Google's much-improved app icons are rolling out now
Google is rolling out redesigned app icons that aim to improve visual differentiation. The previous icons were criticized for being too similar and lacking distinct characteristics. The new icons incorporate more depth and recognizable elements while maintaining Google's signature colors.
- ▪Google's previous app icons were criticized for their lack of distinctiveness.
- ▪The redesigned icons are being rolled out ahead of the Google I/O event.
- ▪The new icons make it easier to differentiate between apps at a glance.
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Big Tech Google Google's much-improved app icons are rolling out now The old icons had very little to visually differentiate them. By Nathan Ingraham May 18, 2026 11:36 am EST Nathan Ingraham for Engadget About five years ago, Google redesigned the icons for most of its apps and services, including widely-used tools like Drive, Meet, Calendar and so on. The internet's response was not positive, and with good reason. Many correctly pointed out that Google removed the individual defining characteristics of its icons, replacing them with an outline made up of the company's signature four colors. If you look closely, you'll recognize the outline of a document for Google Docs, or a camera for Meet. But at a glance, the new icons were much harder to differentiate than the ones they replaced.
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