What you need to know

  • Material Theme redesigns are rolling out to the Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides app.
  • The updated design has been spotted on version 1.19.312.02.40 of the Google Docs app.
  • The revamped design appears to be a server-side change.

Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides are finally getting a Material Theme makeover! The new design follows several months behind fellow productivity app Google Drive, which received its facelift back in April.

As with the Drive app, Google Docs and the others get a whitewashed redesign, removing the color from the bar at the top. Google also now prominently places the search bar up there to keep it consistent from app to app.

The new document button located at the bottom right has also received a fresh coat of white paint, and now features a multicolored plus symbol that Google has become so fond of recently.

Unlike some of the other Material Theme redesigns we've seen, the UI remains largely unchanged here. Instead of moving some of the navigation to a bottom bar, like seen in the Drive and Play Store apps, everything remains in the navigation drawer for Docs.

For the most part, the new Material Theme design appears to be more of a fresh coat of paint than a complete revamp of the app. That's not a bad thing, as it brings more consistency across the Google apps lineup while also giving them a more modern feel.

Another thing to keep in mind, is that once Google updates its apps to use the more recent Material Theme, it also increases the likelihood of them receiving a dark theme. I don't know if you're anything like me, but, yes, please dark theme all the things.

According to 9to5Google who first spotted the redesign, the new Material theme is showing up on the 1.19.312.02.40 version of the Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides app. I've personally tried updating to these myself, but the theme is still not showing. As such, it is most likely a server-side rollout and we'll just have to be patient while we wait for it to reach our devices.

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