Play Store for tablets and Chromebooks gets Material You ahead of bigger redesign

Abner Li | Jul 7 2022 - 2:53 pm PT

At I/O 2022, Google showed off a major Play Store redesign for large screen devices. Until that’s ready, the Play Store on Android tablets and Chromebooks is picking up some Material You flourishes.

Back in October, the phone app was updated with Material You. Those changes are only now making its way to the large screen experience that leverages a different UI. Namely, in landscape, there’s a navigation drawer instead of bottom bar (though that’s still present in portrait orientation).

The main Material You change is how the search bar is now a pill-shaped field instead of rectangle with rounded corners. Meanwhile, Dynamic Color is applied to that box and the highlight noting what section you’re currently viewing. Blue, instead of green, is the accent used on unsupported devices. Lastly, the new taller bottom bar is in use in portrait.

So far, Material You is not used anywhere else in the app. Looking ahead, users can expect a compact navigation rail and main feeds that show more than just wider carousels. Instead, side-by-side cards will be leveraged. It’s amusing how the look is rather different from the recently revamped website.

The Play Store’s immediate Material You changes are widely rolled out today on several tablets and Chromebooks we checked.