Gmail notifications drop the red and stand out less on Android

Abner Li | Jun 22 2023 - 9:12 am PT

A small tweak to Gmail for Android yesterday updated the Android notification so it adopts Dynamic Color theming and no longer defaults to a red icon.

Version 2023.05.28.x of Gmail started rolling out yesterday, and the primary change is to the red app icon that appears in notifications. Previously, the outline of Gmail’s “M” icon was placed on a red background in a nod to the app’s historical color. (It’s been four-color since the Workspace rebrand in October 2020.)

After the update, it’s that icon placed on a background that matches your Dynamic Color theme. The upside is that this results in more consistency with your device’s look.

However, the very obvious drawback, which is clearly a shared sentiment, is that notifications from Gmail stand out less. It’s surprising what a tiny dot of red did to draw your attention.

After living with the themed notification icon for a day or so, I feel that Gmail alerts feel slightly hidden in the notification shade and lockscreen. This is especially the case for single email alerts, though they still benefit from the sender’s profile picture at the right.

In making this change, the decision was clearly for uniformity and better-respecting Material You, but there’s a case for making an exception, given historical precedent and the importance of email alerts.

One downside of consistent theming is that everything looks the same. That is, of course, a broader discussion on apps, especially third-party ones, not necessarily wanting to conform with the broader system in hopes of standing out and boosting usage.