Google Discover appears to be testing a new design in Android 12. The new look changes the alignment of the Google logo while also stripping it of color. Going forward, the logo will either be white or gray depending on your system’s theme.
The new-look Google Discover was first spotted by Android Police, which said the changes are currently only available in Android 12. The redesigned UI also moves the inbox icon right next to your account profile. It’s by no means a major change, and as far as we can tell there’s nothing functionally different.
Over the years — Google Discover was launched in 2018 — the experience has become much more visible. When the Galaxy S21 series was announced, it was revealed the series featured Google Discover feed integration into its launcher. We’ve also seen Discover appear on other devices, underscoring what a quality service it is.
The latest UI change to Google Discover is admittedly minor, but sometimes small visual changes can have a lasting impact on the experience. Seeing the Google logo now left-aligned makes the experience feel less like a search engine and more like the helpful service it’s trying to be. It’s become so prominent that Microsoft added a Google Discover-like news and weather feed to the Windows 10 taskbar.
It’s unclear how widely available the new look will be, or if Google Discover will go back to looking like its old self. It’s also unclear if the small redesign will only be available on devices running Android 12, which appears to be the case at the moment. With Google set to hold its I/O conference in May, perhaps we’ll learn more about what kind of tweaks are being planned.
