Gboard Material 3 redesign of shortcuts expands to more users
▼ Summary
– Gboard’s Material 3 Expressive redesign of shortcuts, first introduced in January, is now rolling out more widely to beta users.
– The new design replaces the grid layout with rounded pills, placing two shortcuts per row and requiring horizontal swiping to view more pages.
– Shortcut icons remain unchanged, but text labels are larger; some labels scroll because they do not fit the container.
– The pencil icon opens an edit page with more M3 Expressive containers, and shortcuts in the suggestions strip have lost their containers.
– This redesign follows the Material 3 Expressive update to Gboard’s Settings page and is available in beta version 17.3, but not yet on the stable channel.
Gboard’s Material 3 Expressive redesign for its shortcuts menu, first introduced in January, is now reaching a broader audience among beta testers. The update marks a significant shift in how users interact with the keyboard’s toolset.
Previously, the shortcuts page displayed options in a grid layout with small rectangular cards. Users could adjust the keyboard’s height through the Resize option to fit all items on one screen without scrolling. The new design replaces that structure entirely. Now, each shortcut sits inside a rounded pill shape, with two tools per row. To access additional features, you simply swipe left to navigate between pages.
While the icons themselves remain unchanged, the text labels are noticeably larger and positioned to the right. A minor drawback: some labels may scroll horizontally if they exceed the container’s width, which can interrupt the visual flow.
For customization, tapping the pencil icon opens a dedicated editing page. Here, the Material 3 Expressive containers are used more extensively, guiding users through the “Hold and drag to customize” interface.
Elsewhere, shortcuts within Gboard’s suggestions strip have lost their individual containers. The back button has been replaced with a close ‘x’ located in the top-left corner, streamlining navigation.
This redesign follows the earlier Material 3 Expressive overhaul of Gboard’s Settings page. Over the past week, the update has rolled out widely to beta users running Gboard version 17.3. It has not yet appeared on the stable channel, but wider availability is expected in the coming weeks.
(Source: 9to5google.com)
