the right. | Image credit – 9to5Google
Chats themselves have been given a facelift, too. Each message thread now sits inside rounded-corner containers that match the home screen design, while the app bar at the top keeps your call and overflow shortcuts handy.
Those playful wallpapers? They’ve been swapped for solid backgrounds in both light and dark modes, which makes scrolling through conversations feel a lot cleaner and more refined.
The new design in dark and light mode. | Image credit – 9to5Google
How do you feel about Google Messages’ new look with Material 3 Expressive design?
Love it, feels modern and clean.
33.33%
It’s okay, not a huge change for me.
11.11%
Meh, I barely notice it.
33.33%
Don’t like it, preferred the old look.
22.22%
The expressive media picker also got a redesign. A flexible button group at the top now morphs depending on what kind of media you’re working with. The search bar has been moved down, avoiding awkward back-to-back text fields, and Photomoji has been toned down a bit so other media options get more attention.
The expressive media picker also got a redesign. | Image credit – 9to5Google
All these changes together give Google Messages a fresh, modern feel without sacrificing functionality. Cleaner visuals, smarter media tools, and better security should make it easier – and safer – for users to keep chatting without feeling like the app is stuck in the past.
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