Lately in the past November Google Messages icon design changed into something new. Clearly, it has just been three months since the change has been placed, though users are experiencing the notification icon for Google Messages reflecting the new design.
The icon was something we’d been familiar with for a very long time, it the boxy and emulated a small message box having three lines inside it. Some icons show their age and reflect a look that has long since passed, but the Google Messages icon didn’t seem to do that. Rather, the Messages icon has looked timeless for as long as that design stood. Google changed the icon design of all three with bubble-like shapes this is to reflect a relationship with the Phone and Contacts app. Now Messages icon has been renewed to two ovals with one extending down as a speech bubble would.
A source 9TO5Google found a Google Messages bug on my Pixel 7 Pro. Even though the new icon design changed, that was not reflected in the notification tray receiving an SMS or RCS message. The icon finally change to the new artwork today.
Messages users with what looks like both the Pixel 6 and 7 series all seemed to have the same issue with Google Messages: seeing the original icon in the notification tray and on the lock screen well past the design shift last year. This issue has been on the beta version of Google Messages, though it’s unclear whether or not others experiencing the same issue were on the beta version as well. A number of others have had the redesigned icon since the update in which it was introduced, as intended.
The only problem it caused was a mild surprise today when it finally snapped into the new look and reminded me that I don’t quite care for the bubble design. Hope you like the content.