First look: Google Messages gets a new gradient icon

Credit: Joe Maring / Android Authority TL;DR Google Messages v20261030 beta introduces a redesigned app icon featuring a rounded speech bubble and a blue gradient. The new look replaces the minimalist, interlocking flat pill design and aligns the icon with gradient icons for other Google apps. The updated icon is live for beta testers, though a stable rollout timeline remains unconfirmed. Alongside an overhaul of Google Messages’ settings , Google appears to be preparing a fresh coat of paint for the app icon of its default texting app. The latest Google beta comes with a new Google Messages icon, complete with the newer gradient look that aligns it better with other recently redesigned Google icons . The current Google Messages icon relies on a flat, minimalist aesthetic: two interlocking horizontal pill shapes in contrasting shades of blue, forming a third overlapping tone in the center. It is clean and modern, but distinctly abstract and screams “messaging app” in the right way. You can see it in the image above.