Google could be preparing to give its email service Gmail a big refresh as the company is now teasing a new icon for the service's mobile app.
The search giant already updated the logos for Google Maps and Photos this year and now it looks like it is preparing to do the same thing for Gmail. Back in February, Google Maps changed its logo to a pin formed by the four company colors and in June, Photos decided to do away with its pinwheel logo for very simple semi-circles also using the colors red, green, yellow and blue.
As reported by 9to5Google, Google sent the news outlet a teaser for Gmail's new icon and logo in a technical drawing. The drawing shows the letter “M” which signifies the word mail but the envelope icon around the letter is no longer visible. The company has used an envelop as part of Gmail's icon since 2013 and the shape of the service's logo has remained mostly unchanged since its launch in 2004.
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The envelope shape in Gmail's logo is now simply implied with the whitespace above and below the letter M. However, the outer corners of the icon are now much more rounded and fit with Google's latest design language.
Gmail redesign
While the technical drawing sent over to 9to5Google is uncolored, Google will likely fill the icon with its company colors as it has done with many of its first party services and apps including Google News, Google Photos, Fit, Lens, Google Shopping, Google Assistant and more.
In the past, the company has released new logos for its services ahead of major redesigns, so it's likely that Gmail will be receiving a major overhaul in the next few months.
Back in July, a big update to Gmail brought Chat, Meet and Rooms to one central hub within the service and this update is now rolling out to G Suite users. On the consumer side, Google recently added a dedicated Meet tab to its email service so that users could access its video conferencing service right from their inboxes.
Gmail may be receiving a big refresh soon but the company won't likely change things too much as users are familiar with its email service and don't want to learn how to use another tool.
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Via 9to5Google
