Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.
Google has only just introduced the Pixel 11 series, and we’ve already spotted several Google apps picking up redesigned icons that bring them closer to the newer, more expressive look the company has been rolling out across Android.
AssembleDebug / Android AuthorityWe were able to see the updated icons for the Weather and Recorder apps. Weather gets the more subtle makeover of the two. The familiar sun peeking out from behind a cloud is still there, but Google has played around with the colors and shading. The center of the sun appears brighter, there’s a warmer reddish shade toward the bottom, and the cloud now uses a gradient. The switch to a white background also makes the entire icon look cleaner.
AssembleDebug / Android AuthorityRecorder is much easier to tell apart. Google has ditched the old background for a cleaner, simplified red waveform. We haven’t spotted the remaining redesigned icons on Google Play or APKMirror yet, but 9to5Google reports that Pixel Camera, Calculator, and Clock are getting makeovers as well.
Pixel Camera has perhaps the biggest visual change. Google is keeping the basic camera-inspired design, complete with a viewfinder and flash, so you’ll still know exactly what you’re looking at. However, the shape has been cleaned up, and the icon now uses a new blue color palette with gradients.
Calculator is going in the opposite direction by becoming much simpler. The background is gone, leaving the familiar minus, multiplication, plus, and equals symbols inside a mixture of light and dark green circles. Clock, meanwhile, embraces the more playful shapes of Material 3 Expressive. Before the redesign, the Clock app kept things fairly simple, with a blue background and a basic white clock outline.
That’s especially nice if you’ve already embraced Material 3 Expressive across your Pixel. Apps that once felt like they belonged to slightly different generations of Android should now look more consistent sitting next to each other on your home screen.
That said, don’t expect these new icons to jump out at you immediately. Most of the changes are incredibly subtle, and unless you compare the old and new designs side by side, there’s a good chance you won’t even notice them. But once you do spot the differences, they help make the Pixel experience feel just a bit more polished and cohesive.
Thank you for being part of our community. Read our Comment Policy before posting.
