[Update: Rolling out] Slack completely revamps Android app w/ swipe-based UI

Ben Schoon | May 13 2020 - 11:14 am PT

Slack is one of the best tools for allowing teams to collaborate on work online, and now it’s getting an updated experience on Android. A complete redesign for the Slack app is now rolling out and it’s a huge departure from what we had before.

For the past few years, Slack’s Android app has used a traditional interface. On the “main” screen, you’d get the last channel or direct message you have used with a hamburger menu containing the full list of channels and DMs. Now, that’s all pretty much being thrown out the window.

Slack v20 switches to a bottom bar interface with buttons for Home, DMs, Mentions, and You. The Home tab is the most important for most, as it lists out each channel and direct message you are a part of, as well as having a compose button for new messages. Swiping to the right on any panel opens a new sidebar which includes a team switcher, settings, and other options such as inviting new members or signing out.

On the right-hand panel, you’ll quickly access the last channel or message you’ve entered. It’s a handy, quick gesture to access recently-used sections of Slack.

This completely new workflow in Slack’s Android app is something that will definitely take some getting used to for many users, but it works really well! Personally, I like the clean look it provides too. The updated UI is rolling out as a part of Slack v20.05.10.0 — available now on Google Play through the beta track — but may require a server-side update shortly after that version is installed.

Update 5/13: A few days after rolling out to Android users in beta, Slack has officially announced this redesign of its mobile app. Rolling out “over the next week,” Slack calls this redesign “simpler and more organized.” In a blog post, Slack also teases that this redesign lays the foundation for more big change that will be coming over time.

Dylan Roussel contributed to this article.