Google Chat for Android receives a new bottom bar UI

Back in August Google started signing out free Hangouts accounts on Android and iOS, marking the final nail in the coffin for the service. Google is encouraging users to switch the Google Chat which is one of the two apps that constitute the Hangouts replacement (the other being Google Meet). Over the last few months, Google has given a fresh coat of paint to many of its first-party apps. And now, the Google Chat app is also getting some love.

As spotted by Mishaal Rahman, the Google Chat app for Android is getting a new UI for the bottom bar that now provides easy access to essential shortcuts.

Looks like a new UI is rolling out for the bottom bar in Google Chat on mobile.

Left: Old
Middle & right: New pic.twitter.com/8UppM0e6QX

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) November 30, 2021

The old UI had a pill-shaped text box and a “+” button on the left that revealed shortcuts for Google Photos, Camera, and other services. The new UI consolidates everything inside one large text box. As you can see in the gallery below, shortcuts for Gallery, Camera, Drive, Google Meet, and Calendar now appear right below the text area for easy access.

 

 

The new bottom bar in the Google Meet app is rolling out widely with the latest stable update. It’s available on my both phones running the Google Chat app version 2021.10.31.408397499. If the update isn’t live for you, you can sideload the latest APK from APKMirror.

What are your thoughts on the new bottom bar in the Google Chat app? Do you like the new design or prefer the old UI? Let us know in the comments section below.

Google Chat (Free, Google Play) →

The post Google Chat for Android receives a new bottom bar UI appeared first on xda-developers.

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