New Google Messages notification icon finally appearing for some

Andrew Romero | Feb 9 2023 - 4:38 pm PT

Last year we saw the Google Messages icon design change into something new. Even though that change was around three months ago, users are just now seeing the notification icon for Google Messages reflect the new design.

Prior to November, the Google Messages icon was something we’d been familiar with for a very long time. The icon was boxy and emulated a small message box with 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.

To reflect a relationship with the Phone and Contacts app, Google changed the icon design of all three with bubble-like shapes. Now, the Messages icon is made up of two ovals with one extending down as a speech bubble would.

Interestingly enough, I found myself with a Google Messages bug on my Pixel 7 Pro. Even though the new icon design changed, that was not reflected in the notification tray when I would receive an SMS or RCS message. Rather, I would see the original boxy icon at the top or on the lock screen. Only today did that icon finally change to the new artwork.

As users on Reddit confirmed, I was not the only one with this issue. 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. The entire time I’ve experienced this issue, I’ve 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.

As issues go, this one was as inconsequential as they come. 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.