According to 9to5Google (via), these changes appear with Gmail version 2021.10.31. The new widget now resembles the Google Keep widget, which was updated not too long ago. Screenshots reveal how individual emails appear as cards, with the time mentioned right next to it. The widget also gets an archive button to help clear up your inbox from your homescreen.
The new Gmail widget also includes options for Chat, Spaces, and Meet
There’s a square-rounded floating action button (FAB) in the top right corner, while the unread counter will appear next to it. Extending the width of the widget reveals a bar on the bottom with quick access buttons for Chat, Spaces, and Meet. Reducing the height of the widget takes these options to the right for better visibility. Android 12’s dynamic theming is in full effect with these widgets, adapting to the color of your wallpaper. Overall, this is a significant upgrade from the previous iteration, which had a rounded FAB on the bottom for drafting new emails. The Google Drive app recently received a similar update, bringing a modified widget with options to upload files or search your library. Shortly after, the YouTube Music app also got similar functionality. You can check out the new Gmail widget by updating your app via the Play Store or sideloading version 2021.10.31.x manually. Although Google started rolling out Material You to its core apps some months ago, not all of its features were available right away. Now that Android 12 has finally started rolling out to Pixel devices and even the Samsung Galaxy S21, Google can’t waste any time making its apps and widgets fully compatible with the new design language. Apps like Google Translate had to wait until the end of October for the Material You redesign. Notably, the app hasn’t seen many updates since the days of Material Design. So it’s fair to say that the company’s plans to revamp its set of apps have been far from perfect.
