Google Voiceis a handy service from the search giant, enabling calling and messaging over the internet. This Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) app works as long as you have a Google account and a US phone number. However, it isn’t a core Google app like Gmail or one of the Workspace utilities, so it wasn’t prioritized for a visual update when the company introduced it’s newMaterial You guidelines. That is finally changing for the better.
The old Google Voice interface
Although Google Voice is available for Android, iPhone, and desktop, the outgoing interface looks rather dated, with a round keypad button, a simplistic bottom bar and search bar, and a noticeable lack of Material You theming.9to5Googlereports the latest iteration of the app (v2023.03.20.518941070) brings dynamic theming, so interface elements borrow primary and secondary colors from your active wallpaper. This helps the overall cohesiveness of the UI, especially across themed Google apps.
The new Google Voice interface
The shape and appearance of the buttons has also changed subtly, with neat pill-shaped indicators in the bottom bar. A square floating action button (FAB) with rounded corners replaces the circular dial pad button, and it stays pinned in its position even if you scroll through your call log. The in-app search field at the top is also pill shaped instead of rectangular.
If you use the app’s widget, it is nice to see Google pay close attention to the design there as well, adding rounded square selection indicators with a dollop of dynamic theming on top.
Old Google Voice widgets(left); new widgets(right)
The latest version of the app is rolling out now, but we aren’t seeing it on the Play Store just yet. It should be available as an auto-update there, eventually, but you could skip the queue by installing thenew version from APKMirror. If you’re looking for some Material You goodness on the web, Google recentlyupdated Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
